There are many reasons to attend a convention, but shopping is one of the biggest, especially when you can find items not available elsewhere combined with deep discounts. Comic Con Africa 2022 is no exception, and we’ve picked out some great stuff you don’t want to miss.

Comic Con Africa 2022 is in the second of its four-day run today, with tickets still available to attend at the Johannesburg Expo Centre this weekend.

We have, of course, walked the convention several times to find these interesting items and can report that almost all booths have card facilities available. For those who prefer cash ATMs for all the major banks are available too.

Our list below combines personal interest with uniqueness and the possibility that this is the only place you’ll find these products, so we didn’t just pick out the most expensive possible options for the wow factor… though a few here are definitely pricey.

1. Custom mechanical keyboard keycaps Comic Con Africa 2022

Custom keycaps are known for their high prices and relative difficulty to find, especially here in South Africa. We were, then, pleasantly surprised to see a decent array of caps available at reasonable prices.

As you can see from the image above (make sure to click on it for a closer look) there are caps available from several franchises you may recognise.

Price: R100 – R450.

Place: Atomic Keycaps at booth AA22.

2. Kitbash robots Comic Con Africa 2022

Kitbashing is a broad term for model making that involves using pieces from other model kits in unintentional ways.

This art form has taken on a new life on places like YouTube where you can see something like Howl’s Moving Castle made from nothing but discarded take out containers, Gunpla spares and literal rubbish.

If you have ever wanted a completed kitbash model without any of the hassle of doing it yourself, Blockbots offers just that with a variety of unique robots all made from disparate parts. Compare the finished models above with an in progress shot here – a robot being made on the show floor – to see how impressive this really is.

Price: R100 – R750.

Place: Blockbots at booth AA19.

3. KFC sauces

Several fast food chains in South Africa have turned their sauces into retail products you can buy at stores, but KFC is still doing it in a limited capacity only offering them at events like this.

For Comic Con Africa 2022 the three sauces above are available, and yes this is one (or three) we bought with our own money to take home and try. We’ll have to do more taste testing but so far the dunked sauce is our favourite.

Some consumer advice here is to buy these as you leave the convention, as they’re on the heavy side and you don’t want to be walking through all the con halls carrying them like we did.

Price: R50 each.

Place: Main KFC booth in Hall 6.

4. The complete Dragon Ball manga boxset

We’re really climbing up in price here, but we’re suckers for boxsets and you can’t go wrong with Dragon Ball.

There’s not much more to add to this one as Dragon Ball is so popular, but at least the huge price here should equal a lot of reading time given the 16 volumes in the box.

Price: R2 800.

Place: Bargain Books at booth A815.

5. Full scale props

We’ve deceived you, dear reader, but in a good way because this is a top five list has three items crammed into the last slot.

This is because all three share some unique characteristics: they’re all 1:1 props, they’re all sold at one booth and the prices on all three are discounted heavily for Comic Con Africa.

The discounts are appreciated as these are premium products that you don’t often see in South Africa due to the sheer size and price on offer. We’d be lying if we didn’t say that the Nano Gauntlet wasn’t a tempting offer that we almost left with, but that just means there’s another free one in stock for you to grab.

Prices:

• Hasbro Black Series Boba Fett Premium Electronic Helmet (wearable) | Was R4 800 | Now R2 500.
• Nerf The Mandalorian Phase-Pulse Blaster | Was R4 000 | Now R2 500.
• Hasbro Marvel Legends Series Iron Man Nano Gauntlet (wearable) | Was R4 200 | Now R2 500.

Place: Lacey’s at booth E608.