While rAge is known for many things like cosplay, playing games on the show floor, the LAN and other such attractions, it is also a place to buy some cool stuff you may not be able to find elsewhere.

rAge Expo 2023 takes place this weekend between 8th and 10th December and we were there on the first day to walk the halls and find the coolest stuff that was for sale.

Below find our top picks but keep in mind this is just some of the stuff on offer.

NAG magazine

For those who may be a bit too young to remember, NAG, the outlet that created the rAge Expo, was originally a magazine that used to grace the shelves of stores all around South Africa.

While it still exists as an online publication and the name behind rAge, the magazine is no more. Or is it?

For this edition of rAge, NAG has rolled out a special annual magazine that you can buy right there at the convention.

The full details of this magazine can be found in our separate story here, but it’s worth noting that there are only 10 000 copies of this version.

Of everything on the list this is one we couldn’t miss out on and, after paying, we can report that ours is number 0958 out of the 10 000 numbered copies.

You can pick up your own NAG Magazine for R150 from the dedicated NAG stand (see above) in Hall 3.

Gel Blaster

We’ve talked before about gel blasters and how they offer a type of toy gun that feels like the next iteration to replace the foam flingers of the past.

Gel blasters are incredibly powerful, accurate and the ammo for them – very similar to the Orbeez that were a fad for a while a few years ago – is dirt cheap.

Representing gel blasters at rAge was GelForce selling individual blasters for R899 each. This buys you the blaster, 5 000 rounds of the water bead ammo, two different kinds of hoppers to hold the beads, the rechargeable battery and charger as well as goggles for eye protection.

Buying two or more blasters at rAge 2023 brings the individual price down to R799 each.

These are available from the GelForce stand in Hall 2.

Here we have to give an obligatory warning both for the danger of being hit by the water beads in sensitive areas such as the eyes, as well as the impact that the beads may have on water sources, kids and pets. Always consult the merchant and / or the included packaging for information about the safety of these.

Crystal / mineral Pokémon

One of the most unique items we saw at rAge 2023 was a collection of Pokémon statues made from minerals and gemstones.

Triskelion Crystals and Oils, the merchant selling these in Hall 2, explained that the statues are made from a solid block of material which is machined away. This leads to a lot of wastage, which accounts for some of the price of these small display items.

We particularly liked the Pikachu made out of orange calcite, the Snorlax made out of blue aventurine and a Mewtwo made from opalite.

At this point we need to mention that several of these statues are made from synthetic materials, not precious gems. We also have to note that we in no way endorse (or believe) in any “healing” properties of any stones or minerals. These are just interesting, shiny display items that caught our eye.

Each of the statues on sale sell for between R200 and R750 depending on the size.

Cork / rubber band guns

While gel blasters are incredibly impressive, we were almost more enamoured with the old school cork and elastic guns sold in Hall 2.

Not only was it incredibly fun to use such mundane items as ammo, but the accuracy of these guns is really impressive. You can actually pay R50 to shoot the guns in a contest to win some prizes and, while we didn’t take up this challenge, we did hit every target in the small shooting range with the rubber band gun on display.

To take your own unique cork or rubber band gun home – which are made out of wood, by the way – you can buy one for between R300 and R500 depending on the size.

We preferred the rubber band guns because it actually has a system where you can load several of them at once but then only shoot one at a time, essentially giving you a type of magazine. These things are a lot of fun and while guides exist to make them online, the quality is great here and again these are really accurate.

Keyblade

For the cosplayers out there we recommend checking out this seemingly full scale Keyblade selling for R1 200 from Zamzam Distribution Games in Hall 3.

This is definitely more for cosplay than display, as several parts of the Keyblade are made from foam to keep the weight down. You can see some areas, such as the gold areas, are done in this foam and have some crinkling given the softer nature of the material.

While that may be a dealbreaker for some, we have never seen a large Keyblade like this for sale in South Africa before, so Kingdom Hearts fans should pay attention.