For Christmas 2026, most people in Germany plan to shop in three categories: 30 percent want to give gift vouchers, 27 percent toys and 25 percent books. That is the result of a YouGov survey for the German Retail Federation (HDE) (in German). For men, number 2 is worth a closer look. A mechanical wooden model kit is a toy for grown-ups that he rarely buys for himself. And it gives him a few evenings of something that is entirely his.
Why a wooden model kit works for men
If he could name every car on the street at the age of eight, he still turns his head today when a classic sports car drives by. The enthusiasm never went away, it just rarely gets an occasion. When adults go back to building and collecting what they dreamed of as children, it is called kidulting. You can read what is behind the trend in What is kidulting?
Sociologist Dirk Gemein explained to the Frankfurter Rundschau (in German) why a kit is so often part of it: “When you assemble a model, your own work becomes materially visible.” Anyone who spends the whole day at a screen rarely gets to experience that. In the evening, there is something on the table that was not there in the morning.
What a model kit has over a voucher
A voucher is the safe choice, and it is number 1 for a reason. It does, however, hand the decision back to the person receiving it. A model shows that you know what he is passionate about.
Under the tree, he unwraps a box of wooden sheets from which the parts can be pressed out. Chances are he will press out the first ones on Christmas Eve. A few evenings later, the model is finished and it works: the car drives, the clock ticks.
Two models for what he loved as a boy
The UGT-24 is an endurance racer modelled on the cars of the sixties, at a scale of 1:12. Under the opening bonnet sits a V8, and the car is powered by its own spring motor. With an assembly time of approx. 24 hours, it lasts for many winter evenings.
For anyone who used to watch planes in the sky: the Aero Clock is a wall clock designed as an airfield in the clouds. A bag of sand or salt slowly sinks and drives the movement, while the pendulum keeps the beat.
And numbers 1 and 3?
If you are not sure which model suits him, go for the UGEARS gift card. Then he can choose his model himself. If he likes to read, take a look at the Book of Secrets. On the shelf it looks like a bound volume, and it only opens with a number code and a key.
You have 100 days to return it, and returns within Germany are free. We ship from Essen, usually within 1–3 working days, and spare parts are free.
Find more ideas in Bestsellers and Gifts for men, and in What to give a man who has everything?
Sources
- German Retail Federation (HDE) / YouGov: Christmas survey, 13–15 October 2026, around 2,100 respondents aged 18 and over; reported by dpa, 3 November 2026 (in German). yahoo.com
- Frankfurter Rundschau (Ippen.Media): Immer mehr Millennials betreiben nach der Arbeit „Kidulting“, 4 November 2026 (in German). fr.de