Heya, peeps! Mike here, and after Loot Crate blew me away last month, I have been waiting with bated breath for my April shipment to arrive. Well, I finally got it! YEAH!
For those of you who haven't heard of Loot Crate, it is a monthly subscription box that caters towards "nerds" and "geeks". Each month, subscribers get a themed box of 6 to 8 items. What's interesting is that Loot Crate has different subscription programs. Here's a breakdown:
1 Month Plan - $19.37 USD / $29.95 CAD per month
3 Month Plan - $55.11 USD / $84.00 CAD per 3 months
6 Month Plan - $105.99 USD / $162.00 CAD per 6 months
APRIL, 2014 - DRAGON
The theme of the April Loot Crate this year is "Dragon", which is a combination of "Game of Thrones", "Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim", and other dragons-related things. When I first opened the box, I was a little concerned because my first impression was that there seemed to be less valuable items in there than last month. Let's see if I was right or wrong. Here is what was in the Loot Crate:
- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.00 CAD)
- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)
- Loot Crate Dragon Shield Screen Cleaner ($4.00 CAD)
- Loot Crate Mikey's Dragon Jerky ($6.00 CAD)
- Loot Crate D20 Stress Ball Die ($2.00 CAD)
- Green D20 Die ($0.50 CAD)
- Dragon Slayer Dog Tag ($3.00 CAD)
- Skyrim Nord Vinyl Figure ($13.00 CAD)
- Game of Thrones Vinyl Figure ($10.00 CAD)
Loot Crate Mini Magazine
As with the previous month, I received a mini magazine based on the theme of this month's Loot Crate. There is a pretty good overview of "Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim", an interesting interview, a well-written piece on dragons, an article on "Game of Thrones", descriptions of each of the items in the box, and more. I was very impressed once again with the effort put into this little publication. It may not necessarily add monetary value to Loot Crate, but it does set this subscription box program apart from others out there.
Loot Crate Theme Pin
I personally like the design of this month's custom pin. It's very clever with the Loot Crate logo as a treasure chest. Plus, I think the fiery dragon is just really cool.
Loot Crate Dragon Shield Screen Cleaner
I have never owned a mini screen cleaner like this dragon shield one before, but I look forward to carrying it with me to use at work on my laptop screen. The design looks a lot nicer on this item than on the theme pin, too. This is a somewhat cheap, but nice and useful item.
Loot Crate Mikey's Dragon Jerky
Last month, Loot Crate subscribers got 2 pieces of salt water taffy. This month, we got several pieces of... Skyrim-inspired dragon jerky? Although I know this stuff is actually beef jerky, the green colour makes it look unappetizing. I'm really hesitant to try it. Maybe I'll work up the courage to actually eat it when I visit my niece. She's really into dragons and I'm sure green non-vegetables will appeal to her, so I we'll eat the jerky together...
Loot Crate D20 Stress Ball Die
Have you ever heard the phrase "The dice are trying to kill me"? Well, this die will do the opposite! When you make a bad roll, instead of popping a vein, just squish it over and over until you are overcome with a great sense of tranquility. You'll live longer and be able to maintain a level head while coming up with new strategies to slay that darned dragon in that damned dungeon. This die will also help relieve the stress from your realization that Loot Crate gave you a somewhat cool, but extremely cheap custom item.
Green D20 Die
This die, which comes in different colours, is less cool than the stress relieving one and has none of its calming qualities. It will definitely try to kill you. But, hey! At least you have an extra D20 for your board gaming!
Dragon Slayer Dog Tag
I don't wear dog tags and the design of this dragon slayer one is rather ugly to me. I'm sure my niece will love it, though. It's right up her alley.
Skyrim Nord Vinyl Figure
This custom "Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim" Nord vinyl figure by Symbiote Studios is my favourite item of this month's Loot Crate. If you go to the Symbiote Studios web site, you will see that they have a cool line of Skyrim figures. This Nord one is a repaint of the Dragonborn figure and looks fantastic. I love that the helmet, sword, and axe are removable. It gives the figure a little extra playability.
Game of Thrones Vinyl Figure
I'm not a fan of the "Game of Thrones" novels, but I admit to loving the HBO series, which this Mystery Mini is based on. Being a blind box, you could get one of the 16 available figures. I got Khal Drogo! For a "cute" little vinyl figure, he looks seriously badass. He also kind of reminds me of my buddy Ryan. Ha ha!
OVERVIEW
I have mixed feelings about this month's Loot Crate, especially when compared to last month's box. On the one hand, I love the 2 figures I got this month more than anything I got last month. However, overall, I was more impressed with last month's Loot Crate. This Dragon box was worth less than last month's Titan one, but it is still a good value for the price of admission. At this moment in time, if I were to choose between Nerd Block and Loot Crate, I'd definitely pick the latter without any hesitation. I like the idea of a theme. I like the custom items. I am absolutely amazed at the amount of obvious thought and effort that goes into putting together a box. So, I am sticking with Loot Crate for the time being.
If you're interested in learning more about Loot Crate, please visit their Web Site.
Thanks for checking out my blog. See you again soon!
~ Mike
