Loot Crate - May, 2016 - Power

Heya, peeps! Guess who’s back, back again? Mikey’s back - Tell a friend! Okay, that was a pretty outdated reference, but it’s still true! After a small hiatus, I am back with another Loot Crate review! “But, Mike, didn’t you quit Loot Crate?” Why, yes. Yes, I did. But, due to the promise of some insane loot in this month’s box, Jess and I just had to jump back into the rabbit hole for a month! And, boy, just look at what we found when our Crate arrived!

In case some of you haven't heard of Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription box that caters to "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 with shipping to Canada included:

1 Month Plan - $29.95 USD / $41.00 CAD per month

3 Month Plan - $84.00 USD / $114.00 CAD per 3 months

6 Month Plan - $162.00 USD / $219.00 CAD per 6 months

1 Year Plan - $312.00 / $423.00 CAD per year (includes Bonus T-Shirt)

As some of you who have read this blog in the past have probably noticed, the cost for this program has gone up significantly for Canadians, probably due to our weak dollar at the moment. Regardless of the reason, this hurts. One can only hope the items are still worth the price tag.

MAY, 2016 - POWER

I’m a huge “Dragon Ball Z” fan and an even bigger fan of Marvel Comics. So, when it was announced that this month’s Crate would have items from both, re-subscribing was a given. Was it worth it in the end? Let’s start looking into that with a list of the items in the box and their approximate Canadian prices:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Membership Card ($0.50 CAD)

- Warcraft T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

- Dragon Ball Z Plush Keychain ($10.00 CAD)

- The Hulk Q-Fig ($20.00 CAD)

- Infinity Gauntlet Oven Mitt ($17.00 CAD)

Loot Crate Custom Box

When Loot Crate first started making custom boxes, I was incredibly excited. Now that it’s become something I expect to get, the novelty has worn off quite a bit. Or, maybe this month’s box design is just boring. What do you think?

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

Unlike the custom box designs, I don’t think I could ever get tired of the mini magazines. This month, there’s an interview with “Warcraft” star Robert Kazinsky, a recipe for muffins, a code to unlock stuff in Loot Crate’s “Word Gush” mobile game, and much more. The Loot Crate gurus definitely put a lot of work into this one. Bravo!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

Wow, they’ve changed the Theme Pin from a button to an actual metal pin with a design that isn’t taken from the mini magazine cover! Plus, if you log onto the Loot Crate site, you can redeem an in-game perk for “Battleborn”. Wow! My only wish is that the pin design was a tiny bit better. It’s cute and all, but just not my cup of tea.

Loot Crate Membership Card

I found this item to be thoughtful. I mean, the dent in my bank account is reminder enough of my Loot Crate membership, but a card is nice. LOL

Warcraft T-Shirt

It’s not black! LOL I’m quite excited about the “Warcraft” movie, and now I have a shirt to wear to the theatre when I go see it! The design is just a tad bit too simple, but still quite nice.

Dragon Ball Z Plush Keychain

Honestly, this wasn’t what I expected when they said there would be a “Dragon Ball” item. But, it’s pretty cool and definitely something I’m going to gift to a friend.

The Hulk Q-Fig

When I saw the Deadpool Q-Fig that I missed from before, I was, like…

I’m glad I didn’t miss this awesome Hulk one, though. I love the design and the statue is actually pretty heavy for something of its size. This one’s definitely going on my shelf!

Infinity Gauntlet Oven Mitt

THIS! Just… THIS! O______O

OVERVIEW

I am incredibly happy I re-subscribed to Loot Crate this month. The items were phenomenal and the value was unbeatable, even with the exchange rate. Admittedly, I will probably skip a month here and there since our house is filling up with stuff. But, man, if you subscribe to only one program, this should definitely be it!

If my hyping has piqued your interest in Loot Crate, click HERE to visit their web site and use code SAVE10 to save 10% on a new subscription!

Alrighty, peeps. That’s another review in the can. (I can use that phrase for non-film stuff, right? LOL) Thanks for reading and see you again soon!

~ Mike

Loot Anime - January, 2016 - Episode 3: Equip

Heya, peeps! Mike here! Do you remember when I criticized Nerd Block a while back for going crazy and creating a whole bunch of different themed subscription box programs? Well, it looks like others have decided to join the madness, and Loot Crate is among them. Behold... LOOT ANIME!

So, if I'm not a fan of a ridiculous amount of genre-specific subscriptions, why did I go and order myself a Loot Anime box? Honestly, I just wanted to see if I'm the one who's actually nuts. LOL

Before checking out what my box had inside, let's get some business out of the way. If you're new to Loot Anime, it's a subscription program that sends you a box every month filled with Anime-related goodies based around a theme. Here are the different subscription options they have:

Monthly - $34.95 USD

Every 3 Months - $101.85 USD

Every 6 Months - $197.70 USD

Yearly - $383.40 USD

All prices include shipping and handling to Canada. Also, payments are recurring until you cancel. I decided to keep the pricing in US Dollars because the Canadian dollar conversion keeps changing (mostly for the worse as of late). I recommending checking the current rate to make sure you have the funds for this or any other subscription box program.

OKAY! Let's move on to the good stuff. 

JANUARY - EPISODE 3: EQUIP

You may be wondering why the title says that this is the January box when it's already mid-February. That's because this is how long it took for my box to arrive! It was quite the wait, so let's see if it was worth it. Here's what I was greeted with when I opened my Loot Anime box:

And, here's a list of the items themselves, along with approximate Canadian pricing:

- Loot Anime Charm ($3.50 CAD)

- Loot Anime Poster ($5.00 CAD)

- Hi-Chew Candy ($1.50 CAD)

- Steins; Gate #1 ($13.00 CAD)

- Monster Hunter Pen ($12.00 CAD)

- Dragon Ball Z Scouter ($17.00 CAD)

- Akame Ga Kill Tote Bag ($8.00 CAD)

- Kill La Kill T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

Loot Anime Custom Box

I am a sucker for custom boxes and this one is by far my favourite ever. It's so friggin' cool and something I am more than happy to display. Good job, Loot Crate peeps!

Loot Anime Charm

I loved the pins from Loot Crate, but this? This is genius. This "charm" can be placed on your keychain or plugged into the headphone jack of your cell phone. Its metal backing also makes it sturdier than it looks. I can see that a lot of thought has been put into designing this charm, which is something I appreciate very much.

Loot Anime Poster

I can't pinpoint why a poster just feels very appropriate for an Anime-themed subscription box to me, but it does. This one has an awesome design. I'm not sure where the design is from and the items list on the back of it doesn't mention anything about it, but I don't care. I like it.

Hi-Chew Candy

I had never heard of this candy before, but now that I have and have tried it... I WANT MORE. The cherry flavour is delicious! Other Looters could have gotten different flavours and I want to try them all. Can someone please direct me to where I can buy some more? Thanks!

Steins; Gate #1

Wow, another thing I hadn't heard of until now. Thankfully, Looters were given the first volume of this manga so I can start from the beginning. Splendid.

Monster Hunter Pen

Back in 2014, Loot Crate subscribers were given a custom "Dead Rising" pen. I'm pretty sure the company that made that pen also made this incredible "Monster Hunter" one. The attention to detail is phenomenal.

Dragon Ball Z Scouter

Looters could have received one of 2 variations of this awesome "Dragon Ball Z" wearable Scouter. It's lots of fun going around with it on and screaming at people about how their Power Levels are over 9,000 (8,000 if you're referring to the manga).

Akame Ga Kill Tote Bag

What-a-what Kill, now? When I saw this tote bag, I thought the design was from "Kill La Kill" and the title on it was some kind of joke or reference I didn't get. I mean, look at the scissors! But, as Google has informed me, "Akame Ga Kill!" is a completely different, absolutely unrelated series. Well, then. More for me to watch!

Kill La Kill T-Shirt

We now come to my favourite item in the box. Yes, it's only a T-shirt... But, it's not black! And, it has a "Kill La Kill" design on it that's actually pretty cool! And... and... I just love it. Period.

OVERVIEW

For all my complaints about subscription box companies branching out with specialized programs, I have to hand it to Loot Crate for putting together an excellent Anime-themed box. The items were great and were definitely worth the price of admission (at the current USD to CAD conversion rate). I'd say that at least with Loot Anime, if they can keep up the good work, it'd be worth considering. I wouldn't say it's better than Loot Crate, especially if you're not all that into Anime or are not looking to only get Anime-related items. But, if you are in the market for an Anime box, then I think this one's pretty good, especially considering what I've seen from its previous months on other blogs.

If you're interested in learning more about Loot Anime, check out their web site HERE. Also, if you look up "Loot Crate" on Facebook and join their Page, you can get discount codes for money off a new subscription.

And, that's all for Loot Anime. I wasn't interested in more than one box, so I didn't renew. But, I do have more reviews coming soon for other boxes and toys, so stay tuned!

~ Mike

Dragonball - Capsule R

Mike here, and for 2 months, I had been eyeing a box at 401 Games in Toronto that contains a bunch of Dragonballs. The price of $12.99 for a single ball containing a mini vinyl statue made me hesitate, but I finally gave in to temptation and bought the Number 5 ball. Check it out!

Opening the Capsule R ball was easy. All I had to do was pull open the label along the perforated line and pop the ball open. Inside, I found a sealed package containing 3 pieces that I had to put together to make the vinyl mini statue and then a fourth piece that is used to build a special statue. More on that below.

I was thrilled to discover that I had gotten the statue I wanted - Goku chasing Bubbles. The statue itself was not hard to put together since each peg and its corresponding hole is a different shape and size. There is no mistaking where each piece goes. I found that the plastic is tough and of seemingly good quality. The paint job was what really sealed the deal for me, though. It's great for something this small. Here, take a look.

I am absolutely impressed by the quality of this mini statue and have no doubt that the other ones in the series are equally good.

You've probably noticed that the blue dragon tail piece is not part of this statue. As mentioned above, each statue comes with an extra piece. If you collect all 7 statues, you will have all the pieces necessary to make a statue of Son Goku as an angel flying over Serpent Road. Here's a scan of a Japanese product sheet found on www.kanzenshuu.com.

Man, I would definitely like to get all the statues to make the special one, but to be honest, I don't have the funds to do so. $12.99 is expensive and I can't justify buying more Capsule R balls, especially since getting a double would be a huge blow to my wallet and I'm sure I'd get one along the way. Interestingly, I noticed that my Number 5 ball came with what seems to be the Number 5 set. Look at the packaging in this picture.

The big question I have is whether this means that the number of the ball corresponds to the number of the statue, making it easier for me to get all the pieces to make Angelic Goku since all I'd have to do is buy the other 6 balls. If you have bought a Capsule R that is not the Number 5 ball, please let me know which statue you got. Thanks!

Overall, I love the Capsule R mini statues. I would have been happy regardless of which statue I got since they're all really cool. The price is a little high, but nowadays, a lot of vinyls are expensive and not all of them are made as well as a Capsule R statue. If you're a Dragonball fan, I would definitely suggest getting at least one of these. It'll look great on display.

Thanks for checking out this entry. I'll leave you with one last picture. :)

~ Mike