The Lego Batman Movie Limited Edition Minifigures

"The Lego Movie" was awesome. In fact, it was the best DC Comics movie of 2014. I watched it at least twice in theatres and many more times on Blu-Ray. So, when "The Lego Batman Movie" was announced, I was more than excited. I was squealing like a Jonas Brothers fangirl. Obviously, this kind of enthusiasm was eventually going to lead to me buying Lego Batman Movie products, and that is exactly what I did the other day at Toys R Us. Please now enjoy my review of the limited edition Lego Batman Movie Minifigures.

(Note: I mistakenly stated in the video that Tim Drake is Red Hood. In fact, Jason Todd is. My apologies.)

Alrighty, that's all for now. But, much much more is coming soon, so stay tuned!

~ Mike

Loot Crate - September, 2016 - Speed

Hey, everybody! It's October and I just received my September Loot Crate a couple of days ago. Unlike with the August box, I'm a lot less disappointed since the postage label said that the September Crate was shipped on the 23rd. Sure, it arrived in October, but at least I didn't have to wait as long as before. Anyway, first things first, here's the unboxing video, which has a brand new, earth shattering feature - background music. LOL Enjoy!

Man, what a real butt-clencher! (Guess the reference.) Now, it's time for the obligatory photo showing the open box with items exploding out the top.

Ah, my lip-ends twist up when I look at that! (Another reference. ^_~)

For those of you who aren’t familiar of Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription box that caters to "nerds" and "geeks". Each month, subscribers get a themed box of 4 to 8 items. There are several different subscription options you can choose from. 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, due in part 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.

SEPTEMBER, 2016 - SPEED

When I think of the word "Speed", I think of fast cars, bullet trains, the Flash, that Keanu Reeves movie, and Usain Bolt. Obviously, items related to most of those probably weren't in the September Crate. So, what were? Here's a list, along with approximate Canadian prices that I ignored real work to look up:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)
- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($2.50 CAD)
- Stark Racing T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)
- Gone in 60 Seconds Car ($7.50 CAD)
- Batwing Key Chain ($12.00 CAD)
- Battlestar Galactica Titans Ship ($15.00 CAD)
- The Flash Hood Ornament ($15.00 CAD)

Loot Crate Custom Box

I don't even know where to begin to describe how cool this month's box is. Honestly, it's possibly the best box they've designed to date. Well done, Loot Crate!

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

This continues to be one of my favourite parts of being a Looter. Despite the somewhat boring cover design, the contents of this magazine are anything but. The great articles, which includes an interview with artists from the "Wonder Woman" comics, are a joy to read.

Loot Crate Theme Pin

Loot Crate has been on a roll with their pin designs. This one features a pun, which is right in my comedy wheelhouse.

Stark Racing T-Shirt

Black shirt - Bad
Marvel - Good
My favourite number - Awesome

Gone in 60 Seconds Car

I admit that I have never watched "Gone in 60 Seconds", but I love Nicolas Cage, so I also love this car. Oh, and the hood lifts up to reveal the engine. It's so cool!

Batwing Key Chain

This Loot Crate Exclusive is detailed, sturdy, and looks absolutely awesome. Honestly, the Batwing isn't something that would immediately come to mind when thinking about "Speed", but it is definitely fast, so I'll give it a pass.

Battlestar Galactica Titans Ship

I don't collect Titans outside of the ones I receive in subscription boxes, but will say that I get excited every time I get one. This Cylon Raider is no exception. I could go on and on about how cool it is, but I'll focus on one point only - The paint application. It's phenomenal! I mean, just look at the battle damage! This item is awesome!

The Flash Hood Ornament

My favourite item in this Crate is this Flash hood ornament. It's made of plastic, but I think that's fine considering you in install it by simply sticking it to your hood via the magnet underneath. If this thing was metal, it would definitely fly off. As it is now, the box claims the magnet's grip can withstand speeds up to 75 MPH. That's pretty darn amazing! Just make sure that if you ever get one of these that you remove it whenever you leave your car. It's bound to get stolen if you don't!

OVERVIEW

Overall, I think this is a pretty good box. Not the best I've received, but definitely one that keeps me excited about Loot Crate. Personally, I think a car from "The Fast and the Furious" would have been much better than Eleanor. Plus, I think there was just a tiny bit of cheating having 2 items based on flying ships. I can excuse one of either the Batwing or the Cylon Raider. Both seems a tad lazy. The Batmobile would have worked much better than the Batwing. Still, like I said, I liked this box. Ignoring the theming, it's tops when it comes to items. That and the ridiculously amazing box evens things out.

And, that concludes this latest attempt at being relevant. If my prattling actually got you interested in Loot Crate, head on over to their web site HERE. Want to save some green? The discount code for 10% off a new subscription is SAVE10.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more In Box coming soon!

~ Mike

GameStop Funko Mystery Box 2015

Do you remember Black Friday this year? I remember Black Friday this year. It's when I went to EB Games early in the day to pick up a Funko Mystery Box and discovered they were sold out of their very small stock of boxes pretty much when the store opened its doors.

If you hadn't heard of the Funko Mystery Box, it was a Black Friday exclusive at GameStop / EB Games that contained 1 of 5 Pop! figures, a random Pop! keychain, a random Pop! pin, and 2 random ReAction figures. For the price of $20 USD / $25 CAD, you couldn't go wrong.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was at the EB Games next to the Eaton Centre in Toronto with my pal Rob checking out some XBOX One games when something shiny caught my eye. I turned around and, OMG, there was an entire pile of Funko Mystery Boxes near the back of the store! Long story short, I bought one!

And, this is what I was greeted with when I "unboxed" it:

Awesome, right? Now, let's take a closer look at the items themselves.

Batman Pop! Vinyl

As I mentioned, there were 5 possible Pop! vinyls and I got Batman. I love the "old school" outfit! The other 4 possible Pop! vinyls were Batgirl, Blackest Night Superman, Claptrap, and Fallout Power Armor.

Elsa Pop! Keychain

I saw this keychain on several blogs and now I have one, too. It seems like Funko put Elsa in quite a few boxes. I'm not a huge fan of "Frozen", so I'll probably end up giving this to someone as a gift.

Deadpool Pop! Pin

This is definitely a way better find for me than the Elsa keychain and a very welcome addition to my growing collection of pins.

Breaking Bad ReAction Figures

I love "Breaking Bad" and I'm developing a love for ReAction figures. My Mystery Box gave me the best possible "Breaking Bad" figure combo, in my opinion - Heisenberg and Jesse Pinkman. There's only one giant problem, though... I already own both of these figures!!!

I am in shock at my horrible luck with these! But, hey, if anybody else got this combo, congrats!

OVERVIEW

The thing about boxes with random loot is that sometimes, you'll get stuff you have or don't want. I got smacked in the face real hard with my box, but I honestly can't say that the box is bad. The combined value of the items is well above what I paid, which is fantastic. I guess in the end, I now have a lot of great gifts that I didn't pay full price for, and that's definitely worth it for me.

And, that's all for now. Stay tuned for yet another review coming soon. Thanks!

~ Mike

Loot Crate - December, 2014 - Anniversary

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and this month, I wasn't sure if I would be writing a Loot Crate entry or not since Canada Post is notoriously bad during the Christmas season. To my surprise, I found my box at the front door yesterday, which was a Sunday. Either the postal service actually worked on a weekend or my Crate was accidentally delivered to someone else earlier in the week and then they left it at my door. Either way, I'm just glad I got it! :)

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

DECEMBER - ANNIVERSARY

This month, Loot Crate went with a theme that is a little out of the ordinary. Instead of something "nerdy" like dragons or space, they decided to celebrate the anniversaries of nerdy franchises. 30 years of Ghostbusters. 25 years of Simpsons. 30 years of Tetris... I'll stop there 'cause now I'm feeling old! Ha ha! Anyway, Looters were promised some sweet items, including an exclusive Pop! figure, so I was really excited for this box. What did I get? Here's a list:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Ghostbusters Door Hanger ($3.00 CAD)

- Tetris Stickers Set ($17.00 CAD)

- Simpsons Mighty Wallet ($12.00 CAD)

- Captain America Air Freshener ($5.00 CAD)

- Groot Socks ($13.00 CAD)

- Batman #36 Comic Book ($5.00 CAD)

- Joker-Batman Pop! Figure ($15.00 CAD)

- Crunchyroll Coupon ($7.50 CAD)

- Candy Cane ($0.15 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

I guess it's no surprise that we Looters got a custom box yet again. Seriously, Loot Crate rocks in this regard. What I love about this month's box is that not only is it the Batcave, it's a Funko Pop! Batcave! It's official - This is my favourite custom box so far!

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

This month's magazine is one of the best I've seen. I was blown away by the cover designed by Josh Mirman, who is known for his art style of using words to create characters. Inside, there is an interview with none other than Stan Lee! Wow! A definite treat for True Believers!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

I want to criticize the simple design of the pin we got this month, but I can't because I actually like it. Sure, it's just the Loot Crate logo with a couple of stars next to it on a gold background, but it looks good. Thumbs up over here.

Ghostbusters Door Hanger

This is honestly not the best Ghostbusters item they could have given Looters, but it's still very cool. Plus, it's 2-sided and exclusive to Loot Crate. I'm not really a fan of the Slimer side, but the Ghost Bustin' side is definitely being displayed on one of the doors in my house.

Tetris Sticker Set

This is cool. Really, really cool. I love stickers and this Tetris set is just awesome. I can't wait to show them to my niece, who I'm sure will have half of them all over her stuff in a matter of minutes!

Simpsons Mighty Wallet

I love the Simpsons and I've always wanted to get a Mighty Wallet. Now, I have a Mighty Wallet with an awesome Simpsons design on it! Sweet!

Captain America Air Freshener

Apparently, Captain America smells like vanilla. Let the jokes begin!

Groot Socks

This! THIS! This is the kind of item that keeps me coming back for more Loot Crate month after month. Easily my favourite item in this box and one of my favourites from Loot Crate so far!

Batman #36 Comic Book

I love the Loot Crate exclusive cover on this comic and the fact that it comes with some bonus digital comics. However, I will say that I would have preferred a #1 or #0 comic over one that puts you right in the middle of a story arc. If you Google "Batman 36", you'll see that this issue is actually the second part of the Endgame arc. I understand that DC probably hopes that people will buy #35 in order to be able to read the story arc as a whole, but I feel that a better way to get people into a comic series is to get them in from the start with a #1 or a #0.

Joker-Batman Pop! Figure

Now, we come to the most talked-about item that was announced for this month's Loot Crate - The exclusive Funko Pop! figure! I admit that this is not even close to anything I would have expected. Batman is awesome, but I honestly don't know what to think of this figure. It's so... weird... I'll just leave it at that.

Crunchyroll Coupon

I had never heard of Crunchyroll until I received this card and I really appreciate the 30-day trial. I love Anime, so I'm hoping to take full advantage of this trial.

Candy Cane

A December subscription box wouldn't be complete without some nod at the fact that it's Christmas month. It's why Nerd Block is such a disappointment. They don't even acknowledge the fact that Christmas exists. I understand not everyone celebrates Christmas, but why be PC about it? Christmas is fun! So, this candy cane? It's awesome. Thank you, Loot Crate.

OVERVIEW

My first December Loot Crate was wonderful. I was blown away by not only the amount of items, but by how awesome most of them were. I even have a new item added to my all-time favourites list! The thought and effort put into making this box and all the ones I've received before it are what are keeping me on as a subscriber. I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store!

Speaking of 2015, in January, the theme is going to be REWIND. I'm super excited since I love retro stuff! If you're interested in learning more about Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site. And, if you would like to subscribe, you can get $3 off using the code REWIND

This concludes my final blog entry of 2014. Here's wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and very MERRY NEW YEAR! See you in 2015!

~ Mike

Nerd Block - January, 2014

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Mike here! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and had a great time ringing in 2014. I think you'd be happy to hear that my family, friends, and I survived Icepocalypse 2013. If any of you were affected by the ice storm, I hope you weren't without power for too long and that you were able to stay warm. Now it's January and that means I have a brand new Nerd Block to review! In case you didn't know, Nerd Block is a monthly subscription box and each month, people receive all sorts of products from "nerdy" franchises. Here is some information:

NERD BLOCK

- $19.99 USD plus shipping per month

- $30 CAD total per month in Canada

- arrives around mid-month in Canada

January, 2014

Being the first Nerd Block of the new year, I was extremely excited and had high expectations. As a business, although every single Block should be mind-blowingly awesome, I think it makes sense to open a year with a bang. Well, let's see if that happened. The following is a list of what I received in my Nerd Block with approximate Canadian retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Batman T-Shirt ($15.00)

- Star Wars Luke Skywalker Pop! Figure ($10.00)

- My Little Pony Mystery Mini ($8.00)

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splat Flyer ($6.00)

- Hunger Games Catching Fire Figurine ($2.00)

T-Shirt

I love most things Batman, so this month's T-shirt was right up my alley. The design is also really, really cool. For those of you who are wondering, the Japanese text says "Ninja of Justice", or at least that's what my friends who know Japanese tell me. My biggest concern, however, lies in the fact that Nerd Block has been around for 5 months and this is the third black shirt I've received. The other two shirts are two different shades of blue. So, as of right now, I can rightly say that there is very little variety in the shirt colours. However, I will give Nerd Block points for having different franchises. None have been repeated in the shirts yet. Now, if they can give me a red, green, white, orange, yellow, or anything-but-black-or-blue, I'll be truly happy.

Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) Pop! Figure

Speaking of a lack of variety, subscribers have received yet another Pop! figure. Now, I myself am a huge fan of these cute "Chibi" style toys, but not everyone is. I wouldn't be surprised if some people are getting frustrated with receiving more and more of these things. Nerd Block really needs to branch out a bit more in the non-blind-box figure department. As for this month's figure, it is from the Star Wars collection. I got Luke Skywalker, which is awesome. My buddy Ryan, however, got Jabba the Hutt and is quite disappointed. Which figure did you get?

My Little Pony Mystery Mini

Bronies rejoice! Yes, a My Little Pony product finally made it into Nerd Block. I am not a Brony, but I don't dislike My Little Pony either, which is why I opened my Mystery Mini. I honestly think that the figure I got looks really cool. Some of you may notice, however, that this is the third Mystery Mini Nerd Block has included in their boxes. Thankfully, unlike the shirt colours or the Pop! figures, at least with Mystery Minis, different brands have distinctly different figure types. There is variety! So, I'm good with this.

TMNT Splat Flyer

Right off the bat, I'm going to say that I personally find this product to be stupid. It's Raphael's head made of a material resembling that used on Schticky products. You throw the thing onto the floor or at a wall and it flattens and sticks to the surface. This thing gets dirty really quickly and can be washed clean in warm water. But, seriously, who would pay $6 for it? I certainly wouldn't. And, judging from the lack of sales of this product at stores I frequent, not very many other people will either. I understand that Nerd Block is meant to introduce people to new products, but this is one toy that will be... tossed aside.

Hunger Games Figurine

The most disappointing item I have ever received from Nerd Block is this month's Hunger Games figurine. I've seen this product at the local dollar store being sold for $2 and have been mildly curious. The packaging is quite large, leading one to believe the figure inside is also on the larger side. $2 for a blind box figure sounds pretty good, right? Well, not for this. The figure, as it turns out, is TINY! Just look at the picture! What an absolute waste of packaging! And, what a horrible bit of trickery! I wouldn't pay $2 for this. It's worth $0.25 tops! WTF, Nerd Block?

Overview

Wow. Just... wow... And, not a good wow. This is a really bad wow. If you add things up, the products included in this month's Nerd Block are worth more than the cost of the subscription, but not by a lot. Also, there were only 5 products, 2 of which were ridiculous, 2 of which makes me worry about variety, and 1 of which was pretty cool, but was not for everyone. Overall, I was quite disappointed. Nerd Block should have opened 2014 with a bang, but it just ended up being a splat.

Nerd Block - November, 2013

All right! We are finally caught up! Today, I will be talking about the most recent Nerd Block. In case you didn't know, Nerd Block is a monthly subscription box and each month, people receive all sorts of products from "nerdy" franchises. Here is some information:

NERD BLOCK

- $19.99 USD plus shipping per month

- $30 CAD total per month in Canada

- arrives around mid-month in Canada

November, 2013

After a great start and a decent second month, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the third Nerd Block. What I expected was the usual shirt, blind box figures, and small doodads. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to get no blind boxes at all and some decent stuff. Here's a list with approximate retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Adventure Time T-Shirt ($15)

- Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie Boogie Pop! Plush ($12)

- Iron Man 3 Boxos Papercraft Set ($17)

- Super Mario Star Stress Ball ($3)

- DC Comics Originals Little Mates Batman Key Chain ($7)

- Zombie Splat ($2)

I've mentioned before that I'm just a casual fan of Adventure Time, but I really like the T-shirt this month. It's not a particularly clever design or something that will catch the eye of every passing person. But, it's dynamic and the shirt isn't black. Whew! The fit, as before, is great. As a reference, I normally wear Men's Large T-shirts since I'm a 44R. This month's shirt fit me perfectly. Also, the quality is still good like before. I'm glad since I would hate to see the people at Nerd Block start cheaping out on its subscribers.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Pop! plush is my favourite item in the box. I have to say, however, that this was one month too late. I feel that Oogie Boogie would have been perfect for the October Nerd Block since it was Halloween month. But, hey, Christmas is coming, so I'll give the Nerd Block people a pass on this one. The Pop! plush is one of the items this month that varies. My friend Ryan received a plush of Jack Skellington in his Santa Claus outfit. I admit that I'm extremely envious of him for that, but I love Oogie Boogie, so I won't go and try to steal Ryan's plushie. Or, will I?

A couple of years ago, Jess introduced me to the world of papercraft. We bought some card stock, downloaded some very nerdy papercraft patterns, printed them, and then made enough paper creations to fill an entire shelf. We also made papercraft gifts for friends that year. Unfortunately, we never kept up with the hobby since we got extremely busy at work, which is why we were quite happy to receive the Iron Man 3 papercraft set in this month's Nerd Block. It doesn't require printing or cutting. We just have to put the pieces together. Plus, there are so many different items in the set. Jess and I never made scenery or accessories for our papercraft figures since it was very time consuming. We would only make a single accessory if needed, and that's it. The inclusion of so much... stuff!... in the Iron Man set is very much appreciated.

Despite by recent disappointment in the writing coming out of DC Comics, I am still an eternal fan of the Dark Knight (even with the upcoming Batfleck). So, when I found the Batman key chain, I could not help letting out a girlish squeal that I immediately blamed on Jess. (Sorry, honey!) This is the other item this month for which Nerd Block subscribers can receive different versions. I've only seen a Joker key chain on Instagram so far, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were others. I'm very happy to have gotten Batman, and in "old school" colours to boot! If you have received someone other than Batman or Joker, please let me know in the Comments section. I'd love to see what others have gotten and how common each character is. Thanks!

The Super Mario Star stress ball seems like a cheap item to include, but I personally like it. I've never actually bought a stress ball before, but I have a bunch of free ones. This star is honestly now my favourite stress ball. I guess it wouldn't be as loved by those who are not a fan of the Super Mario series, so to be objective about this item, I'll say that it is definitely a bit on the cheap side. The star is well made, though, and from a famous video game series. So, for a smaller item, it's pretty good.

The final item is Zombie Splat, which is basically a very cheap slingshot toy. Honestly, I am a bit disappointed with this item. I understand it's fun for kids. Heck, Jess and I are going to give it to our niece as a stocking stuffer this Christmas and we are certain she will have a blast. But, it's really, really cheap and the zombies are not really zombies. They're designed more like rag dolls. Personally, I think Toysmith is trying to take advantage of the recent popularity of zombies in pop culture, and it's shame. They could have designed "zombies" that actually look like zombies, but they now have a product that looks more like one of those misnamed knockoffs you find in Chinatown. It's a stupid move by this toy maker and I am surprised Nerd Block actually included it. I would have taken another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rubber pad over this.

Overall, the Novermber, 2013 Nerd Block is the best box to date. Not only did I like most of the items, but I feel that I got more bang for my 30 bucks this time around. I don't expect Nerd Block to keep giving me more and more worthwhile items, but I do sincerely hope they at least maintain this month's level of quality going forward. Now, it's time for me to log off and build some paper Iron Men with Jess!

Stay tuned for Disney Marvel Vinylmations and Jess' first entry!