Gudetama Meets Danger

Jess and I have this weird new obsession with miniature plastic food. It's not edible and horrible for the diets we are trying to maintain since these collectibles look so good they make us hungry. Still, they're so adorable that we can't help but pick some up each time we find new ones. Today, we look at something called "Gudetama Meets Danger". That odd title got us hook, line, and sinker. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is our video review!

We hope you enjoyed that. There is a lot more coming soon to In Box, so stay tuned!

~ Mike

Gudetama World Gourmet Tour

Recently, Jess and I found a whole section in One's at Market Village (Markham, ON) that sells miniature plastic food. This has opened up a whole new world of collectibles for us, which is horrible since we already collect way too many things! Ha ha! Anyway, when Jess found a set of miniature plastic food that is based on Gudetama the Lazy Egg, she absolutely had to buy one. Here is her review:

I hope you enjoyed that. More reviews of miniature plastic food is guaranteed to happen, so stay tuned! And, as always, thanks for watching!

~ Mike

Retro Cafe on a Street Corner

Hey, everyone! You all know that Jess and I love to collect nerdy things, but what about miniature plastic replica food from Japan? Watch the video to find out not only what I'm talking about, but also whether this will become a "thing" in our household!

I hope you enjoyed the video and marital bickering that Jess clearly won. ^_~

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

~ Mike

Nerd Block - February, 2014

Hey, everyone! Mike here, and I am just a tiny bit late this month with my Nerd Block post due to work and multiple viewings of "The Lego Movie". I swear this film is my "Titanic". I'm probably going to end up seeing it a hundred times in theatres. LOL

Okay. Nerd Block. February. The shipment arrived just before the middle of the month as usual, which shows a good amount of consistency in the 6 months that Nerd Block has been around. The only difference this time around, however, is that the box arrived a little beaten up. I'm going to blame that on Canada Post. They have been pretty bad lately with my other shipments as well. *Shakes Fist at Canada Post*

Now, 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

February, 2014

Last month, I was extremely disappointed with my Nerd Block. I felt I didn't get my money's worth, and considering it was the first Nerd Block of 2014, I expected much, much better. Could the Gods over at NB HQ have been waiting for Chinese New Year to unleash the awesome? Well, let's find out. Here's a list of what I received in my Nerd Block with approximate Canadian retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Metroid / NES T-Shirt ($15.00)

- Smurfs Tag-A-Thon Figure ($4.00)

- Halo HeroClix 3-Pack ($4.00)

- Spider-Man Minimates ($9.00)

- Marvel Mash'ems Figure ($4.00)

- E.T. Miniature Figure ($1.00)

- 80's GelaSkins Stickers ($5.00)

T-Shirt

Right off the bat, I'm going to state that I am absolutely disappointed in Nerd Block for giving people yet another black shirt. That's 4 black shirts in 6 months. I get that this particular shirt looks pretty bad ass in black, but they could have just saved it for another month. Maybe August? You know, after several months of shirts in other colours. Hey, Nerd Block! You do realize there are other colours out there, right? Red? Yellow? Green? There are shades, too, like light grey, white, and dark grey. Actually, I would have liked this month's Metroid shirt in dark grey just as much as in black. So, come on, Nerd Block! Give us some friggin' variety! *Grumpy Cat Glower*

Smurfs Tag-A-Thon Figure

Growing up in the 1980's, I watched the Smurfs. A lot. To this day, I am a fan of that show. However, am I going to play a game featuring miniature Smurfs? Nope. Am I going to collect miniature Smurfs figures? Nope. However, I can see others doing it, especially kids. With that being said, if you haven't heard, Nerd Block now has a new subscription box called "Nerd Block Jr." that starts shipping out next month. I'm hoping that the inclusion of items such as this Smurfs Tag-A-Thon figure in the "adult" Nerd Blocks will cease in March. I think I have enough gifts for my niece to last a couple of years at this point. ;)

Halo HeroClix 3-Pack

Not surprisingly, we have a second item from WizKids, a company that makes games featuring collectible miniature figures. You may have noticed above that the price I put down for the Halo HeroClix 3-Pack is the same as the single Smurfs figure. That's because the Halo series of HeroClix has been around for a while, while the Smurfs game is brand new. So, don't be fooled by the 3 figures in this pack of HeroClix. They are not worth 3 times the Smurf! Still, I'm a fan of Halo and know enough about the rules of HeroClix in general to know that I can probably add the figures from this 3-Pack into some kind of multi-series HeroClix mega battle game. Unfortunately, the Smurf is not a HeroClix, so it can't be blasted away by my new red Master Chief. Why, WizKids, WHYYY?!

Spider-Man Minimates

I am a huge fan of Minimates figures. Their concept is similar to Lego's Minifigures in that they are figures that are all based on a single mould except for the accessories and paint jobs that make them different. Unlike Lego, Minimates have more articulation, more series, and more nerd cred. Yes, I said "nerd cred". LOL Oh, and the holes on the bottom of their feet can fit Lego pegs! Awesome, right? Anyway, I'm happy to see some Minimates in this month's Block, despite the actual included figures being a little lame. This could mean more Minimates in the future, and as long as I don't keep getting crappy ones, I'll be happy. :p

Marvel Mash'ems Figure

This is yet another item that I feel belongs in Nerd Block Jr. It's cheap fun for kids and I'm sure that when my niece gets it, she'll be throwing it around her room in utter glee. Me, I have no interest in this line of toys. There probably are adults out there who would have a great time with it, though, especially ones with kids, but right now, it's not worth the money for me.

E.T. Miniature Figure

Wow, this is the second month Nerd Block has given its subscribers something that can be found at the local dollar store. I had a very hard time understanding the inclusion of last month's Hunger Games miniature, and this month's E.T. figure is making me scratch my head even harder. I mean, come on! I love E.T. and all, but do I seriously want a cheap plastic figure on my shelf? Nope. And, I can't even give this thing to my niece... because she has no clue what E.T. is... (Note to Self: Educate niece on what is awesome.) 

80's GelaSkins Stickers

This is the second time Nerd Block has included a sheet of stickers from GelaSkins. Last time, I questioned the logic since GelaSkins are supposed to be for the decorative protection of mobile devices and the included stickers were just characters' heads, which meant they were only good for decoration and not protection. Well, here we are again with more character heads, and this time they're awesome 80's characters! You will definitely not find them useful for protecting your phone or tablet, but you can certainly stick them on the back of stuff or maybe on your guitar case. They look awesome, much more so than the Ninja Turtles ones from a few months back. This simple sheet of stickers is, surprisingly, my favourite item in this month's Nerd Block. O___O

Overview

The February, 2014 Nerd Block had a lot of stuff, but not much that really made it worth the price for me. There are certainly people out there who would appreciate more of the items than me, but looking at the value of each individual item, it's really disappointing. Coupled with the fact that Nerd Block seems to be obsessed with black shirts (DARKNESS. NO PARENTS. CONTINUED DARKNESS. MORE DARKNESS. GET IT?) and we seem to have a deterioration in the quality and value of items over time. I honestly am considering cancelling my subscription, but for the sake of nerdom and this blog, I'm going to keep going for a couple more months to see if things improve. I honestly hope it does.

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 - October, 2013

Welcome back for another entry. Mike here and today I'm going to be talking about Nerd Block's October, 2013 box. 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

October, 2013

In September, we were told that the October Nerd Block would be "killer". My buddy (and fellow subscriber) Ryan and I both thought they meant something along the lines of giving us horror movie products. However, when the box arrived, we were wrong. "Killer" just meant the products would be pretty good. Well, let's see if the claim turned out to be true. Here is a list of the Nerd Block contents with approximate retail prices in brackets next to each item:

- Star Wars Darth Vader T-Shirt ($15)

- Portal 2 Sentry Turret Figure ($7)

- DC Universe Mystery Minis Vinyl Figure ($7.50)

- Spawn Mini Trading Figure ($7.50)

- Adventure Time Finn-Ominoes Game ($7)

- Marvel Erasers Series 1 Spider-Man ($1.50)

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pad ($1.50)

I absolutely LOVE the T-Shirt. The Darth Vader design is fantastic. I wore it the day I received my Nerd Block, and when I visited Ryan, he very nearly had his on, too. But, the man was smart. He knew I'd be wearing it and decided against a "Who Wore It Better" situation. :p I didn't mention this regarding last month's box, but the T-Shirts have both been very good fits for me and of good quality. I would like to emphasize the second point since I occasionally buy shirts from "Design a Day" web sites and some of them print onto shirts I can find for a buck or less in Toronto's Chinatown. So, to have a nice quality T-Shirt sent to me by Nerd Block is a huge plus.

My wife bought me a Portal Sentry Turret blind box figure last Christmas as a stocking stuffer and I found myself taking photos of it in funny situations for weeks afterwards. So, when one showed up in my Nerd Block, I was thrilled. These figures are based on the Sentry robots from the sci-fi puzzle-solving video game "Portal", which I highly recommend. Each figure has a fun design and comes in "open" or "closed" position. The figure I got has a neat orange-red design that I think will look great on the dining table this Christmas... if

Jess will let me put it there. You will, right, honey? Please?

The DC Universe mystery figure was a bit of a surprise since I never knew this series of toys existed. I was really hoping to get one of the various Batman figures, but I got the Penguin instead. I really like the figure, which is quite solid and has a good paint job. My only complaint about the Penguin is that he looks... kind of Asian. I know it's a strange thing to get hung up on, but every time I look at my figure, all I can see is Ken Jeong from "Community" in a Penguin costume... Well, he'd make an interesting Penguin. He'd certainly pull off the nasally voice. Yeah... MOVING ON!

I didn't take a photo of the Spawn figure, but I really, really didn't like the figure I got. The series has quite a few designs and the only ones I would have wanted are all of Spawn himself. But, even if I did get a Spawn, I seriously would not have been happy since I just don't like this series of figures in general. I can't give my figure to my niece since she wouldn't know what to do with it. I can't trade with Ryan since he got a figure he likes. And,

I doubt I can sell the thing since it's so darned ugly. So, I'm stuck with a... demon... knight... thing? Just look up a picture of the back of the box, look at Row B, and it's the furthest one on the right. Anyone want to give me a quick synopsis of Spawn? I've only seen the movie.

Finn-Ominoes looks like a fun little game, but I'm going to give it away as a gift to my niece or a friend who likes Adventure Time. I have only watched a couple of episodes, and although I liked them, I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of the show. I do know that there are a lot of hardcore Adventure Time fans out there, especially after seeing the number of people in Finn or Jake costumes this Halloween, so I think the inclusion of Finn-Ominoes was a good idea.

The Spider-Man eraser is cheap. Very, very cheap. But, I'm both a Marvel fan and a Spidey fan, so I was all smiles when I saw the eraser. My Friendly Neighbourhood Mini Spidey is now sitting on my desk ready to take on the endless hordes of the Pencil Mistakes army. :D

Finally, we have the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... What on Earth is that? A coaster? One of those sticky pads you put on your dashboard to hold your phone in place? A decoration? A wrist rest for when you're using a mouse? Who in the bloody heck thought it was a good idea to include a flat piece of rubber that says "NYC Sewer" on it? Technically, there's no indication that it's even a TMNT product. But, judging from the ooze-like design and the somewhat turtle-shell-

looking design of the sewer lid, it must be from TMNT. I've been using the pad as a coaster, so I guess in the end, it was a good idea after all, right?

I felt that the October Nerd Block was definitely a weaker showing than the September box. Although I like what was included overall, I would never have bought most of the products had I seen them in stores. Actually, I wouldn't have bought any of them except the Sentry, and even then, I already had one, so I would have bought none of these items. Having received them in my Nerd Block, however, means I "did" buy them, and to be honest, I don't regret it. That is why I didn't cancel my subscription. I did, however, tell myself that if things don't improve in November, I'm done.

To find out about the November Nerd Block, please stay tuned. It's coming soon!

~ Mike Chan

Nerd Block - September, 2013 (Here we goooooo!)

Hi, everybody! Welcome to "In Box with Mike & Jess". Mike here, and I'm happy to start off our blog by sharing with you the September, 2013 Nerd Block.

I am admittedly quite the nerd. My brain is filled with useless facts about fictional characters who wear their underpants over their spandex bodysuits and attach blankets to their backs. If you're anything like me, then you'll really appreciate Nerd Block. It is a monthly subscription box of nerd goodies that began back in September of this year. Now, as much as I'd love to show you what my November box has, I'm going to save it for an entry in the near future because I really want to start at the beginning. So, here we goooooo!

NERD BLOCK

- $19.99 USD plus shipping per month

- $30 CAD total per month in Canada

- arrives around mid-month in Canada

September, 2013

I was extremely excited to receive the first ever Nerd Block back in September. The box you see in the picture arrived packed in a brown shipping box that felt sturdy and survived the trip to my house with very little damage. The Nerd Block's box was surprisingly nice as well. I really liked the design when I first saw it. I also appreciated that it was the slide-out type of box since it is easier to open.

On to the good stuff! When I opened the box, I got the following items, with rough prices next to them in brackets:

- Gremlins T-Shirt ($15)

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo Pop! Figure ($12)

- The Big Bang Theory Funko Mystery Minis Figure ($8)

- Galactic Guardians HeroClix Single Figure ($6)

- Topps Wacky Packages Sticker Pack ($3.50)

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stickers by GelaSkins ($5)

The T-Shirt was just "okay". I'm a fan of Gremlins, but for a "First Shirt Ever", I felt Nerd Block somewhat dropped the ball. I have worn the shirt since getting it, though, so I guess that's a good thing. But, it's not a shirt I would have bought if I saw it in a store. Honestly, I think the shirt will eventually become a shirt I wear at home while doing various chores, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. This means I don't have to buy another shirt to replace my beaten-up "Slap Bet Commissioner" shirt.

I LOVE the Leonardo Pop! figure. I'm a huge fan of the Pop! series and to get a Turtles figure in the box really made my day. I wish I had gotten Michelangelo, though, since he is my favourite. But, Leo will do. I just have to wait for a sale at my local store to get Mikey to add to my collection.

My other favourite item in the Nerd Block was the Big Bang Theory figure. I didn't know they had vinyls for that show, so I was pleasantly surprised. I ended up getting Amy, who is one of my favourite characters. SWEET!

I collect HeroClix, but was still surprised to see one included. In case you didn't know, HeroClix is a collectible miniature figure game by WizKids. You and your friends build armies with little figures and then battle it out on a game board. Unless you already play HeroClix or are a collector, including a single HeroClix figure in a NerdBlock is almost useless. From a marketing standpoint, I guess it makes sense since I'm sure WizKids thinks that by including a single figure, some Nerd Block subscribers will think it's cool enough to look into and maybe even purchase the game. But, I feel a single figure is not enough, especially since it's a blind box and people might get a figure they don't like. I think a better idea for including HeroClix is to either go with a starter set or one of the packages that includes multiple figures. This way, people start out with an army and can play with people who own the game or friends who also subscribe to Nerd Block. This is a better way to generate interest than giving people a single figure.

The final two items ended up being quite useless to me. I have no interest in collecting Wacky Packages stickers and the Ninja Turtles stickers claim to be for mobile devices, but I have no use for hexagons that fit nowhere. The only thing I can think to do with the Wacky Packages stickers is give them to my niece. As for the Ninja Turtles, I may also give them to my niece. However, I can see them being put onto the backs of laptops or tablets by Nerd Block subscribers who do that to their devices. (The receptionist at my office has Snow White on her Macbook.)

All in all, the stuff in my very first Nerd Block were worth the price of admission. The shirt, Pop! figure, and Big Bang Theory vinyl on their own already cost more than the whole package with shipping. Although I was personally disappointed with some other items, I can see the logic behind having them. I'm sure others probably liked them more than me. Did I continue to be a Nerd Block subscriber after the first delivery? You bet! More entries are to come!

Aaaaaaand, that's the first entry to "In Box with Mike & Jess". We both hope you enjoyed the read and found the information helpful. Stay tuned for Nerd Block October, 2013 and a review of Disney's new Marvel Comics Vinylmations.

~ Mike Chan