Marvel Collector Corps - 2016 - Box 1 - Deadpool

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and WOW, this is one very late review of a Marvel Collector Corps box! I don't know what happened, but while most people got their boxes in February, mine only arrived a few days ago. Weird. Thankfully, I'm patient, so I wasn't upset when this awesome-looking box arrived at my door:

Before I move on to describing what was inside the box, here's some vital pricing info if you're new to this program by Marvel Comics and Funko Toys:

Bi-Monthly Subscription

$31.95 USD to the US / $39.00 USD to Canada (Shipping Included)

Yearly Subscription

$191.70 USD to the US / $234.00 USD to Canada (Shipping Included)

As you may have noticed above, this isn't a monthly subscription. Instead, Funko sends a box out every 2 months, thus the higher box price compared to programs like Loot Crate and Nerd Block. If you get the yearly subscription, you get an 8" bonus figure each year on the anniversary of your subscription.

Alrighty! Now that we have business out of the way, let's take a look at what I found when I opened my Deadpool box.

Looks nice, yes? Here's a list of the items themselves, along with approximate Canadian pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)

- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)

- Deadpool T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

- Deadpool #001 Comic ($5.00 CAD)

- Deadpool Dorbz Vinyl ($15.00 CAD)

- Deadpool Mopeez Plush ($13.00 CAD)

- Deadpool Pop! Vinyl ($15.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

Normally, I love the design on the inside of Collector Corps boxes, but this Deadpool design seems a little less dynamic. I mean, it's still nice, but there's just something... missing.

Collector Corps Pin

Like the box design, there's just something a little off with the pin. I love Deadpool and the pin does capture his likeness well, but I like this pin less than most of the other pins. It's better than the Iron Man one, though.

Collector Corps Patch

Here's something interesting - This patch design kicks the crap out of all other patches that have come before it. I'm surprised since the box and pin were kind of "blah". Good job, Marvel / Funko!

Deadpool T-Shirt

Oh, boy! Another black T-shirt! LOL Despite my preference for receiving non-black shirts, I like this one overall. It's not as good as the other shirts I've gotten from Collector Corps, but it's still a shirt I'm happy to wear.

Deadpool #001 Comic

I absolutely love the variant cover design on this comic. Plus, it's a #001 issue, so I can start at the beginning. This is especially important since Marvel recently "rebooted" their comics universe.

Deadpool Dorbz Vinyl

I don't collect Dorbz and I feel Funko is going a bit overboard with its multiple collectible vinyl figure lines, but this Cowboy Deadpool Dorbz is too adorable to criticize. I love it. On the side of the box, there are 2 other designs - a pirate and a chef. I'm not sure if other subscribers got one of those instead of the cowboy, so if you did get one of them, please comment below!

Deadpool Mopeez Plush

Now, Funko also has plushies?! Oh, geez! I've seen the regular Deadpool Mopeez on Amazon.com, and although it's cute, I much prefer this Reverse Deadpool one. Still, I'm not really all that excited about getting this plushie. Maybe it's because the overall design is a little boring?

Deadpool Pop! Vinyl

A Deadpool-themed Collector Corps box wouldn't be complete without a Pop! vinyl. The one I received has Deadpool jumping. I would have preferred some of the funny designs shown on the back of the box, but Jumping Deadpool is still good. Did you get a different Pop! vinyl? Comment below if you did.

OVERVIEW

Deadpool has long been one of my favourite Marvel characters, and with the movie coming out, I was expecting big things from an official Marvel subscription box. Instead, Marvel and Funko delivered products that were great, but inferior in comparison to what was given to subscribers of other programs like Loot Crate. Go have a look at the reviews. Seriously, Collector Corps dropped the ball here.

On top of that, I need to mention something that happened to my good friend Ryan. Back in January, he contacted me because he had not received his Guardians of the Galaxy box yet and he wanted to know if I had. I told him that my box had already arrived, so he should contact Collector Corps, which he did. What he discovered was that due to his decision to subscribe using PayPal instead of a credit card, an error occurred where although Ryan was charged for the box, an order was never actually created. The solution? Collector Corps gave him a refund. Normally, that would be a happy ending, but the story didn't end there, unfortunately. See, Funko told Ryan that in order to receive the Guardians of the Galaxy box, which had items his family really wanted, he would have to order the Deadpool box and buy the Guardians box as an add-on. Here's the thing - Ryan did NOT want to get the Deadpool box. He was in fact going to cancel his subscription after receiving the Guardians box. When he informed Funko of that, they refused to allow Ryan to order the Guardians box on its own. Frustrated, he asked why Funko couldn't have just sent him the box instead of refunding. They said that because an order was never created, they couldn't send anything. When asked why they couldn't just create an order, they said that their system just "couldn't do that". Seriously. Funko, the world's current leader in collectibles, has such an antiquated order system that they can't just create a new order not attached to a subscription? Really? I find that hard to believe. What I do believe is that they have horrible customer service. I already dealt with them myself when I encountered billing problems early on in my subscription. Did you know that Funko and their Collector Corps division operate in the same building, but their customer service departments are completely different? You can't call Funko to get help. You have to call... Oh, wait! Did you know that Collector Corps only handles customer service requests over the Internet? That's right. If you call Funko's customer service department, they cannot help you with Collector Corps! They'll help you with any other Funko product, but NOT Collector Corps. They will, however, direct you to the Collector Corps web site and tell you where to find their e-mail. Wow. Just... WOW...

With that said, I am not surprised that the Deadpool Collector Corps box was a bit of a let down. I get the feeling that Marvel and Funko have kind of given up on this program. Sure, they're happy to make money, but they're lazy about putting things together. So, I can no longer recommend this program. Other subscriptions like Loot Crate and ZBox are just so much better. Of course, if you still want more info on Collector Corps, you can find it at their web site HERE.

And, that's it for now. More will be coming soon, so stay tuned!

~ 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 - August, 2014 - Heroes

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and I'm a little late with this month's Loot Crate review. It's been a loooooong month for Jess and me at work, and since I received my box this past Monday, I've been extremely anxious to tell you all about it. In fact, the photos for this entry were taken in my company's board room before a meeting! Here, check out this "Unboxing" pic:

Don't you just love the wood pattern of my company's board room table? ^_~ Now, 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

AUGUST - HEROES

Last month's Villains-themed box blew me away. It had awesome items and an incredibly imaginative custom box. When I heard about this month's theme, I was really excited and hoped for the same level of quality as the Villains box. Did Loot Crate deliver? Here's a list of what I got:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.00 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Mega Man Air Freshener ($5.00 CAD)

- TMNT Bandana Glasses ($7.00 CAD)

- TMNT Vinyl Figure ($10.00 CAD)

- Deadpool Magnet ($3.00 CAD)

- Exclusive Groot Pop! Figure ($15.00 CAD)

- Shwings Shoe Wings ($8.00 CAD)

- Bonus Digital Loot ($10.00 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

I was pleasantly surprised by last month's custom Villains box. This month, I had a huge bout of nostalgia with the custom Heroes box I received. Do you see what that is in the photo? Yep, it's the Ninja Turtles lair! When I was a kid, I had the lair playset. It was donated when I reached adulthood, but now I have something just as cool and in a more compact form factor. Yay! ^_^

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

The design of this month's mini magazine cover is pretty cool and there is some great content inside. What slightly confuses me is the inclusion of Batman on the cover. I get that he's a hero, but DC Comics doesn't really make an appearance in this month's Loot Crate except for the Alex Ross painting in the magazine's table of contents and Batman's face in one of the magazine games. Oh, well. It's Batman, so I guess it's okay. :p

Loot Crate Theme Pin

I love this month's theme pin and I'm also happy to inform you that the print is not dark! I appreciate that the pin's design is not just a copy of the mini magazine cover art. Here, Groot has been replaced with Captain America and Leonardo has been replaced with Thor's arm, hammer, cape, and leg. I wish I could see the full art piece, though.

Mega Man Air Freshener

Jess has a Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar air freshener in her car. Well, now I have Mega Man in mine! This is a cool item I couldn't even imagine existing prior to getting it. Awesome!

TMNT Bandana Glasses

By far the most useless item in this month's Loot Crate for me is the TMNT Bandana Glasses. I mean, they're kind of cool, but I would never use them. My niece would probably love them, though, so into the Christmas stocking stuffer box it goes!

TMNT Vinyl Figure

Now, this Donatello vinyl by Kidrobot is definitely not going to my niece. I love the look of the figure. Plus, it apparently glows in the dark! I can't wait to get Donatello onto my shelf. :D

Deadpool Magnet

Wait, wasn't Deadpool in the Villains box? Why, yes. Yes, he was. See, Deadpool is both a villain and a hero! Thank you, Loot Crate, for recognizing that. More Deadpool equals more awesome, and this magnet is just fantastic.

Exclusive Groot Pop! Figure

I am Groot.

Translation:

"If you haven't watched "Guardians of the Galaxy", do it NOW. It's one of the best movies of 2014, and possibly the best Marvel movie to date. When I saw this exclusive Groot Pop! vinyl with glow in the dark hand in my Loot Crate, I screeched like a little girl in the 90's at a Hanson concert. I can't describe just how much I love this item. It's easily my favourite this month."

Shwings Shoe Wings

A set of shoe wings really isn't a "heroic" item, but I admit that they are super cool and I've wanted to buy a set for a long time. Well, now I have lightning bolts on my shoes. Sweet!

Bonus Digital Loot

This card has codes that get you 3 games. I'm really excited about the Doctor Who one and "Gauntlet". I've never heard of "Defense Grid" before, but I am definitely interested since I love tower defense games. The added value in this card is much appreciated.

OVERVIEW

August was an incredible month for Loot Crate. I didn't know if the Heroes box could possibly match the Villains one, but in my opinion, it did. I am absolutely torn over whether the Groot Pop! Figure or the Deadpool socks from last month is my favourite Loot Crate item so far. The fact that I like any item this much is a comforting thought for me since it means the people at Loot Crate are doing their job of not only giving me value, but a positive and memorable nerdy experience as well.

In September, the Loot Crate theme will be "Galactic". Their Facebook group has silhouettes of the Millennium Falcon, an X-Wing, the Serenity, and the Enterprise, which has got me bristling with excitement. If you're interested in learning more about Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site. If you would like to subscribe, you can get 10% off using the code GALACTIC

As a final note, I would like to once again mentioned that my sister-in-law Felicia has a fantastic food blog that I highly recommend you check out. Go to Food Hackerette. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you for visiting. See you again soon!

~ Mike

Loot Crate - July, 2014 - Villains

Hey, peeps! Mike here, and I'm writing a Loot Crate entry even though it's not August yet! I am, of course, referring to the ridiculously late delivery of my previous Crate. Well, I am happy to inform you that things are back to normal in July as my box arrived a couple of days ago. Wahoo!

You may be looking at the photo above and wondering what on Earth is with the box. I had the exact same thought when it arrived. The thing was so flat that I actually grew concerned that I was going to get ripped off this month. When I opened it, this is what I found:

Is that... Is that a custom box with custom box art? HOLY BLACK SHARPIES, BATMAN! It IS a custom box with custom box art! Whaaaaaat?!?! Okay, okay. Calm down, Mike. You have a blog entry to finish!

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

JULY, 2014 - VILLAINS

I think this month's Loot Crate theme is pretty self explanatory. When I first heard about it, I was really excited since there are so many awesome villains out there. Who will they choose? What kind of villain-ly products will they put in the box? Will there be custom items? Let's find out! Here's a list of what I got:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.00 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Bowser Magnet ($3.00 CAD)

- Darth Vader Keychain ($6.00 CAD)

- Crossover T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- Necessary Evil DVD ($9.00 CAD)

- DC Comics Posters ($5.00 CAD)

- Deadpool Socks ($12.00 CAD)

- Rocket Raccoon #1 Comic ($4.50 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

First things first, I have to talk about the box. It's incredible! I was blown away by the drawings inside. They're fun and really fit the theme. Someone clearly put a lot of thought into this month's Loot Crate and this kind of effort is incentive enough for me to keep my subscription going.

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

This is the second month since Loot Crate tested out going digital with its mini magazine. I'm very glad they went back to a physical magazine last month since it's so much fun! This time there are articles, activities, product descriptions, and much more. Plus, the cover is super awesome.

Loot Crate Theme Pin

The monthly pin is slowly turning into my least favourite item due to the horrible print job. The photo above had to be edited in Photoshop in order to see the details of the picture, yet Darth Vader's helmet is still almost impossible to see clearly. That is unacceptable.

Bowser Magnet

If the monthly pin could be printed as clearly as this awesome magnet featuring Nintendo's Bowser, I would be one happy Looter. Look at this thing! It's awesome! I already have it proudly displayed on the side of my fridge!

Darth Vader Keychain

I'm digging the Vader keychain. It's made of rubber of a decent quality and has a cool helmet design. I've seen a glossy metal version of this and honestly like this one better because it's lighter and the matte finish really works for it.

Crossover T-Shirt

You already know that I'm fed up with receiving black T-shirts from my subscription boxes, but I will make an exception for this one. The design is absolutely perfect and it works best on a black background. I will definitely be wearing this shirt!

Necessary Evil DVD

I'll admit that I have lost interest in the DC Comics universe as of late, but this documentary about the villains of DC is something I'm definitely going to watch at some point. I mean, I really shouldn't let something like the worst reboot of a comic book universe ever deter me from enjoying this film, right? :p

DC Comics Posters

I apologize for the so-so photo of these letter-sized posters, but they were connected to each other and rolled up. I don't know how I'm going to separate them properly, but I'll find a way. As for whether I'll be displaying them... Well, I think the Joker one is definitely not wall material, but Harley's pretty awesome.

Deadpool Socks

OMGBBQ! DEADPOOL SOCKS!

Rocket Raccoon #1 Comic

Okay. This item's pretty friggin' cool. I was already considering getting the first issue of "Rocket Raccoon" at One Million Comix, but now I don't have to since I have a copy of it with an exclusive Loot Crate cover! This is just so incredibly awesome. It's definitely my second favourite item in this months' box. Can you guess which one is my absolute favourite?

OVERVIEW

This was the best month I've had so far as a member of Loot Crate. Every item, even the poorly-printed pin, was good. There was no junk. The total value of the items definitely exceeded the price of admission. Oh, and DEADPOOL SOCKS! I can't stress enough how important to me it is that a subscription box company put some thought and effort into putting together a box. Loot Crate has been consistently good and that's why I will keep moving forward with them.

Next month, the Loot Crate theme will be Heroes, which has got me all excited to see if the items can match the awesomeness of those from this month. If you're interested in learning more about Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site. If you would like to subscribe, you can get 10% off using the code HEROES.

As a final note, my sister-in-law Felicia has a wicked cool food blog that I highly recommend you check out. Meals at her place are always awesome because she and my brother-in-law make insanely good food. So, go to Food Hackerette. You won't be disappointed! 

Thank you so much for reading this blog entry. See you again soon!

~ Mike