Rowling Bow Tie by Mrs Bow Tie

Hey, everyone! Today, I have a brand new video review of something a little different - a bow tie! Since it came in a box, I figured it counts towards the theme of this blog. LOL Anyway, here's the video:

I hope you enjoyed the video. Now, I'll leave you all with a photo of this stunning and nerdy tie:

~ Mike

Marvel Collector Corps - 2015 - Box 2

Hi, True Believers! Mike here, and I have to let you all know that Jess and I have quit Loot Crate. Was it because we had a bad experience? No. Was it because we got bored with it? Nope. Was it because we only had room in our budget for one nerdy subscription? Ding ding ding ding! That is correct! We loved Loot Crate, but being huge Marvel and Pop! Vinyls fans, we had to make the very difficult decision of continuing on with Marvel Collector Corps and dropping Loot Crate, at least for the time being.

With that said, we were incredibly impressed with Funko's first subscription box in their new collaboration with Marvel Comics, so we waited for 2 months with great ANTicipation, pun intended, for our second shipment from them.

Before I move on to what was inside that amazing-looking Ant-Man box, here's some vital pricing info about this brand new subscription program:

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 I mentioned above, this isn't a monthly subscription. Instead, Funko sends a box out every 2 months, thus the higher 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.

Now, with the businessy stuff out of the way, let's get on to some actual reviewing! Here's what met our eyes when we opened our box.

MAN, that looks awesome! Here's a list of what's there, along with approximate pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)
- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)
- Ant-Man T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)
- Ant-Man #5 ($5.00 CAD)
- Ant-Man Mystery Minis x 2 ($24.00 CAD)
- Ant-Man Pop! Vinyl ($17.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

As before, the inside of the Collector Corps box has a super cool comic book design. I love how it looks retro. Plus, I appreciate that it's not some random Marvel comic. Funko and Marvel themed the box to match the included Ant-Man products.

Collector Corps Pin

One of the items I was really excited to receive each month when I was a Loot Crate subscriber was the pin. I'm so happy that my new subscription box gives pins as well. What makes Collector Corps extra awesome is the high quality of the pins they send out. They've definitely kicked Loot Crate's butt in this department.

Collector Corps Patch

This patch confirms that Collector Corps members will be getting a patch with every box. I love the Ant-Man design on this one, but as before, have no clue what to do with a patch.

Ant-Man T-Shirt

This is such a simple T-shirt design. Yet, it's pure genius. I love it!

Ant-Man #5

Collector Corps exclusive variant cover? Fantastic! Starting people off at Issue #5 instead of Issue #1? Bad, Marvel, BAD!

Ant-Man Mystery Minis x 2

They gave us not one, but two of these! Wow! Jess and I haven't opened ours yet, but here's hoping we don't get doubles.

Ant-Man Pop! Vinyl

The highlight of the box is this exclusive unmasked Ant-Man Pop! Vinyl. What makes it extra special is the bonus mini Ant-Man figure it comes with. I wasn't planning on purchasing any Ant-Man Pops, but I'm definitely happy to add this one to my collection!

OVERVIEW

I was never a fan of Ant-Man, but this Marvel Collector Corps box still made me one very happy subscriber. There is a lot to love here, with only a tiny negative for the comic issue number. This was definitely a great follow-up to Funko / Marvel's debut box, pushing this program one step closer to being something I could recommend without any reservations.

To learn more about this amazing subscription program or join in on the fun, check out the official Marvel Collection Corps web site HERE.

Thank you as always for checking out our blog. We'll see you again soon!

~ Mike

Loot Crate - January, 2015 - Rewind

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and Happy New Year! It's 2015 and I'm super excited to finally receive the first Loot Crate of the year! So, instead of my usual verbose (big word, I know) introduction, I'm just going to jump right into my review!

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

JANUARY - REWIND

Sometimes, you have to look back in order to move forward. That's the idea behind this month's Loot Crate. Or, maybe that's just my take on it. Whatever the reason for "Rewind", I think anyone who saw the theme announcement on the Loot Crate Facebook Page was expecting some Retro Awesomeness. Did the Crate Gurus deliver? Let's see what was inside my box this month:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Voltron T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- 8-Bit Sunglasses ($10.00 CAD)

- Star Wars #1 Comic ($5.50 CAD)

- So Analog 10-Doh! Figure ($15.00 CAD)

- Comic Note Book ($5.00 CAD)

- Black Tie Geek Tie ($15.00 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

I know I keep mentioning this, but I continue to be surprised every time I open a Loot Crate and find a custom box. This month, we got a NES design. I love it!

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

As if the custom box wasn't enough, the back cover of the mini magazine has an accompanying cardboard punch-out NES controller! Fantastic!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

A cassette tape design for a retro-themed Loot Crate pin? WIN!

Voltron T-Shirt

Voltron was one of my favourite things growing up. I still have the deluxe set my dad brought back for me from Hong Kong. I love the design of this shirt, even if the shirt is black.

8-Bit Sunglasses

Today was one of those rare days on which I wore contract lenses and I was just thinking how I should probably get a pair of sunglasses to protect my eyes. Boy, did Loot Crate deliver there! :p

Star Wars #1 Comic

There's a new Star Wars comic book series from Marvel and I not only get the first issue, but an exclusive cover for that issue? You rock, Crate Gurus!

So Analog 10-Doh! Figure

I wasn't sure what this was until I opened the box and pulled out the figure. Man, I love it! There's just so much awesome to it! NES cartridge shape? Firefly reference? ZAPPER? I can't even... O_O

Comic Note Book

This little notebook has pages with blank comic book panels and a sticker sheet with word bubbles for when you feel all creative and want to draw a comic. The dollar value of this item may not be high, but it certainly has a lot of value!

Black Tie Geek Tie

We now come to my favourite item in this month's Loot Crate. Yes, that is a tie with a Space Invaders pattern on it! As a man who has to wear a suit quite often for work, I really appreciate getting this! I am so going to wear it tomorrow! :D

OVERVIEW

Loot Crate hit a home run with their first box of 2015. There's no better way to put it. Fantastic items. Incredible value. Crazy cool tie. Lots of thought put into making the package awesome as a whole. Okay, there are many ways to put it! As a subscriber, I can't ask for more this month. I'm thoroughly satisfied and can't wait to see what's coming next.

Speaking of February, the theme still hasn't been announced, but if you're interested in joining the fun, there is a code you can use on the Loot Crate Web Site to get $5 off a new subscription: SAVE5

And, that's all for January! Thanks for reading and see you again soon!

~ Mike