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

Captain America: Civil War Mystery Minis

Hey, peeps! Mike here, and now that Jess and I are back in Canada, it's time to get back to reviewing things in boxes. ^_~

So, I was at Silver Snail Comics in Toronto just the other day when I happened upon a case of Mystery Minis featuring characters from "Captain America: Civil War". As I was quite blown away by that movie, I just had to pick up one of these blind boxes!

On the back of the box were the possible characters I could get. 

I really wanted Black Panther, Winter Soldier, or Agent 13 and quickly opened the box to see who I got.

What I found was the black packaging shown above. I think it's there to protect the figure's paint job, which I appreciate. So, who did I get once I opened the bag?

Oh, phooey! It was Iron Man. Here's a closer look.

First off, the figure looks great. I love overall "chibi" design of it and the pose is classic Iron Man. The plastic has a sturdy feel to it and the paint was applied quite well. I didn't find any misaligned paint anywhere on the figure. The head is attached via a spring that isn't easy to pop off the body. My only criticism is that if you turn the head, the spring "pops" from position to position instead of allowing for a smooth turn. This is a little annoying because when I tried to align the head to an angle I liked, it took turning it around over and over and over again until finally, after about 5 minutes, I got it just right.

Overall, despite not getting any of the figures I wanted, I was still quite impressed with the quality of the one I got. I can definitely recommend picking one up if you're into Mystery Minis.

~ Mike

Marvel Collector Corps - 2015 - Box 4 - Villains

Heya, peeps! Mike here, bringing you more Marvel Collector Corps goodness. When I first heard that the theme for this fourth box would be "Villains", I was super excited because so far, the main focus had been predominantly on heroes. Here was a chance for the bad guys to shine, and with so many different characters to choose from, I was very interested in finding out who Funko and Marvel would feature.

My box arrived extremely late this time around, but when I saw its external design featuring Venom's face, a part of me knew it was worth the wait. Before I move on to describing what was inside the box, here's some vital pricing info you need to know about if you're new to this 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 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 the business out of the way, on to the good stuff!

Here's a list of what was inside the box, along with approximate pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)

- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)

- Villains T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

- Invincible Iron Man #1 Comic ($5.00 CAD)

- Morbius Pop! Vinyl ($17.00 CAD)

- Venom Pop! Keychain ($8.00 CAD)

- Loki Dorbz Vinyl ($15.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

As expected, the inside of the custom Villains box has a design made up of comic book panels featuring various Marvel baddies. I feel that this design is definitely better than the one for the Secret Wars box.

Collector Corps Pin

I'm not a fan of Green Goblin, but his face makes for one awesome pin design.

Collector Corps Patch

"Captain America: The First Avenger" didn't do Red Skull justice, but this amazing patch definitely does!

Villains T-Shirt

This shirt has a fantastic pencil and ink sketch design featuring several of Marvel's greatest villains. I am definitely going to wear it quite a bit!

Invincible Iron Man #1

Marvel recently "rebooted" their universe, so I wasn't surprised to see a #1 issue in... Wait wait WAIT... "Iron Man"? Isn't this a box about villains? I guess I'll have to read this comic to find out why Marvel would put such an odd item in the box. However, I do want to note that I absolutely love the cover design. I'm a huge fan of zombies, so seeing the newly redesigned Iron Man fighting some is making me very, very happy.

Morbius Pop! Vinyl

Wow, what an unexpected Pop! figure! Morbius isn't exactly a top tier Marvel villain these days, but he is one that I have a bit of a soft spot for. I'm glad he's being featured so prominently in this box and that he is the first Collector Corps Pop! to have 2 versions. As shown on the back of the box, subscribers either get regular Morbius or Zombie Morbius. As I mentioned above, I love zombies, but I personally like the non-zombie design more, so I'm really happy to have gotten it. Booyah!

Venom Pop! Keychain

Because of the design of the outside of the Villains box, I was definitely expecting a Venom item and I was not disappointed. Jess and I each own a Pop! keychain already, so I can tell you that they're sturdy and look great with our keys. Venom here will be switching on and off with John Snow every few months. :)

Loki Dorbz Vinyl

I don't collect Dorbz, but this Loki one is just too cute not to put on display. In fact, Jess has already claimed it for herself to put next to the Ulton Dorbz she took from a previous box!

OVERVIEW

The team of Marvel and Funko has been quite consistent in giving Collector Corps subscribers great combinations of products and this Villains box is no exception. Despite the Iron Man comic being potentially outside the theme, I felt that I received incredible value and just all-around awesome items in this box. After 4 hits and no misses, I can now confidently recommend Marvel Collector Corps if you're looking for a nerdy program to subscribe to. For more information, check out their web site HERE.

Annnd, that's all for now. Thank you for reading this entry and I hope to see you again soon!

~ Mike

Marvel Collector Corps - 2015 - Box 3

Hey, peeps! Mike here, and I'm very excited to be bringing you another Marvel Collector Corps review. So far, the collaboration between Marvel Comics and Funko Toys has given us two superb subscription box offerings, so I was simply ecstatic when the third one showed up at my door, albeit rather late compared to the previous ones.

Yes, that is indeed the new Thor on the box! But, before I move on to what was inside, here's some vital pricing info about this relatively 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 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.

Now that the business side of things is out of the way, on to the goodies!

Here's a list of what was inside the box, along with approximate pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)

- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)

- Secret Wars T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

- Secret Wars #1 Comic ($5.00 CAD)

- Spider-Man Pop! Vinyl ($17.00 CAD)

- Thor Pop! Vinyl ($17.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

I'm a huge fan of the Collector Corps custom boxes, but I honestly didn't find the choice of comic panels to be as dynamic as the ones in the previous boxes. But, I admit that I haven't read "Secret Wars", which is the theme of this box, so maybe it's a lot cooler than I know.

Collector Corps Pin

That is one awesome-looking Iron Man pin! It's definitely going to be a fine addition to my growing collection on my cork board.

Collector Corps Patch

I love the design of this Falc... err... Captain America patch. As I've said before, I don't really collect patches, but I'm sure I'll find some way to display this beauty.

Secret Wars T-Shirt

I cannot express how much I love this shirt. It's definitely the most obvious Marvel / Funko shirt to date, which I really appreciate since this is a Marvel / Funko subscription program after all. But, more than that, I think the design is just amazing! You'll definitely see me walking down the street with this shirt on.

Secret Wars #1 Comic

After giving subscribers an eyebrow-raising #5 in the previous box, the Collector Corps gurus smartened up and gave us a #1. As I haven't read "Secret Wars", this will certainly be a good place for me to start. Plus, I love the cover!

Spider-Man Pop! Vinyl

Oh, man! Way to deliver, Funko / Marvel! Yes, this is Miles Morales Spider-Man. Yes, it's awesome!

Thor Pop! Vinyl

And, yes, this is the new Thor immortalized as a Pop! figure and officially my favourite item of this box. Now, please excuse me while I drool all over my keyboard.

OVERVIEW

I have to say, this third Marvel Collector Corps offering was a home run. It had fantastic items and was definitely worth the price of admission. If you haven't signed up for this program already, I highly recommend that you give it a shot. You can do that by visiting their web site HERE.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading and see you again soon!

~ Mike

Marvel Collector Corps - 2015 - Box 1

Heya, True Believers! Mike here, and I am very excited to be starting a brand new series of reviews! A few months ago, Funko, the company best known for their Pop! vinyl figures, announced that they had joined forces with Marvel Comics to start a subscription box called the "Marvel Collector Corps". They promised to give us $50 worth of awesome swag in each box, including an exclusive Pop! figure. After a long wait, Jess and I finally got our first box at the end of April!

Before I move on to what was inside that amazing-looking box, here's some vital pricing info about this 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 you've probably figured out, 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.

Okay, with business out of the way, let's get to the pleasure. Here's what met our eyes when we opened the box!

Ta da! Yes, that looks awesome. Here's a list of what you're looking at, along with estimated pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)

- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)

- Avengers T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- Guardians Team Up #1 ($5.00 CAD)

- Ultron Dorbz Vinyl ($15.00 CAD)

- Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl ($40.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

You've seen how excited I get over Loot Crate's custom boxes. Well, this Collector Corps box may not have a custom design, but it's ridiculously cool. I'd be happy to get this same box every 2 months. Love love LOVE it!

Collector Corps Pin

When you first open the box, the pin and the patch are stuck to the protective flap, which is a neat little extra touch. The pin features a vintage-looking Captain America and looks great. I can't wait to pin it to my cork board!

Collector Corps Patch

The exclusive patch looks just as cool as the pin. I love the Ultron design. The only problem I have is that I don't know what to do with this thing since I don't collect patches. Maybe I'll stick it next to my pins?

Avengers T-Shirt

What an amazing design for an exclusive T-Shirt! I love that it's Retro Iron Man facing off against Ultron. I also love that it's like a boxing poster since "Age of Ultron" is coming out the same weekend as the Pacquiao / Mayweather fight.

I have to mention that other Collector Corps members may have received different designs. My friend Ryan got Hulk vs Ultron. I'm sure there is a design for each member of the Avengers team. I wonder if there are shirts for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, though. If you know the answer to that, please drop us a line. Thanks!

Guardians Team Up #1

I'm behind in the Marvel Comics Universe, so I really appreciate getting the first issue of a new series, complete with awesome exclusive Variant Cover. My only complaint is that my comic came damaged on the top left corner. :(

Ultron Dorbz Vinyl

OMG, this exclusive Ultron vinyl figure is so adorable! With the release of "Age of Ultron", this was a great addition to the box. I can't wait for the other figures in the Dorbz line to come out.

Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl

Here is the item that all fans of Pop! figures have been drooling for months to get. Yes, Peeps, that is an exclusive Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl! It's huge, it's heavy, and it's so friggin' cool! The price of this item alone makes up most of the $50 Funko promised! Absolutely phenomenal!

OVERVIEW

I have to hand it to Marvel and Funko. They have clearly learned a lot from their experience providing items for Nerd Block and Loot Crate. Collector Corps' first box was a home run. I am beyond impressed and cannot wait to receive the next shipment. Here's hoping it will be just as good as this one, if not better.

If you want to learn more about Marvel Collector Corps, go to www.collectorcorps.com

Thanks so much for keeping up with our blog. See you again soon!

~ Mike