Marvel Tsum Tsum - Series 1

Have you seen those cute, 4-legged plush versions of Disney characters they're selling at the Disney Store? You know, the ones that come in different sizes so you can stack them all over your house? Well, they now have hard plastic versions that come in blind packs! Plus, these versions come with display stands! I picked up a couple of Marvel packs over at Toys R Us and made a review video so you can all share in the awesomeness. Check it out!

I hope you enjoyed that. More is coming, so stay tuned!

~ 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

Loot Crate - May, 2016 - Power

Heya, peeps! Guess who’s back, back again? Mikey’s back - Tell a friend! Okay, that was a pretty outdated reference, but it’s still true! After a small hiatus, I am back with another Loot Crate review! “But, Mike, didn’t you quit Loot Crate?” Why, yes. Yes, I did. But, due to the promise of some insane loot in this month’s box, Jess and I just had to jump back into the rabbit hole for a month! And, boy, just look at what we found when our Crate arrived!

In case some of you haven't heard of Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription box that caters to "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 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, probably due 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.

MAY, 2016 - POWER

I’m a huge “Dragon Ball Z” fan and an even bigger fan of Marvel Comics. So, when it was announced that this month’s Crate would have items from both, re-subscribing was a given. Was it worth it in the end? Let’s start looking into that with a list of the items in the box and their approximate Canadian prices:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Membership Card ($0.50 CAD)

- Warcraft T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

- Dragon Ball Z Plush Keychain ($10.00 CAD)

- The Hulk Q-Fig ($20.00 CAD)

- Infinity Gauntlet Oven Mitt ($17.00 CAD)

Loot Crate Custom Box

When Loot Crate first started making custom boxes, I was incredibly excited. Now that it’s become something I expect to get, the novelty has worn off quite a bit. Or, maybe this month’s box design is just boring. What do you think?

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

Unlike the custom box designs, I don’t think I could ever get tired of the mini magazines. This month, there’s an interview with “Warcraft” star Robert Kazinsky, a recipe for muffins, a code to unlock stuff in Loot Crate’s “Word Gush” mobile game, and much more. The Loot Crate gurus definitely put a lot of work into this one. Bravo!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

Wow, they’ve changed the Theme Pin from a button to an actual metal pin with a design that isn’t taken from the mini magazine cover! Plus, if you log onto the Loot Crate site, you can redeem an in-game perk for “Battleborn”. Wow! My only wish is that the pin design was a tiny bit better. It’s cute and all, but just not my cup of tea.

Loot Crate Membership Card

I found this item to be thoughtful. I mean, the dent in my bank account is reminder enough of my Loot Crate membership, but a card is nice. LOL

Warcraft T-Shirt

It’s not black! LOL I’m quite excited about the “Warcraft” movie, and now I have a shirt to wear to the theatre when I go see it! The design is just a tad bit too simple, but still quite nice.

Dragon Ball Z Plush Keychain

Honestly, this wasn’t what I expected when they said there would be a “Dragon Ball” item. But, it’s pretty cool and definitely something I’m going to gift to a friend.

The Hulk Q-Fig

When I saw the Deadpool Q-Fig that I missed from before, I was, like…

I’m glad I didn’t miss this awesome Hulk one, though. I love the design and the statue is actually pretty heavy for something of its size. This one’s definitely going on my shelf!

Infinity Gauntlet Oven Mitt

THIS! Just… THIS! O______O

OVERVIEW

I am incredibly happy I re-subscribed to Loot Crate this month. The items were phenomenal and the value was unbeatable, even with the exchange rate. Admittedly, I will probably skip a month here and there since our house is filling up with stuff. But, man, if you subscribe to only one program, this should definitely be it!

If my hyping has piqued your interest in Loot Crate, click HERE to visit their web site and use code SAVE10 to save 10% on a new subscription!

Alrighty, peeps. That’s another review in the can. (I can use that phrase for non-film stuff, right? LOL) Thanks for reading and see you again soon!

~ Mike

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

Marvel Collector Corps - 2015 - Box 5 - Guardians of the Galaxy

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and there are less than 6 hours before 2016 here in Toronto. What a perfect time for a final review before 2015 ends! And, what box happened to show up right before Christmas so that I could give Jess something extra special from it? Why, the Guardians of the Galaxy box for Marvel Collector Corps, of course!

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.

Okay, now that the business is out of the way, here's what my box looked like when I opened it:

That looks very promising, yes? Well, here's a list of items with their approximate Canadian pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)

- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)

- Guardians of Infinity #001 Comic ($5.00 CAD)

- Pop! Bobblers Christmas Ornaments ($25.00 CAD)

- Star-Lord Pop! Mug ($15.00 CAD)

- Guardians of the Galaxy Scarf ($30.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

As with previous months, the inside of the Collector Corps box has a comic panels design. This time around, the panels are from "Guardians of the Galaxy" and they're very dynamic. Nice!

Collector Corps Pin

This is honestly my favourite pin to date. Groot looks amazing here!

Collector Corps Patch

This Rocket Raccoon patch is not only pretty badass, but it also complements the Groot pin quite well. Also, this is my favourite patch to date!

Guardians of Infinity #001 Comic

My buddy Ryan and I had a conversation recently about receiving comics in subscriptions boxes. We've come to the agreement that although it's awesome to get comics, neither of us are ever encouraged to read the rest of the different series being promoted. This "Guardians of Infinity" comic has a fantastic Variant Cover and all, but I'll be honest when I say it's wasted on me. I've kind of lost interest in Marvel comics lately due to their "reboot", so this issue will probably just sit in one of my comics boxes collecting dust. Still, for anyone who is still into Marvel comics, it's a good item.

Pop! Bobblers Christmas Ornaments

Not only is this set of Pop! Christmas Ornaments ridiculously awesome, they're also very appropriate for the season. They're my favourite part of this box!

Star-Lord Pop! Mug

Finally, something that doesn't have Groot or Rocket Raccoon on it! LOL Seriously, this is an awesome mug. It'll definitely be use quite a bit!

Guardians of the Galaxy Scarf

This is the item that I gave to Jess as part of her Christmas Gift Package. I'm pretty sure it was her favourite present from me. Thanks, Funko and Marvel!

OVERVIEW

This was honestly one of the best Marvel Collector Corps boxes so far. I'm sure my opinion was obvious from how many times I used the word "favourite". Great items, incredible value, and amazing fun. I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store!

If you want more information on this subscription box program, check out the Collector Corps web site HERE.

And, that's all for 2015. Thank you for supporting this blog and have a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

~ 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

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