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

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.