ZBox - July, 2015 - Ghosts & Ghouls

Hi, hi! Mike here, and I couldn't help myself after receiving the awesome June ZBox, so I ordered the July one as well. Today, I finally received my long-awaited shipment! Here's a first look at what's inside:

For those of you who haven't heard of ZBox, it's associated with a web site called Zavvi, which sells all sorts of media and memorabilia. This isn't really a "subscription box". There's no actual subscription. Instead, each month, you have to go on their web site and pre-order the box for the next month. The advertised price is ₤19.99 with free UK delivery. Being Canadian, this means I had to pay extra for shipping. What's convenient about Zavvi's site is that it allows you to browse in Canadian Dollars, so I could see exactly how much I would be paying before ordering. My order came to $36.57 CAD with shipping included.

JULY - GHOSTS & GHOULS

I know the photo above looks awesome and you're just dying to know exactly what was in the ZBox, so I'll get right to it. Here's a list:

- ZBox Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Lost Boys T-Shirt ($20.00 CAD)

- Ghost Rider Keychain ($10.00 CAD)

- Pac-Man Magnets ($10.00 CAD)

- Build Your Own Zombie ($12.00 CAD)

- Rivers of London #1 Comic ($5.00 CAD)

- Ghostbusters Postcard ($1.00 CAD)

- Ghostbusters Titans Vinyl ($15.00 CAD)

- Black Jack Candy ($0.25 CAD)

ZBox Box

This is my second ZBox and it has a custom box like the first one I got. I love the Bram Stoker's Dracula quote in it. I rate this box 5 Keanus out of 5.

ZBox Mini Magazine

As you probably know, I love getting themed magazines in my nerdy subscription boxes. This little guy has some great articles, including one about vampire movies that don't suck. There was a lot of hard work put into this magazine, so I thank the ZBox peeps for that.

Lost Boys T-Shirt

I admittedly have never watched the movie "Lost Boys", but I know it's supposed to be good. This shirt's design I definitely like. It's subtle, so one wouldn't know it's a nerd / pop culture shirt unless they knew the reference. Plus, I love that the shirt is grey.

Ghost Rider Keychain

This is a very cool old school Ghost Rider keychain. I love the design! Apparently, it's a ZBox exclusive based on the sticker on the back of the packaging, which makes this even better.

Pac-Man Magnets

"Hello, my sweet, little boy. Look how big you've grown." ^_~ I can't wait to put these magnets on my freezer door!

Build Your Own Zombie

Okay, wow. This is something new and unexpected. Inside the box you get some "dough" with which to build a zombie, or whatever else you may think to make with the stuff. It's basically like Play-Doh, except that when the stuff dries, it hardens. Extremely cool and one of the best items in this box.

Rivers of London #1 Comic

I have never heard of this comic before and that's great! I appreciate being introduced to something new. Oh, and is that an exclusive cover? Why, yes. Yes, it is. Thanks, ZBox.

Ghostbusters Postcard

I love postcards and this one rocks. Sure, it's simple, but I like that.

Ghostbusters Titans Vinyl

You may recognize this from the San Diego Comic Con edition of Loot Crate, but there is one very big difference. Whereas the Loot Crate figure was just a random one, ZBox was able to get us an exclusive red Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! This is easily my favourite item in this box and one that I am happy to display on one of my bookshelves.

Black Jack Candy

Ah, what a great way to cap things off. If you like black licorice, you'll love this candy. If you don't, just pretend you didn't get one. :p

OVERVIEW

I have to hand it to ZBox. I thought their June box was going to be a one-off in terms of awesomeness, but they hit another home run with this Ghosts & Ghouls box. Every item fit the theme well and was something worth getting. Plus, several of the items were exclusives. Even better. I'm really impressed with ZBox and can definitely recommend it. So, if you're interested in learning more about or signing up for ZBox, just head on over to their site HERE.

And, that's it for ZBox for now. Unfortunately, my budget really can't allow me to keep ordering from them. But, if a theme comes along that really calls out to me, I'll be sure to pre-order and then let you all know what I get.

In the meantime, please stay tuned for my upcoming Marvel Collector Corps review! And, as always, thanks for reading!

~ Mike

ZBox - June, 2015 - Good Cop, Bad Cop

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and I have a special entry for you all today. Back in May, I read a post on Facebook about something called the "ZBox". After looking through the photos in the post, I just had to check out the web site for it. I don't think I lasted more than 5 minutes before I clicked the "Pre-Order" button and you'll soon see why.

For those of you who haven't heard of ZBox, it's associated with a web site called Zavvi, which sells all sorts of media and memorabilia. This isn't really a "subscription box". There's no actual subscription. Instead, each month, you have to go on their web site and pre-order the box for the next month. The advertised price is ₤19.99 with free UK delivery. Being Canadian, this means I had to pay extra for shipping. What's convenient about Zavvi's site is that it allows you to browse in Canadian Dollars, so I could see exactly how much I would be paying before ordering. My order would have cost $33.37 CAD, but I was able to find a discount code online for first time orders, which brought the price down to $30.23 CAD. Sweet!

So, I waited and waited. June came along and I started to get a little worried. Then, thankfully, the shipping notice popped into my inbox on June 25th, stating that my box would arrive on or before July 15th. Fast forward to July 7th and I finally found the following in my mail box!

I have to admit, the people over at Zavvi definitely know how to package a box for shipping. Check out the plastic shipping bag, complete with carrying handle! Colour me impressed.

Opening the bag revealed the ZBox inself. Here it is in all its glory.

I don't know if ZBox copied Loot Crate or if it's the other way around, but for some reason I still don't understand, I felt almost comforted by the familiar black box. So, what was inside? Let's take a look.

JUNE - GOOD COP, BAD COP

The above is what I was met with when I opened my ZBox. Seeing the name "Dredd" was enough to make my heart pound. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Let's see exactly what I got and whether everything fit the "Good Cop, Bad Cop" theme.

- ZBox Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- 1984 T-Shirt ($20.00 CAD)

- Robocop Keychain ($10.00 CAD)

- Lego City Police Copter ($12.00 CAD)

- Mini Megaphone ($6.00 CAD)

- Whistle Candy ($1.00 CAD)

- Dredd One-Shot Comic ($5.00 CAD)

- Dredd Replica Badge ($40.00 CAD)

ZBox Box

When I was still a Looter, I was really impressed with the custom box I received every month. I'm not sure if ZBox does custom box designs for every single one of their boxes, but the one for this month's box looks fantastic. Plus, the "Point Break" reference was perfect.

Yeah, that's me every single time I play a first person shooter on a console since I can't aim and consistently end up pointing my gun upwards. Very frustrating. :p

ZBox Mini Magazine

Another similarity between ZBox and Loot Crate is this little magazine. It takes a lot of work to put together one of these, so it's nice to see a box program outside of Loot Crate that has a magazine. If you look at the photo of the table of contents, you'll see the kind of articles you'll find inside. Very thematic and fun.

1984 T-Shirt

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of the novel "1984" by George Orwell, so this shirt didn't get me excited. However, the design is pretty neat and references something I would never have expected in a box of this kind. I appreciate that Zavvi was thinking outside the box.

Robocop Keychain

I love the original "Robocop", so I was happy to get this fantastic rubber keychain. For those of you not into "Robocop", this item would make a wonderful gift.

Lego City Police Copter

I've received lots of Mega Bloks sets in other boxes, but what I've always wanted to get was some Lego. ZBox delivered. Thank you, Zavvi!

Mini Megaphone

I find that most boxes have the expected "cheapy items". My ZBox had 2, the first of which is this little megaphone keychain toy. I haven't used it yet, so I'm not sure how much it amplifies my voice. Still, it's a cool item and one that I can give to my niece and know she'll enjoy for sure.

Whistle Candy

I love getting candy in subscription boxes, so I was happy to find this item in my ZBox. Plus, it comes with a cap that doubles as an actual whistle. Now, I can go annoy Jess with it!

Dredd One-Shot Comic

"Dredd", starring Karl Urban, is one of my favourite movies of all time. The fact that "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" got a sequel before it is an absolute tragedy. The fact that the sequel for "Dredd" finally showed up as a comic book lessens the blow that we still don't have a frakking "Dredd 2" movie. So, while I'm happy to receive this comic, my face still looks like this:

Dredd Replica Badge

THIS, everyone, is why I got the ZBox. Yes, that is an official "Dredd" replica badge, complete with carrying pouch and stand. It's metal. It's heavy. And, it's DROKKING AWESOME!!!!111OMGBBQ!!!111!!ONE11!!

OVERVIEW

I don't know how long I passed out for, but I'm back, so let's finish this review. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the ZBox. For a program that I had never heard of, even after doing research on nerdy boxes before I got into the subscription game, it sure packed a wallop in the first impressions department. Outside of the "Dredd" badge, which was advertised on Zavvi's site and the reason why I ordered the ZBox, the items were consistent with the theme, of good overall quality, and not overstock or junk. I am thoroughly impressed, which is why I pre-ordered the July "Ghosts & Ghouls" box. Here's hoping for more awesome.

If you're interested in learning more about ZBox, check them out HERE. I was able to get a 15% discount on the July box using the code MDD, so if you decide to pre-order, give that a shot.

That's it for July. Stay tuned for more ZBox and Marvel Collector Corps in August. Thanks for reading and see you all soon!

~ Mike