Loot Crate - April, 2015 - Fantasy

Heya, Peeps! Mike here, and yes, I know, this entry is late. Jess and I actually just got back from a one-month vacation in Vietnam and Cambodia. If you've never visited those two countries before, we highly recommend them. They're beautiful, there's lots to do, and the food is quite cheap (and incredibly delicious!). Want some tips if you're going? Feel free to drop us a line. Jess is quite the travel guru. But, enough about the trip. Let's talk about the wonderful little box we came home to find in our mail box! Check out this month's Loot Crate!

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 - $19.95 USD / $29.95 CAD per month

3 Month Plan - $57.75 USD / $84.00 CAD per 3 months

6 Month Plan - $113.70 USD / $162.00 CAD per 6 months

1 Year Plan - $215.40 / $312.00 CAD per year (includes Bonus Gift)

APRIL - FANTASY

I was very excited when I first heard about the theme for April. As a huge fan of anything Fantasy, I had my hopes set high, especially for Game of Thrones and D&D swag. Did things pan out? Let's see what was inside the box:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Dungeons & Dragons T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- Black Tie Geek Bow Tie ($10.00 CAD)

- Inflatable Gold Crown ($5.00 CAD)

- Game of Thrones Magnets ($10.00 CAD)

- Game of Thrones USB Key ($12.00 CAD)

- Princess Bride Playing Cards ($10.00 CAD)

- Harry Potter Bag Tag ($15.00 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

Once again, Looters were treated to a custom box, though the Fantasy-themed design was less creative than usual. Honestly, though, I don't mind. I have a huuuge pile of boxes in my closet that I keep hesitating to recycle, so a slightly less awesome design makes it easier for me to put the box in the blue bin. Now, if only I could summon the will to do the same to the rest of my box collection...

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

Like the custom box, the cover for the Mini Magazine had a somewhat generic-looking Fantasy design. Once again, I don't mind. For me, it's what's on the inside that counts, and there is a great article about Fantasy shows and another about Dungeons & Dragons. Nice!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

As expected, the theme pin was bland. Unlike with the box and the magazine, I do mind that the pin design was lame. I proudly display my all Loot Crate pins and having a crappy one on the wall sucks!

Dungeons & Dragons T-Shirt

YES! I expected a D&D item and that is what I got! This t-shirt has an awesome design and isn't black! Woohoo!

Black Tie Geek Bow Tie

I love bow ties because bow ties are cool. This red and gold D&D-themed bow tie blew me away.

Inflatable Gold Crown

This isn't a D&D item, but I could definitely imagine myself wearing it while playing D&D or watching "Game of Thrones".

Game of Thrones Magnets

Speaking of "Game of Thrones", YES!, there were items from that series in the box! The first was a sheet of magnets with House signs on them. These will look great on my freezer door. :)

Game of Thrones USB Key

This "Game of Thrones" House Stark USB key is not only the coolest item in the April Loot Crate, but also my favourite. I only hope that it won't start killing files I store on it.

Princess Bride Playing Cards

"The Princess Bride" is one of Jess' favourite movies, so as soon as she saw this deck of playing cards, she claimed them. I also love "The Princess Bride", so I'm currently planning a secret mission to extract the cards from Jess' clutches.

Harry Potter Bag Tag

Another item now in the possession of my nemesis wife is this wonderful "Harry Potter" luggage tag. Man, I wish we got it before leaving for Vietnam and Cambodia. Oh, well. Next time, Gadget, next time.

OVERVIEW

I had hoped for items from "Game of Thrones" and D&D and I got items from "Game of Thrones" and D&D. They were awesome, too! I have to say, Loot Crate continues to impress with its consistently great theming, fantastic items, incredible value, and clear effort put into giving Looters a reason to be excited each and every month. Despite the lacklustre design of the custom box, magazine cover, and pin, "Fantasy" was one of my favourite boxes to date. Well done, Loot Crate Gurus!

The Theme for the May Loot Crate will be "Unite", which I am quite excited about since it is being advertised as having items from one of my favourite series of all time, "Power Rangers"! If you're interested in learning more about or joining Loot Crate, please check out their web site HERE. You can get $3 off a new subscription by using the code SAVE3

That's all for April. Thank you as always for reading our blog. See you again soon! :D

Loot Crate - March, 2015 - Covert

Hey, hey! Mike here, and this month, my Loot Crate showed up much earlier than usual! In fact, I got my shipping notification in my inbox after my box showed up! Wow! Admittedly, despite the quick shipping, I'm not as big a fan of spy stuff compared to other nerdy genres, so my excitement level wasn't as high as usual. However, once this Crate showed up, I couldn't wait to open it! So, without further ado, here begins my review of this month's Loot Crate written from work! (Bad, Mike, BAD!)

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

MARCH - COVERT

Loot Crate has always been very good with theming, and "Covert" had so much potential. Let's see if they were able to live up to their reputation. Here's what was in my box:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- James Bond T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- Blink Time Stealth Watch ($10.00 CAD)

- Paracord Survival Bracelet ($12.00 CAD)

- Agents of SHIELD Lanyard ($10.00 CAD)

- Spy Mad Libs ($5.00 CAD)

- Orphan Black #1 Comic ($4.00 CAD)

- Field Notes Notebooks ($5.00 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

Since their first custom box last year, Loot Crate has continued this treat month after month without fail. I really appreciate it and love this month's spy computer box. The finger print scanner design was extra cool.

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love the Loot Crate magazine. It takes effort to do this every month and effort is what I ask for when it comes to designing subscription boxes. This month, there are some neat articles, including one about Metal Gear through the years and another about spies in movies.

Loot Crate Theme Pin

This is a very cool-looking pin based on the cover design of the mini magazine. I will have it proudly mounted on my cork board at home.

James Bond T-Shirt

When I was in university, my residence had a super awesome James Bond club where the members were given codes names based on characters from the series. Oh, how I wish I had this shirt back then!

Thanks go to my buddy Tom for modelling the shirt. And, yes ladies, he's also a Looter!

Blink Time Stealth Watch

When you think of a stealth watch, I honestly don't think a fancy rubber band is what you'd have in mind. But, a fancy rubber band is technically what this watch is. Sure, it looks kind of cool and lights up with the time when you press the face, but it's really cheap and flimsy, plus attracts dust like a static-y balloon. Oh, and the non-branded version from China costs $3.25 USD compared to the more expensive branded versions I found on Amazon. Still, if you can ignore the dust, the watch does look pretty cool and is a great timepiece to have on vacation when you don't want to bring your expensive Casio G-Shock. :p

Paracord Survival Bracelet

I gotta say, this parachute cord bracelet is both very cool-looking and extremely useful. It's getting attached to my travel bag for sure!

Agents of SHIELD Lanyard

I love the show "Marvel's Agents of SHIELD", so this lanyard is a very welcome addition to my collection of Disney lanyards. Yes, I said "Disney" lanyards. ;p

Spy Mad Libs

Favourite item, hands down!

Orphan Black #1 Comics

I've only watched a couple of episodes of the show this comic book is based on, but Jess loves it. I appreciate that Loot Crate chose to give us the first issue since, as I've said before, it sucks coming into a story in the middle.

Field Notes Notebooks

I'm a fan of cool notebooks. There are so many times where I've gone to Chapters or Indigo and seen a notebook with an awesome cover design and wanted to buy it. Jess has an even greater love of pretty notebooks than me, so these cool little items will probably end up on her desk. :)

OVERVIEW

For a theme that is only moderately interesting to me, it sure allowed Loot Crate to provide me with some top-notch items, except for the Blink Watch, of course. I'm extremely impressed, especially with the coolness factor of items like the Paracord Bracelet and SHIELD Lanyard. The theming and effort shown in putting this and every other box together is why I keep my subscription active.

I received my Loot Crate so early this month that they have yet to announce the theme for next month! Nice! Still, if you`re interested in learning more about Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site. And, if you want to subscribe, use the following code to get a $3 discount: SAVE3

That's all for March! Thanks for reading In Box with Mike & Jess! See you again soon!

Loot Crate - February, 2015 - Play

Hey, peeps! Mike here, and I'm extremely excited to be writing about the rather late-arriving February Loot Crate. Why? Because this box was advertised as being partially about board gaming! I love playing board games and card games, so I felt like this would be "the" Crate for me. Now, I could write on and on about that, but instead, I'm going to spare you the agony and 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

FEBRUARY - PLAY

There are so many ways to "Play". Were the Loot Crate gurus able to represent a good variety of play or did they just stick with the one thing they advertised? Let's find out! Here's what I found in my box this month:

- Loot Crate Board Game and Dice ($3.00 CAD)

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Superfight Card Deck ($8.00 CAD)

- Pac-Man Mini Poster ($5.00 CAD)

- Firefly Online Rifle Coupon ($1.50 CAD)

- Hexbug ($15.00 CAD)

- Exclusive Mini Munny ($10.00 CAD)

- Ready Player One ($12.50 CAD)

Loot Crate Board Game and Dice

I can't even properly describe how incredible the custom box this month is. It folds out into a simple-but-fun board game called "Crate Packing Simulator 2015" where you try to get 5 items into your Crate before your friends do. Dice were included to add to the fun, and even the Loot Crate magazine has pieces for this game!

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

As I mentioned above, the mini magazine this month includes game pieces for the board game. Of course, there's so much more, like photos, item descriptions, and a great article about co-op gaming!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

This is my favourite Loot Crate pin so far purely because of the board gaming theme. The design is also really well done and matches the standard orange border, which is a rarity when it comes to Loot Crate pins.

Superfight Card Deck

I've never played Superfight before and have never seen it in stores, but I still appreciate getting a deck with exclusive cards in it. You can learn more about Superfight over at BoardGameGeek. If you can find a copy in Toronto or the GTA, please let me know where, 'cause I can't seem to do so.

Pac-Man Mini Poster

I love retro video games and I love Pac-Man. However, I am surprisingly disappointed with this item. The design is okay, but definitely not one I'd hang on my wall. The worst part, though, is that the poster arrived in pretty rough shape, despite the protective cardboard cover. If you zoom in on the photo, you can see that one edge of the poster did not survive the trip from the US to Canada. :(

Firefly Online Rifle Coupon

I'm a fan of Firefly, and 3 or 4 years ago, I would have been drooling over a MMO based on that short-lived much-loved television series by Joss Whedon. However, now that I don't have the time to play MMO's anymore, I'm sad to say that this awesome coupon that gives me an exclusive in-game rifle is useless to me. Still, I think it's a pretty sweet item for anyone who plays or is looking to play Firefly Online.

Hexbug

Whoa, check out this cool-looking Hexbug for me to play with! I may be at work while I'm writing this review, but I may just take this toy out of its box and scare the receptionist with it. :p

Exclusive Mini Munny

Wait, Munnys are still a thing? Seriously? I think I bought a blank pink Munny for Jess, like, 8 years ago. This exclusive blank white Munny is a little late, but still super awesome.

Ready Player One

My buddy Dan has recommended this gaming-themed novel on many occasions and I was going to buy it after I finished my latest Urban Fantasy book. (Yes, I read Urban Fantasy books.) Now, I just saved a little money and have it ready so I don't have to go to the bookstore! Sweet! (Sorry, Chapters.)

OVERVIEW

If we're going to talk about theming, this month's Loot Crate has it in spades. It covers a very good amount of "play", like board gaming, video gaming, and toys. It even has a gaming-themed novel! I honestly didn't see that one coming. The only problem I have with this Crate is that some of the items aren't up to par. Superfight sounds awesome, but none of the stores in Toronto I've called have the base game. A Hexbug is cool, but probably going to be handed down to my niece after work. The poster had a so-so design and arrived damaged. The custom box board game is mind-blowing, but the reality is that it's going to be played once or twice and then recycled, leaving me with some fancy dice that I can't use with anything else. So, at the end of the day, my feelings are quite mixed. I love this Crate, but am also a little disappointed.

Next month, the theme is going to be "Covert". I love spy stuff, so bring it on! Hopefully, the items will be better than the ones from this month's Crate. If you're interested in learning more about or subscribing to Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site. To get $3 off a new subscription, use this code: SAVE3

And, that's February! As always, thanks for checking out my blog. See you again soon!

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

Loot Crate - December, 2014 - Anniversary

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and this month, I wasn't sure if I would be writing a Loot Crate entry or not since Canada Post is notoriously bad during the Christmas season. To my surprise, I found my box at the front door yesterday, which was a Sunday. Either the postal service actually worked on a weekend or my Crate was accidentally delivered to someone else earlier in the week and then they left it at my door. Either way, I'm just glad I got it! :)

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

DECEMBER - ANNIVERSARY

This month, Loot Crate went with a theme that is a little out of the ordinary. Instead of something "nerdy" like dragons or space, they decided to celebrate the anniversaries of nerdy franchises. 30 years of Ghostbusters. 25 years of Simpsons. 30 years of Tetris... I'll stop there 'cause now I'm feeling old! Ha ha! Anyway, Looters were promised some sweet items, including an exclusive Pop! figure, so I was really excited for this box. What did I get? Here's a list:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Ghostbusters Door Hanger ($3.00 CAD)

- Tetris Stickers Set ($17.00 CAD)

- Simpsons Mighty Wallet ($12.00 CAD)

- Captain America Air Freshener ($5.00 CAD)

- Groot Socks ($13.00 CAD)

- Batman #36 Comic Book ($5.00 CAD)

- Joker-Batman Pop! Figure ($15.00 CAD)

- Crunchyroll Coupon ($7.50 CAD)

- Candy Cane ($0.15 CAD)

Custom Loot Crate Box

I guess it's no surprise that we Looters got a custom box yet again. Seriously, Loot Crate rocks in this regard. What I love about this month's box is that not only is it the Batcave, it's a Funko Pop! Batcave! It's official - This is my favourite custom box so far!

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

This month's magazine is one of the best I've seen. I was blown away by the cover designed by Josh Mirman, who is known for his art style of using words to create characters. Inside, there is an interview with none other than Stan Lee! Wow! A definite treat for True Believers!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

I want to criticize the simple design of the pin we got this month, but I can't because I actually like it. Sure, it's just the Loot Crate logo with a couple of stars next to it on a gold background, but it looks good. Thumbs up over here.

Ghostbusters Door Hanger

This is honestly not the best Ghostbusters item they could have given Looters, but it's still very cool. Plus, it's 2-sided and exclusive to Loot Crate. I'm not really a fan of the Slimer side, but the Ghost Bustin' side is definitely being displayed on one of the doors in my house.

Tetris Sticker Set

This is cool. Really, really cool. I love stickers and this Tetris set is just awesome. I can't wait to show them to my niece, who I'm sure will have half of them all over her stuff in a matter of minutes!

Simpsons Mighty Wallet

I love the Simpsons and I've always wanted to get a Mighty Wallet. Now, I have a Mighty Wallet with an awesome Simpsons design on it! Sweet!

Captain America Air Freshener

Apparently, Captain America smells like vanilla. Let the jokes begin!

Groot Socks

This! THIS! This is the kind of item that keeps me coming back for more Loot Crate month after month. Easily my favourite item in this box and one of my favourites from Loot Crate so far!

Batman #36 Comic Book

I love the Loot Crate exclusive cover on this comic and the fact that it comes with some bonus digital comics. However, I will say that I would have preferred a #1 or #0 comic over one that puts you right in the middle of a story arc. If you Google "Batman 36", you'll see that this issue is actually the second part of the Endgame arc. I understand that DC probably hopes that people will buy #35 in order to be able to read the story arc as a whole, but I feel that a better way to get people into a comic series is to get them in from the start with a #1 or a #0.

Joker-Batman Pop! Figure

Now, we come to the most talked-about item that was announced for this month's Loot Crate - The exclusive Funko Pop! figure! I admit that this is not even close to anything I would have expected. Batman is awesome, but I honestly don't know what to think of this figure. It's so... weird... I'll just leave it at that.

Crunchyroll Coupon

I had never heard of Crunchyroll until I received this card and I really appreciate the 30-day trial. I love Anime, so I'm hoping to take full advantage of this trial.

Candy Cane

A December subscription box wouldn't be complete without some nod at the fact that it's Christmas month. It's why Nerd Block is such a disappointment. They don't even acknowledge the fact that Christmas exists. I understand not everyone celebrates Christmas, but why be PC about it? Christmas is fun! So, this candy cane? It's awesome. Thank you, Loot Crate.

OVERVIEW

My first December Loot Crate was wonderful. I was blown away by not only the amount of items, but by how awesome most of them were. I even have a new item added to my all-time favourites list! The thought and effort put into making this box and all the ones I've received before it are what are keeping me on as a subscriber. I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store!

Speaking of 2015, in January, the theme is going to be REWIND. I'm super excited since I love retro stuff! If you're interested in learning more about Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site. And, if you would like to subscribe, you can get $3 off using the code REWIND

This concludes my final blog entry of 2014. Here's wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and very MERRY NEW YEAR! See you in 2015!

~ Mike