Loot Crate - Limited Edition Star Wars Crate

There has been an awakening. Loot Crate has realized the potential in selling limited edition themed Crates, and with all the excitement over "The Force Awakens", making one for "Star Wars" was a no-brainer.

When I first saw the $100 USD US / $130 USD International price tag on the "Star Wars" Crate, I was going to pass on it. Jess actually laughed at Loot Crate's audacity in charging so much. However, our good friend Tom had purchased a "Fallout" Crate not long ago and insisted that not only would the "Star Wars" one be worth the cost, it would actually blow our minds. He even ordered a "Star Wars" Crate himself to prove his point. I have to admit that I was pretty much convinced since Tom is not only honest, but also quite particular. So, Jess and I ordered a "Star Wars" Crate.

Fast-forward to December 18th - the day "The Force Awakens" opened in theatres. I woke up to find a giant Loot Crate at the door. Here, have a look!

If you can't tell, the box is approximately the size of 4 regular Loot Crates! Wow! And, check out the cool Millennium Falcon label.

Cool, right? Now, here's what Jess and I were greeted with when we opened the box after seeing "The Force Awakens" on the 20th:

Want to know my reaction? Here's an animated GIF to help you imagine it:

Once I picked myself up off the floor, Jess and I went through the items. Here's a list with approximate Canadian pricing:

- Star Wars Toque ($30.00 CAD)

- Star Wars Scarf ($30.00 CAD)

- BB-8 Raglan Tee ($20.00 CAD)

- Darth Vader Poptater ($20.00 CAD)

- Star Wars Little Golden Books ($35.94 CAD)

- Vader Down #001 Comic ($6.00 CAD)

- Metal Earth Kylo Ren Shuttle ($15.00 CAD)

- Rebel Alliance Gadget Pouch ($18.00 CAD)

- BB-8 10 oz Ceramic Mug ($12.00 CAD)

Loot Crate Box

Before I talk about the items in the box, I wanted to mention that the box itself has an incredible Millennium Falcon design on the inside. I was absolutely blown away by it.

Star Wars Toque

I'm Canadian. This is a toque, not a "pom beanie hat". The design is fantastic, but I have to admit that the size is too small for both Jess and myself.

Star Wars Scarf

Where the toque is small, the scarf is huge! I have never owned a scarf this long before, which is why I'm going to be wearing it this winter. In fact, I wore it yesterday and got some very positive comments from passersby!

BB-8 Raglan Tee

I also wore this shirt yesterday because the design is amazing. Simple, but stylish. I love it!

Darth Vader Poptater

Poptaters are 6" Mr. Potato Head toys that, I assume, are trying to compete with Pop! Vinyls by Funko. Aside from having "Pop" in the name, there are also more and more Poptaters for different fandoms, like "Breaking Bad", horror icons, and Marvel Comics. There are, of course, Poptaters for "Star Wars" and the one in this Crate is a collector's edition Darth Vader. It looks just like a regular Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head, so I'm not sure what's special about it. But, hey, it's still pretty cool.

Star Wars Little Golden Books

This is a set of 6 books that take the original "Star Wars" movies and turns them into kids books. They're great for introducing children to "Star Wars" and Jess and I are definitely going to read them to our kids when we have them.

Vader Down #001 Comic

For the older reader, Loot Crate provided the first issue of the new "Vader Down" comic series, complete with variant cover. Nice!

Metal Earth Kylo Ren Shuttle

I've seen Metal Earth 3D Models at 401 Games in Toronto quite a few times and have always been tempted to get the Millennium Falcon, but have been hesitant since I'm not sure if I'll enjoy building it since the metal looks kind of flimsy and I feel like I'd probably break a piece or two. Well, now I can test out the sturdiness of Metal Earth models by building Kylo Ren's shuttle! Sweet!

Rebel Alliance Gadget Pouch

If "gadget" equals "make-up", yeah, this is a gadget pouch. More specifically, it's a gadget pouch that now belongs solely to Jess. :p

BB-8 10 oz Ceramic Mug

My favourite item in the entire Crate is this mug. BB-8 was a surprisingly wonderful character in "The Force Awakens" and this mug captures her cuteness quite well. I'm only moderately disturbed that I'd be drinking out of his head. (Yes, I'm purposely using both male and female possessive adjectives. LOL)

OVERVIEW

I have to admit that there was a part of me that was quite worried that I wouldn't be getting my money's worth due to the very high cost of this Loot Crate. $130 US is around $180 CAD after all due to the stupidly weak Canadian Dollar. If you add up the approximate values of the items, you'll notice that it's just a few dollars over $180 CAD, so technically, we're pretty much only breaking even up here in the Great White North. However, when it comes to the items themselves, I think they're worth every penny, err, nickel. We don't have pennies anymore...

All in all, I'm extremely impressed and very happy with this Limited Edition Loot Crate. Great items, decent value, and lots of excitement. Would I buy another Limited Edition Crate? With the cost in mind, it would have to be for a fandom I care a lot about. For those of you who love something enough to spend this kind of money, I say head on over to the Loot Crate Web Site and go for it!

Stay tuned for more coming soon this month. And, as always, thank you!

~ Mike

Nerd Block Classic - December, 2015

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and in a surprise turn of events, I bet you're wondering why I suddenly have a Nerd Block review after I Nerdvorced them last year. Well, I was tempted back for 1 month only due to their Cyber Monday deal and, more importantly, their promise of amazing "Star Wars" items! Yes, I'm that big of a fan. LOL

After a long wait and a lot of doubt as to whether I had made the right decision to trust that not even Nerd Block could screw up giving people good "Star Wars" items, I received my box!

Yep, that looks good! Before I tell you about those items, though, here's a little info on Nerd Block Classic:

Monthly Subscription - $19.99 USD / month

3-Month Subscription - $53.97 USD / period

6-Month Subscription - $101.94 USD / period

Yearly Subscription - $191.88 USD / year

You have to add shipping to all of the above prices. For shipping to Canada, I was charged $8.75 USD, plus HST (13%) on top of everything! So, if you're Canadian like me, the items better be worth the extra cost and the stupid exchange rate at this time! Let's take a look at what I received.

DECEMBER, 2015

Here's a list of the items for this month's Nerd Block Classic, along with estimated Canadian pricing:

- Star Trek Captain Pin ($10.50 CAD)

- Kylo Ren T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

- Star Wars Mouse Pad ($8.50 CAD)

- Star Wars Blaster Keychain ($10.00 CAD)

- Star Wars Ice Tray ($15.00 CAD)

- Unmasked Darth Vader Pop! Vinyl ($17.00 CAD)

Nerd Block Inserts

Something new to Nerd Block since my final box with them last year is that they now have several inserts. There's one talking about the items (shown above), another revealing the general theme of next month's Block, and some ads. The items insert is what I appreciate the most since it makes it clear what was in the box and the different available options, if any.

Star Trek Captain Pin

Clearly, this isn't a "Star Wars" item, but it's still very cool. I'm a fan of "Star Trek" insignia pins and this Captain rank pin is definitely right up my alley. Awesome.

Kylo Ren T-Shirt

I love the design of this shirt. Also, it seems Nerd Block is now using higher quality shirts than they did before. My only complaint is that the size chart is a little off as my XL was definitely bigger than what was stated. I should have gone with my usual Large.

Star Wars Mouse Pad

This beautiful mouse pad has a design that looks like one of those old vacation destination ads. I love it, but Jess loves it more, so it's now hers. LOL

Star Wars Blaster Keychain

Wow, a Nerd Block exclusive item! Nice! I love this keychain and it's now on my key loop. ^_^

Star Wars Ice Tray

This is 1 of 3 ice trays subscribers could have received. I already own one of the other 2, so I'm quite lucky to have gotten this one.

Unmasked Darth Vader Pop! Vinyl

My first "Star Wars" Pop! vinyl was from Nerd Block. Now, so is my second. Of the 3 possible figures subscribers could get, this was the one I wanted most, so I'm one happy nerd right now. This is easily my favourite item in this Block.

OVERVIEW

I'm pretty sure you've come to the conclusion that I really liked this month's Nerd Block Classic. Honestly, it was the best Nerd Block I have ever received. It's on the same level as a normal Loot Crate, and that's saying something. However, despite the awesome items and getting my money's worth, I am most definitely not tempted to go back to becoming a Nerd Block subscriber. Why? Because I'm pretty sure this is an exception and not the rule. I've read what people have gotten in previous months and I haven't been impressed. With "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" coming out and the promise of awesome "Star Wars" merch, Nerd Block had to put together something epic this month to not only prevent subscribers from leaving, but to also attract new ones. I honestly don't think Nerd Block will match this level of quality for a long while, so I've already cancelled.

Of course, if you disagree and are interested in joining Nerd Block, please feel free to visit their web site at www.nerdblock.com. They have more than just their standard Block. They now have all sorts of themed programs like Arcade Block and Horror Block.

And, that's it for now. Stay tuned for more entries this month. Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday Season!

~ Mike

Loot Crate - November, 2015 - Combat

Hey, peeps! Mike here, and I just couldn't resist going back to Loot Crate again after seeing the photos of the incredible boxes in September and October. I mean, wow, they upped their game! So, now I'm a Looter again and, after a painstaking wait, my Crate finally arrived!

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 with shipping to Canada included:

1 Month Plan - $29.95 USD / $37.00 CAD per month

3 Month Plan - $84.00 USD / $104.00 CAD per 3 months

6 Month Plan - $162.00 USD / $200.00 CAD per 6 months

1 Year Plan - $312.00 / $385.00 CAD per year (includes Bonus T-Shirt)

As some of you who have read my 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, though, this hurts. One can only hope the items are still worth the price tag.

NOVEMBER - COMBAT

As a fan of fighting games like "Street Fighter" and "Mortal Kombat", I was excited to learn this month's theme. Of course, "Combat" could mean so much more. So many different kinds of games and franchises have various types of fighting in them. There's just so much potential for amazing items! So, did what came in the Crate live up to my expectations? Let's start to look into that with a list of what I got:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Loot Crate Gift Tags ($0.50 CAD)

- Mockingjay Pin ($10.00 CAD)

- Blizzard Cute But Deadly Figure ($12.00 CAD)
- Blizzard Cute But Deadly Magnets ($5.00 CAD)

- TMNT Shredder Sunglasses ($10.00 CAD)

- Street Fighter Hyper Looting #1 ($4.50 CAD)

- Vault Boy Bobblehead ($25.00 CAD)

Loot Crate Custom Box

You already know I'm a fan of custom boxes and this one featuring a post-apocalyptic design is pretty cool. The sewer pipes with ooze coming out are a nice touch.

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

Ah, it's nice to finally get a mini magazine again. I didn't realize how much I missed these! This month, there is a great article about epic video game rivalries, an interesting interview with WWE's Kyle Edwards, and more. The cover is pretty cool, too.

Loot Crate Theme Pin

This pin's design comes from the cover of the mini magazine, but unlike most cases in the past where they just took a part of the cover and shrank it, whoever designed this pin actually made this different by taking the characters out and only leaving the bus. I think it's a cool pin and one I'm quite happy to put up on my cork board.

Loot Crate Gift Tags

With Christmas around the corner, Loot Crate wanted to help people with their gift giving by included these nifty tags. I really appreciate that.

Mockingjay Pin

Alright, alright! This is what I call an awesome item. I'm a huge fan of "The Hunger Games" and this pin doesn't just hit the mark with my fandom, but also fits the Crate theme extremely well. Nice!

Blizzard Cute But Deadly Figure

This item is going to get a mixed review from me. On the one hand, I love Blizzard games and I love blind box vinyls. In fact, when I took this out of the Crate, I was jumping up and down with excitement. However, on the other hand, I was stopped abruptly when I realized the box was rather damaged.

As you can see, it was squashed prior to being put into my Loot Crate. This made me worry about the figure inside, so I opened it immediately and found this.

That, friends, is Ghost Arthas (from "World of Warcraft"), which is one of the three mystery figures you could get and, in my opinion, the best of the three. His helmet is supposed to have a large spike decoration. What you see on the middle-bottom of the above photo is that very spike, which has broken off the figure. Here is a closer look at things after I put the figure together.

This is my favourite item in the Crate, yet I am left with a bitter sweet feeling because Loot Crate's lack of quality control resulted in a broken figure. And, not just any figure. No, it just had to be Ghost Arthas! If I write to Loot Crate and show them the damage, I'm quite certain that they'd send me a new figure. But, since this is a blind box set, I most likely won't get another Ghost Arthas. That really, really sucks. Now, I'm sure you're probably thinking I can just glue the spike back on. I will do that and I will be happy with the figure. However, the fact remains that I received an obviously damaged item. Whoever packed my Crate could not have missed the fact that the box had been crushed. That, to me, is unacceptable.

Blizzard Cute But Deadly Magnets

I love magnets and my fridge is covered in them. So, getting Blizzard magnets is pretty awesome. My only complaint is that these kinds of magnet sheets are pretty much for decoration only. The strength of the magnets are extremely weak, so don't expect to be able to hold much with them. It's a shame because as a teenager, I remember using much stronger magnets with awesome nerdy designs to hold photos on my locker door. These Blizzard magnets would never have been able to do the same job because they would have just flown off if I closed the door too strongly. I would have honestly preferred getting less but stronger magnets.

TMNT Shredder Sunglasses

You know how Loot Crate gave its subscribers gift tags? I'm going to use one for this item since it's pretty much useless to me. I honestly don't see myself ever wearing them. Ever.

Ever again. I meant to have "again" in there to begin with. Yep. Honest to God...

I look ridiculous. Kids, however, would probably think these are super cool and run around the house with these on, so into my niece's Christmas stocking this goes.

Street Fighter Hyper Looting #1

This was not the kind of fighting game item I was hoping fore. I mean, I love comics, I love "Street Fighter" even more, and I really appreciate getting a "#1". However, a comic about characters from "Street Fighter" teaming up with Loot Crate employees to fight evil? I'm sorry, but this should have been a part of the mini magazine and not an actual item. To think, this is the only fighting game item! What a complete waste and an utter disappointment.

Vault Boy Bobblehead

As a fan of the "Fallout" series of games, I was blown away by what I think is the coolest item in this month's Crate. The quality is very high and the packaging even has some foam inside the box to protect the head. The most interesting thing about this bobblehead, however, is the supposed price. In my research I found that this bobblehead is a part of a series with Vault Boy in different poses. Various web sites sell them for anywhere from $25.00 CAD to as much as $70.00 CAD! That's insane. Even $25.00 CAD is too much for it, in my opinion. I guess that's what happens when you have a super hot franchise like "Fallout". Sigh.

OVERVIEW

I don't know what the heck happened this month, but Loot Crate really dropped the ball. Like I said before, I was blown away by the Crates from September and October. "Doctor Who" sporks? Pikachu winter hats? Doc Brown Pop! figures? Replica mini hoverboards? Those are ridiculously awesome. I envy those who stuck with Loot Crate and got them. This month, I rejoined and got a damaged item, an obvious gift item to make use of the included gift tags, a disappointing comic, and a bobblehead with an insanely high price tag that is clearly here for Loot Crate to say, "Hey, Looters, look at this super expensive item! See! That's value! Just ignore the fact that everything else is really cheap. *Cough*"

I've never been this let down by Loot Crate before. I get that no subscription box can be epic every single month, and I honestly don't expect that. Loot Crate, however, has always delivered boxes hovering between "fantastic" and "out of this world". This time around, they broke the trend and dropped to "just okay". I honestly hope this is a one-time thing because I'm staying with them for December due to their promised "Galaxy Quest" item. If they slap subscribers in the face again, however, I'm done with them for good.

If you want to learn more about Loot Crate, you can check out their web site HERE. Use the code SAVE10 to get 10% off a new subscription.

As always, thank you for checking out my blog. Stay tuned for more nerdy reviews!

~ Mike

Minecraft Mini-Figure Netherrack Series 3

Hi! Mike here, and for the past few months, I've been seeing cute little Minecraft figures for sale at Walmart that come in blister packs and blind boxes, the latter of which are definitely of interest to me since I'm a fan of the game and I certainly love blind boxes. But, the $3.49 + tax price tag made me hesitant... until today!

I bought 2 of these suckers and brought them to the office with me to take photos during my break. Here are a couple more pics of the box, showing what figures are in Series 3... Wait! There were 2 other series before this? Wow, I definitely didn't pay close enough attention to these toys.

Based on the non-random 3-packs they also sell at Walmart, I already knew the size of the figures in these blind boxes. Considering their size, I honestly wondered how many figures there would be in them. I mean... they're kind of big. They wouldn't use such big boxes for single figures, right?

Yes. Yes, they would. Here's another shot of the Iron Armor Zombie I got in front of the large-ish box.

Despite the wasteful size of the packaging, I have to admit that the box design is very nice. I also like how, according to some web sites I found, you can tell what figure is inside the box if you look at the code underneath...

Yeah, that's apparently the code for an Iron Armor Zombie underneath the bar code numbers. Just Google "Netherrack Series 3 Codes". It's ridiculous how these are false blind boxes.

Moving on, the Mini-Figure itself is pretty nice. I like that it's designed as a "chibi" version of Minecraft. The plastic feels sturdy. The paint job is mostly good with some smudging on the helmet. I'm impressed.

In my second box, I got a Skeleton Horse.

I love the details on this figure, especially the vertebrae.

I also like putting the Iron Armor Zombie on its back.

Adorable! I'm having a cuteness overload right now!

The thing, though, is that in the end, I honestly don't feel that the toys, cool as they are, are worth the price tag. LEGO Minifigures are just $0.50 more and you get multiple pieces, articulation, and... It's LEGO. I know Minecraft is super popular right now, but I feel like they're charging $1.75 for the figure and $1.75 for the box. These Mini-Figures should cost $2.00 plus tax each at the most.

All in all, the Minecraft Mini-Figure Netherrack Series 3 blind boxes are pretty awesome toys, but a big waste of packaging and not worth the price. Get them on sale or if you don't mind spending that kind of money.

Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon with more reviews!

~ Mike