Loot Crate - May, 2015 - Unite

Heya, peeps! Mike here, and yes, I'm on time with my Loot Crate review this month! To be honest, I was starting to think I wouldn't be able to post until June since nothing had arrived yet as of Tuesday. Luckily, my box finally showed up yesterday, so here I am!

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)

MAY - UNITE

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is one of my favourite things ever, so when I first saw the announcement for the May theme for Loot Crate, I was ecstatic. Power Rangers and Marvel in the same box? Heck, YES! Now that I have my box, did the theme live up to my self-produced hype? Let's find out! Here's what I got:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.50 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Power Rangers T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- Loot Crate Exclusive MAD Magazine ($5.00 CAD)

- Rick and Morty Puzzle ($5.00 CAD)

- Team Fortress 2 Buttons ($10.00 CAD)

- Bravest Warriors #1 ($4.50 CAD)

- Avengers Decal ($3.00 CAD)

- Marvel Shoe Laces ($5.00 CAD)

- Marvel Ice Tray ($12.00 CAD)

Loot Crate Custom Box

I don't think it's a surprise anymore that Looters receive a custom box. This month, we got a creative locker room design, complete with a bench you can cut out of the cover flap. Oddly enough, despite its simplicity, it's one of the better designs to date in my opinion.

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

This month's mini magazine has a so-so cover design, but a really good article inside about comic book teams. A nice, much appreciated read.

Loot Crate Theme Pin

Okay, so I've been calling this a pin every month. Do you call this a pin or a button? Bah, who cares? It's neat getting one of these every month. I just wish this particular pin had a nicer design. Props for being thematically good, though.

Power Rangers T-Shirt

Wow! What a design! I love this Tommy Oliver shirt! I'm definitely going to wear this very often.

Loot Crate Exclusive MAD Magazine

You know I love the mini magazine. Well, this exclusive MAD Magazine should start becoming a monthly perk. Awesome!

Rick and Morty Puzzle

Do you remember when Kinder Eggs used to have cool toys you could build? Do you remember the disappointment you felt when they started putting those stupid puzzles in their eggs? That's NOT how I felt when I got this... This... Um... What's a Rick and what's a Morty? See what just happened there? Loot Crate introduced me to a series I didn't know about using a cool product. Nice!

Team Fortress 2 Buttons

Now, I'm going to call these buttons. Yes, buttons. Awesome buttons. Onto the cork board they go!

Bravest Warriors #1

I love comics and I love variant covers. Loot Crate gave me both for a series I've only heard of, but never actually checked out. Sweet.

Avengers Decal

I don't use decals, but this "Avengers: Age of Ultron" decal is pretty cool.

Marvel Shoe Laces

When I first pulled these out of my box, I was only moderately excited since I don't use custom shoe laces. But, after further thought, I realized they would look awesome on my black Chucks. So, these laces get a thumbs up from me.

Marvel Ice Tray

This is easily one of the most practical items I've ever received from a subscription box. Now, I can throw Cap's shield or Hulk's fist or Thing's face into my pop. Love love love!

(It must be noted, though, that I question the logic in having 3 Avengers and then 1 Fantastic Four member represented on the tray... Wouldn't it make more sense for the 4th design to be Mjolnir? And, what's with putting Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Thor on the box when none of them are on the tray? Come on, Marvel! That's misleading!)

OVERVIEW

Honestly, this month's Loot Crate was one of the worse I've received. Sure, the theming was good and lots of series / brands were represented, but the combination of items just didn't do it for me. Put another way, I would be happy to receive each and every one of these items, but just with other stuff.

Next month, the theme is going to be CYBER. That, to me, sounds extremely dirty... But, hey, we all know they're talking about "Transformers" and other tech-y stuff, right? Right? Anyway, if you're interested in learning more about Loot Crate, check out their web site at This Link. To get a $3 discount off a new subscription, use this code: SAVE3

Thanks, as always, for checking out my blog. See you again soon!

~ Mike

Marvel Collector Corps - 2015 - Box 1

Heya, True Believers! Mike here, and I am very excited to be starting a brand new series of reviews! A few months ago, Funko, the company best known for their Pop! vinyl figures, announced that they had joined forces with Marvel Comics to start a subscription box called the "Marvel Collector Corps". They promised to give us $50 worth of awesome swag in each box, including an exclusive Pop! figure. After a long wait, Jess and I finally got our first box at the end of April!

Before I move on to what was inside that amazing-looking box, here's some vital pricing info about this 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've probably figured out, this isn't a monthly subscription. Instead, Funko sends a box out every 2 months, thus the higher 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, with business out of the way, let's get to the pleasure. Here's what met our eyes when we opened the box!

Ta da! Yes, that looks awesome. Here's a list of what you're looking at, along with estimated pricing:

- Collector Corps Pin ($5.00 CAD)

- Collector Corps Patch ($5.00 CAD)

- Avengers T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)

- Guardians Team Up #1 ($5.00 CAD)

- Ultron Dorbz Vinyl ($15.00 CAD)

- Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl ($40.00 CAD)

Collector Corps Box

You've seen how excited I get over Loot Crate's custom boxes. Well, this Collector Corps box may not have a custom design, but it's ridiculously cool. I'd be happy to get this same box every 2 months. Love love LOVE it!

Collector Corps Pin

When you first open the box, the pin and the patch are stuck to the protective flap, which is a neat little extra touch. The pin features a vintage-looking Captain America and looks great. I can't wait to pin it to my cork board!

Collector Corps Patch

The exclusive patch looks just as cool as the pin. I love the Ultron design. The only problem I have is that I don't know what to do with this thing since I don't collect patches. Maybe I'll stick it next to my pins?

Avengers T-Shirt

What an amazing design for an exclusive T-Shirt! I love that it's Retro Iron Man facing off against Ultron. I also love that it's like a boxing poster since "Age of Ultron" is coming out the same weekend as the Pacquiao / Mayweather fight.

I have to mention that other Collector Corps members may have received different designs. My friend Ryan got Hulk vs Ultron. I'm sure there is a design for each member of the Avengers team. I wonder if there are shirts for Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, though. If you know the answer to that, please drop us a line. Thanks!

Guardians Team Up #1

I'm behind in the Marvel Comics Universe, so I really appreciate getting the first issue of a new series, complete with awesome exclusive Variant Cover. My only complaint is that my comic came damaged on the top left corner. :(

Ultron Dorbz Vinyl

OMG, this exclusive Ultron vinyl figure is so adorable! With the release of "Age of Ultron", this was a great addition to the box. I can't wait for the other figures in the Dorbz line to come out.

Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl

Here is the item that all fans of Pop! figures have been drooling for months to get. Yes, Peeps, that is an exclusive Hulkbuster Pop! Vinyl! It's huge, it's heavy, and it's so friggin' cool! The price of this item alone makes up most of the $50 Funko promised! Absolutely phenomenal!

OVERVIEW

I have to hand it to Marvel and Funko. They have clearly learned a lot from their experience providing items for Nerd Block and Loot Crate. Collector Corps' first box was a home run. I am beyond impressed and cannot wait to receive the next shipment. Here's hoping it will be just as good as this one, if not better.

If you want to learn more about Marvel Collector Corps, go to www.collectorcorps.com

Thanks so much for keeping up with our blog. See you again soon!

~ Mike

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!