I’ve got another first-of-the-year for you today in the form of the first Nerd Block for 2015, and as with the first Loot Crate of the year, I have mixed feelings about this box. Let’s go to the video!
You may have noticed a couple of annoyed looks as I was rummaging through that box. Shall we go to the breakdown so I can explain why?
“Doctor Who” Sonic Screwdriver t-shirt: The shirts in these boxes can be hit or miss sometimes, but this one is a hit. I, of course, love the hell out of Doctor Who, but what also makes this shirt great is that it’s different from a lot of the other shirts out there that always seem to feature the TARDIS or a silhouette of the Doctor. Also, I kinda sorta want a sonic screwdriver, so this shirt is the next best thing. We’ll assign it the default shirt value of $15.
“Grumpy Cat” mini-plush: I really can’t figure out for the life of me how Nerd Block thought that this item played into the box’s theme at all. It’s kinda cute, but I really couldn’t care less about Grumpy Cat, and certainly they could have found a little plush of an Ewok or something? Psh…anyway, this little dude goes for about $5.
Elf Ears: Just…just…yeah. I find this item extremely silly, not only because I personally will never use them, but also because even if you wanted to use them they very likely will not fit. Upon closer examination of them they’re pretty small, so if you’re bigger than, say, your average 13-year-old, I don’t think these are going to be of use to you. These particular elf ears are a Nerd Block exclusive, so based on other similar items and the fact that these ones look kind of extra-plastic-y, I’m assigning them a value of $3.“Thorin Oakenshield” bookmark and pen: So here, at least, we have a pair of items that I might actually get some use out of, since I both read and write on a regular basis. My husband and I recently watched the first two Hobbit movies so these actually amuse me. This pair goes for a cost of about $12.
“Star Wars” film cell: Last month I got a “Nightmare on Elm Street” film cell (one of my husband’s favorite movies) in a Horror Block, and this month I get a cell from one of my favorite movies in the Nerd Block. A cute collectible for sure, but I’ve got to be honest and say that I don’t really know what I should do with these things. I couldn’t find this exact cell, but similar items go for about $8.
“ScatterBrainz” sticky darts: As mentioned in the video, it rather annoys me when Nerd Block wastes box space with little kid toys that are cheap Walmart items. My daughter might get a kick out of these, but I could literally drive five minutes to the local Walmart and pick them up for $4, so to get them as part of my special monthly awesome-stuff-just-for-me box is a bit frustrating.
Nerd Block theme Target/Decision Maker: To go with the sticky darts, Nerd Block included a little target/decision maker to throw them at. It’s just a thin piece of board with a picture printed on each side, so I’ll give it a value of about $1.
“Star Trek”/”Planet of the Apes” crossover comic: I can honestly say that I wasn’t expecting this item. I’ve gotten several comics in my subscription boxes, but this crossover was definitely a surprise. I’m assuming that the cover is a Nerd Block variant since it has the Nerd Block symbol in the corner. This might actually be the first of the comics I’ve received that I open because I’m kinda dying to read the story that the writers came up with. I’m giving this comic my standard “variant cover” value of about $5.
Total approximate value of box: $53
Total cost to me: $33
So right off the bat, although the value is still technically there, this is one of the least valuable Nerd Blocks I’ve gotten as far as just looking at the cost of the items. Then there’s the whole thing with the ScatterBrainz toy being something I could pick up for a couple of bucks down the road. And, of course, there’s the Grumpy Cat, which bugs me mainly because I think that if Nerd Block is going to try to do themes they should actually STICK to the theme. And those elf ears, man…I just don’t know what to say about the elf ears. That said, I do very much like the shirt, the comic is amusing as hell, and the film cell, bookmark, and pen are all cute. I just feel, personally, that there was a lot of junk in this box, but at least there were a couple of items that I enjoy. All in all, I guess I’m pretty firmly on the fence about this box. It’s not great, but it’s not awful either. Keeping my fingers crossed for next month!
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