SDCC 2016 “Burning Walker” Giveaway Winner

Okay, okay, so this giveaway was finished ages ago, but I still wanted to share the video with you guys because Jason is a nut as usual and it has to be seen. It has to be seen! lol

The Collectors Case – September 2016 Unboxing

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying receiving The Collectors Case for these past few months, and the most recent box definitely did not disappoint. This over-sized box even included the first random-winner autograph that we’ve gotten from them, and it’s a pretty awesome one! Check it out!

Loot Crate “Dead” Unboxing and Review – February 2016

As usual, Loot Crate comes a little late to the fray, but not horribly so considering that it ships at pretty much the last minute of the month. This particular box had a theme of “Dead”, which, needless to say, was fairly enticing. I was particularly happen when I found out that there was going to be a Deadpool item of some kind in the box. Let’s have a look, shall we?

“Deadpool” t-shirt:
The first thing out of the box is a t-shirt (Loot Crate seems to be doing shirts on a monthly basis these days), and it’s definitely an awesome one. Deadpool, for the win, hanging upside down and screaming “Tacos?!” Is it a battle-cry? Is he just really hungry? We may never know, but it’s a pretty sweet shirt non-the-less, and it’s red, which is a little different from the other Deadpool shirts I have which are all black. Definitely an excellent addition to my wardrobe and an excellent start to the box.
Approximate value: $15

“The Walking Dead” Construction Set blind bag:
Upon further examination I believe this item is meant to be used as part of a larger set that must be put together. As near as I can find out, these figures were announced at the New York Toy Fair but aren’t currently available for retail sale. Either way, they aren’t something that hold a lot of my attention since I never really got into “The Walking Dead”, but it’s still kinda neat to get something that’s not available to the average consumer yet.
Approximate value: $5

“Daryl Dixon’s” Ear Necklace (Soap in a Rope):
My husband said that he thought this was clever. I am inclined to agree with him, but I also personally thought it was pretty weird and creepy as well. 😛 This soap-on-a-rope set is designed to look like a necklace of detached ears, after all, so it definitely falls into the “funny-but-weird” category. Again, since I never got into the show this doesn’t mean a whole hell of a lot to me, but I’m betting that big fans of the show got a huge kick out of it.
Approximate value: $10

#Lootpin for February:
This month’s pin features a Loot Crate box that seems to have been zombified, and also unlocks an extra piece of loot in the form of a free “Rare Carl” for the “Walking Dead” mobile game, “Road to Survival”. I’ve never played the mobile game, but they are fun little diversions to have available for when I’m traveling to and from work, so perhaps I’ll check this one out.
Approximate value: the redemption page claims that this is worth $10. I find that hard to believe, but then again I’m the kind of person who refuses to spend any actual money on mobile games.

“Deadpool” figure from Qmx:
I LOVE this figure. I first learned about Qmx toys when we got a super-cute Batman figure several subscription boxes ago, so I actually saw the logo before I saw the figure and got super-excited right off the bat. They make smaller figures that look a little cutesy, but they’re extremely well done, very detailed, and very dynamic. This particular figure has some kind of huge explosion occurring that is thrusting Deadpool forward, swords held out and legs curled up behind him, and it is just such a cool and different pose. I’m highly impressed, and he’s definitely going to have a place of honor on my shelves once I create my separate little Deadpool area. 🙂
Approximate value: $20

Total approximate value of box: $60
Total approximate cost to me: $40

So, aside from the awesomeness of the Deadpool figure, one of the first things I noticed about this particular box is that there really isn’t that much in it; in the past I’ve found Loot Crate to be one of the subscription boxes that has the greatest number of items per box, but this one only had four (five if you count the pin). That said, I did feel that the items that were in the box were excellent, and you can see that the value is still quite decent. Now, mind you, some of that value is based on items that I would never consider paying that much money for ($10 for an add-on to a mobile game…seriously?) but I would happily pay at least the rated value for the Deadpool figure and shirt, both of which are totally awesome in my opinion.

I can’t really say too much about the “Walking Dead” items because, well, you know, but I can honestly say that the two Deadpool items were more than worth it for me with this box. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the figure (maybe I should start picking up more Qmx figures…hmm…) and the shirt is different from what I already had and very, very cool. Two thumbs up for sure!

What did you guys think? Did you get the “Dead” box? What was your favorite item? Least favorite? How did you feel about there being only two franchises in the box? How do you feel about fewer items but with higher values? Please share!

Horror Block Unboxing and Review for March 2015

In the realm of ridiculously-late unboxing videos, I have for you today the Horror Block for March. As with February’s Block, this one came while I was out West, so I didn’t even get to open it until mid-April, and as mentioned in yesterday’s post I didn’t want to do any of these unboxing posts until the A to Z Challenge was over. Thus we have a two-month-late unboxing. But I’m going to share it with you today anyway, because why the hell not?

As always, first check out the unboxing video:

Breakdown time!

“Dixon Motorcycle Repair” t-shirt: Okay, right off the bat I have to say that I had a mental sigh of relief when I saw this t-shirt, because the past several Horror Block t-shirts have not been good ones, in my opinion. This is actually a pretty decent shirt. It’s a clever design, not too busy, and doesn’t have any enormous, creepy-ass faces plasted all over it. Unfortunately I still haven’t actually watched ‘The Walking Dead’ (I know, I know!) so that appeal isn’t there, but it’s still a nice shirt and will likely get worn. As usual, I’m giving this item my default shirt value of $15.

Walking Mummy Puzzle toy: I haven’t actually put this together yet, so I can’t really comment too much, but it’s kinda cute. I’ll probably make it a mini-project to do with my daughter some day; I imagine she’ll get a kick out of winding him up and watching him walk. This little “puzzle” toy can be found online for about $5.

Creepy Face key cover: I don’t know what else to call this thing other than “creepy face”. I saw some other unboxings and saw that there were a couple of other faces you could get, none of them any less creepy. I definitely wouldn’t mind some nice key covers, but I can honestly say I won’t be using this one because it’s kinda ugly. This is a Horror Block exclusive, but similar things go for about $5.

Walking Dead drawstring bag: Since it has two strings for your arms I guess this is technically a backpack, but it’s kinda flimsy so I don’t really think I would definite it that way. This is basically one of those vinyl bags with a drawstring close, with Daryl Dixon printed on the front. It’s interesting, that’s for sure, but I probably wont’ use it for too much because I just don’t use these kinds of bags. Surprisingly (considering that it looks super-cheap) similar bags with licensed characters on them go for about $10.

Pinhead canvas print: This one really surprised me, I have to admit. I’m used to getting mini-posters in some of these subscription boxes, but to get a canvas print? I’m sure it must be made of some material that’s cheaper than canvas, because that stuff is not cheap. To get a real canvas print this size you’re looking at a good $30. Since I refuse to believe that this particular print is actually worth that much I’m going to split it and graciously assign this item a value of $15.

Rue Morgue magazine: And as always, a magazine, this month Rue Morgue. I can’t say a whole lot about this item since I never really read the magazines, but as usual I’ll let you know that if you enjoy these magazines they really help make the box worth the cost, since they retail for about $10 a pop.

Total approximate value of box: $60
Total cost to me: $37

So, this is actually one of the highest value Horror Blocks I’ve gotten yet, but I do have mixed feelings about it. The t-shirt is nice, there’s no denying that. The bag is kinda neat too, but it really does feel quite cheap, and I don’t think it’s worth what it costs. The key cover might be neat if it was a character I know, but this weird ugly face just doesn’t do it for me. The mummy ‘puzzle’ is kind of cute, but it’s not exactly a show-stopper. I can honestly say that I’m amused by the Pinhead print; it will probably go in our “horror room” with all our movies and figures, so that’s cool. And of course, the magazine is exactly what it ever is, which is basically a reminder that I really should get around to reading some of these magazines.

All in all I guess I think it was actually not that bad of a box, but not super exciting either.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to Horror Block? What was your favorite item in the March 2015 box? Your least favorite? Did you hang that Pinhead print anywhere? Please share!

Loot Crate Unboxing and Review for October 2014

Of the subscription boxes I’ve been trying (Nerd Block Jr not-withstanding), Loot Crate has definitely been my favorite thus far. Regardless, I expected that this month’s box wouldn’t be all that great for me, because this month’s theme was “Fear”. That said, the box was still half-decent and included two items that I rather enjoy. First, check out the vid:

Now, for a breakdown!

Dead Rising 3 Custom Weapon collectible: This is an exclusive item and, as such, is difficult to put a value to. I didn’t realize it at first, but it’s actually a pen if you pull the saw end off. Personally I don’t think it’s worth a whole lot since it’s just a small plastic thing, but I’m going to give it a value of about $5 since I can imagine a game store charging about that much for it.
“Death by Kitten” t-shirt: At first I was a little taken aback by this shirt, but I quickly decided that it’s actually pretty cool. It’s different, kinda cute, and kinda scary all at the same time. And as an exclusive, I’m assigning it my go-to value of about $15.
“Fear” Collectible Pin: What do I usually assign to these Loot Crate buttons? About $1? I think that’s it.
Toxic Waste candy: Since you only get one piece and you can normally buy a pack of 40 for about $6, the value of this item is pretty much negligible.
Loot Crate Membership Card: I guess they hand these out after you’ve hung on to your membership for a few months? I dunno. I guess it’s worth about $1
“How to Survive a Sharknado” book: Now this is what I’m talking about. As both a reader and a loser, this book really appeals to me. Two thumbs up, and also it’s worth about $13
“Walking Dead” artwork: It turns out that this is an exclusive “Super Emo Friends” print by JSalvador, which is pretty awesome if you’re into that stuff. Now, I looked into it, and JSalvador charges about $17 for his prints, so that’s what I’m going to assign to this Walking Dead drawing, but I just want it on record that I would never pay that much for a postcard-sized print.
“Slashes and Bites” temporary tattoos: I believe these tattoos are a Loot Crate exclusive as well, so I’m assigning them about $2, since that’s probably what you’d pay for something similar in stores.
“Smite” costume download code: Smite is a free-to-play game, and to be honest, I’m not willing to put in the time into figuring out what these costume downloads are worth. I’m assuming it’s like similar games where you have to pay real money to unlock certain things. That said, I don’t believe in those kinds of games, and I’m giving the code away, so I’m giving it a value of $1 just for the sake of giving it a value.
Loot Crate “Fear” Magazine plus 3D glasses: I usually don’t mention these magazines, but it occurs to me that I probably should because they put a good bit of effort into them. This month’s magazine was printed in 3D and comes with the glasses to view it with, and I’m going to assign the pair a value of about $3.
Walking Dead comic #132: This comic has a variant cover especially for Loot Crate, which is pretty neat. The cover price for the original version of the comic is $3, so I’m going to make it $4 for the fact that it’s a variant cover.

Total approximate value of box: $62
Total cost to me: $30

So as you can see, there was quite a bit in this month’s box (even though a few of those things were really small), and the value is there. The only real comment that I have about the box’s value is that I would never in a million years pay $17 for that little art print. No offense to JSalvador, because his stuff is really cute, but it just seems like a godawful amount of money for something so small. On the other side of things, the t-shirt and the Sharknado book really made the box for me, so everything else is really just fluff. In conclusion, it was a good box, but previous Loot Crates were better, in my opinion.