Popinabox May 2015 Review

Popinabox: May 2015 Review (1 Pop)

Link: www.popinabox.co.uk

    My Popinabox arrived on May 21^st and I was so excited to find out which mystery Funko Pop I got this month. I chose to only get one Pop, at £11.99 (including p&p). Once they announced that my Pop had been dispatched it arrived really quickly, so I was happy with that. The delivery man actually came while I was in the shower, so I apologise for the drips on the box – I was too excited to dry my hair before opening:

Obviously there isn’t that much mystery once the box has been opened – you can see pretty clearly who you got! I got Leela from Futurama, which I had given a ‘thumbs up’ because I really love my animated shows.

I’m really happy with her, but I did have a giggle when I discovered that she couldn’t stand up by herself. Her ponytail is really heavy so she topples straight onto her back every time. I solved this problem by leaning her against a photo frame:

A nice addition to the Popinabox is that they always include some popping candy in the box too, so you can get a nice sugar high while you unpack your Pop.

I had a really good experience with Popinabox this month. So much so, that I have increased my subscription to 2 Pops!

NerdBlock May 2015 Review

NerdBlock: May 2015 Review, 'Ani-May'

Link: www.nerdblock.com

    So, my NerdBlock for May 2015 arrived on the 19^th – which I found really, really impressive considering that the boxes were only shipped on the 15^th and there was a weekend in between. If a box can reach me from Canada in only two working days, then what on Earth is up with the crazy amount of time that it seems to take for anything in the UK to reach me? But I digress. The box arrived in great condition, though the colour and logo does not make for discreet purchasing – I was relieved that I didn’t get it delivered to work in the end.

    As you can see, the box was pretty full and packed really nicely. The quality of the items was obvious from the first look and I instantly felt that I had made a good choice with the NerdBlock. The only downside for me this month was the theme. I’m not a big fan of anime – or at least I’m not familiar with a great deal of it. My only real exposure to anime was when I spent some time in Tokyo last year, but I can’t say I know a lot about it as a genre. I am a huge Studio Ghibli fan though and was very drawn in by the promise that there would be a ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ item in this box. That item turned out to be this:

Totoro Buttons (Badges)Value - ?

I have no idea how much these badges are worth and I couldn’t find anything similar through a quick Google. It’s nice that they’re quite unique and they are cute, but I was honestly disappointed. I think that if you are going to heavily publicise the presence of a particular show or character in the box, then the relevant item should just be….better than a few badges, you know? Despite that, the bigger items in the box were nicer:

Gundam T-ShirtValue – $10

Before this box I hadn’t heard of Mobile Suit Gundam, so I have definitely learned something new. This guy is a Japanese robot character – I can’t say much more about it but from an entirely aesthetic point of view this is a really nice t-shirt. I love the look of it and the t-shirt is really good quality and a great fit. I can’t wear it in good conscience without knowing the show, so this is a great excuse to get into something new.

Perfect Cell, Funko Pop vinyl
Value - $10

This guy is from Dragon Ball-Z. I was never all that into it, so this isn’t an ideal Pop for my collection, but I love that I got a Pop anyway. He does look really cool, so I’ll be keeping him to display with my others.

    The next two items were nice, but once again missed the mark for me:

Cowboy Bebop BandanaValue – maybe $5?

While cute and good quality, I don’t know the show and I don’t use bandanas (not in any of the ways that they depict on the handy leaflet), so this really fell flat for me.

Attack on Titan Cinch BagValue – again, maybe $5?

Again, I didn’t know the show for this one. The bag’s nice and it is good quality, but it’s really not my style. I honestly can’t imagine a scenario where I would use a bag like this.

The last item brought it all back for me though, and made up for the disappointment with the smaller items.

Evangelion MangaValue – around $10

I had actually been looking into this show recently, so this was a nice addition for me. I love books in basically any form that they are available in, whether it’s novels, comics, graphic novels, manga etc., so I will definitely enjoy this.

All in all, the box was very good for what it was. I knew that it was anime so I was fully prepared to not really get all of the references, but I’m surprised by how much I like the items despite that. Since I wasn’t so familiar with the theme this time round, I don’t feel that I can really judge NerdBlock just yet. I do know though, that I’m going to stick with them for at least one more round.

MyGeekBox

MyGeekBox: UK Monthly Subscription Box Service

Link: http://www.mygeekbox.co.uk/

    MyGeekBox is probably the most popular UK geeky subscription box that I have come across – so I couldn’t resist getting myself signed up as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they had sold out of May boxes when I went to subscribe and I ended up having to go for the June box instead. This is the only company so far with whom I have decided to go for a multiple month subscription. I signed up for 3 months, at a cost of £47.97 (including p&p). A one month plan is £17.99 and there is also the option to go for a t-shirt only box for £7.99 per month. Each month has a theme, with May 2015 being ‘Respawn’, and every box contains a t-shirt. Other items aren’t guaranteed, but past boxes have shown a good range of stuff. The June box (which I will be reviewing here) is said to be themed ‘Abilities’ and will contain a limited edition mystery Funko Pop, which I am very excited about!

Loot Crate

LootCrate: Geeky Monthly Subscription Box Service (US)

Link: www.lootcrate.com

    The one box that I have ordered from the USA is Loot Crate. It costs $29.95 (USD), which is around £19, and charges nothing extra for shipping - which I thought was impressive for an overseas subscription box. They offer a ‘box of geek & gamer gear’ with a value of more than $40. No particular items are guaranteed in each box, so it truly does have that mystery element to it. Each month does have a theme though, with May 2015 being ‘UNITE’. I’m not too sure what that will entail, but it does suggest teamwork I guess – heroes that work together? Hints have been dropped that there will be items relating to DC, Marvel, Power Rangers, Bravest Warriors, Team Fortress 2 and Rick & Morty. For me, the real draw here is the Rick & Morty item. It will be a pretty big letdown if the item turns out to be a sticker or something equally disappointing.

    I’ll be honest, I’ve heard a real mixed bag of reviews for Loot Crate. They’re one of the most popular geek boxes out there, so they have naturally drawn a great deal of attention. I’ve taken a look at some of their past crates and I agree that they can be pretty hit or miss. Sometimes they do a really great box that has instant appeal, and other times I look at all the items and think ‘meh’. I think I might make this one into a bit of an ‘on and off’ kind of box, where I only activate my subscription of months that really appeal to me. I’ll have to wait and see what this box is like though – I’ll save my judgement.

Lootmonster

Lootmonster: UK Monthly Subscription Box Service

Link: www.lootmonster.co.uk

    My first Lootmonster box will be arriving this May 2015. It is a UK based geeky subscription box and costs £25.99 (with free p&p). This makes it one of the most expensive subscription boxes that I have ever come across, but I’m refusing to write it off on that basis because it also promises a significantly larger number of items. Each box will have 7-10 items, plus a t-shirt every month. This sounds like a really good deal, but with the box being the price that it is then it is really going to have to impress me in order to be worth keeping up with. The worst thing that I could imagine happening with this box would be that the 7-10 items were mostly filler and full of rubbish like sweets. I’m hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised by what Lootmonster has to offer.

    One thing about Lootmonster that really did stand out to me was that the 1 month subscription option doesn’t actually automatically renew. Automatic renewal can be a really useful feature when you’ve chosen a box that you’re confident in and know that you will love every month, but it can be a real pain when you’re wanting to find out what a box is like. A one off box purchase is sometimes really nice when you’re trying to figure out which one to go with. Boxes that automatically renew are weighted with financial obligation, particularly if you are forgetful like me and don’t cancel before the money is taken from you for a second box.

    So really, my Lootmonster box may or may not be a one off. It is expensive, but I’m happy that I can get a single box to try it out and see whether or not it’s for me.

Popinabox

Popinabox: UK Monthly Subscription Box Service

Link: www.popinabox.co.uk

    Popinabox is a subscription box that entirely caters to people who love Funko Pop vinyls. I don’t have much of a collection yet, but I absolutely love these geeky figurines. The box is UK based and costs £8.49 (with a £3.50 delivery fee) if you go with the simplest ‘1 Pop’ package. You can opt to receive between 1 and 6 Pops, with the largest box costing £49.44. I’ve opted for 1 Pop for my first box, but I’m considering increasing it to 2 Pops for June 2015.

    There is such a wide range of Funko Pop vinyls now that it can be hard to decide what you do or don’t want. Popinabox has a fantastic website in that respect because they have a database of every single Pop, so that you can see everything that is or was available. You can then select all of the Pops that you own – meaning that Popinabox will never send you duplicate Pops – and you can ‘thumbs up’ or ‘thumbs down’ every Pop so that the subscription service knows whether or not you want to receive it. Popinabox will never send you Pops that you have thumbed down. I really like this system, because it means that you have assurance that you will be getting something that you really want and at the same time you still get that wonderful ‘mystery box’ feeling.

    Even if this doesn’t float your boat as a subscription box, it’s still a wonderful resource for anyone who appreciates Pops. They have an online shop, separate to the subscription box, so that you can purchase Pops whenever you like.

     I can’t wait for this box so that I can start adding to my collection!

Infinity Crate

Infinity Crate: UK Monthly Subscription Box Service

Link: www.infinitycrates.co.uk

    One of the boxes that I am most excited to get my hands on this month is the Infinity Crate. They are a UK based company, with a cost of £16.99 per box (with free postage & packaging!). They’ve been around for a few months now and have had some really strong past boxes. I love that this is a really inexpensive box, but also really stands out among the competition. They promise to deliver a range of geeky items every month that take into consideration your own personal likes and dislikes. I’m not completely clear on how they manage to do this, but when you sign up you are asked to fill out a basic form stating what your favourite films, games and tv shows are. I really liked this and I have to be honest – it was a massive appeal when signing up. If they truly do stick to my particular interests then I will be extremely impressed. I love a mystery box (in case you hadn’t guessed), but it is always a disappointment to receive an item that you have no interest in. Personally, I am not at all into the vast majority of sci fi shows and fandoms, so those items tend not to be all that great for me. I’m going to have to wait and see though to give the verdict on how well this system works.

    Even with this promise to take your interests into account, each box is still given a theme. Some people like to receive a bit of a muddle of items, but I like it when a box is tied together by a theme. It can mean that a box misses the mark for you, but it can also be really great. The theme for May 2015, which will be my first box, is ‘Loss’. Now, as themes go this is particularly ambiguous in my eyes. It could be just about anything. I’m struggling to think of a show or story that I like that doesn’t involve loss in one way or another. So I honestly don’t know what to expect this month. I do know that I had a look at the logo for the loss theme, and spied a certain symbol from Supernatural in the centre of the ‘O’ (the anti-possession tattoo). I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I would be made up if I received a Supernatural related item. Worth noting as well is that they have already announced the theme for the June 2015 box, which is ‘Gather’. Again, not entirely sure what to expect with that but I immediately think of dragons and adventurers (gathering gold, princesses etc.), which is completely up my street.

    I can’t believe I haven’t already mentioned one of the biggest draws to this box! Each month, your box will include both a t-shirt and a Funko Pop vinyl, guaranteed. I love geeky t-shirts and I really, really love Funko Pops, so I am expecting to enjoy this box a lot. 

NerdBlock

NerdBlock: Geeky Monthly Subscription Box Service (Canada)

Link: www.nerdblock.com

    The first nerd/geek themed subscription box that I have signed up to is the highly popular NerdBlock. I've heard about them a few times as there are a load of reviews and unboxing videos available across the web for their past boxes. As I was putting this blog together, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to finally order one of these boxes and see how amazing they are. Though they are technically a Canadian subscription box company, they do ship to the UK for relatively reasonable rates. The box itself is $19.99 (USD) and the shipping cost is $12.50 (USD), which I worked out to be around £21 (GBP) in total. The price is not bad at all, but I need the box to impress me if I’m going to keep spending as much as I am on shipping.

    The boxes themselves appear to vary each month by theme. The first box that I will be reviewing, May 2015, has been given the theme ‘Ani-May’ and will hopefully include some exciting anime items. Whatever the theme, each month’s box includes a t-shirt and a variety of mystery collectables. I think there are between 5 and 6 items in every box, which seems to be really good value when you consider that they have a reputation for putting in good quality items rather than a lot of filler rubbish. I’m personally hoping to see some Funko Pop vinyls in my future boxes, but from what I have seen of NerdBlock so far there is a really wide variety of items that you could get – I’ve seen things I like in every NerdBlock I’ve come across.

    One of my favourite things about NerdBlock is that they offer a range of box types, which means that you can pick the one that suits you most or you can order more than one box. I’ve ordered the classic, simply because I think that it matches my taste better than the others do. As well as the classic, they offer two ‘Junior’ boxes (one for boys and one for girls), an arcade block for fans of video games, a horror block for those who appreciate the scary stuff and a comic block for comic book fans, which is new this May. For now I’m just going to see what the classic block has to offer, but I’m considering trying out a couple of the others in the future.

Obligatory Introductory Post

    Welcome to The Box Review! Essentially, I will be using this space to write up reviews on subscription boxes with a nerdy or geeky theme that are available in the UK. Obviously I am limited in how many boxes I can buy in any given month, but I’ll be changing up the boxes on a fairly regular basis, depending on which ones I like best and which ones disappoint. 

    I’m always open to suggestions as to which boxes I should order in next and of course would love to hear about any newcomers in the market. These types of boxes are becoming so popular now that there truly is a huge range of companies to choose from. I hope that by giving each box a fair review, you guys will be able to figure out which one is best for you and, hopefully, discover some of the smaller subscription companies that aren’t that popular yet.

    Anyway, give me a shout in the comments section if there’s anything you want to ask or anything that you particularly want to see included in future posts. Bookmark us and visit again soon!