Loot Crate October 2015 Review

Loot Crate: October 2015 Review, 'Time'

Link: www.lootcrate.com

After the amazing contents of last month's Loot Crate, I decided that I was going to give them another chance with October's box. 

The theme was time - presumably to celebrate the fact that 21st October 2015 was the date Marty McFly travelled to in Back to the Future 2.

For the second month in a row, I think they did a fantastic job:

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure T-Shirt

I love this t-shirt! The faded blue is a really nice look and not a colour choice that I have seen in any other box. It's really nice quality and the design is fab - I'm really happy with this.

Dr Emmett Brown Funko Pop! Vinyl (Loot Crate Exclusive)

An exclusive Pop is always an exciting thing to find in a sub box and this one is bloody fantastic. I don't have a Doc Brown Pop so this is a great one for the collection. This is a great way to celebrate Back to the Future!

Back to the Future 2 Model Hover Board

Continuing the Back to the Future vibe was this amazing replica of the hover board that Marty McFly rides in the film.

This is a really cute display item for anyone who is a fan of the films and it's a great reference to an iconic scene.

Doctor Who Sonic Spork

How could a 'Time' box not feature The Doctor? I thought this was a really original and potentially useful item to include in homage to one of the greatest British television shows of all time. I absolutely love it and I love that it isn't just a display item!

Overall:

I think Loot Crate did a great job with this box! They have definitely upped their game over the past couple of months and I am suitably impressed. In fact, I'm so impressed that I'm going to order my 3rd box in a row! 

Look out for my review of November's box next month.

Remember to follow this blog if you want to see more posts like this. Comment below if you have any questions about Loot Crate or any of this month's items and let me know what you guys thought of October's box!

Click on the following links to see my past Loot Crate reviews:

Loot Crate May 2015 Review

Loot Crate September 2015 Review

Loot Crate September 2015 Review

Loot Crate: September 2015 Review, 'Summon'

Link: www.lootcrate.com

I know I said that I wasn't going to get another Loot Crate any time soon - but September's box came with promises of CW's Supernatural, The Simpsons AND Pokemon, so I had to take a look for myself! 

I was really disappointed with the last Loot Crate that I got and I felt that it really didn't live up to the hype that surrounds it. However, this month was a real game changer for me.

Pikachu Hat (with Pokeball toggles)

This is now officially one of the best things I have ever owned. Words can't describe how much I love this hat! It's beyond adorable, feeds my pokemon obsession and it has those amazing pokeball toggles. I would love to wear this all the time, but unfortunately it makes me look about 12:

A bright yellow pokemon hat isn't necessarily the best way to say to the world, 'hey, I'm a responsible adult!'. It is freakin cute though.

Model '67 Chevy Impala

Everyone needs a model of Baby! This was perfect for me as Supernatural has been one of my favourite shows for a long time now. This was a really nice way to pay homage to the show, especially since the car is such a huge part of the whole aesthetic. It's certainly survived longer than most of the characters.

Hearthstone Stress Ball

I'll confess that I haven't played the game, so I don't know much about what this represents. It's really nice as a stress ball though and looks really cool and fantastical. 

Homer Simpson Buddha Figurine

Like an idiot, I forgot to take a picture of the actual figurine! It's a cool gold, rubbery figure though and pretty big. I really like the look of it - I'm a fan of The Simpsons but a lot of the related merchandise can look very tacky and mass produced, so it's nice to have something different that relates to the show.

This seems to be a gift card of some sort. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing I'll use, but it seems like a nice little extra that bumps up the value of the box.

The booklet they included had these mad cards in. I'm not too sure what they are yet as I haven't had much time to sit and investigate. It's nice that they seem to have included quite a few little extras this month that make the box more interesting.

The Loot Crate badge that they include every month.

I love that Loot Crate makes the insides of their boxes so different and creative every month - it adds a little something that other subscription box services don't really provide. I've seen people do some really amazing artsy things with these boxes on social media, so it's nice that the extra effort with the presentation is appreciated.

Overall:

I loved this box! It completely changed my opinion of Loot Crate if I'm being honest. I especially loved the hat, but everything else in there was also really interesting and useful - it was a complete turn around from the last box I had that I really didn't like.

As this month was such a success, I am also going to be doing a review of the October Loot Crate!

Loot Crate May 2015 Review

Loot Crate: May 2015 Review, 'Unite'

Link: www.lootcrate.com

So guys, my Loot Crate finally made it! The big downside to ordering a box from the US was that it took absolutely forever to get here, which means that this is, unfortunately, a bit of a late review. Still, I thought I would share my thoughts on the box with you anyway. There seemed to be a decent amount in it, but not a lot of it really 'grabbed' me if I'm being honest. The theme this month was 'Unite'. First up:

Green Ranger T-Shirt (Exclusive)

I really like this t-shirt. It didn't immediately 'wow' me, but it looks good and fits well and I'm overall pretty happy with it. I know a lot of people were completely made up with this t-shirt this month, but I guess it's maybe not so much my style? I will definitely still wear it though. Power Rangers are cool.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Car Decal

As much as I love Avengers, these kind of items really don't excite me. I can't think of where I would ever actually stick this, so it really doesn't have all that much value to me. I kind of dread seeing decals in these boxes. Maybe I'll find a use for it - who knows.

Team Fortress 2 Badges (Exclusive)

Again, I can't get overly excited about badges. I honestly don't know where to put them or what use I can get out of them. When I was a teenager I might have put them on my school bag but unfortunately they're not the kind of thing I can decorate my handbags with as an adult. They are cute, but a bit of a useless item for me.

Bravest  Warriors Tales from the Holo John #1 (Exclusive cover)

I love getting a comic inside these boxes, and this appears to be an exclusive cover design. I really like this, and hopefully will get time to sit down and have a read of it soon.

MAD Magazine Loot Crate Edition (Exclusive)

I've never read a MAD magazine before so I have no idea what to expect from this. It seems pretty cool to flick through, but otherwise I'm not totally excited about receiving it.

Marvel Ice Tray

My heart sort of sunk when I saw that I got an ice tray. I've received novelty ice trays in boxes before and they honestly just clutter up my house. There isn't enough room for them in the freezer and, let's be honest, I'm far too lazy to use them to make anything more impressive than ice. That is just my bias against ice trays though - to be fair to the product, it is good quality and looks as though it would make some neat looking ice cubes. I'm just not a fan of novelty ice trays unfortunately.

Marvel Sneaker Laces (Exclusive)

So, I didn't get a picture of these in the packaging - mainly because I forgot - so a picture of them in one of my Converse shoes will have to do. I believe there were two colour possibilities with these, so you could get either full colour comic laces or you could get the greyscale ones that I received. I'm quite glad I got the greyscale ones, just because they do seem to be a little more subtle. These are cool though, and I like that they make my boring black Converse a bit different.

Rick and Morty Jigsaw Puzzle (Exclusive)

I think I mentioned before that my main reason for ordering a Loot Crate this month was the promise of a Rick and Morty themed item. I have very mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it is a unique Rick and Morty item - which is exactly what I was after. One the other...it's a puzzle. I suppose it gives me something to do on the rare occasions when I have an hour or so to kill, but other than that I'm a little disappointed that it wasn't something a bit cooler/more collectable. 

I'm starting to get the feeling that when sub boxes promise to include an amazing item relating to a particular fandom, that item will be one of the smaller and more disappointing things that you will find in your box. Maybe I'm just cynical, but that has been my experience so far. At least this isn't as bad as the small Totoro badge set that NerdBlock included, following the amount of hype they gave that.

Anyway, as you might have guessed, me and Loot Crate didn't gel all that well. I can see how this could have been a really good box for some people; there were a lot of high quality and exclusive items included. Unfortunately, very little of it was to my taste. There seemed to be quite a lot of filler that I wasn't very interested in.

I won't be getting a Loot Crate next month. I may sign up again in the future, although this box has put me off a little. Next month will be themed 'Cyber' (which I already know I wouldn't like at all), so I would expect lots of futuristic, robot type things. If you happen to like the things in this Loot Crate and you like Cyber type stuff, then do get yourself signed up - everything in terms of the customer service and the delivery has been flawless. Don't let the fact that this wasn't to my taste put you off from trying it out if it sounds like your sort of thing.

Next month I will be swapping Loot Crate for a new UK box (started in April), so keep an eye out for updates and reviews on that.

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.