What's In the Box?!? Subscription Box Round-Up: August Gentleman's Box, Marvel Collector Corps, and Nerd Block

Time once again for Subscription Box Round-Up, featuring the subscription boxes I’ve received since my last subscription box blog. 

First up: the August Gentleman’s Box, featuring exactly the same box as every month (so no photo of it this month).

This month’s box honors “Our Favorite Artist Formerly Known As,” aka Prince. So I expected a lot of purple this month, and I was not disappointed.

What's in the Box?!?: Subscription Box Round-Up: July Nerd Block and Firefly Cargo Crate

Just a couple of weeks after I republished my “I Love the Rocketeer” blog, this news of a new movie came out. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited by the prospect of a new Rocketeer movie. And I am fine with it being a reboot/sequel, with a new person wearing the helmet and rocket pack. I feel like that may be the best way to honor the original movie, rather than redo/recast the original characters. I also think that if Dave Stevens is no longer around to chart the course of the characters he created, maybe the best way to respect his memory is to move the series on with new characters, while still being faithful to the spirit of the original. (How do I square this attitude with the Rocketeer comics created after Stevens’ death, featuring Cliff Secord, Peevy and Betty? Stay tuned to a future blog to find out.)

Oh, and I am fine with the new Rocketeer being a black woman. I haven’t looked at any comments on any of the news articles about this new movie, and the idea that the new Rocketeer is neither white nor male, but I am sure that fandom is being completely reasonable, adult, and respectful of this, and not acting like a bunch of racist, sexist whiny boys. What other reasonable response could there possibly be?

On to July’s Nerd Block. Once again, the outside of the box is exactly the same as it is every month. Feel free to refer back to earlier Nerd Block blogs to see what that looks like.

What's in the Box?!?: July Nerd Block, Gentleman's Box, and Marvel Collector Corps

Welcome back! First, some housekeeping: I think I’m going to change my posting day from Friday mornings to Saturdays. it’s a little easier for me to try to get something written for Saturday, rather than Friday. So, keep an eye out for new stuff on Saturday mornings for the foreseeable future.

Now: onto this month’s subscription boxes!

First up is the June Nerd Block. I didn’t even bother taking a picture of the outside of the box this month, because it is exactly the same as it is every month. Besides, it’s the contents that matter.

I had thought this month’s theme was Ghostbusters, but I can’t find the preview card from last month to confirm that. I’m not sure, because this month is kind of a mixed bag.

What's in the Box?!?: Gentleman's Box, Smuggler's Bounty, Nerd Block, and Firefly Cargo Crate for May 2016

It’s time for another subscription box round-up! Here are the subscription boxes I received since my last round-up post (excluding the second Ghost Post box, because that deserves its own entry).

First up: the May Gentleman’s Box! The inspiration for this month’s box is “Our Favorite Soul King,” or Ray Charles. 

Subscription Box Round-Up: April (and early May)

While I’ve been focusing on our recent Disneyland trip the last few weeks, subscription boxes have been piling up around the house. (Well, not so much piling up; we have been opening them.) So this week’s post is a marathon subscription box round-up.

First up: the latest Marvel Collector Corps box, featuring items from the recently-released film, Captain America: Civil War.

This may be one of the largest boxes from this subscription to date, easily rivaling, if not exceeding, the Guardians of the Galaxy box in size. I photographed it next to a bottle of Angry Orchard apple cider to give some sense of the scale.

What's In the Box?!?: March Nerd Block and Firefly Cargo Crate

Despite the threat of Superman vs Batman merchandise in this month's Nerd Block, that blockbuster-to-be actually formed a small percentage of the March content.

As usual, Nerd Block does not vary their packaging one iota. That's fine; you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, or a subscription box by its box. But it would be kind of nice to see some variation from time to time.

As soon as I opened it, it was clear what the big items were going to be.

Game of Thrones is a series I enjoy watching, although when I actually think about it, there are very few characters I actually care about. If I had to make a list, Grey Worm would probably be towards the bottom. He's a character who, to my mind, is distinguished from all the other hundreds of soldier characters we see by the fact that he has a name. So getting a Funko Pop of him doesn't particularly excite me. But that's the thing about subscription boxes, as I've mentioned before: they're a crap shoot.

I'm much more excited about the exclusive ShirtPunch Marvel Daredevil t-shirt this month. I really like Daredevil, both the comic and the Netflix TV show, and this shirt is a really nice design.

The other Game of Thrones item this month is a Funko mini mystery figure. Fortunately, this time, I got a little Dire Wolf. Not only do I like those animals just fine on the show--probably eve more than I do the humans--but this mini version is adorable. 

Another exclusive item this month is an autographed picture of Martin Kove from Karate Kid, and countless direct-to-video action movies. As a child of the 70s and 80s, this is fantastic!

This month's biggest "whatever" item for me is the Arrested Development Tobias Dress-Up Magnets. Arrested Development is one of those shows that I believe I am supposed to be crazy about, but I have never seen a single episode. So this really means nothing to me. (Again: crap shoot.)

Finally, the one Superman vs Batman item I received was a wall plaque. While it's got the characters that are featured on the movie on it, it isn't specifically depicting anything from the movie, as far as I can tell. So, instead of it being a piece of merchandise from a movie that doesn't particularly appeal to me, it's a nice picture of some of my favorite comic book characters. I appreciate that.

And, of course, there's a card explaining all the items.

Overall, this may not be my favorite Nerd Block of all time. But it came with a really nice T-shirt, a cute Dire Wolf mini figure, a nice superhero wall plaque, and Martin Kove's autograph.

Next month's Nerd Block is curated by Weird Al, so that should be fun. (Although it also includes items from Family Guy and Archer, two more shows I don't watch. Still, Weird Al!)

We also received the first in a new subscription from LootCrate: the Firefly Cargo Crate. Obviously, this is a subscription box designed to appeal solely to fans of the short-lived Joss Whedon-created science fiction TV series, Firefly, and its follow-up movie, Serenity. Fortunately, my wife and I are big Firefly fans, and as soon as subscriptions were available, I signed her up for a subscription.

The box is nicely designed, looking like an actual cargo crate from the show. Clearly, the postal service took the show’s setting of a run-down, dirty, lived in universe to heart, as you can see by the condition the box arrived in. Damage to the box aside, it’s a cool design, and the “Exported from Persephone” sticker was a really nice touch.

The box came packaged with a nice booklet, which not only details the contents, but also features some nifty articles. This month’s theme is Kaylee, so she is featured on the cover. There is also a new interview with Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee on the show. There’s a page of photos drawn from social media, and a “How to Speak Mandarin page.” The magazine also includes an interview with Maya Dinerstein, a Kaylee cosplayer who is a dead ringer for Jewel Staite. Ordinarily, we just toss out or recycle the insert cards and booklets that come with our sub boxes, but this is so nice, it may be a keeper.

All the contents of this box are exclusive, so if you are a Firefly collector, there is already value to this box. 

There’s a Kaylee Little Damn Heroes Mini Master, which is maybe 5 inches tall and so charming. The sculpt on the face looks more like Kaylee than it does Jewel Staite, possibly for licensing reasons, but even if it’s not a photorealistic sculpture a la Hot Toys, the pose and expression captures the character. And it’s pretty detailed, right down to the teddy bear patch on her knee.

Speaking of teddy bears, there’s also a teddy bear wearing Kaylee’s standard mechanic’s jump suit and flowered shirt. It even has a Kaylee patch on the knee! So adorable!

When my wife saw the “Exported from Persephone” label on the box, she proclaimed that she was going to cut if off and reuse it. Fortunately, that wasn’t necessary, since the box came with another copy of the sticker, ready to be used.

The idea of a blind box toy inside a subscription box—essentially a big blind box on its own—makes me smile because of the redundancy. But blind boxes are a hit, so the Cargo Crate includes one from Q-Bit. Apparently, the options were either Jayne Cobb or Simon Tam. We got Simon, which is appropriate. Now Kaylee won’t be lonely.

The box also included a Everything’s Shiny pin, styled to look a bit like Kaylee’s trademark parasol. 

Speaking of her parasol, we also got a 5-pack of little paper parasols for drinks, also styled to look like hers.

One particularly cool item—in a box full of cool items—is the pair of Firefly concept art mini-prints, showcasing early designs for the Reaver ships. They are nicely reproduced, and interesting to look at. If they are going to include something like this every month, we will probably need to get some sort of album or something to keep them in.

Finally, we received a pair of Firefly Board Game Cards, which go with the Firefly game, which we neither own nor play. The art is nice, but I honestly can’t say much else about them.

I should also mention that my wife also received an exclusive founding member Firefly Cargo Crate pin, in the shape of Serenity, a few weeks ago. I forgot to take a picture of that.

Overall, as a couple of Firefly fans, my wife and I thought this was a pretty good box, and look forward to the next one (featuring Jayne). If nothing else, we should get a nice complete set of Firefly figurines, and plenty of other cool stuff. Obviously, this box has a much more specific appeal than something like Nerd Block, or even the Marvel Collectors Corps. However, if you enjoy Firefly as much as we do, it’s worth taking a look.

What's in the box?!?: Gentleman's Box. Nerd Block, and Kitnip Box

Time for another couple of subscription boxes!

February's Gentleman's Box theme is "Our Favorite Dreamer." As usual, they don't name the inspiration for the box, but it is clearly Martin Luther King, Jr, which make sense, since February is Black History Month.

Opening the box, we see the nice booklet laying on top.

Underneath, the contents are neatly sealed behind wrapping paper.

This month included a number of cool items, starting with a pair of socks from a company called DeadSoxy. This particular design is called "The Franklin." I don't know if any of my other pairs of socks have their own names, so that alone helps these stand out. They're pretty, and they feel nice, but I haven't actually worn them yet. However, at this point, we have decided that if I will continue to be getting socks from Gentleman's Box, we can probably let my Sock Fancy subscription lapse. My sock drawer is currently overflowing, and I don't need two additional pairs every month any more.

The next item is the Midnight Sleek Knitted Tie from My Suited Life. I don't believe I own any other knitted ties, and I wasn't sure how easy this would be to tie. I thought the knitting might make it a bit hard to tie smoothly. Fortunately, that wasn't any kind of problem. It's a narrower tie than I would normally choose for myself, but that's part of the point of getting these subscription boxes: I get to try stuff I normally wouldn't wear.

The box also included a Gentleman's Box Silver Tie Bar. I don't normally wear ties, let alone tie clips. That's usually altogether too much trouble for me to deal with. However, this one is sleek, elegant, and easy to use, so I decided to actually not look like a complete slob one day, and secured my tie with this tie bar. I felt so dressed up and adult!

The item that pushed me over the edge and convinced me that I actually wanted to wear a suit one day last week was the Urban Professor La Camille Lapel Flower. This lapel pin is actually sculpted out of black leather. I thought it looked pretty nice on my gray suit jacket, and overall, I felt quite dapper.

The final item included in this month's box: a pair of Dude Wipes. The description says, "The wipes can be used to clean up your face, hands, armpits, and...other things (insert creativity here)." I've not actually had the opportunity to use them yet, so I can't comment on their effectiveness, their scent, or whether or not they make me itch. 

According to the booklet, this month's box contents would retail for $86, and the box is only like $25. Plus you get a subscription to GQ magazine with the box subscription. I feel like I definitely am getting value for my money with this box, plus it helps me look a little classier and feel a little more confident.

The same day, I received this month's Nerd Block box. It doesn't look as classy as the Gentleman's Box on the outside.

Nor is it packaged quite as nicely on the inside. On the other hand, it's chock full of nerd toys, and that's really all I ask of this box.

As you might expect the month that Deadpool was released in theaters, that character features big in the entire nerd community this month. So this month's big item is a Deadpool plush from a company called Bleachers Creatures. While I'm not the biggest Deadpool fan in the world (as I have previously mentioned) it's still a cute toy. Plus, I actually received the "ultra rare" white chase variant of the toy. I'm not sure what that actually means to me, because I'm probably not going to try to sell it or anything, but it makes me feel a little special anyway.

Of course, this month's t-shirt also features Deadpool. So now I can look like I am cool enough to be a fan of one of the hottest comics characters our there, and star of his own hit movie. It's perhaps not as cute as the Funko shirt, but it has its own charms. (I should probably be careful about wearing a shirt that says "Will kill for tacos" if I go to a Mexican restaurant, though.)

Another Nerd Block exclusive this month is the Super Wine Stopper, featuring a mushroom that bears a possibly-not-legally-actionable resemblance to the mushrooms from Super Mario Brothers. Whatever. In theory, we can always use more wine stoppers, but more often than not, once we open a bottle of wine, we work through it until it's empty. However, when we do need a wine stopper, we now have this cute one.

I also received a glow-in-the-dark Batman mug. I like Batman, I like things that glow, and we drink coffee, so this will be a nice addition to our mug collection.

The final Nerd Block exclusive this month is an oven mitt that looks like a Nintendo Power Glove. (My wife had to explain that to me.) Considering that I use the Star Wars light saber barbecue tongs that she got me for Christmas when we grill, this is another great addition to my nerd grilling gear.

Finally, there’s a card previewing what’s coming next month. On the one hand, there’s going to be something from the upcoming Superman vs Batman vs the Audience movie that’s out this month. That’s a movie that I have zero interest in seeing, but it doesn’t mean that it won’t result in a cool collectible. There’s also supposed to be Game of Thrones and Karate Kid stuff in the box. So, clearly it’ll be an eclectic collection.

A few days ago, we received this month’s Kitnip Box, and it’s adorable.

As usual, the card listing the theme and contents lay on top of the nicely-wrapped toys. I think it says something that a box full of cat toys seems wrapped with care, whereas a box full of nerd toys feels like it was just thrown into the box. Not that it matters; the toys are everything.

As you can see, the theme is science and technology. The first toy is a cute catnip flying saucer from Think Cat. It’s a big, puffy toy, which is the sort of thing Rumplestilskin tends to prefer. 

Next is the Kitten Little catnip… cat from PetMate. It’s a smaller toy, and pretty light, so it has high potential for being batted into the air and across the room. (More so than the flying saucer, ironically.)

Perhaps the big hit out of the box so far is the Crinkle Cell, also by Think Cat. Gizmo started playing with it as soon as everything was unpacked.

And a day later, we caught Rumplestilskin also being adorable with it.

We also got a catnip pillow with a bell from Delca County. After the crinkle cell, this was the next toy Gizmo decided to play with (although not when I had the camera pointed at him at any point).

Rumplestilskin seems to prefer the Safemade Catnip Ring Toy with Tail as a pillow more than anything else.

In our house, we have door handles instead of knobs. Recently, Gizmo learned how to open the door to the pantry, so we have to keep it blocked with a chair. So we’re not sure how we feel about a toy that encourages them to play with a doorknob like the Safemade Doorknob Mouse. We’ve hung it on an open door, but I haven’t seen anyone playing with it yet.

Finally, we got a bag of freeze-dried turkey treats from Simply Nourish. Those proved to be a big hit, with even picky eater Rumplestilskin eating them. (How his delicate tummy is handling them is difficult to tell, but nobody seems to have had truly severe diarrhea since eating them. So we have hopes.)

Overall, it looks like this month’s toys will be pretty popular in our house. And they make for great photo opportunities.

As I write this, my next Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty box is supposed to be on its way. So expect to hear about that in an upcoming blog. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed hearing about the contents of these boxes. If you subscribe to any subscription boxes you think might be of interest to me, please let me know in the comments. 

See you next week!