The battle continues to determine which monthly nerd box will claim ultimate superiority. For the last two months Geek Fuel and Lootcrate have done battle in a head-to-head competition vying for my affections. In those first two months, Geek Fuel has won both matches, once in resounding fashion, once by just a hair. The theme for Lootcrate this month is Combat, but first, let’s take a look at what came this month from our reigning champions, the good folks at Geek Fuel.
Geek Fuel November 2015
Monthly T-Shirt: Star Wars The Force Awakens ‘Model X-wing’
Ok. I have to admit that it took me far too long looking at this shirt to figure out just what it was. It was like that moment you have when you hear a song that you haven’t heard in a super long time and you can’t think of the name of the song but you KNOW the song and then finally either through some outside force telling you, or the lightbulb FINALLY going off above your head you realize that the song is ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana. Yeah. That song is only an anthem for a generation and I couldn’t remember the title. I nearly wet myself after that one. It’s kinda like that. Again. Because I spent way too long looking at that shirt before the lightbulb finally hit for me as to exactly what I had in front of me. Guess I didn’t have enough models growing up…
Big Item of the Box: Pac Man salt and pepper shakers (Inky and Blinky)
This speaks to my 80’s heart. And as the Galaga-themed accent wall in my nerd room can attest, my 80’s heart is pretty strong.
Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary playing cards
My 80’s heart just got even happier.
Vault Tec Security Badge
Ok. I’m stumped on this one. *goes to google. Ah. This is from something called Fallout 4. I imagine it could be used in cosplay, which is cool to me.
War Never Changes poster
Stumped on this one too. Seems nice. *back to google. Oh…ok. This is also Fallout 4. Well at least the two things that stumped me were both from the same franchise. I just am not as much of a console gamer as I used to be. Maybe it’s due to the fact that we just have a WiiU, and not one of the more traditional gaming consoles. I had an Atari once…
How Video Games are Made excerpt/Defense Grid 2 Downloadable game
I gave this a quick perusal and find the behind the scenes look at the video game developers life to be intriguing. I have not yet used my download to get the game, but plan to.
Mockingjay sticker
Some of you may know that I often moonlight in the summertime under the alias of Biscuit, Archery instructor to the stars, and the Girl Scouts that attend Camp Mitre Peak outside of Alpine, Texas. As such, a phrase often heard is that a girl may ‘hit a Katniss’ which is to say, ‘hit a bulls-eye’. So while I am not a huge fan of the franchise I did read the first book and saw the first movie…and will probably get around to the rest at some point, but for now the sticker will probably wind up on the front of my wife Heather’s green-metal-case-that-she-uses-to-keep-her-Magic-cards-in.
That’s it for Geek Fuel this month. So what of it, Lootcrate??
Lootcrate November 2015: Combat
Big Item of the Box: Shredder Sunglasses
Just look at that majesty. LOOK AT IT! This speaks to my 90’s heart. And it’s just as big as my 80’s heart. Maybe even bigger. This is totally my new pair of ‘going out’ sunglasses.
Vault Boy Bobblehead
Well…hm. I’m back to stumped. *goes back to google. Oh. Of course. It’s from Fallout 4. Why didn’t I guess that. Come to think of it, there is a lot of crossover between these boxes. Not of specific items, those are always unique, but in the franchises that are featured in each box each month. Last month both boxes had Back to the Future items, and this one shares themes of Fallout 4 and also…
Mockingjay Pin
Now THAT is a Hunger Games item that I can use! This replica of the pin Katniss wears in her Hunger Games is a great little item. Maybe I can cosplay a genderbent Katniss…
Street Fighter Comic Book
When I think of an Arcade, Street Fighter is one of the ubiquitous images that goes along with it. It was the quintessential arcade game. Step up and test your fighting skill. For some reason I always chose Blanka. That meant any kids I came up against who halfway knew how to use ANY other character could usually kick my butt. But that hunch-down-and-shock-them thing was just WAY too fun.
Cute and Deadly Magnet set
These little magnets feature the characters in the Blizzard Cute but Deadly franchise, which look like Pop Funko versions of Blizzard characters. I like the interpretations of World of Warcraft characters done this way. It’s endearing.
Cute and Deadly Minifig
We got the figure of Zeratul, which was a bit of an ‘aw shucks’ moment because it would have been super cool to have gotten Arthas or Sylvanas.
One last thing I like about Lootcrate is that they always do something fun with the box they ship you all the stuff in. Sometimes it’s just a fun graphic, sometimes you transform the box into something eles, and once it was even a clue you had unlock to go through a little online game Lootcrate had set up. This time the box unfolds into a rather post-apocalyptic barren street backdrop that you can use to engage your Ninja Turtles into an epic battle. It even has sewers.
So! The items have been unboxed and reviewed, and now the time has come for me to render a decision. But while I make that choice, take a look at this pic of me after I won my first ever Magic the Gathering Standard format tournament held at my local comic book shop, Black Forest Comics in Seguin, Texas.
And the winner for the month of November is… Lootcrate!
Let’s be fair, Geek Fuel had a strong showing with a T-shirt from the Force Awakens, but the rest of the items were not as strong. The Pac Man salt and pepper shakers are decent, but the ghosts just don’t quite look right. Heather says it’s because their eyes are supposed to be looking to the side instead of straight on. I think there may be something to that. The Ghostbuster cards are fun and all but nothing skirt raising, the Mockingjay sticker goes to Heather and the Fallout 4 items just are not my thing. The Lootcrate box just has more in it that I can see myself actually using.
The Shredder sunglasses are totally being used. I also have some Raphael sunglasses from a previous Lootcrate I may use in tandem with the Shredder sunglasses for a complete TMNT eyewear ensemble. The Cute but Deadly magnets are already on the fridge in my Nerd Cave, and the Zeratul figure is now among my other collectibles on a shelf. The Mockingjay pin is going in my cosplay drawer, and the Street Fighter comic I may keep…or I may trade it in at Black Forest Comics. At the very least, Gabe at Black Forest is going to be getting a set of three great items for the next fan of Fallout 4 that comes in the store.
So while it wasn’t an overwhelming victory, November is still quite a solid win for Lootcrate, who needed a win after falling 0-2 to Geek Fuel early on. Now the standings are Geek Fuel 2, Lootcrate 1. What will next month hold? Well, we already know that the theme for Lootcrate is going to be Galaxy, promising items from Halo 5 Guardians, something called Star Wars The Force Awakens, and Galaxy Quest. Plus, Lootcrate has announced that it will start doing a monthly T-shirt as well, so now I will be getting two nerd-themed shirts every month. Whew!
Till then, let me know if you agree with my judgment in the comments below.
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