Woo boy, we got a lot of Marvel stuff this past month and rightly so with the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron (check my review
here). An alliance is formed in My Geek Box, we rewind back to the 80s in Nerd Block, we go on a quest in Loot Crate, teams are bought together in Geek Fuel and prepare to be avenged in the first ever Marvel Collector Corps box. So let's get to it:
My Geek Box - Alliance
Now I'm going to come out and say that a lot of the boxes in April are very similar because that was the month where the long awaited Avengers: Age of Ultron came out (at least here in the UK anyway) so naturally, there is a lot of team goods to expect in most if not all these boxes. My Geek Box in April decided to go for quite a broad theme which can be summed up by saying that whatever happens in life, there are just some things you just cannot do alone and that's where friends and in this case, alliances are formed. In the box I got a World of Warcraft Megablocks set and as a LEGO fanatic, it felt weird to get something similar to LEGO, but not quite LEGO, but hey its World of Warcraft which was one of the first MMORPGs ever made and is still going strong to this day, I personally haven't played it myself, but I know there are loads of people who play it. I also got 2 Marvel items the first being a Marvel wallet and the second being an Avengers t-shirt, both showing the most well known of the Marvel characters in either physical form or just an element of them so that was nice. I also got an Optimus Prime keyring and bottle opener because well in Transformers, alliances are formed from both sides of the war. I also got a Jake mug, Jake comes from the hit Cartoon Network show Adventure Time and alliances are formed throughout the random show that it is. And the last thing I got in this box, was some candy because My Geek Box generally do these candy boxes a few times a year and each box contains candy that you can't get anywhere else in the UK in which they are based so that was nice. I'd say My Geek Box did a grand job of keeping with the theme and the Mega Blocks set alone makes me like what they gave me this month so good job guys.
Nerd Block - Growing Up 80s
Next up is Nerd Block. Now April seemed to be pretty eventful for them as they not only had this and their other blocks to work on, but they also announced a block that is for comic fans which I may look at in the future, but probably when I'm in a better state of mind with money. Now prior to getting the block, I already knew that there would be an exclusive Back to the Future and Ghostbusters item which respectively ended up being a t-shirt with all 3 variations of the DeLorean and a Titan Ecto 1, both of which look very nice and of course both films and their sequels came out in the 80s. We also have a Pac-Man heat changing mug which unfortunately for me, I already had prior to getting the block, but I like Pac-Man so its nice to have another mug. Also prior to getting the block, Nerd Block also announced that they would be putting books in many of their future blocks and last time we got Simon Pegg's autobiography Nerd Do Well. This time Kevin Smith gives us his autobiography called Tough Sh*t and from what I've been told, this is the second time he has helped Nerd Block, though last time, he played a much bigger part in it. And the last item is another pack of Nerd Play cards which are trading cards of female cosplayers which has since become a staple in Nerd Blocks. I do like what I got in this block, but I felt that there should've been more stuff in it. I mean I am happy with the stuff inside, I just wish their was more. Also I know for a fact that a former friend of mine would've loved to get this block, but with her being a former friend (and rightly so), she misses out. As Kevin Smith says, that's tough sh*t.
Loot Crate - Fantasy
Now I am quite surprised with Loot Crate. Fantasy is quite a big genre to dedicate a box to and why they have never done it until now, I just don't know. But anyway let's look inside the box. So we've got 2 Game of Thrones items which are a set of fridge magnets with the names of the different houses in both the show and its series of books and a USB stick of a dragon which I will no doubt be using when I'm on the move at work. We also have a set of playing cards with the designs being based on one of my personal favourite films The Princess Bride and I found out that Nerd Block actually did have something similar in a past block of theirs which I missed out on so I'm happy I don't have duplicates (aside from the Pac-Man mug of course). There is also a luggage label that says 9 3/4 and anyone who has watched or read Harry Potter will know exactly what that is. Also got a RPG bow tie which I will be using as well. A bit of a fun item this one, an inflatable crown which I'm sure I'll have some fun with. The t-shirt I believe is a Dungeons and Dragons one hence the dragon which is shaped like the symbol &, but you guys can correct me in the comments if I'm wrong. And as a staple in Loot Crate, we also get a badge that has a little map on it, the Loot Crate magazine which talks about all the things in the box and all things fantasy and like the last few times, the box can change, but its not as impressive as it has been in the past. So despite being the smallest box I've had so far, it manages to keep with the theme and all the things in the box, I am a fan of so that was nice. Good work Loot Crate.
Marvel Collector Corps - Avengers: Age of Ultron
So this is the main event here. Earlier this year, Marvel and Funko announced a partnership in which they would be offering their own nerd boxes on a bi-monthly basis with all the stuff inside being to do with Marvel. Now because of how specific it is, chances are that in every box, it will always be something Marvel. But keep in mind that Marvel are now owned by Disney so we may get some Disney items in there as well, such as Star Wars comics or the like. But enough talk, let's look into the box. First of all, I actually do like the box, its got a lot of Marvel comic stuff going on all around it so that was nice. I wasn't particularly happy with paying a customs fee for it, but you know it is the first box so you'd expect them to make some mistakes along the way. The first thing you see inside is a commemorative pin badge and fabric patch which both look nice. Inside we have 2 figures, the big Hulkbuster bobble head which was the only thing that they said would be in the box and him alone makes the box that more special. The other figure comes from a new line of Funko figures called Dorbz and I got one of Ultron which I believe is what everyone else got as well. It being a Marvel box, there is also a comic book which is a variant cover of Avengers A 001 and I'm guessing everyone got that one as well. But I know for a fact that the one thing which is different for everyone, is the t-shirt which is basically one of the Avengers vs Ultron (I got the Thor one). So as the first box, I think they've done a grand job on it. The box is nice, the Hulkbuster figure alone makes it all the worth while. I just wished I didn't have to pay a customs fee for it.
Geek Fuel - Teams
While Geek Fuel does generally get to me in the first week of a new month, I will say it is certainly worth the wait every time as they always seem to have a game for Steam, some snacks and the ability to mash up a few franchises together and April's box is no exception. Now they did have this thing going on where for some boxes, there is a cinema ticket to go and see Avengers: Age of Ultron which I did not get, but that's OK as I've already seen it. Of course if you rather have more stuff than what you see here, getting the more expensive subscription plans will let you get more stuff as a result. So in the box this time we have a mashed up t-shirt of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and April O'Neil dressed as the Avengers, minus the Hulk which I do like even though there's no Hulk there, but that's ok. In celebration of May the 4th, I also got a Star Wars themed pack of jelly beans which unfortunately, the flavours aren't Star Wars related unlike the Harry Potter ones that you can get which sucks, but I do like jelly beans so I'm OK with it. I also got 2 packs of Avengers candy sticks which feel very old, but I'm cool with that. Fans of the game Scribblenauts Unmasked will be getting a DC Comics figure from that game in this box (I got what looks to be like Superman, but I could be wrong) so rejoice if you're a fan of the game and/or DC. I also got a nice mash up mug of the Avengers and The Breakfast Club. And much like in every box, I also got a code for the Steam game Kingdom Wars II: Battles which is a $20 worth game that is free if you got this box. And of course the magazine and box flyer as well. A pretty darn good box, I just wish I could get it sooner and not late.
So given that the majority of the boxes have a lot of Marvel stuff in them and even though those Marvel items are great, I do have to knock a point off because there has been too much of Marvel in April as it stands. I mean don't get me wrong, My Geek Box, Geek Fuel and of course Marvel Collector Corps were all great this time around, but just too much Marvel for me to handle. Loot Crate was quite small this month and I felt that it didn't really include a lot of Fantasy franchises in it aside from Game of Thrones, Princess Bride and Harry Potter. Nerd Block certainly stayed true to the 80s, but I just wish there was more items in the block. A difficult one this month, but I think despite the small box, Loot Crate I thought did a good job despite not exploring all of the Fantasy genre so Loot Crate wins. As I say, I would love if the new MCC won, but given that I had to pay a costums fee and that the comic inside could've been more well protected and that some of the other boxes had Marvel stuff in them as well, that just made it a good box to begin with, but a lot of work needs to be done to make it better.
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