LootCrate is a monthly box full of geeky awesomeness. As well as their classic original Loot Crate they have several other box types, including boxes for pets, gaming, anime, and wearables!
I’m reviewing their original box, the LootCrate, which contains 4 – 5 items each month, including exclusive and licensed items, with a value of at least $45.
They have four subscription levels:
- 1 month – £24 p/m
- 3 months – £22 p/m
- 6 months – £21 p/m
- 12 months – £21 p/m plus a bonus t-shirt
- All crates include a t-shirt; you select your size when you order your subscription.
This month’s theme is KINGDOM. I’m anticipating some epic loot from mysterious and fantastical worlds!
This is the shipping box. As well as serving the practical purpose of getting loot to you, it also can be transformed into something related to the theme.
We shall see later on.
Two pretty big franchises right there, plus an intriguing-looking t-shirt.
Here is this month’s lovely t-shirt, from the original Legend of Zelda franchise.
This exclusive design is incredibly cool: Link with elements of the original 8-bit map.
From close up it looks like simply a map, but when you step right back you can see the figure of Link holding his shield. This is a fantastic and clever bit of design.
I’m happy to say it’s also 100% cotton!
This is a nice little figurine from the Adventure Time series.
It shows the Ice King in one of his nicer moods, hence the title The Nice King and Gunter.
Is it me or does his throne bear the tiniest resemblance to the Iron Throne?
Anyway, on to the next item.
This is definitely a great usable home accessory.
This lovely Lord of the Rings Colour Change Glass is perfect for a short drink.
Around the edge are Elvish runes. Don’t ask me to translate because I can’t.
When the glass in empty, the runes are white.
The glass itself is slightly yellow-tinted.
When the glass is filled with a cold drink, the runes turn pink.
Now, the box says the runes are meant to turn red, but really, it’s pink. Either that, or the water from my cold tap wasn’t sufficiently cold to make the runes a darker red.
However it doesn’t matter because it looks great.
Another Lord of the Rings item coming up next.
This is an 10 x 8 print of Merry and Pippin riding on top of Treebeard towards Isengard.
This exclusive Loot Crate print has been created by artist Matt Fergusen. It has a wonderful, eerie dreamlike quality.
My husband, who loves LotR, thinks this print is marvellous. He identified the scene right off. I also like it very much. We have a lot of illustration-style artwork on our walls, and this would fit in nicely.
The quality of the paper isn’t amazing, it’s heavy paper rather than proper card, but it would be just fine in a frame.
Finally, this month’s Loot Pin.
It looks like LootCrate has gone off to the College of Arms and acquired a coat of arms!
I’m not sure how official it actually is, but it looks pretty cool.
Also in the box is the menu booklet.
It contains more details about each item in this month’s crate.
This month’s box transformation is pretty simple, so there’s no need for instructions this time!
LootCrate claims that each box contains at least $45 (about £35) worth of goodies. Every item is a LootCrate exclusive, so it’s difficult to assign a commercial value. However I can sort of find equivalents and guesstimate, though I don’t use eBay as I find their prices are not a useful guide to value.
T-shirt – geeky t-shirts usually retail around £10.
Adventure Time figure: this is a Loot Crate exclusive, so I’ll put it at £12. It’s a reasonable size, and is good quality and nicely detailed. As I said, Adventure Time doesn’t interest me a whole lot, but it fits in well with this month’s theme.
LotR Glass: Again, an exclusive, but looking at colour change glasses online I reckon this would go around £9. This is definitely going to make its way into our glass cupboard.
LotR Print: Exclusive, so say £5. Maybe a little more, but I think this is a fair value. It will look great when it’s framed!
Pin – again, total exclusive, but comic pins are around £5.
Total: £41
So even for your 1-month subscription price you’ve got plenty of bang for your buck.
Here are my thoughts:
I love the t-shirt (cotton, yay!). My husband is quite annoyed it’s too small for him, as he has played the original Legend of Zelda back in his youth.
The glass is great. It’s very attractive and totally suitable for everyday use. It almost makes me want to learn to read Elvish so I can figure out what it says! Almost…
I’m not a big Adventure Time fan. I’m aware that even though it’s a children’s show it has a big adult following. But it’s never really done it for me. But despite that, this is a very nice figurine.
As for the print, it’s nice addition. The quality isn’t amazing, but I do like the style. It’s pleasingly spooky, and I love illustration-style art. Prints/pictures can be a tricky thing to add to a subscription box because they can feel a little like filler. However, this one is by an artist with an impressive track record in film and fantasy-related work, so it’s definitely impressive.
The pin is fun, but ultimately I prefer their more brightly-coloured pins. But you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
I love it when these boxes include something practical you can use in your home. I adore all kinds of geeky stuff, but I also love things I can actually use. After all, unless you have an enormous home, there’s a limit to how many ‘things’ you can have on display!
All in all I think Loot Crate has done a pretty good job with this. ‘Kingdom’ has such a huge scope that it’s difficult for every item appeal to everyone. I also think this is a very family-friendly box, as all the franchises are suitable for children.The t-shirt, print, and glass I absolutely love, so I’m happy to have three stand-out items in this box.
A different version of this review was first published on allsubscriptionboxes.co.uk.
