This month’s theme is PROTECT. For once I’d not seen any spoilers about this crate, so I had no idea what to expect!
LootCrate no longer includes a menu booklet in the box. Instead there’s a flyer with a contents list and the magazine is online. It’s not nearly such a nice experience look at everything on a screen, but at least it tells you a little more about the theme. Here’s a screengrab of the relevant ‘page’ of the online magazine:
Let’s see how the contents match up!
Black Panther T-Shirt. The movie’s just been released but this design is based on the comic book version of Black Panther. It was created by Chris Visions, a Marvel comic book cover artist. (His Instagram‘s pretty awesome!)
Pacific Rim: Uprising Coaster Set.
Four thin pleather and cork coasters with the Pan Pacific Defense Corps logo.
The Expanse Rocinante Ship Replica.
This came pretty well packaged.
The ship model has some very nice detailing. It’s not actually glowing at the tail end but it gives a great effect!
The ship, two stands, and the diorama background all slotted together.
It’s a nice looking model.
Fallout 4 Concept Art Print by Ilya Nazarov. It’s a picture of a Protrectron security robot guarding a Windmill Power Station.
Loot Pin: Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon.
OK, value first.
Loot Crate claims that each box contains at least $45 (about £35) worth of goodies. Most if not all items are Loot Crate exclusive, so I need to find equivalents or guesstimate,. I don’t use eBay as I find their prices are not a useful guide to value.
T-shirt: geeky t-shirts are usually around £10.
Coasters: They’re thin and not at all sturdy so £5 tops.
Rocinannte model: this is an exclusive item from a franchise that doesn’t produce any official merchandise, so this is difficult to price. Given the size I’ll put it at £15.
Art Print: It’s less of a print than a poster so £5.
Pin: exclusive, but comic pins are around £5.
Total: £40
So over the minimum value.
Now my thoughts.
The t-shirt is pretty cool. I like the comic-book style rather than just going with a design based on the movie. It’s also timed perfectly for the movie release.
I’m not so impressed with the coasters. As I’ve said they are thin and flimsy, and the embossed design on a couple is off centre. They might be an exclusive item but they feel like a promotional novelty.
The model is quite impressive. The detailing is lovely, and the positioning of the ship on the stand looks dynamic. The only problem is that I’ve never heard of this show! I did all the usual IMDb and Wikipedia checks, and it seems to be popular with people who watch it, though not that many people do. My husband watched a couple of episodes and loved the concept but thought the acting was abysmal, so it’s off the cards for me! The third season is in production, but as yet there is no official merch, so I guess for fans of the show this is a good item. But I think this franchise is too niche for it to be the hero item in this box. Also, if you check on ebay there are a ton of these models on there already, so I guess I’m not the only one who thinks this!
Now, if they put something from Firefly in a box then I’d be overjoyed!
Anyway, I’m also not crazy about the print. It’s not really a print at all, it’s a small poster. The print quality is OK, but the paper is very thin, barely thicker than printer paper. Mine was also damaged at one corner, which is hardly surprising given the quality of the paper.
The Loot Pin is cute, but isn’t this a children’s movie?
Like many Loot Crates, this is extremely hit and miss, probably more on the miss side. Their t-shirts are usually pretty good (and last month’s Rick Sanchez t-shirt was spectacular!) especially when they get an interesting artist to make the design. I don’t know how they conceptualize their boxes, but they appear quite random. It looks like they pick a dynamic-sounding word that could be applied to almost any aspect of any franchise, such as PROTECT or EXPLORE. Then they put a bunch of stuff in. There are certainly exceptions to this, such as July’s fantastic ANIMATION crate, and the September ROBOTICS crate. Those had a proper cohesion around the theme. But seriously, show me a geeky franchise to which you can’t relate the word PROTECT in one way or another!
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Click here to read more Loot Crate reviews.
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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!
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.
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A different version of this review was first published on allsubscriptionboxes.co.uk.
