Lootcrate is a product intended for kids and adults alike who enjoy collectible items, comics, toys and clothing items, which are available for those who Levelup their subscription by visiting www.lootcrate.com/Levelup. I have heard of Lootcrate before, but has never had the opportunity to actually have one and share the experience via an unboxing.
So after being contacted by Lootcrate, it was understandably excited to inbox the contents for the GenreOnline.net Companion YouTube channel and then write a review of the contents at GenreOnline.net. They sent me their November, 2015 combat themed Lootcrate despite my understanding that I was going to either inbox their Star Wars or Doctor Who special edition holiday sets.
Those sets were limited however and I do appreciate the opportunity to unbox and review the contents. My feelings on the particular set are mixed and since this was my first Lootcrate unboxing, which I did blindly without knowing what I would find. One thing to note is in both the Lootcrate and Mystery apparel package, there is a booklet that details beautifully with full color glossy images, the contents of each. I mistakes one to be a comic and the other catalogue because I had never opened one of these before and since in both cases these inserts are buried beneath the content, instead of being on top or in a protective sleeve on top that a person can just grab at and learn what they are getting that month, I feel that upon first examination it is an honest mistake and one that could be avoided if Lootcrate follows my critique of placing the contents literature on top and not going for a surprise and risk the user losing or missing an item they are not aware exists.
The box itself is intended to serve as a diorama, but the design requires one to tape pieces together rather that simply reverse the interior and use the existing flaps and slits to create the diorama without the need of tape at all. I also question who the diorama idea is really targeted at because I think most adults will throw out the shipper once they've decided what they intend to keep while kids might like it more, but just like the shoebox dioramas of old, I don't know any parent who would want their kid to hold on to such a thing since it could attract vermin.
The other problem I found was the quality of some of the toys inside. There was this one creature that while did not know it while I was opening it, was broken inside the box with little pieces that are dangerous for children and poorly constructed for adults. Honestly, I felt that some of the content was surplus collectibles put in a box with little care as to whether or not it fitted in thematically. The majority of the toys are geared toward a Fallout game, but the broken monster has no connection to the game or theme and the magnets only made me feel frustrated because they looked better than the broken toy it was supposed to support. The Shredder glasses toy from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also seemed like something acquired for cheap from a surplus and just thrown in the box just for filler. The Streetfighter Comic comes sealed in plastic and while I have no idea what Streetfighter has to do with Fallout, at least I can understand having it included in absence of a Fallout comic because it does feature combat, which was a part of the box theme for November.
The Bobblehead and Hunger Games Mockingjay pendant as well as the button were the nicest parts of what was included, but I have to ask with the obvious tie-in to the holidays, supported by the gift tags included, why the post apocalyptic theme in general because that sure does not smack of anything remotely related to the holiday season, including Thanksgiving.
The Levelup apparel in general was much better with quality merchandise like Fallout themed socks, a woman's shopping bag and Mockingjay necklace as well as a nice unisex long sleeve t-shirt. Overall I liked the apparel a lot more than the crate and would suggest adult subscribers go with that.
Now maybe it was just a bad crate for November, but overall I felt the Lootcrate I unboxed felt like a bunch of leftover cheap and even broken swag. The box design needs to be rethought for a higher quality product that would excite customers of all ages and they should really be age targeted too since some of the stuff was just not appropriate for young child in general. The apparel is the way to go with this if you are a teenage to adult collector.
I hope Lootcrate will allow me the chance to look at another because I feel that just judging one is not enough to truly review a product like this succinctly since it is a subscription product. To learn more about and subscribe to Lootcrate and the Apparel component too please type in your web browsers www.lootcrate.com.
(C) Copyright 2015 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
