I have always been intrigued by the mystery box sales. Nerdlocker even gave considerable thought into creating one a couple of years ago. Personally though, I never found one that would hold my interest beyond a box or two. Usually the theme is so broad that I would find myself bummed with whatever I received. Yes, this includes Marvel’s mystery box, Lootcrate, Nerd Blocks and all the others.
However, earlier this fall I was intrigued by an ad that popped up on my Facebook page. It was for the Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty mystery box. Well now. I am all in with just about anything that is Star Wars. And it would be super cool to jump in from the very beginning. So I signed up for the every other month subscription for $25. They also allow you to pay for a full year all at once, but let’s be honest. I wanted to dip my toe in the water, not jump into the deep end.
So, my first negative about this whole mystery box. I had to wait a little more than two months to get it. That being said, I knew that was the case when I signed up, so that’s just a whiny nerd comment.
Finally, this past week, my mystery box showed up on my doorstep. Luckily I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, so I didn’t have to worry about the elements. I can only imagine if I still lived in Ohio this time of year and had a good rain or snow. I would hope the postal worker would know to protect this gem, but I fear it would get drenched in bad weather. Again, I really don’t have to worry about this one.
I quickly snuck my treasure up to my office. Yes it is extremely selfish, but these are my toys! I did not want my kids to see the goodies and try to obscond with my precious in tow. Safely tucked away, door locked, I carefully began to open the Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty. This first box was appropriately themed, The First Order.
I was quickly wowed by the presentation of a patch and pin. I do not collect patches or pins, but it was still impressive nonetheless. The pin is a pretty cool rendition of Kylo Ren with the Star Wars title above. The patch is equally impressive in its detailed look at the new Empire.
But like I said, I don’t collect patches or pins, so I was excited to see what was next.
I quickly flipped over the inner lid to see a t-shirt. I definitely like Nerdy t-shirts and this one did not disappoint. It’s a really fun illustration of Kylo Ren with a kid like twist. The colors and size are really cool. This might be the shirt I wear opening night to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Granted, I will have my Mark Ecko Boba Fett sweatshirt over it, but that’s because Boba Fett rules.
After removing the t-shirt, I was greeted by a nice lanyard that I can easily give to my kids along with the pin and patch. That is the nice thing about these mystery boxes, if there are things I don’t personally want, I can gift them to like minded Nerds.
So after removing the t-shirt and lanyard, I came face to face with my two newest Pop! Vinyls. They are both exclusives to the Smuggler’s Bounty box. The one that really caught my eye was Captain Phasma (Chrome). The other one was The Fighter Pilot. I was actually thrilled to see two things that weren’t Kylo Ren. I was afraid after the pin and t-shirt that we’d see a running theme. Luckily they varied it up. As an old school Star Wars Nerd, it’s also nice to get a box like this filled with the new characters. I don’t have the time I once did to learn about all the characters in this new universe, so to get them in a mystery box is very handy.
Check out the photo gallery of the opening process:
Negatives
– The wait. Like I stated before, I hate to wait for things I want now. But there is no secret to the close out date. I did see some people online receive theirs before me, but not by a long time.
– Smuggler’s Bounty revealed the Captain Phasma Pop! Vinyl on social media before sending out the boxes. It was clearly an attempt to garner more subscriptions, but it definitely ruined the mystery element of the box. To be honest, it also ruined the revelation of The Fighter Pilot Pop! Vinyl. Not sure why exactly, but since I knew Captain Phasma was coming, I was only really looking to see what the other one would be. It’s cool, but it’s nothing earth shattering. So it wasn’t much of a surprise.
– Rolling Membership. I’m not a fan of a membership model that simply re-ups my membership every month whether I want to or not. I have to actively cancel the subscription. So if I forget about it, I’m stuck with something I don’t want.
Positives
– Packaging. The actual box itself was well thought out and kept things in place and safe. It also presented a nice reveal for all the goodies inside.
– The contents. I was not blown away by anything in the box, but I certainly feel like I got my money’s worth. I will most definitely keep the Pop! Vinyls and t-shirt. The other swag will be heading to my kids. So in the end, I get cool stuff and look like a hero to my nerdlings.
– Price. I’ve seem “high” priced mystery boxes. To me $50 is high, but I’m pretty cheap. I like that I can spend $25 every other month and get cool stuff. And like I said before, I felt like I got my money’s worth in the box. Who knows, if I looked hard enough, I could flip some of the goodies and make my money back and keep a thing or two. I’m a lazy Nerd though, so that ain’t happening.
– Exclusives. I love limited edition/exclusive stuff. I can’t stand waiting in lines forever to get them. I’m the worst Nerd at San Diego Comic Con because I won’t wait for hours in line and I won’t spend over retail for exclusives. I have gotten lucky with some drops, specifically screen prints, but I’m not really interested in fighting off other Nerds to get the hard to find exclusives. I really like the fact that I can throw down $25 every other month and get two exclusive Pop! Vinyls. The pin and patch are probably limited as well, but I’m not as interested in that.
– Rolling Membership. Yeah, I know what I said above. But on the flip side I have a habit of forgetting to do things. Even as I type this I had to remind myself to buy the next mystery box. But then I quickly remembered that I didn’t have to worry about it because I’m actually charged when the next box is shipped.
Final Analysis
I highly recommend the Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty mystery box. I can, however, see this getting old if I get more Kylo Ren themes swag or if we don’t get some variety with the original movies. Hell, I’ll probably die a little inside if they throw a Jar Jar Binks anything into a box.
That being said, this one shot was great. I give the Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty mystery box 4 out of 5 Nerdskulls.
The next Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty goes out in January of 2016 and is themed The Resistance. Needless to say I’m very curious about this next installment because it will occur after I have seen the new movie. To date, Captain Phasma, Kylo Ren and all the others are just names to me. They won’t mean much until I see these characters in action.
You too can sign up for this exclusive mystery box through Funko – HERE
May the Force Be With You
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