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They say time flies when you are having fun, so I must be having a ball. Because at some point I blinked and suddenly my calender says
December. So yet again, I'm playing catch up with the TMNTbox subscription reviews. The November boxes showed up last week, much later
in the month than normal. After opening them, it appears that they were worth the wait as these were some of the best selection of items yet.
Packaging - 4/10
The shipping boxes for the TMNTboxes haven't changed. It's a relatively plain box save for the Ninja Turtle face on the cover and website logo
on the sides. Another small detail that I didn't notice last month is that the shipping labels now list what is in the box including the shirt
size. That's kind of helpful to me so I know which box is the modern and which is the classic box. But I have to assume I am the rarest of exceptions
and most subscribers don't get multiple boxes each month. And including so much information on the shipping label that someone can not only figure
out what is inside, but even if the items will fit them in advance is a pretty good sign that you are including too much information.
Classic Box 7/10
The Classic box had five items this month:
- two Dorbz figures from Vinyl Sugar
- a Funko Mystery Mini Vinyl figure
- a TMNT lanyard with pizza key ring
- and a large plastic drinking cup
The highlight for this month is definintely the Dorbz figures. I must say that I am impressed that they managed to get them as part of the boxes
so quickly. The TMNT Dorbz figures have only started to show up at retail in the last few weeks. So I have to assume that for most fans, this
would have been the first time they were actually seeing them in person. That is exactly the type of item that can make a gift box service like this
worth subscribing to. But they also demonstrate why a gift box service like this isn't a great choice for truely obsessive collectors such as myself.
Because as fast as they were in including the Dorbz figures in the first box shipped since they got to market, they still arrived a week after I recived
my order for a complete set of TMNT Dorbz from BBTS.com. You reach a point as a collector where there's just no point in people trying to buy you gifts
to add to your collection as it is next to impossible to find anything the collector doesn't already have. The other items are not as impressive. There
is yet another Funko Mystery Mini vinyl figure, a lanyard and an inexpensive plastic drinking glass. The glass is cheap filler material. It's
inexpensively made and really much too large to be a suitable drinking glass for most people. The Lanyard is nice. But it is also a repeat from the
box I received in July. And repeating items after just five months seems like quite an oversight. And speaking of repeating items, this is the third
month out of the last four that the classic box has including one of these. Since they are blind boxes and there are twelve different characters
available, statistically most subscribers are probably getting diffferent figures each time so far. But it does feel like TMNTbox is falling into the
habit of just sending out whatever the latest TMNT release from Funko is. In fact, seven of the eight boxes I have received in the last four months
have included Funko vinyl figures and now the Dorbz which are made by a Funko subsidiary, Vinyl Sugar. You can only go to the same well so many times
before it becomes overused. And it certainly feels like they are getting close here. Still, assuming you don't have a serious grudge against Funko and
their products, this is actually one of the best boxes I have seen so far.
Modern Box 8/10
This month's modern box included six items:
- a Dorbz TMNT vinyl figure
- a Funko Mystery Mini vinyl figure
- a T-Machines vehicle
- a Half-Shell Heroes mini plush
- and two TMNT glow wands
Again, there is a little bit of repetition here. The glow wands are the same as the one included in the modern box in July. And I already covered
how often the Funko/Vinyl Sugar items are showing up. But at least this assortment only includes one Dorbz figure. And you are getting a mini plush
and a T-Machine to add some variety. Assuming that the "modern" boxes can really be thought of as the more kid friendly assortment, I have to say
that this would be a really cool assortment of stuff to give to most young TMNT fans. I don't even really mind the repeated inclusion of the TMNT
glow wands. They are afterall a consumable product. Once you start the chemical reaction to make the glow stick glow, it will glow for about a day.
after that, most people are going to have thrown them away. So tossing in a few more months later feels more like a little bonus than filler.
Value - 8/10
The TMNTbox web site claims that you get $40+ in items in each box, all for $20 or less (plus shipping). They may be stretching the value of the
modern box this month just a bit claiming it's worth $40. But they are both a fun assortment of items. And I see some additional value in the greater
variety of items included in the modern box this month, even if the classic box almost certainly has the greater retail value. I know some people
expressed some disappointment over the lack of T-shirts this month. Personally, I don't mind. I'd rather they use the purchase price to find other
new and interesting TMNT items like the Dorbz than waste it on more T-shirts if they can't find any designs that are worth wearing.
Happy Hunting:
The November boxes are gone. But there is always next month right? If you are interested in signing up, you can do so at TMNTbox.com. And with
Christmas fast approaching, this may be a perfect way to surprise the Ninja Turtle fan on your shopping list.
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