Unboxing: Marvel Collector Corps - December Box

To all those who celebrate: Merry Christmas! I hope you're having a magical day! To those who celebrate the many other holidays around this time of year: Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Solstice! If you don't celebrate anything, then consider you and your bank account steps ahead of the rest of us!

[December Collector Corps box]

Christmas came early! Well, from Collector Corps, anyway. My tracking information said I would not receive my box until December 26, 2015. I was a bit bummed by that, because I thought I read that all December boxes would be delivered by Christmas. However, yesterday on Christmas Eve, my mailman gave me a package and it just so happened to be my December Collector Corps box!

As mentioned in a previous post, the theme for December is "Guardians of the Galaxy". The box features Star-Lord on it.

[inside the Guardians of the Galaxy box]

As usual, when the box is first opened the patch and pin of the month are revealed on top and the box inside is printed with artwork from comics. In this months box it has Guardians of the galaxy artwork, obviously. Also, my pin was very well stuck down to the cardboard, it was just stuck down in a very odd position.

[December Collector Corps patch]

The patch for December features Rocket Raccoon. I can't say I love this patch, because he looks pretty evil. I know he's not as adorable as Funko tends to make him, but he just looks downright evil here. The patch is exclusive to Collector Corps and cannot be bought anywhere else.

[December Collector Corps pin]

Groot is featured on the December pin. Again, he looks like a evil version of Groot. Or at least very angry. I'm not quite sure what they were going for with the patch and pin this month, because the rest of the box is filled with adorableness. The pin is also exclusive to Collector Corps and is not purchasable outside of the program.

[Guardians of Infinity Collector Corps Variant]

As normal, when the top of the inside of the box is lifted up the comic is revealed. So, now it's easy to see why I said the box is filled with adorableness! Just look at this months variant! It's Rocket Raccoon decorating Groot for the holidays and they both look too cute! This is by far my favorite variant cover so far in the Collector Corps program! It has even enticed me to read the comic!

[December Collector Corps Scarf]

The rest of the contents in the box where underneath the comic and all 3 things were FIRSTS in the Collector Corps program. First off, there was no t-shirt this month, but instead a SCARF! It's an adorable scarf! I was impressed with how well made it is too. It's very thick and durable, and something one could actually use if they wanted to. It reminds me a rugby or soccer/football scarf, it's that well made! The one side features Groot in all his glory!

[Guardians of the Galaxy Scarf]

The scarf is reversible and the other side features mini versions of the Guardians in black with the words: "Guardians of the Galaxy" in a digital-like print. Again, I'm very impressed with the scarf and it's a nice, detailed touch that it would be reversible.

[December Collector Corps Ornaments]

Another first and exclusive to the program were ornaments! I had spotted some people selling these before, but didn't realize they were from Collector Corps. Anyway, I'm glad they were for the program and I'm really happy to have received them! 

[Funko Pop! Rocket Raccoon & Groot Ornaments]

Again, these ornaments are just adorableness on a string! Groot is a mini version of the holiday Funko Pop! at Hot Topic this year and Rocket Raccoon's blaster has a bow on it! Too cute! While we may not have gotten actual "Pop! Figures" this time, I am happy with these!

[December Collector Corps Mug]

Lastly, here is another exclusive and the first time the program has ever featured a MUG! I was a bit surprised by this one. In the previous boxes we have always gotten multiple figures. Whether the figure was considered a "Drobz" or a "Mystery Mini" or "Pop! Figure", it has always been a given that we received 2 figures, but this time around it was a mug. I suppose it would technically be considered 2 figures in this box, because the ornaments were a double pack.......... Anyway, the mug is in the shape of Star-Lord's face and painted as such.

[Collector Corps Star-Lord Mug]

Here's the mug out of the box. Honestly, I will never use this mug. It kind of freaks me out a bit. I'm not 100% sure why, but I guess it's just the thought of drinking out of someone's head.......? I'm not a huge Star-Lord fan either. I enjoyed Chris Pratt's portrayal of him in the movie, but that's about it. 

Overall, this box was a winner! I can't decide which box I like better- this December box or the August/Secret Wars box........ It's actually a bit hard to compare this box to the previous ones, because it really does not follow the pattern we are use to. However, I'm not disappointed by the fact that this box is unique in its contents. I enjoyed the holiday touch and the different items! 

Next up is Deadpool! If you're a Deadpool fan then make sure to order the box by February-15, 2016! Also, I realize I skipped a box. October's box came right before I left for Comikaze and I never had time to post it and never really made time after I came back, because of work and then the holidays. Trust me, I'll get to it eventually. Better late than never, right? Again, happy holidays to all and leave comments below!

***I do not make any commission for the links connected to this blog. Everything posted is my own opinion and every item mentioned was purchased on my own with my own money!

Twinkle Dolly Series 2 - Sailor Neptune by Bandai

Recently, I made an order on HotTopic.com for something I have wanted for a long time and finally it was in stock again! Want to know what it is? Stay tuned! Because this post is not about that......hehehe! - When I placed my order it made more sense to actually add something else to my cart worth a certain amount, because I would actually save significant money when doing so and trust me! No one has to pull my arm to purchase something from Hot Topic! My decision was to order a Sailor Moon Twinkle Dolly. In store, I have found the Sailor Scouts, but the Outer Scouts seem to only be online. (The Sailor Scouts can also be found online at Hot Topic's site.) They are chosen at random by the company when ordering online and so there's no way of knowing which one will arrive!

[Sailor Neptune Twinkle Dolly by Bandai]

Of all the options I could have had, and there are 6 different options in the series, they sent me my #1 choice! Sailor Neptune! How they knew, I have no idea, but I couldn't be more pleased! She arrived in a cute pink box and wrapped in plastic.

[back of the Twinkle Dolly Series 2 box]

The back of the box shows all the options in the second series:

• Sailor Moon
• Chibi Moon
• Sailor Neptune
• Sailor Uranus
• Sailor Pluto
• Sailor Saturn

This is my first box, so Neptune is the only one I have right now. Like I said before, I have not spotted this second wave in stores, but I do occasionally see the original series which features in the main Sailor Scouts in Hot Topic stores. These are not new and they are not exclusive to Hot Topic. I have found these on other sites that sell Sailor Moon merchandise, as well as on Amazon. On other sites, these are sold individually and not as blind boxes, but they tend to cost a little more. Hot Topic sells these at $10.50 a piece.

[Sailor Neptune Twinkle Dolly de-boxed]

Out of the box, she is adorable! Sailor Neptune sits upon her wand and is depicted in a Chibi form. She also has a strap attached to her, so she can be a charm for a phone or something of that sort.

[back of the Sailor Neptune Twinkle Dolly]

The back is detailed as well, which always pleases me. Nothing says "we're lazy and we don't care" than a company who does not pay attention to the fine detail of their products, so I'm glad to see Bandai did a good job with this. They painted her well and it's obvious they cared. The back detail is just as nice as the front. However, as you can see in the picture above, she has some black printing on the back of her head. The printing is a code and a copyright. It's a bit annoying, but not too distracting. It would have been nice if they could have left that off, but everyone wants credit, right?

Leave all comments below! Hopefully I'll be able to collect the rest of these later on and if I do I will definitely post about them!

Comikaze 2015 Haul

Now here's the part where I show you all the great stuff I collected at Comikaze 2015! I already posted about my time at the convention and how I met a lot of really cool artists. This blog post is just to show my Comikaze haul!

[IDW's Fiendship Is Magic subscription covers by Sara Richard]

Here are the 4 subscription covers that were drawn by Sara Richard. If you look at the "P" in the Pony part of the titles you'll see her signature where she signed them! There is a 5th cover featuring Rainbow Dash, but she didn't have it at the convention. It was still really great to meet her! She was super nice!

[art & Niobe collected at Comikaze]

From Left to Right: 

• Sailor Moon art print by Amber Harris. This particular Sailor Moon fan art really caught my eye. It is well done, but also depicts a version of Sailor Moon in a more stronger and sassier character. 
• Niobe comic by Amandla Stenberg and Sebastian Jones, art by Ashley A. Woods. This comic has been gaining a lot of notoriety lately and I had to check it out! The people of Stranger Comics were really awesome to talk to at the convention!
• "Memories of a Kitty" by Sean Danconia. My friend and I passed Sean Danconia's table and saw kawaii Hello Kitty art! We had to have a print! Danconia's work is amazingly detailed and unique! All of his art is something to take in!

[fan art from Comikaze]

• Garnet, chibi Miku, and Bill Cipher are by Melissa Douglas. I had caught her work before at other conventions earlier this year, but hadn't bought anything. This time I snagged some cuties! She seemed to have a lot more art at her table at this convention too. Her Garnet print is what really caught my eye!
• Sailor Mars by Melody Wang. I had previously purchased this print and for a reason unknown, I cannot find it, so I had to re-buy it.  Her work is awesome and she is in the process of creating every sailor scout!

[DMC by Darryl McDaniels]

This is the print and the graphic novel from Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC. I had the pleasure of meeting him and getting a photo with him. He was very sweet!

[My Little Pony art by DrawPonies]

Here are the 3 prints I bought from the artist known as: DrawPonies. His creative pony art drew me in, but it was his charming personality that sold me!

[rainbow narwhal by Bellzi]

I'm not even going to hide the fact that my Rainbow Narwhal by Bellzi is my absolute favorite souvenir from Comikaze! The rainbow narwhal was on display at Bellzi's booth and I really wanted it! Turns out though that one cannot just simply buy the Rainbow Narwhal; no, it has to be won! They are put into mystery bags that cost $40 and there's a chance one will be in there.......and there's a chance that it won't be. Well, I was gifted a mystery bag with a rainbow narwhal in it and I couldn't be happier! I love her! I named her Natasha and she's been a highlight in my plushy collection! Even as I carried her around at the convention I received a lot of positive and exciting comments from people who saw her. - These rainbow narwhals have been at other conventions that Bellzi has attended and it is the same situation where they are put in mystery bags and there is a chance to win one. These are not even listed on their website. So, if you want one, your best bet is to get to a convention that Bellzi is attending!

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo 2015 - Photos

I already posted about my trip to Stan Lee's Comikaze and gave my opinions and thoughts on both Day 1 and Day 2. Here are just some extra photos from the convention that I wanted to share and that didn't really fit in with the other posts! Enjoy! Feel free to leave comments below and share your photos with me!

Day 1

[myself with a cow]

[us with a plaid fish]

[myself with a giant Funko Chewie figure]

[myself with Agent Afronaut]

[us with a cute pink Deadpool cosplayer]

[myself with R2D2]

[us with a Luke Cage cosplayer]

[myself as Spider-Gwen]

[myself with Selly outside of the convention center]

Day 2

[Selly with a Predator cosplayer]

[us with Raphael from TMNT]

[myself with a lolita cosplayer -help identifying her character, please!]

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo - Day 2

[us with an Ice King cosplayer]

Day 2 of Comikaze, for us, was spent mostly mingling with cosplayers and catching up with people we had met on Day 1. I cosplayed as Spider Gwen again and my friend Selly was in her Spider-Man suit like the day before!

[more spider cosplay]

Honestly, I love the 2nd or 3rd days of cons, because I feel much more relaxed than the first day and it's less about exploring the convention and more about the social aspect. I met a lot of cool cosplayers and was able to make a better connection with a lot of artists and writers I had met on Day 1.

[myself with Agent Afronaut and Darryl McDaniels]

I was able to meet Darryl McDaniels aka DMC (from Run-DMC). He was super nice and a great guy to talk to. I look forward to reading his work!

[us with TMNT cosplayers]

After mingling in the main convention room, we headed back to the South Hall before leaving to see what was going on there. There were tons of actors and cosplayers there for autographs. It seemed like just about every generation of Power Rangers were represented there by 1 or more actors from the series. We also ran into a group who had some really great Ninja Turtle cosplay going on!

Honestly, Day 2 was pretty chill. I don't have as many pictures to show off here, but what I can say is that we had a lot of fun! I would definitely consider Comikaze one of my top conventions that I've attended and I would definitely go back next year! The atmosphere and ambiance was perfect and I know a lot of that has to do with the organization putting on the con, so I would say Comikaze did an excellent job! I didn't attend Day 3, because I left for home that day. I'll post all my convention goodies soon! 

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo - Day 1

My last convention of the year was Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California. The convention started on October-30 and ended November-1. This was my first time ever attending this convention and it is still a relatively new convention, as this is just the 5th time it was held. It seems to be gaining lots of attention, while the attendance goes up every year and the guest list is both impressive and large.

[part of my Comikaze 2015 group before the convention]

Thursday, October-29, my group and I picked up our badges. The convention wasn't open yet, but they allowed guests to get their badges.

[outside of the LA Convention Center for Comikaze]

We walked every day to the convention from the apartment complex we were staying at. It was about a block away, if that. It really was not far at all and not a bad little commute. This was the first time at the LA Convention Center for everyone in my group. This was also my first time really cosplaying to the fullest. I put in a lot of work to look like Spider Gwen, including spray painting shoes! I was really pleased how it turned out and I was really glad to have my friend, Selly, in costume too. We were the only two in our group that made any attempt to cosplay.

[Spider Gwen, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Spider-Man at Comikaze]

I really liked the setup of the convention and a big part of that is the way the convention center is laid out. There is plenty of space outside of the actual building as well as inside too. The other aspect that I really liked about the con was the atmosphere. Everyone just seemed super friendly and social. I have been to a few cons this year where I felt it was hard to engage with people and it seemed like groups just kept to themselves, but at Comikaze it was like everyone was there to mingle and have fun, which is what a con should really be -fans coming together to appreciate and enjoy the arts they love.

[us with artist Melody Wang aka Chukairi]

On with the convention.......... The first thing we did was go see my friend and favorite artist, Melody Wang. (You may also know her online and on social media as Chukairi.) It is always great to see her beautiful face and also I had to re-buy her Sailor Mars print, because for some reason I can't find the original one I bought from her. 

***Side Note: Melody is working on creating her own version of the Sailor Scouts from the Sailor Moon anime/manga series and I'm collecting them! She has completed Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and she is currently working on Sailor Mercury! I can't wait until she completes my favorite- Sailor Neptune!

[myself with Sara Richard and her Fiendship Is Magic sub covers]

Since we were already on the artist side of the room, we just continued down that path. The main convention room was split; all of the artists were on the left side and all of the dealers were on the right side. Not long after we started down the artist aisles, I came across a woman by the name of Sara Richard. It just so happens that she is the the artist of the subscription cover variants for the new mini series, Fiendship Is Magic, from IDW Publishing. The covers feature 5 of the ponies in a Dia De Los Muertos look. Unfortunately, she only had 4 of the covers there, but I was more than happy to buy what she had. She also was kind enough to autograph them and take a picture with me. I just have to work on getting the Rainbow Dash cover separately.

[us with artist Sean Danconia]

Not long after that, Selly and I found ourselves separated from our group, but we discovered Sean Danconia! He had adorable and amazingly detailed Hello Kitty prints for sale! He was a really cool guy to talk to and actually all of his art is really detailed. If you ever come across his work you should really take a moment to take it all in. Each art piece he had displayed has a lot of intricate pieces going on to create just one artistic print. He was kind enough to autograph the pictures for us (the smallest autograph I have ever seen/received) and take a picture with us! The funny part of this story is that later that night I realized that I first saw his art on NeonMob and had been collecting it for a day before meeting him!

[myself with the artist known as: DrawPonies]

I also had the pleasure of meeting this awesome guy in the picture above who goes by the alias, DrawPonies. We were just walking by and of course I was drawn in by the fact that he had MLP art! He sold me with his winning personality! He was seriously a fabulous guy to talk to! Very witty and humorous! I bought a few of his prints which he was nice enough to sign and then take a pic with me. I hope to come across him again! 

[myself with a giant Optimus Prime statue by Loyal Subjects]

The entire back half of the main convention room was dedicated to Stan Lee, Funko, and Loyal Subjects. All 3 brands had exclusives or debuts at the convention. Most importantly, Funko and Loyal Subjects had giant versions of some of their vinyls, which means: PHOTO OPS!

[myself next to a giant Raphael statue by Loyal Subjects]

Loyal Subjects was debuting their TMNT blind boxes at the convention and had a giant Raphael by their area. They also had several other figures and toys for sale.

[myself next to a giant replica of a Collector Corps box]

So, of course, I had to go to the Collector Corps area and take a picture next to the giant box! Notice that Star-Lord is on the box and that is what the December box will look like, because the theme is "Guardians of the Galaxy". AND before anyone says anything, my October box will be up on this blog soon! I've just been super busy and under weather! -I know, there's always something!

[myself in front of a giant Funko Groot]

Collector Corps is powered by Funko and so of course they had several of their other products on display, including giant replicas of their vinyls. They also had exclusive Stan Lee Pop! Figures for sale.

[myself with the Gudetama staff]

Towards the end of the day, my group wanted to head back, but I couldn't go without seeing the debut of Gudetama from Sanrio! So, we had to head to the South Hall, which was a much smaller area of the convention center.

[us with the Gudetama display]

Gudetama is the new character from the Japanese company, Sanrio. He is an egg who shows many emotions. While the company had already started making merchandise for the character before Comikaze, he was officially debuted in public at this years Comikaze.

[Princess Tiana's dress on display]

Besides hosting the Gudetama event, the South Hall was the main area for autographs from celebrities and cosplayers. It also had other companies and groups with displays for cosplay and actual cosplaying. They had the main stage for the Hot Topic events in there as well. 

That concludes my post on the 1st day of Comikaze. Stay tuned, as I'll be posting Day 2 soon! Questions, comments, and feedback can be left below!