Nerdblock Vinyl Palooza 3.0

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Hi!

I've gone from someone who couldn't see the point of subscription boxes to someone who NEEDS TO TRY THEM ALL NOW. Nerdblock are a very cool box service who have been around for ages, I had previously ordered a couple of the Junior blocks for my eldest son but we stopped because the shipping was a killer. I still get the emails - so when this popped into my inbox in late July right after I had gotten my first Funko Pop figure, I immediately wanted to build my collection. The Vinylpalooza has happened a couple of times before, I think it's just their way of getting rid of stock. But they're one-off boxes, no subscription needed, and they're a great way to build a Funko Pop collection quickly, so I took the chance.

I was really excited to get a Funko Pop figure from Suicide Squad, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nightmare on Elm Street, Star Wars, True Blood, or American Horror Story. The box was $19.99 and shipping was around the $12 mark to Ireland - in total I paid around €30 for four full sized Funko Pops and two Dorbz (smaller vinyl figures). I bought a couple of Pops in Galway last week and they ranged from €12 - €16 each so I thought €30 for four was pretty good value - especially if they were branded ones as shown in the promotional image. It was actually the image below that prompted me to make a decision and buy the box.

Unfortunately, the promos weren't entirely accurate. I didn't receive any of the ones mentioned in the initial ad, and received just one from that crowd photo above. I haven't seen anyone else receive anything from Suicide Squad, True Blood, Orange is the New Black, Star Wars, Civil War, Nightmare on Elm Street, or American Horror Story. A couple of people got an Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer Funko, but I already have him so I was glad I didn't get a duplicate. I haven't seen any other Buffy characters appear anywhere (unsurprising, considering a guy in a shop last week told me they were in high demand and hadn't been reissued since 2014). Looking at the unboxing videos I think I actually got a fairly good box in terms of what was sent out to other people - but it was still an enormous disappointment.

My boxes were all in really good condition, nothing was torn or crumpled.

First up - the Dorbz.

I got Wolverine from Marvel Series One, and The Penguin from Batman Series One. Both are cute figures and I'm glad I didn't get the Guardians of the Galaxy ones that everyone else seemed to get. My twins love Superheroes so I've put these away for their Christmas stockings.

Then, the Funko Pops:

First up, Pinhead from Hellraiser III. I didn't even know there was a Hellraiser III, I saw the original movie years ago and I think this is a pretty nice Pop. Not one I'd ever buy, but I put him with my Halloween-y things.

Next - Short Fuse from Penguins of Madagascar. Never heard of him, haven't seen the movie, but he's a cute figure and my eldest son has nabbed him.

Next up is Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles - an 80s John Hughes movie. Now, I am probably one of the only people to be genuinely happy about this Pop - not because of the movie, but because of the actor who played Jake Ryan. Michael Schoeffling was also in Mermaids, he played sexy caretaker Joe Peretti - and he was my number one crush in the 90s. I was delighted with this one.

Lastly is Dr. Ephraim Goodweather from the TV series The Strain. Nope, no idea. Not a clue. I'm thinking I could possibly customize him and try to adapt him into something else, but nope. Never heard of the series. The Strain was mentioned in the promo email, though.

And that's it. The majority of people seemed to get either this box (with a pony instead of a dog) or one of these two:

• Samantha from Sixteen Candles, Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones, Jake Morrison from Independence Day 2 and Handsome Jack from Borderlands. Two Guardians of the Galaxy Dorbz.
• Angel, Ronan from Guardians of the Galaxy, Grey Worm from Game of Thrones and Long Duck Dong (?!) from Sixteen Candles. Two Guardians of the Galaxy Dorbz.

Overall I'm disappointed, but I'm so glad that I didn't get either of the other boxes. The kids each got something they liked, and I got two decent enough Pops. I don't think I'd bother with Vinylpalooza again, €30 is only a good deal if you would have bought the stuff anyway, and I wouldn't have willingly parted with money for any of these in a shop.

Maybe except Jake Ryan.

At a push.

The box also contained a $10 credit for online shop Shirt Punch (a bit like Qwertee). They ship internationally. I used that credit for a Draco Malfoy Funko, just paying the €8 shipping.