Geek Fuel Subscription Box: Retro Edition

For a while now I have been eyeing up these subscription boxes.  They have been the ‘in thing’ for the last couple of years, and while I am not a fan of them for beauty supplies (too much risk of getting something you don’t like) these geek boxes are something that I have been excited about for a while.  The first one I heard about was Loot Crate, but at the time they weren’t available in the UK, and by the time they were made available, I was no longer impressed by what they were sending out.  By now there are a lot of similar subscription boxes on the market, I was nice enough to be sent the February box from Geek Fuel to see how it compares.

‘But Kariss’, I hear you cry, ‘the February box? It’s April!’  Yes well, I did have to wait for it to be shipped from the US which took a few weeks and then unfortunately, I didn’t get chance to review it until just now (and I have been dying to), but it’s totally worth the wait right?

So what did I get in this box?  Well like most subscription boxes they started out with a magazine and a card explaining what is in the box.  This month’s theme was retro which considering my boyfriend is a pixel art creator and game designer was a pretty good choice!  I loved the comic book/magazine, it had some great little articles and some beautiful artwork.  I’m going to be passing this along to Harry to take a look at when I’m done with it as I know he will love it.  It also came with an ‘I <3 Retro sticker and badge, which is one of those things which, although are nice additions, let’s face it they aren’t the main draw.

On to the main contents!  I noticed the box was particularly heavy and when I saw what was inside, I could see why.  I didn’t have to pay any customs fees on this box but it might just be something worth bearing in mind.  The first thing I pulled out was this Space Invader ‘Soap on a Rope’.  I’ve got to say I think this is particularly cool, I am a sucker for a novelty.  I was a bit disappointed to discover that the black accents were only on the packaging and there is no scent or anything to it but I still really like it, perfect for a nerdy bathroom.

Next up; some really smart marketing by the guys at Team 17.  Essentially what they are giving you is a code for the original edition of Worms on Steam.  Now I have been a big fan of the Worms franchise since I first played it at my cousin’s as a kid, and I have 3 different versions of it on my iPad  mini, so having the original edition, while being cool, isn’t a massive draw for me.  However, I am still definitely going to download and play it.  This could have just been put on a card but instead they packaged it in with some scarily realistic looking jelly worms!  They were freaky looking but surprisingly tasty; such a clever way of presenting a game code, other company’s, take note!

Next on my list, and my favourite thing in the whole box, this Green Lantern glass.  The box had a chance of four retro superhero designs on, and one mystery design.  I can’t say I am the biggest fan of The Green Lantern but I still love the design and the glass is great quality.  It’s thick and heavy and the design is really well printed onto the glass, so there’s no chance of it coming off in the dish washer and I think it looks really striking.  This might sound wierd but it just feels really good to hold.

Lastly, was the t-shirt.  I think people have come to expect t-shirts in these boxes as standard and they are the main pull for a lot of people.  The design of this screams retro; all the retro Batman characters are in the style of Pacman, again, in a high quality print and really soft cotton.  I’d have kept this for myself but unfortunately it’s a men’s style top so I knew I’d only end up wearing it to bed, so I’ve given it to my other half.  I really wish these companies would do men’s and women’s fitted t shirts, I think more people would subscribe if they knew they could actually wear the products they receive, I know it would sway me.

All this comes in at $13.90 which works at around £9.50, which seems amazing good value to me.  The cost of the t-shirt alone would normally set you back at more then this, so you know you are getting what you paid for and then some! Are you a fan of subscription boxes?