Dec 30, 2013

December 2013 Loot Crate: Console Wars

The December Loot Crate keeps up with the biggest news in video games at the end of the year with the theme Console Wars. Let's see what cool swag was in the box!

Disclaimer: Loot Crate has supplied these items in exchange for a review.

I'm always excited when I come home and find the latest Loot Crate on my doorstep. This month, however, I was a little disappointed. Not in Loot Crate but in my mail carrier.


They left the Crate on the wet porch, where water was dripping down on it from the snow melting off the roof. They didn't even put it in a plastic bag. Why the obvious idea of putting it between the front doors where it would stay dry didn't occur to them, I can't imagine. Lucky for me, Loot Crate are made from sterner stuff and everything inside was still dry.

Dec 17, 2013

LEGO Battle of Hoth Game

I've been wanting to share this one for awhile but with Halloween and Creepmas, it got put on the back burner. I actually got this back at the end of September for my birthday. We're also in the middle of getting an expected 5" of snow, so it seems as good a time as any!


The game came out last year and I remember seeing the box art among the new LEGO sets at the end of 2011. It was going to be the first Star Wars LEGO board game and based on one of the best scenes in the Trilogy, so it was something I was looking forward to getting.

So why didn't I get it until September 2013? The answer: Hasbro. You see, Hasbro has exclusive rights to produce Star Wars board games in the US. When the game didn't hit shelves in 2012, I sort of forgot about it until I decided to find out what happened to it.

We now join your ice planet invasion, already in progress...

LEGO Battle of Hoth Game 1

It shouldn't be a shock when I tell you that you have to assemble most of the game and pieces. The object is to land one of your pieces on the opposing base location or wipe them out...all of them. Since the board is LEGO, it allows you to set it up in a number of different ways provided in the instructions. Each player starts with four units on the board. There's optional rules to bring in reinforcements too.

LEGO Battle of Hoth Board
Game in progress  
 
You have two actions per turn which consist of Move or Attack. Pieces can move only one space per action. While each of the blue or grey squares is a space, you must follow the paths.  Different units have different attack ranges and some units can only attack on the diagonals. Attacking does not have to follow the pathways and can even be done over gaps.

LEGO Battle of Hoth Game 2

Attacks are resolved using a special LEGO die. 4 out of 6 sides have a red square that scores a hit which removes a troop from a unit. Vehicles can still function for one more hit after their troops are removed. If you roll the special symbols (above) it's called a Force hit. If you roll this while attacking with Luke or Vader, you summon the Force to destroy an entire unit in one shot! Oh, the plastic humanity!

And that's pretty much it. The optional reinforcement rules allow you to spend both your actions to call in a new unit, some of which have familiar faces. The other heroic microfigs can reroll the attack die if they score a Force hit to try and do more damage.

The microfigures and units are the real stars of the game so let's get to know them.

LEGO Battle of Hoth Rebel Forces

Here are the Rebel forces!
Left to right we have: Luke leading a couple of troops, Han, a squad of 4 Rebels, a 2-man Snowspeeder, Chewie, a 2-man turret and a tauntaun.

LEGO Battle of Hoth Imperial Forces

And in this corner, the Empire!
Again left to right: Vader leading snowtroopers, General Veers, an AT-AT, Boba Fett (what? he wasn't even at Hoth?!), a 2-man blaster cannon, an AT-ST, and a squad of 4 snowtroopers.

LEGO Battle of Hoth At-AT

And here's a close up of the AT-AT. It amazes me how the LEGO folks figure out ways to make iconic things so tiny and still be recognizable. If you look, you can see they used what would normally be binoculars to make the AT-AT's feet.

And just so you can see why these are called microfigures, here they are next to a regular size LEGO minifigure. They are too cute!

LEGO Battle of Hoth Figures

This is a game designed with kids in mind, so it doesn't have very deep strategy, although it does have a little more than I would have thought at first glance. With some lucky die rolls, you might be able to storm in and take the enemy base but you can also position your units to get overlapping fields of fire and wait for the bigger units to get in your cross-hairs. And really, it's just fun moving the pieces around and making all the sound effects!

Dec 13, 2013

Merry Creepmas!

Wow, the last day of Creepmas falling on Friday the 13th!
It's a Creepmas miracle!

Did you know there's a site called ZombieChristmas.org?
Neither did I until today!

It seems like they're aiming to be a news feed for all things zombie Christmas related. You can download a nice printable zombie nativity scene and zombie snowflake patterns.

Thank you for celebrating Creepmas with us this year.
As a final gift, here's a custom LEGO Santa Jack I put together.
Most of the parts are from the holiday magnet set currently available in LEGO stores. I just swapped out the head and hands. Pretty simple!

LEGO Santa Jack Skellington Custom

That's all for now, little creeps, until next year...

Dec 12, 2013

Creepmas Cheer

Here's a few collect cartoons to lift your Creepmas spirit...






Dec 11, 2013

Bah Humbug!

I actually had this up at my work desk a couple years ago. I also had the Funko Pop Vinyl Miser Brothers and a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree next to it.

Pumpkin Humbug

I think it's perfectly fitting for the Creepmas season and it's pretty inexpensive.

I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 10, 2013

Santa Jack Pook-A-Looz

Here's another Disney Park exclusive Jack Skellington.
This guy is from a line called Pook-A-Looz that ran for a couple years.
There's quite a few Disney characters that got the Pook-A-Looz treatment, including a "regular" Jack and Sally.

Jack Skellington Pookalooz


I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 9, 2013

Beanbag Jack Skellington

Over the years, I've managed to pick up a couple of Disney Park exclusive Jack Skellingtons.
Here he is in beanbag form with a Santa hat.
He's about 6" tall, not including the hat.

Jack Skellington Ball


I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 7, 2013

Elvira's Haunted Holidays

I'm resurrecting this post from 2 years ago so the newer readers can have a chance to enjoy it.

Hold on to your scarves and mittens, kids! We're setting the Wayback Machine to 1986!
For a short time back then, the deed to DC Comics House of Mystery passed to the one and only Elvira, Mistress of the Dark for 11 issues and one Christmas special.

In the opening story, she has her own Christmas Carol experience with her usual brand of humor. Following that are three holiday tales sure to warm the cockles of your little Creepmas heart. Whatever cockles are....


Click the cover to unwrap your gift.

I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 6, 2013

Krampus, I've Been a Bad Boy

So I totally forgot that Krampusnacht is celebrated on the eve of St. Nicholas' Day, which is today. As such, today's post will be my penance to make it up to ol Krampus. Although, to be honest, I'd probably prefer getting a visit from him so I could see him in person.

Image from Krampus.com 
 
If you've come this far and you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should probably go read the Krampus links so the rest will make a little more sense. The short version is that in European countries, Santa has a counterpart who punishes the bad children.

I'm betting Santa made him up because he doesn't want to have to be the bad guy. I mean, how many times do you hear parents warn their misbehaving children that Santa is watching? What's the bigger threat, no presents or knowing a devil is watching and might take you away in the night? Ok, most kids will probably go with no presents...


Get your very own 35" high vintage style, jointed Krampus decoration from Monsterfink.
Click here to order.


Or if you like your nasties on the cuddly side, and you've got cash to spare, you can get this hand made, one of a kind Krampus from Croshame on Etsy.


A very fun promo video for the book The Krampus Night Before Christmas.

Dec 5, 2013

Halloween Garage - Creepmas Edition

It seems like someone at Hot Wheels is a fan of Creepmas! Big thanks to Shawn at Branded in the 80s for alerting me to this vehicle's existence. Because, let's face it, I do not actively hunt down winter holiday themed Hot Wheels.

Here is one of the Wal-Mart exclusive holiday Hot Wheels, Street Creeper. This is the second one to be added to the garage this year. The first one was even more spider-y in design.

Holiday Street Creeper

Nothing says Creepmas like a giant spider engine and snowflakes on a car. I also like the almost pearlescent white they use for the spider and wheels, gives it a real wintery feel. The 13 is probably because it's 2013 but I like to think it's there to add to the spook factor.

Here's a closeup of the roof detail winter Hot Wheels logo.

Holiday Street Creeper closeup

I really have to wonder how Wal-Mart gets a holiday exclusive like this and Target's Halloween pack wasn't even remotely close to this in Halloween-ness.

I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 4, 2013

Holiday Misfits

When it comes to the holiday season, when you hear Misfits, you're probably thinking this


and not this


The Misfits online shop has put up some holiday items for your shopping pleasure!


You can get their album "Horror Xmas" on a variety of colored vinyl. The "Grinchy Green" album has the tracks: You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch and Island of Misfit Toys, with the latter being an all new original Misfits XMas themed tune.

The Blue version has the same A Side but the B Side is a cover of Blue Christmas! Each album gives the chance for you to receive one of the 100 limited edition variants. There's also a red vinyl set which includes all three songs.

There's also a t-shirt, sweatshirt and ornaments with the Grinchy Fiend on them if you need something to wear/show off your Creepmas pride.

We're still adding new blogs to the list at Creepmas.com so be sure to check it daily.

I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 3, 2013

Funko Nightmare Before Christmas Mystery Minis

Funko is one of the few companies I have total faith in. Their stuff is always consistent in quality and style. I even like the things they do for properties I don't follow!

They just recently released Nightmare Before Christmas Mystery Minis. I don't remember if I knew these were coming out but seeing them in the store elicited a squee of excitement.


The figures are about 2" tall and come blind packed so you don't know which one you're getting. Some figures are more common and some are harder to find. I was hoping to score a Pumpkin King Jack or the female Creature and got...

 Funko Nightmare Before Christmas Mystery Mini

Sally! Isn't she adorable? She's holding a tiny rose and looking up with puppy dog eyes. I'm sure they're not actual puppy dog eyes. I don't think even Dr. Finklestein is that weird!

Funko Nightmare Before Christmas Mystery Mini Sally

I'll certainly be picking up a few more of these in the near future. They make great stocking stuffers because you don't know what's inside until you open it!

Be sure to check out all the sites listed at Creepmas.com to see what they're up to!

I'm a CREEP for The 13 Days of CREEPMAS

Dec 2, 2013

Ornamental Offerings

Fellow Halloween enthusiast and crafty gal Creepy Glowbugg has put up some holiday ornaments that are sure to help get a-head with your decorating.


Here's a cute peppermint swirl skull. Or is it blood spattered?


Here's one that's a bit more winter and icy.
In addition to differently colored skull-flakes, she also has an assortment of other ornaments, magnets, and jewelry that you can use for Halloween or when you need
a little extra kooky-ookiness.


Hang him on Halloween and he can stick around til Christmas!


Hey, she said she wanted a ring for Christmas, right?

You can check out more of Glo's stuff in her Etsy shop. From now until 12/8, she is offering 20% off your entire order. To get the promo code, please visit this post on her blog.

Nov 30, 2013

Monthly Movie Recap - November 2013

November's Monthly Movie Recap is posting a day earlier as December begins the bloody cheerful Creepmas blog-along. It's still not too late to sign up!

Thor: The Dark World (2013)
I really enjoyed this one and thought it was more entertaining than the first one. It felt a little bit Man of Steel, a little bit Star Wars (ok, some sections really felt like it) and a few other franchises rolled together in a sci-fi action flick with a healthy dose of comedy.

Cool: Loki steals his scenes (duh!); Love the way they handle the gods/magic as aliens/science
Lame: Jane is kinda wasted and feels more like a thing than a character; More Warriors Three!!
Rating: 7.5/10


I think this will be hit or miss for a lot of people. If you're not a video game fan, you'll probably not find much to carry you through it. Sure it's low budget and the acting isn't great but I really dig the script and the video game humor. With a budget and halfway decent actors, this could be great.

Cool: Good script and jokes
Lame: Sounds like all the dialog was redubbed after shooting which creates a disconnect while viewing
Rating: 5/10
The gang is back for another level! I don't know if it's because I'm familiar with the universe but this one seems to be a bit better than the first one. It's pretty much more of the same, so if you like the first one, you should follow it with this.

Cool: Love, love, love the Ninja!
Lame: Still has the dialog disconnect; Sam has been recast so you never see her unhelmeted but it's not so bad because she's not in the movie as much this go round
Rating: 5.5/10


Joysticks (1983)
Valley girls, video games and a totally cheezy soundtrack. Could this be any more 80s? It's the classic snobs vs slobs scenario but in an arcade.

Cool: Video game machines galore! The Vidiots punk gang
Lame: Anything that might be lame only makes the movie better
Rating: 6.5/10


Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013)
I don't quite get what they're doing here. There's a 2 in the title but it's not a sequel to any of the previous Fright Night flicks. It's more like a reboot because the main characters have all been recast. If they had just changed the character names and title, this would be a decent direct to video offering.

Cool: Jaime Murray; maybe the first vampire movie I've seen to use sonar
Lame: Reasons behind the plot get a little iffy; Relates to Fright Night only in names
Rating: 5.5/10

* Man of Steel (2013)
Rewatched when the BluRay came out. On second viewing, I still enjoy it as much as in the theater and I still have the two main problems I had originally: too much lens flare and too much wanton destruction.


Zero Charisma
If you've ever participated in fantasy tabletop RPGs, this is a must see! Even if you never have, you might still like story. It's kinda like a Clerks for RPGers with a little bit of Eastbound and Down twisted into it.

Cool: Gamers will probably find something they can relate to in it...
Lame: ...sometimes a little too close to home.
Rating: 8.5/10

Kinda NSFW trailer!

ThanksKilling (2008)
Three words: demonic killer turkey. If that doesn't hook you into this, nothing will. There's not much more to say about this no budget horror comedy.

Cool: It's bad, but in the best way
Lame: Could use a little more nudity :)
Rating: 5/10, an average of how bad and how fun it is

Month Total
 New: 7; Rewatch: 1

Year to Date
New: 79, Rewatch: 4

Nov 27, 2013

November 2013 Loot Crate: Celebrate!

Welcome to the unboxing of the latest Loot Crate!
This month's theme is Celebrate. With two new gaming consoles debuting (are they next, next gen?), the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and of course, Thanksgiving, there's plenty of reasons to celebrate!

Disclaimer: Loot Crate has supplied these items in exchange for a review

Let's get crackin!
Unless you're Toronto Mayor Rob Ford...

Loot Crate Nov 13 BFast

BFast is a grab n go breakfast substitute that has the nutrition of a bowl of cereal with milk. And a taste that landed it in the trash after the first sip. I can't exactly pin what the nasty taste reminded me of but if you took wood shop and remember what the wood smelled like when you used the belt sander on it? That smell is what it tasted like.

Loot Crate Nov 13 FPS

Speaking of drinks, here's a little something to help them go down. 
It's a first person shooter, get it? Ba-dum-BUMP!

Loot Crate Nov 13

The mighty wallet from Dynomighty is pretty cool! It, and the packaging, are made from 25% recycled Tyvek and is 100% recyclable! They'll even recycle it for you if you send it to them. It's also supposed to be tear and water resistant. However, I have so many freakin cards in my wallet, this one doesn't have enough space to hold them all. And I'm also not such a Bat-fan that I'd use it, but it does have some sweet Bat-graphics on the inside. You can go to the site and design a custom wallet with your own graphics/photos.

Loot Crate Nov 13 Doctor Who

Yay, a couple of Doctor Who party items! The police box sign is a reusable wall sticker and the balloon, well, it's a balloon. But is gets bigger on the inside ;)

Loot Crate Nov 13 Butters speaker

Butters!! He's a Beatz Buddiez 3" tall rechargeable speaker. He's got a little loop on the top of his head to attach He comes with the necessary cord to connect him to an audio device which also has a USB plug so you can charge him for 4 hours on the go use. The speaker jack is located in a somewhat unfortunate place on his backside,  but it's keeping with South Park humor! For a 3" speaker it's better than I was expecting. They also have Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan as well as other designs.

Loot Crate Nov 13 Robocycle

Next is the Robocycle deck of cards from Bicycle which is going to get added to my growing playing card collection. The face cards have some interesting robo-forms. The numeric cards are fairly standard and the card backs have a cool circuit board design.

Loot Crate Nov 13 Magazine

Lastly is the monthly Loot Crate mini-mag which showcases all the items you receive. It also has a Top 10 Doctor Who episode list. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but every month one lucky Looter gets a MegaCrate prize which is valued at over $250. This month's MegaCrate is for a PS4 and an XBox One! Holy cow, does anyone have enough spare time for two consoles?

I have to say, I think this month's crate has had the biggest bang for the buck so far!

If you want to join up to get cool stuff in your mail every month, not to mention a shot at a MegaCrate, please use the link in the top right sidebar and my promo code
 to save 10% on your order.