Fantastic 4 Movie Celz Trading Cards - Mini Review

So browsing around Ebay, looking for cheap stocking stuffers, I found some interesting trading cards. The Fantastic Four Movie Celz Trading cards, were made back in 2005 by a company called Cards Inc. The thing that caught my eye about these cards is that they are made entirely of plastic.

 Each pack has 6 average sized trading cards, 5 base cards and 1 holocelz card. The 60 base cards include images from the movie and profile cards of the main characters. The holocelz cards are what I would call artwork on a prismatic background. They're very well done,  as you can see by the Invisible Woman holocelz in the above photo. There are 12 holocelz in the subset, which features artwork of Invisible Woman, Mr Fantastic, Thing, The Human Torch and Dr Doom

These cards are made of a thin bendable plastic that does away with 2 of the greatest nightmares that card collectors have to deal with... bent corners and card creases. These do away with both those problems. However that is possibly why other card companies haven't created cards in this plastic form. With out the danger of damaging bends and creases, all theses cards will hold the same value in a collection. Your collection won't be any more valuable than your friends collection, because they're made of the same damage resistant plastic. With regular trading cards, part of the appeal is to always be on the look out for that card that is in slightly better condition than the frayed, water damaged or bent one you already own. But that's not an issue with these. So the best you can hope for is to trade your doubles with your friends doubles. The only way I see these becoming truly valuable is if two things happen.

The first would have to be if the 2015 Fantastic Four movie is a huge flop... oh yea, it was. This makes the 2005 Fantastic Four Movie memorabilia more sought after for true FF4 fans.

The second would be if not alot of people know about these cards, which not alot of people do, so no one is buying them. And the ones that were familiar with them when they released in 2005 didn't really buy many because they were so critical of the 2005 FF4 movie. So having a small group of people owning these will eventually give some collectible value to these as time goes on.

I personally like them, and was glad to get them, keeping some for myself as well as use some for stocking stuffers.

I think any fan of the 2005 Fantastic 4 movie will love these as a nice addition to there FF4 collection. If you own any of these or just like them, I welcome opinions in the comment section.

Metal Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Car Emblem Sticker - Review

This will be a short review because there's really not much to tell. But if you've seen this Metal Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. car emblem sticker on Ebay, there's a couple of things you may want to know before you buy.

I won one of these in an Ebay auction for $1.89 from a seller in China. The seller also has these for a buy it now price of $3.99 but I wouldn't buy it for that price. The metal is a thin brushed aluminum, and comes with a thin plastic protector that you can pull off to reveal a nice finish... or leave it on to keep the finish protected. It measures 3inches by 3 inches and I will admit, looks pretty good. I would never put this 'car emblem' on a car though, why you ask? This particular sticker is concave, remember its metal all be it thin metal. There is a mounting adhesive on the back, but because its arched, like a badge, its concave on the inside. So the adhesive doesn't fully make contact with the item your sticking it too. Only about half of the actual sticker makes contact. And at speeds of 40mph+ that thing will eventually fly off, or even more likely yanked off by someone while your cars in a parking lot.

I would say if your a fan of the show like I am, get one. It is cool looking and I put mine on my laptop.

Case Star Octopus Style Tripod Review

There are many types of octopus style tripods out there, and despite them all having the same basic feature of being able to wrap them selves around something, this one has 2 features that I think puts it ahead of the rest

Before we get to the features I like, lets talk about the basics. The legs on this tripod, like most flexible or octopus style tripods, can securely wrap around a variety of objects. Tree limbs, poles, handlebars, your wrist, etc will act as a secure base for this tripod. The ball joints give it great articulation and the white rubber bands around each ball acts as a grip. Ever try setting a tripod on a rock or uneven ground, this one has no problem with either, just twist and bend the legs to what ever you need the height, angle or level to be.

Camera weight isn't really a problem if you have a modern digital camera.  Most modern digital cameras are fairly lightweight, and if you plan on using your phone camera, you can buy this tripod with a smart phone attachment.

I bought this one on Amazon for $3.79 from China and it came with a smartphone attachment.

Now what I think makes this one a bit better then the rest, is first... the lock ring/camera attachment. Many of these type tripods do not offer a removable attachment that can be screwed into your camera much the same way you would a large full size tripod. Thus allowing you to just slide the camera on or off this tripod as needed. This isn't just about convenience though. With this attachment, you can position your tripod without the cumbersomeness of having your camera attached, or worse trying to screw your camera on while in an awkward angle. Instead just place your tripod, then when its secure, slide your camera into place.

The second reason I like this one is the ball joint just beneath the lock ring. A majority of these type tripod do not have this joint, so if you need to angle your camera, it has to be done with the legs. But with a single ball joint beneath the lock ring, gives you much more range of angles to shoot from.

Now there is a problem with this tripod, and really its less of a 'problem' and more of a 'this aint built for that'. Whats it not built for? Being used as a regular tripod. This tripod excels at being twisted, turned, bent and misshapen, but try to bend the legs to perfect straightness, and place on a table... and something just won't feel right. One leg will be slightly longer, one will be bent slightly angled, basically it'll drive you nuts cause you'll look at the tripod and see that its just ever so slightly not standing right. It can be used as a regular tripod of course, but if you need a regular tripod just buy one. This tripod won't be happy unless you use its super power, to be bent into ridiculous positions so you can take selfies and group photos in places no normal tripod would dare go.