#StarWarsSmugglersBounty Review: May 2016

May's reliable Star Wars/Funko Smuggler's Bounty sub box is also a BOUNTY HUNTER'S dream.

Review by Matt Cummings

For a series that's delivered so consistently as Funko's Star Wars, there's also a feeling that things might be getting a little stale. Believe me, it's better than the whipsaw efforts by Geek Fuel (thinking about cancelling) and Loot Crate (cancelled), but May's BOUNTY HUNTERS box provides growing evidence that, while still very reliable, the monthly sub box might need to shake things up a bit going forward.

Before diving in, let's review the details:

The cost for a Month to Month is $25 (plus S/H), or $150 (plus S/H) for a one-year subscription.

You get one box every other month, with SB promising $50 in value and no fluff.

If you choose the Smuggler membership (yearly), you are promised an additional gift on your anniversary. Guess which one we chose.

Again, this month's theme is BOUNTY HUNTERS, highlighting the species that made up a murderer's row of assassins in 1980's The Empire Strikes Back. Check out our unboxing below and we'll meet you on the back end to share some thoughts:

Winners
It's clear that Funko and the Star Wars family are committed to giving us high-quality swag. This box is no different, from the pin/patch set of Boba and Bosck to two exclusive Pop! figs of Boba and IG-88. The shirt is perhaps my favorite, but it's a close one between all of the items offered. It's so good that I feel bad offering up suggestions or criticisms.

Losers
And yet, I do have a small concern. In its effort to merge high quality with reliability, SB is feeling stale. Sure, we've been happy with the shirt/pin/patch/figure routine since the box premiered, but SB hasn't strayed from that, minus a weird Funko C3PO mug (which isn't easy to drink from). Marvel Collector Corp has stretched out with a comic or that really great Guardians scarf. Not SB. Does that mean I'm cancelling any time soon? Absolutely not. But I would like to see them take chances, something that MCC has done. I really like this box, and if this is the best we're ever going to get, then I'd be happy for as long as they keep up the quality. The shirts alone are worth the cost of admission.

Does reliability suggest a change?
This outing of Smuggler's Bounty delivers yet another solid box, repeating the success month after month and establishing it as an impressive value. I love the shirt, and the pin/patch is great. But is it time for a slight change? If BOUNTY HUNTERS and last month's CANTINA tell us anything, it's that Star Wars has its game down. Whether they stray from the plan any time soon will probably depend on whether it makes financial sense, proving our point last month that quality and consistency can go hand in hand, even if there's a tad 'yawn' factor seting in. Next up is the intriguing JABBA'S PALACE.

Want to read our other sub box reviews? We've got them all listed below:
MARVEL COLLECTOR CORPS
May
June
August
October
December

LOOT CRATE REVIEWS
March
April
May
June
July
August
December

GEEK FUEL REVIEWS
September
October
November
December
January
March

Discuss this review with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJohnFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.