Justice League MetaX Booster Pack

Justice League MetaX:  I enjoy the art on the MetaX DC game cards so I grab these from time to time.  I purchased five of these off eBay and some will go to the grandsons.  We'll kick it off with some nice art from Alex Ross and the Kingdom Come books which are favorites of mine.

Again the draw to these is the art.  I may take the time to learn the game but they haven't necessarily been my thing.  Could be fun with the grandsons now that they are getting older.  This booster had cards from S19-JL through J36-JL.  Had no idea until I opened the box.  Seems pretty small.  I did pull cards 19-36 with plenty of duplicates.

Some of the lovely ladies of D.C.  I like all of these characters.  The link in my first paragraph does a great job showing the set visually but information on the set is maddening to come by.  Specifically, how is the set broke up and how it was released.  Didn't know these boosters only covered 36 cards.  Would have been good to know ahead of time.  But lack of information, not checklists, is really my only beef with these.

These are three of the 10 foils that came with my cards.  The foils don't necessarily excite me but I do like the look.  Overall this booster pack seemed to be Superman heavy.  Isn't a bad thing.  Just my perception.

There are four of what I call "character cards" like this Krypto, Green Arrow and the Supergirl I showed off earlier which are actually labeled with the character's name.  Fun box.  I'll probably just pick up the entire set at some point to include the different series.  I do like the art and the characters.

BREAKDOWN:
50 – Total Cards
10 - Foil
Multiple Duplicates

Random Wax: 2021-2022 Chronicles Basketball Blaster

21-22 Chronicles Basketball:  We'll kick this one off with a green parallel of Trae Young.  He's having another good year but his shooting is not what we are used to seeing from him.  Still the Hawks are doing well and the addition of Dejounte Murray has been a very good thing so far for the Hawks.

No complaints with my pull in this pack.  That Harden is a green parallel.  Dallas and Philly are struggling but the Grizzlies are doing really well again this season with Ja Morant a huge reason why.

Lots of youngsters in these packs.  

This is a good set.  Plenty of variety.  You won't get bored here.  

I like both of these designs with Playbook my favorite of these two.

I really like Essentials.  XR is a pretty good card as well. We'll end it with one of the league's best and a nice-looking Hometown Heroes card.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

21 – RC

5 – Chronicles

4 – Score

3 - Prestige

3 - Playbook

3 – Absolute

3 – Luminance

3 – Green Parallel

2 – XR

2 - Threads

2 – Essentials

1 – Optic Chrome

1 – Hometown Heroes

1 – Donruss Rated Rookie

2022 Topps Update

2022 Topps Update:  We might be past the baseball season but we still have some new baseball for some of us in the form of Topps Update.  This one of course is centered around young players and those who have changed teams.  One of the big ones to move in the offseason was Matt Olson.  Olson's batting average wasn't anything to write home about but he did hit 34 dingers and drove in 103 runs.

Always fun seeing players in their new unis.  Corey Seager's average was down this season.  Bryant had a good year but it was very limited due to injuries.  Correa had a good year in his first season with the Twins.

Youngsters play a big part of this set and Julio Rodriguez is the new hotness.  That Brujan is a royal blue parallel which I like.

Cutch hot box?  I'm okay with that as I'm a fan.

I like these manufactured relics.  It's a good look in hand but they are so thick it makes them tough.  you have to find holders and sleeves specifically for this size.

Stars of  MLB to include a Topps Chrome version for Yu Darvish.  That Royce Lewis is a Topps Black Gold.  Not sure what I think of that one yet while I do like the design of the Stars of MLB.

Nice Wander Franco pull.  I also enjoy retired greats and you know I'm a huge fan of All-Star cards.  Though I might not be a big fan of those jerseys.

Generation Now.  Meh.

Here we have a Checklist, 1987 Topps Baseball and Combo card.

These are fun though they don't have quite the star power of the series one cards.  Still it's fun with inserts helping break up the monotony.  We'll end it with a nice pull in Shoei Ohtani.  Now for the MLB offseason.  Let's hope it's not as slow in years past.  By far the worst of all the major sports.

BREAKDOWN:
99 – Total Cards
36 – RC
9 – Rookie Debut
8 – Stars of MLB
2 – All-Star
2 – 1987 Topps Baseball
1 - Checklist
1 – Black Gold
1 – Combo Card
1 – Retired Great
1 – Topps Chrome
1 – All-Star Rookie
1 –Generation Now
1 – Royal Blue Parallel
1 – Diamond Greats Die-Cuts
1 - Commemorative Batting Relic Manufactured Relic

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (NO SPOILERS)

Wakanda Forever:  Got to see this one yesterday and so glad I did.  After the death of Chadwick Boseman it seemed a dauting task when it came to the sequel.  And it was. Lucky for us there are still plenty of great characters who can shine.  Also the introduction of Namor to the Marvel world was successful.  He reminds me of what I remember from the comics and was a good "villain" in this movie.  I tempered my expectations going in but was pleasantly surprised.  It is a really good movie.  Hard part was trying to figure out when I could go to the bathroom.  Highly recommend. 

1991 Topps Desert Storm Trading Cards (Two Packs)

1991 Desert Storm:  These are still fairly easy to find and a good look at some of the players and firepower used during Operation Desert Storm.  George Bush was front and center as Command in Chief during the war.  It's easy for folks to look back on the war differently from what we thought when it started, including myself.  Not getting political here but I thought Bush handled it well.

A nice photo of a Navy F-18.  These were heavily used during the war by the US and our allies.  It's a cool looking plane and pretty powerful.

The aircraft carriers carried F-18s and other aircraft for the Navy.  Amazing how those things really are floating cities.  I don't think any veteran misses wearing chem gear.

I'm not an expert on artillery but that one looks pretty intimidating.  Hueys were heavily used by the military as a whole though I don't remember specifically seeing it in the press during the war.

The backs had interesting information.  Even the member coalition info was interesting even though you can find it pretty easy.  I'd just never look for it though.  Explanations like these on the Patriot Missile Battery are simple but a good synopsis of what they'll do.

The F-117 was state of the art at the time but has already been retired (2008).  Humvees always look cool but they have like zero suspension and no cushion in the seat.  I feel for the guys and gals who had to ride in these consistently.  Anyone who has been to the middle east has seen some great sunsets.  Happy Veteran's Day to everyone has served in the military.

BREAKDOWN:

16 - Total Cards (2 Packs)

1990-1991 Fleer Basketball

90-91 Fleer Basketball:  I'm surprised I've never done a pack of these before.  No better place to start than Larry Legend on this All-Star card which fell 1:5 packs. It's a nice set but only 12 cards though all but one player are in the Hall of Fame.

Always a great pull when my all-time favorite player (Nique) is in the pack.  Oakley and Parish aren't scrubs either.

My bad.  I screwed up this scan but the cards are scattered now in different boxes so I'll just roll with it.  We still get to see that great write-up on the back of Birds All-Star card.  

These three were all solid players in their day though Curry's claim to fame is probably being Steph's father though he shot 40% from 3 for his career.  Nothing to sneeze at.  Detlef Schrempf is listed as a guard but not sure he ever played as one.  Dude was a great shooter and would be a really good stretch four or wing in today's game.  Another all-time favorite of mine.  Fun pack and good pull.  Can't beat that.

BREAKDOWN:

15 – Total Cards

1 – Fleer All-Stars

2015 Press Pass Cup Chase NASCAR

 2015 Cup Chase:  Today the boys of NASCAR go for the Championship.  No better way to talk championships than with Jimmie Johnson who is retired now but collected seven NASCAR championships in his career to include five in a row at one point.

I like the base design of these cards with the driver and car sharing the car.  Great example of showing off both in a well presented way.  Joey Logano is my favorite to win it all today.  He's been the most consistent driver in my opinion.  Not saying I'm rooting for him though.  Kurt Busch is stepping away from the sport after a concussion he had just before the playoffs began.  He had already qualified for the playoffs but was not able to get back in the car.  He's a former champion and someone I root for.

One of the two Nationwide cards that highlight drivers in the "minor leagues" of  NASCAR.  Buescher is no longer in the sport at his level.

The drivers have changed so much in seven years but it's fun looking back at some of these guys back then.

I'm still not sure what I think of these Headliners inserts.  The colors and design are okay but I'm not sure the photos really do much for me.

Another Jimmie Johnson appearance here in the pits this time.  Over the Wall is a good way of showing off the car and the pit crew in action.

I'd like some basic stats.  NASCAR cards seem to lack those consistently.  The write-ups are fine but NASCAR has plenty of stats to pull from.  I do like these backs though.  Great photos of the cards and nice color.

A fun pack of cards.  I may pick up another one of these sometime.  Below is my favorite driver, Kyle Busch, who will be swapping teams this offseason and will end his long-standing relationship with his primary sponsor M&Ms.

BREAKDOWN:
16 – Total Cards
4 – Headliners
2 – Nationwide Series
1 – Over the Wall
1 – Purple Parallel