Random Wax: 2023 NASCAR Donruss

2023 Donruss:  NASCAR is back on the track this week after taking a week off.  They'll be at the Talladega Superspeedway.  Chase Elliott is on this Race Kings insert and is 5th in the standings going into this race.

This is one of the two main designs for the cards, and I can't say I'm a big fan.  Kind of blocky and not that appealing.  Some great drivers here including two legends and current driver Denny Hamlin who is 2nd in the standings this season.

Luckily, we do have this great throwback to the 1990 Donruss design of which I'm a huge fan.  Jimmie Johnson won 7 championships, tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for the most.  Darell Waltrip is a NASCAR great as well and a great personality in the sport.  

Car cards are nice.  I like them but always wished they weren't so cookie cutter in their photos.

The 2023 Race Kings design isn't a favorite of mine.  It is a nod to NASCAR's 75th anniversary.  We have a Red Parallel #/299 and a Carolina Blue parallel.

I like Unleashed and Metal Masters inserts.  Bomb Squad is fine and I'm always happy for Kyle Busch or Jeff Gordon pulls.

Really nice Hailie Deegan pull on this Under the Lights Checkerboard Parallel.

These cards are fun.  Good drivers, the 1990 Donruss look and lots of variety including Optic cards.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

9 – Retired Greats

3 – Diamond Kings

2 – Optic

2 – Race Kings

2 – Carolina Blue Parallels

1 - Unleashed

1 – Elite Series

1 – Red Parallel

1 – Power Squad

1 – Metal Masters

1 – Under the Lights

1 – Red Parallel #/299

1 – Checkerboard Parallel

A Minecraft Movie

A Minecraft Movie:  The grandsons and I got to see this over spring break and it was fun.  Both of the boys enjoyed and so did I.  I haven't played the game much, but you don't have to to like the movie.  Jack Black and Jason Mamoa make it fun which is the theme for the movie.  It just works and makes for an enjoyable watch.  

Random Wax: 2025 Topps Baseball Hanger Box

2025 Topps:  I enjoy this year's design, and I like this Ronald Acuna Jr. card.  He always makes baseball more fun.  Those sliding mitts still take getting used to.  

Another Brave and the reigning National League Cy Young.  Alvarez and Seager also All-Stars last year.

Youngsters.  Jackson Merrill has had a strong start to the season for San Diego.

The San Diego team card and lots of fun.  Good photograph.

Gausman has also enjoyed his first starts of the 2025 season.  Dylan Cease is excited about something.

Sale led the NL with 18 wins.  No small feat for a guy who struggled with injuries for so long.

1990 Topps Baseball and Training Grounds inserts.  I'm fine with the 1990 design here and I know I bought a ton back in the day.  Juan Soto is always a good pull but it would have fun to have gotten a sneak peak of the torpedo bat.

This checklist card is a Holo Foil Parallel.

Xander Boagarts is a PC guy for me.  Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw still hasn't taken the mound, but we should see that at some point in what I assume will be his final season.

Some horizontal goodness.  Love the photo.

You'll get four of these Stars of MLB inserts and I pulled some of my favorites in the sport.

BREAKDOWN:
59 – Total Cards
11 – RC
4 – Stars of MLB
2 – Team Cards
2 - Diamante Foil
1 - Checklist
1 – Holo Foil
1 – Rookie Cup
1 – Future Stars
1 – League Leaders
1 – Training Grounds
1 – 1990 Topps Baseball

Random Wax: 2021 Contenders Draft Picks Blaster with Autograph

2021 Draft Picks:  Patrick Mahomes is one of the best we've ever seen.  Kansas City knew they wanted him but didn't know he'd be a 2X MVP, 3X Super Bowl MVP, 2X All-Pro when they traded a 2018 1st round pick (22nd overall subsequently traded, Rashaan Evans), 2017 1st round pick (27th overall, Tre'Davious White) and 2017 3rd round pick (91st overall subsequently traded, John Johnson) to the Buffalo Bills to move and take Mahomes.  Maybe we'll be having another conversation like this in some years after this draft.

This was a great box.  I really like the design; the college unis and I'm a Contenders fan.

Fields hasn't really panned out, but I do like this Front-Row Seats card.  The horizontal look, college logo and design work for me.

Legendary Contenders is fun, but I'd prefer color photos.  That Cam Akers is a Red Game Ticket Parallel.  I like the Draft Class card design.

More greats from the league.  The backs are fine for what they are.  Josh Allen showing his wheels.

Unfortunately, Austin Watkins never played in the NFL.  Still, I'm extremely happy with my pull in this box.  I purchased it in June of 2021.  Just now getting around to posting it.  We'll end it with more greatness in The Goat, Tom Terrific in his great maize and blue Michigan uni.  Enjoy the draft!

BREAKDOWN:

42 – Total Cards

2 – Legendary

2 – Red Parallel Game Ticket

1 – Retired Great

1 – 2021 Draft Class

1 – Front Row Seats

1 – Red Parallel College Ticket Autograph

2024-2025 Totally Certified

24-25 Totally Certified:  Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs are trying to carry their great regular season into the postseason.  Tonight is game 2 of their series with the Heat.  They are up 1-0 in the series.  Mitchell had 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in game 1.  I hope they can make a deep run in the playoffs this year.

Found these at Target and I like them.  It's a simple design but looks good in hand.  Not quite a "shiny card" card like Prizm or Chrome, these are nice and flat with the foil backgrounds.  Closer to Illusions.  It looks like the Mitchell is different from these two cards, but it isn't.

We find youngsters in different formats.  I really like the Portraits card.  Rock the Rim is a pretty nice insert as well.

The backs are fine for what they are.  Color, logo, write-up and minimal stats.  Here we have a retired great, veteran and rookie.  I hope we get career stats on the NBA cards when Topps takes back the license which I think is for the 2026-2027 season.

Fun cards.  If I find myself in a Target again, I'll pick up more of these.  There are 25 Legends in this set including Dwyane Wade.

BREAKDOWN:
10 – Total Cards
3 – RC
1 – Portraits
1 – Rock the Rim
1 – Retired Great
1 – Bronze Mirror Parallel

Random Wax: 1991 Upper Deck Football (3 Packs)

1991 UD:  Kevin Greene played with four teams in the decade but was still named to the 1990's All-Decade team.  He twice had 16 1/2 sacks in a season and ended his career with a total of 160.  And I love that photo.

I love this set.   Here we get a little bit of everything.  Great defense, a Jim Harbaugh appearance, and some kicker love.

Season Leaders and Star Rookie cards are both simple and stay within the design of the set.  A Barry Sanders pull is always fun.  I like getting to see players in their college unis too.

Good Steve Atwater photo.  Whatever just happened, it did not seem to go well for Buffalo.

A nice horizontal card and photo.  

We have an Aerial Threats insert, the back of the Season Leader card, and a Checklist card which is a favorite of mine due to the art Upper Deck did back in the day.  Randall was 9th in rushing that year!

Team MVP cards.  Sometimes I question who Upper Deck chose for these cards but I'm fine with these three.

This is the checklist for the Heroes inserts which was all about Joe Montana.

So much fun and I'll end it with my all-time favorite player, John Elway.  Nice photo too.  As is that Ickey card with Boomer trying to ignore him.

BREAKDOWN:
36 – Total Cards
3 – Team MVP
2 – Star Rookies
1 – Team Checklist
1 - Checklist
1 – Aerial Threats
1 – Team Checklist
1 – Season Leaders
1 – Heroes Checklist

Kraven the Hunter

Kraven the Hunter:  Like many, this one didn't excite me when it came out, but I did want to watch it.  I did that and I'm still not excited about it.  It's fine for what it is but it doesn't feel connected to the Marvel Universe nor something we should get excited about as a standalone movie.  The basic plot is fine, but it's drawn out and again, not much to make this something I'm invested in.  If you're not a Kraven fan, why watch it?  It's a shame as I'd like to see more comic movies succeed.  It just didn't work here, and I do question Marvel's choice of character most are not that familiar with.  Maybe we see Kraven somewhere else down the line, so watching this movie may help you in the future.