Random Wax: 2016 Panini Football

This pack of 2016 Panini Football was a lot of fun.  I found it at a reduced price at the local Wal-Mart.  The John Elway Decorated insert is great.  It shows him in the Bronco's orange uniform he wore for a large part of his career.  I've always been a huge fan and it is fun finding cards of his.  This one is particularly nice.  It is a good looking card and a nice photo.

  Seemed to be plenty of star power in this set.  This Antonio Brown card is a Templar foil parallel.  Tough to tell in the photo I know and believe me it is way too much work to figure out what a Chainmail Armor, Knight's Templar, or Shining Armor parallel is.  They aren't numbered so it takes some work.  It shouldn't be that tough.

That Cowboys uniform is probably my favorite though the blue Cowboys jersey, though I'm in the minority on them, are also a big favorite.  The borders take up a bit much of these cards but there is still a aesthetic here that I like even if the design is a bit overdone.

Darius Jackson has yet to play in the NFL but he is from where I live which is great.  I've been picking up his cards as I can but it is nice getting a parallel of one right out of a pack.  Come to think of it, this is the first of his I've pulled.  Sweet.  I like this Knight School card from Jared Goff.

BREAKDOWN:

20 – Total Cards

3 – RC

2 – Templar Foil

1 – Retired Great

1 – Decorated

Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. 1:24 Chevrolet Camaro

Though I don't talk about it much I do follow NASCAR.  It is tough to watch as many races as I'd like but I'm always talking to my pop about the sport which helps.  I don't have much 1:24 scale but I do have some of the Air Force sponsored cars which I've always followed just due to my time in the service.  This year rookie Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. got me excited so I ordered this car way back in January.

Wallace is only 27th in the standings through 28 races but still he is an up and comer so I'm hoping for better results in the future.  His best finish was his 2nd at the Daytona 500, the first, and most prestigious race of the year.

This car has the standard paint finish.  I really like the details on the cars.  This one is still on the base but a few screws will free it or it can be left there.  While you can order cars early in the year, most aren't produced until later in the year.  Some are actually never produced due to lack of demand or other reasons.  This one arrived late last month.

There is also a Daytona raced version that is planned.  This will include the dents, scratches and tire marks incurred during the race.  If I'd waited a bit I might have gone with that version instead of this one.  Doesn't mean I won't add it as well sometime.  The 1:24 cost approximately $55 and the 1:64 $10.

I also grabbed the 1:64 scale of the same car.  I'm very happy with both cars.  They do a great job on NASCAR diecast nowadays.  It is hard to complain too much.    

• Racing Series: NASCAR Cup Series
• Driver: Darrell Wallace
• Model Year: 2018
• Sponsor: AIR FORCE
• Car Make: Chevrolet
• Car Model: Camaro
• Scale: 1:24-scale
• Finish: Standard
• Production Quantity: 949

Random Wax: 2018 Stadium Club

The 2018 Stadium Club baseball isn't the best  design for this brand but the photos still have me coming back.  This pack had five cards.  Yoan Moncada was the highlight though I can't complain about Barry Larkin, Avisail Garcia and Aroldis Chapman.  

I love how retired greats get a chance to shine in Stadium Club.  This Larkin photo won't set the world on fire but still a nice inclusion.

BREAKDOWN:

5 – Total Cards

1 – Retired Great

1 – RC

Random Wax: 2018 Donruss Football

Grabbed another pack of the 2018 Donruss football.  This set is growing more on me.  This card of Ron Jaworski is really sweet.  That is probably my favorite Eagles uniform - perforated jerseys weren't all that but this one always stands out in my mind and is how I remember Jaws.  

  Love that Matt Ryan card and the all red uni.  Not saying I want to watch a whole game with the Falcons in them but I dig it on this card. 

A pretty good pull though not spectacular.  I know Fournette has started off slow, and injured, but if he can stay on the field he really can be a workhorse.

Joe Thomas was great and I was sorry to see him retire.  I love how he didn't go to the draft to go fishing instead.  Of course he was also a great player and I've liked what I've heard of him in interviews and small parts as a media guy.

 A nice Josh Allen rookie.  I'm really hoping he can be the franchise quarterback us Buffalo fans have been waiting for.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

4 – Blue Press Proof Parallels (1 – Rated Rookie)

3 – Rated Rookie (Total)

2 – Retired Greats

1 – RC

1 – Elite Series

2018 Topps Heritage High Number Baseball Cards

Not a fan of these but I always pick 'em up anyway.  The 2018 Topps Heritage High Numbers are the same as the regular Heritage cards with some different insert options.  The Ohtani card made my pull.  Again these aren't my thing but I don't mind taking a shot to see what I might pull and give others a look at the cards.

 BREAKDOWN: 

16 – Total Cards

5 – RC

1 – Rookie Performers

1 – Award Winners

Matchbox Jurassic Park '93 Jeep Wrangler and '93 Ford Explorer

I, like many, have always been a big fan of Jurassic Park.  I remember being in awe seeing it in the theater.   When Matchbox released the 1:64 '93 Jeep Wrangler and '93 Ford Explorer movie from the movie I was stoked.  

These are the "muddy" versions from the Land Rescue Series of the Matchbox 2018 Jurassic World collection.  There are different versions within the collection but I really wanted the muddy versions.

These cars are just perfect for having some fun.  I couldn't resist grabbing the camera and heading outside with a few of the grandson's  dinosaurs.  

I was also able to snag these cars for my grandson.  Can't have him playing with pappie's right?  lol  He is a huge Jurassic Park and dinosaur fan so he was super excited.  

While these seem tough to find in the wild to some extent it seems like some of the 5-packs with these two are still around.  With Hot Wheels and Matchbox is it is all about looking every time you get a chance.  You just never know when a case will be put out.

These are found in the Jurassic World toy section, not the regular Matchbox area.  Matchbox has done a good job covering the Jurassic World car spectrum but so far these are the only two I've picked up.

That's enough showing these sweet cars off.  It's always fun to find cars that mean something to you like that special movie you that was huge when you were young and is one of those all-time greats.  

Random Wax: 2017 Donruss Football

I'm a big fan of the 2017 Donruss football so this was an easy call when I saw the local Wal-Mart found these from the abyss of the stock room.  That said this pack was defense heavy with not a lot of wow factor.  There were also zero retired greats which is one thing I love about these cards.  

There doesn't always have to be a Tom Brady in my packs and the defensive standouts really are good players and include stud Vic Beasley of my Falcons. 

I do like this design, the use of colors and the photos.  This one of Harrison Smith is cool with the yellow numbers on that purple jersey.  I'm not sure I've seen that look while watching a game but don't quote me on that.  

The inserts and parallels were duds with the Rookie Gridirion Kings card being the only insert.  And Davis Webb doesn't move the needle for me.  I won't shy away from these cards.  I like the design too much and I've had better luck before.  So here's until next time.  

BREAKDWOWN:

30 - Total Cards

4 - Blue Press Proof (1 RC)

2 - RC

2 - Rated Rookie

1 - Rookie Gridiron Kings

2018 Absolute Football

This is my first look at the 2018 Absolute football.  These cards that are a lot of color but aren't really my thing.  I like the scans better than the cards themselves.  In hand I'm just not that excited.  I did like my pull which gave Devonta Freeman right off the top of the pack as well as other stars.

  The backs aren't bad.  They have some color, a nice team logo and it is has a format that is a bit different from what we normally see on the backs of cards.

The 1-2 punch is nice and I'm all for retired greats so the Dan Marino Revolutionaries card is fun.

More star power from this pack.  I want to like these cards the more I look at these scans but I'm not sure I'll get there.  The price point (20 cards per pack) is a downer as well.  I will be curious to see what others think of this set.

BREAKDOWN:

20 – Total Cards

2 – RC

1 - Retired Great

1 – Revolutionaries

1 – 1-2 Punch

Random Wax: 2018 Topps Archives

Plenty of stars in this 2018 Topps Archives pack.  These pay tribute to the '59, '77 and '81 Topps baseball sets.  Stephen Strasburg has had a tough season but if he could stay healthy he's shown his numbers will rank him among the league's best each year.  Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge really make this a great pull.  As much as I dislike the Yankees there is no arguing the talent they have in the outfield with these two guys. Was happy to pull a couple of Red Sox to offset the Yankee cards with the Rafael Devers Coming Attractions card ('93 Design) being a favorite.  I enjoy Topps Archives so we may see more of these in the future.

BREAKDOWN:

18 – Total Cards

6 – 1959

5 – 1977

5 – 1981

1 – Coming Attractions

1 – Future Stars

Random Wax: 2016 Score Football w/Auto

These 2016 Score football cards can be found in Wal-Mart discount card areas and I love them.  This is a nice looking large sized set that is a fun break netting you 52 cards for under four dollars.  I was also able to score a Byron Marshall autograph card (end of post).  His career has been pretty underwhelming so far but I'll never complain about pulling ink.  

Some nice star power at the quarterback position.  I'm probably with the majority though and am not a fan of those retro Steelers jerseys.  Don't get me wrong I love retro and these jerseys are cool for a few minutes.  But watching Pittsburgh play an entire game in these unis is rough. 

My first look at the 2016 NFL Draft inserts and I like them.

All three of these are nice looking cards.  I really thought the All-American card was a green parallel but it isn't numbered.  

I thought this was a pretty nice pull.  Plenty of good players and some nice inserts though I wouldn't mind seeing more in a pack of 52 cards.  Odds are you'll see me break more of these as the year goes on.  

BREAKDOWN:

52 – Total Cards
6 - RC
1 – All-Americans
1 – Chain Reactions
1 – Reflections
1 – 2016 NFL Draft

1 - Rookie Signatures Artist's Proof /35

2018 Donruss Football

With tonight's Falcons-Eagles game kicking off the 2018 NFL season I thought some 2018 Donruss football would be appropriate.  Overall I like these cards if not wowed by them.  The pull wasn't the most exciting either though it did deliver Super Bowl hero Nick Foles.  He truly delivered a game for ages defeating New England for the Eagle's first Super Bowl championship.  There better be a photo on a trading card some day with him catching that pass in the Super Bowl.  I really like the All-Time Gridiron Kings John Lynch card.  This "canvas" card has a great feel to it and the art is great in my opinion.  I'll definitely search more of these out.  

A punter card!  I love it and Hecker does have one heck of a leg.  Earl Campbell was the lone retired great.  I'd have loved to see more retired greats but Earl Campbell was the only one I snagged.  If I'm only going to pull one he is a great one to get.  A quick look shows there aren't a ton of retired greats and they are pretty much the same we've seen in previous years.  I'm not complaining but would like to see a little more variance here.  Seems like it wouldn't cost too much to grab one or two different retired greats each year just to shake it up.

 The star power in this pack is right here.  I do like the design overall though the player's names can get lost against some of the background colors.  The backs have enough color to be fine with me.

Joe Mixon is one of the four blue Press Proof cards I pulled.  I will grab more of these cards for sure  as the season goes on.  Can't wait to get an in hand look at the other brands as well.

BREAKDOWN:

30 – Total Cards

4 – Blue Press Proof Parallels

3 – RC

1 – Rated Rookie

1 – Retired Legends

1 – All-Time Gridiron Kings