happy, happy days.
this has arrived and gone straight into my all time favourite sets, for me it is right up there with
the Middle Earth book/shelf set. a set looking at the whole as a continuing single story, rather than separate releases. i am a steelbook collector mainly and also like my 4K, but nothing is going to make me part with this for an alternate version. it's very well made, and well thought-out. read on if you want what's going to be a hefty unboxing, or
just jump here to the album if you only want the piccies. at time of posting, this is
still available on both zavvi and amazon, for the same price.
View media item 27409
where to start?
packaging and mailing
first off, this is a big, heavy box, which came to me cunningly disguised in a cardboard box marked with Game of Thrones logos. no way that can possibly go missing in the mail.
for anyone interested in a
literal unboxing so you can see
how this is packaged for mailing, here you go:
mine arrived with only one dent, and fortunately that was cardboard only. the
main box also comes in a separate o-ring cover
the box
ok, on to the actual shadow box itself. i actually have a thing for shadow boxes, so this is dream street for me. the
box itself is chunky wood, the
show logo on the front and
quote on the back are nicely carved out, the
spine has fairly heavy relief also, as are the
'scratch' marks, the
leather securing strap seems well made and sturdy, and the
hand of the king closing pin fits snugly but perfectly.
pics of that
:
for anyone interested in
exactly how big is this, here you go (it's essentially the size of a 12" up and wide), so, you know, huge
:
the screens
the shadow box screens have
removeable clear protectors at the front and back, which have been not only precisely made but have their own slots, so no squeezing in unnecessarily, here.
the
season tabs are leather and seem sturdily attached. the
runner slots for each season are more than deep enough to work, and do well. the screens themselves are a strong, sturdy cardboard, with a
great construction, so the images on front and back and fixed dead flush with the central core. all of that under the spoiler:
but if you are buying this set, this is probably one of the main reasons - the
actual screen artwork and layering. utterly gorgeous
. no words
.
View media item 27399View media item 27398View media item 27397
the seasons
from then on, each season has its own superb, well defined and distinct artwork by Robert Ball, front and back, and underneath each and every disc slot, so the artwork continues when the discs are removed. they are really easy to take out, glossed behind each disc
.
for anyone interested in the artwork for each, i took
way too many pictures
, so dive in under the spoilers:
season 1:
season 2:
season 3:
season 4:
season 5:
season 6:
season 7:
season 8:
bonus:
i like how the bonus discs get their own screen, which they could easily have not bothered doing, nice touch:
in summary: dear god, what a set.
only one place in my collection this could possibly go:
View media item 27329
i can't pretend this is an inexpensive set, and lord knows in the current climate it's a luxury i am very lucky to be able to get (this = an x years' service bonus i unexpectedly got last month). but if you can, or have ways and means, and love the series - do.