2018 Topps Star Wars Solo:  Keeping with the Star Wars theme this week is this blaster that was part of that Black Friday purchase from Steel City Collectibles.  I know the Solo movie doesn't have that many fans but I, especially after a second watch, have come to enjoy it for what it is which I think is a good but not great movie.  In my humble opinion.  The man himself stars on this card leading us off.

   These are yellow parallels.  I actually don't mind the yellow as it is somewhat prominent across the movie posters and makes sense for me.

These inserts are Smooth Sayings, Character Sticker and Silhouette cards.  I like all three of these.  

  A few of the base cards whose card design is nice.  I like Topps incorporating the Millennium Falcon while still leaving plenty of room for the photos.  Enfys Nest is a cool looking character.  Probably an action figure I'll pick up at some point.

This was my hit in the box.  A very muddy Chewbacca manufactured patch relic.  Not my favorite look for Chewy but he is an iconic character.

A Vehicles and Icons insert here.  Both are OK but the Icons don't really wow me.  Way too much wasted space.

A couple of black parallels including the Concept Art insert as well as a silver parallel.  Not sure why they call that black but color parallels don't always make sense.

Overall I like these cards.  The inserts are a little hit or miss but still fun.  This blaster gave me plenty of variety and I enjoy looking back at the scenes and characters from the movie.

That "Showdown With Enfys Nest" shot is pretty well known from the trailers and I do think it is cool.  I thought this was a great look for Qi'ra.  Another fun post and another day down as we get closer to the release of The Rise of Skywalker.  

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2008 Upper Deck Heroes Football:  Another part of my Steel City Collectibles Black Friday was this blaster.  I don't think they are hard to find since I seem to see them on special quite a bit. This is a fun set that I've never had in hand before.  I had to start with this Billy Sims card.  When you first see that Lions logo and a number 20 you think of Barry Sanders.  You can't go wrong with Barry but it is great seeing Billy Sims on cardboard.  He was amazing.  I wish injuries hadn't derailed his career so soon.  Great card and definitely my favorite.

     Each player had multiple cards in the base set though they could be different styles.  This is one of two Brett Favre cards I pulled.  Some great stars represented here.  The base designs are good and they have been growing on me.  Seems like a logo would have fit pretty well in one of the corners not being used.  

Speaking of Barry...  Retired greats have their time to shine as well in this set which is always a highlight for me.  Love seeing The Snake here.

It's nice seeing the rookies in their college unis.  These guys have all gone on to notable careers.  Matt Ryan just became the 10th player to reach 50,000 passing yards.  I know that is an inflated stat in today's throw first era but he is the 2nd youngest to reach the milestone.

These subsets seem a bit random for this set but are still cool.  You'll find Guitar Heroes as well as Sports Heroes from other sports like track and field and wrestling.  I love the Tony Iommi shot on his card.  These seem a bit out of place but I'm good with their inclusion.

Not much going on on the backs.  Seems like a few stats would have been fine but they went with a write-up only look.

More painted cards.  The design and art are definitely a favorite of mine from this set.

  Combine the cool art and these all-time greats and it seems like a nice finish to the post.  Mel Blount doesn't get on enough cardboard so this was a great find.  Just need a Donnie Shell card to go next to Blount to make it look even better.  I really enjoyed this blaster and I'm considering picking up more of these especially if they stay under $10.  

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2018 Stranger Things Season 1 Cards:  I've been wanting one of these blasters for a while so it was an easy pick for my Steel City Collectibles Black Friday purchase.  And today is Friday the 13th so a post about Stranger Things seems an appropriate post. I'm a fan of the show and while it's close I think season one is my favorite.  Eleven is a great character and this photo really resonates as a part of the series.  That particular look is a big part of it I know.

 The cards are pretty simple and are done on Topps Heritage stock (think Journey To... Star Wars cards).  The majority of what you'll pull from these are taken directly from scenes from episodes.  

Each blaster comes with a hit and mine was a commemorative patch.  Not sure the connection between Jim Hopper (town sheriff) and Benny's Burgers.  Maybe he worked there once?  No matter.  The patch is from one of the major characters and is  good pull.

As to be expected there are inserts to be had.  The Dustin card is a character card while the latter two are stickers.  The Nancy Wheeler is a character sticker while the "Concerned Brother" card is a scene sticker.

I like the design and the older card stock used is perfect for this show which is set in the 1980s.  I really like the R.U.N. card.  Winona Ryder is excellent in this series.  This photo with the Christmas lights and the look on her face is classic in my mind.

The backs are pretty simple but still effective with a nice write-up for the photo from the front.

I really enjoyed this blaster just as I do the show.  Not every photo resonates like some do but  looking back at a show you enjoy is fun.

Winona Ryder doesn't always look this strung out in season one...but probably 99% of it.  

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2014-2015 Excalibur Basketball:  This pack is from a premium box and is part of my Steel City Collectibles Black Friday purchase.  Premium boxes deliver three hits.  I did not get a hit in this pack but I'd never busted these before so it was fun.  Derrick Rose has had a bit of a resurgence the last two seasons and I pulled two his cards.  This one is my favorite and is a Knight Court insert.  I like the design in the background behind the player.

These guys have all had their time in the NBA limelight.  Rose has an MVP on his resume, while Tony Parker is a decorated multiple champion with the Spurs and Kevin Love helped the Cavs win their only NBA championship. 

The base cards are simple and nice.  Maybe too much white but that really doesn't bother me too much.  The bottom corners are nice looking.  I think they could have duplicated that in the upper corners as well or done something up top to help frame it better.  The backs are nice but devoid of stats which is a shame.

This Tony Parker Nobility insert is pretty cool looking.  This was a good pack and I really like the inserts I pulled.   The Karl Malone below was another sweet looking card and I like the jersey he is wearing in the photo.  It isn't my favorite Jazz uni but it is a nice one and one you don't see that often.

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2010 Playoff Contenders Football:  This was another part of my Black Friday purchase from Steel City Collectibles.  Fun grabbing older products like this one.  I like the design that includes a full helmet which I really like.  Maybe a bit too much white but overall I enjoy the look of these cards. 

  Fun pack as you get to go down memory lane and see stars from the past..or present in the case of Drew Brees.  I'm a fan of the Contenders brand and this set is one that works for me.

The backs are pretty cool with a full ticket with another helmet and plenty of color.  The Sean Lee is a Playoff Ticket parallel.  

Definitely not a bad pull back in 2010.  Three star quarterbacks who would go on to win a total of four Super Bowls.

Not a ton of inserts with this blaster but I like that retired greats were a part of those I pulled.  The scans don't do these justice.  Each blaster comes with one autograph and NaVorro Bowman was mine.  He was a really good player as a three time Pro-Bowler and a four time All-Pro.  He only played until the age of 29 with a torn Achilles in 2016 probably helping shorten his career.

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