Harry Potter Wizarding World Defence Against The Dark Arts LootCrate Unboxing

Defence Against The Dark Arts crate revealed and reviewed.

Wizarding World
LootCrate

The latest LootCrate Wizarding World special edition box was devoted to the Defence Against The Dark Arts - always a difficult subject if Dumbledore's track record of hiring teachers is anything to go by. The real question, though, is whether the Harry Potter branded LootCrate can get over that troublesome curse to give fans something to surprise and delight them.

As usual, the Crate combines merchandise and special items that fans won't be able to get their hands on elsewhere - which is precisely the appeal - with the traditional T-shirt and four other premium items that make it more than worth the subscription cost.

As an added bonus to all of the loot, there's some theatre attached to the box itself: thanks to a couple of cardboard cut-out patterns, you can project a Patronus on the interior's starry background design...

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Patronus Crate
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Here's everything you get in this month's box. As ever, it's all been created exclusively for subscribers of the crate...

Counter Curse T-Shirt

Counter Curse TShirt
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You will probably have seen a very similar design to this on fan-made posters, with a distinct old-school circus poster aesthetic. Obviously, the appeal comes in the exclusivity, but it's definitely a fine addition to Harry Potter fan wardrobes.

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The material is high-quality and the print clean and durable, so no skimping on quality here.

Professor Snape's Premium Wand Pen

Harry Potter Pen
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Though it's a pen (a slightly impractical one to carry around because of the weight), the crafting on this miniaturised version of Snape's wand is really impressive. The detail is great, and comparing it directly with the full-sized premium version of the wand really shows how much care has gone into down-sizing it. Kudos to the Noble Collection, who make the wands too.

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Removing the lid takes away most of the weight, so it's not uncomfortable to use, but it's more likely to be one to put on display.

Guardians Of Hogwarts Bookends

Harry Potter Bookends
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Finally, a means to hold the growing collection of Wizarding World books that sticks with the brand! These well-made book-ends, celebrating the least-appreciated defenders of Hogwarts are at least unique. The crafting leaves a little to be desired, but you can somewhat put that down to a design choice more than a short-coming.

Defence Against The Dark Arts Journal

DA Book
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In truth, this is actually a Dumbledore's Army notebook (as anyone with any idea of the books will recognise from the logo, but the box calls it something else) and it's the stand-out in the box by some distance. Perfect for writing on the go, thanks to a snug palm-sized format and far more robust than you'd normally expect from something this small, it's a really nice little treat.

As a nice touch, the signatures of each D.A. member is written on the inside cover.

Marvolo's Ring Enamel Pin

Slytherin Ring
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As ever, the Crate comes with an enamel pin (they pose their own problem when it comes to storing and displaying them, but a Hogwarts house scarf tends to work nicely). It's a beautiful one this time, dedicated to the most villainous school founder as well as one of Voldemort's horcruxes and a great-looking addition to the collection.

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Want one like this? Get a Harry Potter Wizarding World LootCrate with a WhatCulture exclusive discount of $3 by following this link and using code: WHATCULTURE.

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WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.