ESP NRL Limited Edition Review
There has been a mixed reaction so far to ESP taking over the NRL license from Select as a lot of collectors are a bit uncertain of what to expect.
So far I do like where ESP is heading however the big issue I have at the moment is the lack of interaction with its customers. A lot of collectors didnt even realise this set was due out this week as aside from the official flyers mentioning it was to be released sometime in September. There wasn't any info really getting out there into the market to help build up the hype about this release, especially it being there first with the NRL License.
Anyway here are my thoughts on the cards.
Base Cards: The base cards feature the players in action shots on a metallic like background. The foil stamping for the name is a nice touch however there are a handful of images chosen for the cards that I think could have been better. The back features a limited range of stats in relation to Origin/Test or All Star appearances.
Parallel Cards: These cards are exaclty like the base cards but feature a refractor like coating on the front. I have to admit these cards do look very nice and turned out much better than I had imagined. These fall 1 in every 3 packs.
Captain Signature Cards: These cards again are similar to the base cards and instead feature a Gold Finish and Gold Foil stamping on the cards. The area for the signature is on the smaller side and has led to players like Gallen appearing to slant their auto to fit within this area. The only downside for these cards is that the pens used on them have led to some of the signatures bubbling, like when you get a card signed in person on a shiny base card surface. Another point is that Marshall (All Stars/NZ) and Smith (QLD/Australia) both have 2 autos in this set so you only have 4 players that have signed.
Jersey Signature Series: These cards look quite good and having seen that ESP has used proper jerseys (although not game worn) is a thumbs up and leads to some nice patches being used as part of the cards design. The one let down is that the pens used to sign these jerseys appear to be washed out on the jersey piece and in some cases very hard to see. The Greg Inglis is a prime example where a black auto on a dark green jersey piece doesnt work that well. I would have loved to have seen a few more players added to this checklist to make this set more of a chase.
Dual Signature Card: This card looks quite good however the choice of Waerea-Hargreaves along side Hindmarsh is a strange one. If it had been a player like Hayne (Parra connection) or another popular player who played in the All Star Game, then this card might be a very highly sought after card.
6 Ball redemption cards are available however I was not lucky enough to pull one in the 2 boxes I busted.
Overall, this is a solid start for ESP however its the little things like photography, no serial numbering, hard to see autos and signatures that bubble on the cards that lead me to think if they get these small things right, collectors may be in for some great releases down the track.
Another concern I have about this release is value for money. 18 packs per box at $7.99 per pack for me is too high for this release. If the price was $4.99 I think it would be the right price point.
There will be 1 in 3 boxes where all you will pull is base and parallel cards and I cant help but think some added value in a 1 per box insert would have softened the blow slightly.
For a first release overall I would give it a 6.5/10
Cheers
Matt
There has been a mixed reaction so far to ESP taking over the NRL license from Select as a lot of collectors are a bit uncertain of what to expect.
So far I do like where ESP is heading however the big issue I have at the moment is the lack of interaction with its customers. A lot of collectors didnt even realise this set was due out this week as aside from the official flyers mentioning it was to be released sometime in September. There wasn't any info really getting out there into the market to help build up the hype about this release, especially it being there first with the NRL License.
Anyway here are my thoughts on the cards.
Base Cards: The base cards feature the players in action shots on a metallic like background. The foil stamping for the name is a nice touch however there are a handful of images chosen for the cards that I think could have been better. The back features a limited range of stats in relation to Origin/Test or All Star appearances.
Parallel Cards: These cards are exaclty like the base cards but feature a refractor like coating on the front. I have to admit these cards do look very nice and turned out much better than I had imagined. These fall 1 in every 3 packs.
Captain Signature Cards: These cards again are similar to the base cards and instead feature a Gold Finish and Gold Foil stamping on the cards. The area for the signature is on the smaller side and has led to players like Gallen appearing to slant their auto to fit within this area. The only downside for these cards is that the pens used on them have led to some of the signatures bubbling, like when you get a card signed in person on a shiny base card surface. Another point is that Marshall (All Stars/NZ) and Smith (QLD/Australia) both have 2 autos in this set so you only have 4 players that have signed.
Jersey Signature Series: These cards look quite good and having seen that ESP has used proper jerseys (although not game worn) is a thumbs up and leads to some nice patches being used as part of the cards design. The one let down is that the pens used to sign these jerseys appear to be washed out on the jersey piece and in some cases very hard to see. The Greg Inglis is a prime example where a black auto on a dark green jersey piece doesnt work that well. I would have loved to have seen a few more players added to this checklist to make this set more of a chase.
Dual Signature Card: This card looks quite good however the choice of Waerea-Hargreaves along side Hindmarsh is a strange one. If it had been a player like Hayne (Parra connection) or another popular player who played in the All Star Game, then this card might be a very highly sought after card.
6 Ball redemption cards are available however I was not lucky enough to pull one in the 2 boxes I busted.
Overall, this is a solid start for ESP however its the little things like photography, no serial numbering, hard to see autos and signatures that bubble on the cards that lead me to think if they get these small things right, collectors may be in for some great releases down the track.
Another concern I have about this release is value for money. 18 packs per box at $7.99 per pack for me is too high for this release. If the price was $4.99 I think it would be the right price point.
There will be 1 in 3 boxes where all you will pull is base and parallel cards and I cant help but think some added value in a 1 per box insert would have softened the blow slightly.
For a first release overall I would give it a 6.5/10
Cheers
Matt
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