2021 Panini Diamond Kings Blaster!

I usually stay away from the unlicensed stuff. But, when you want a little variety and haven't opened anything in a while, sometimes your rules change. Did this provide the variety I was looking for?

Let's see! 

There's the box, as always.

Seven packs, of five cards. 35 cards total. 

Almost a Red Sox card! (Sorry, almost a "Boston" card.) I like the fact that the design of the card really obscures the lack of logos. It's trying to convince you this is a painting, and a slightly abstract one at that, so those details might not even be there anyway.

An "Artist's Proof" parallel. Again, sticking with the painting theme implied in the set name. Not sure what they're suggesting an "artist proof" is in this case, other than a clever name. It sure looks like every other card of McClanahan. Unlike the Stadium Club "Master Photos" set that at least showed the progression from the master to the final.

A thick bordered card of Juan Soto. These cards are annoying because it's almost impossible to flip through a stack of cards without catching the corners of other cards on these raised borders.

Another Jimmie Foxx, but Boston Jimmie this time! I love the dedication to the "painting" theme with the paint roller borders, and all the other details. If you're going to have a theme, I think you should stick with it. 

And, there you have it. Probably ended up being a waste of time and money, but at least it was a little bit of fun while it lasted.

How did your blasters go?

2021 Diamond Kings Blaster!

After doing a quick check, it doesn't look like I've opened one of these before. At the very least, it doesn't look like I've talked about one of these before. Hopefully that will make it a little bit more fun fo you. Maybe a very little? In any event...

Let's get to it!

Here's what the box looks like, in case you were wondering.

And the seven packs of five cards. And the fascination with Babe Ruth.

Here's what the base card looks like. I enjoy it. With a set being named after a famous art subset, the "paint" feel to the border is a nice touch. Never thrilled with a bunch of older players in a set. But, in this case I knew what I was getting into.

Carrying on with the "art" theme and a "lithograph" combination. Too bad it's a Yankee.

Really going with the art look with this one. "The Club" name doesn't really fit. But the card just screams "I'm a painting" to me.

Another Red Sox card. Another retired player. This one's a super special Artist's Proof version. So, at least that's cool. And, I like Joe Wood. The black and white images for an "art" set are a bit jarring. Surprised they didn't spruce them up a bit.

Another very art insert set with a very non-art insert set name. I mean, I guess you can have elegance in your painting, but I think that's a bit of a stretch.

See? The color pictures make much more sense.

There! Another very artsy card from an insert set with an artsy name. That's how you do it. 

And another one. I like how the painting feel hides the fact that there's no logos. When everything is sort of choppy or blurry, it doesn't stand out as much.

Not bad. But, did every design element on the card need to be stacked on top of each other?

So there you have it. Several Red Sox. A few Red Sox inserts. Not a bad haul from the blaster.

How did yours go?