Posts Tagged ‘Inside’

Beyond the Chaos: An Inside Look at the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Trading Cards

Questions answered by Rachel Askari

Why was the set made? Why is it relevant today?

This set was created to pay homage to the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands videogame. With the release of Gearbox’s Borderlands 4 this month, we hope fans will be excited for this set as it’s within the Borderlands world. These trading cards should build excitement for the upcoming release of Borderlands Legacy Collection trading card set.

How did you bring in the element of chaos to this set of cards?

All internal UD departments worked together to bring in fun elements of chaos that themes along with the game’s humor, quirkiness, & visuals. Our Type team (Izak Weintraub & Thomas Kitchell) took inspiration from the voice lines in-game and gave the card bios a fun twist of humor and playfulness. Graphic

designers (Krista Timberlake) created unique designs that complemented the chaotic foils picked by our Product Development team (Bubby Johanson & Ryan Carroll). As for me, for the characters we did not have assets for already, my main focus was taking screen captures of characters with dynamic poses and varying backgrounds. That plus the wide variety of characters added to the whole chaotic theme of this project.

How did you decide on what characters would be a part of the set?

The character list was based on main characters and character types in-game. I wanted to make sure all character types would be represented in the set – especially the Base Set. Here’s a simplified breakdown of the types of characters in this set: Main/Iconic Characters, Zombies, Skeletons, Shrooms, Goblins, Trolls, Crabs, Pirates, Seawargs, Coiled, Wyvern, Cyclops, & Main Bosses.

What was the inspiration behind the Character Sheets, Warsmith Rip Cards, and Bunker Masters inserts? Why were they chosen to be rare?

• – Character Sheets
  •      – Character sheets appear in cut scenes in the TTW videogame for important characters. It’s a fun idea to pull from the game and turn it into a physical card collectors can get their hands on. The way these cards are built are similar to shadow boxes, with multiple layers of designs on a clear PETG card to create one extra special card.
• – Warsmith Rip Cards
  •      – Throughout the game, there are weapon vending machines that allow players to purchase various weapons and different rarity levels. This is a huge part of the gameplay for TTW as it is considered a “loot and shoot” game. The Borderlands franchise is heavily focused on weapons and loot, which is the main driver for including weapon inserts in this set. The rip cards are especially unique as collectors can physically rip open a vending machine card to pull mini-card weapons.
• – Bunker Masters
  •      – The design for this insert is the most colorful and vibrant in the set. Pink and green designs with Raised Spot UV make these cards feel and look extra special. This 20-card set also only features main characters, adding to the value of these rare cards.

What was the inspiration for the Loot cards with scratch offs?
The Loot Cards are an extra special card we were able to create thanks to our contacts over at Gearbox/2K. They were able to give us a select amount of SHiFT codes which allow players to redeem a Skeleton Key in-game to get special Loot (weapons, shields, or grenades).

What’s your favorite card and why?
My favorite cards would have to be Tiny Tina in the Bunker Masters Set, or the rip cards. The Bunker Masters Set utilizes colorful designs and Raised Spot UV to give the cards a nice texture and clean finished look.

What sets the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands pack apart?
The designs are unlike any set we’ve done in the past. As mentioned earlier, the game is chaotic, colorful, and full of vibrant personalities. We played off of the game’s uniqueness which translates into the trading cards set.

Is there any cool technology that collectors should know about?
My personal favorite tech you can find in this set are: Raised Spot UV, rip cards with mini weapons inside, shadow box cards, and wood cards (e-pack only). Also, honorable mention to our MetalX cards which have extra shine to them, our manufactured memorabilia cards, and the scratch off loot cards!

Product depicted for demonstration purposes only and is subject to change without notice © 2025 The Upper Deck Company. © 2025 Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Gearbox, Gearbox Software, 2K, 2K Games and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

The post Beyond the Chaos: An Inside Look at the Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Trading Cards appeared first on Upper Deck.

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Upper Deck Compendium: An Inside Story from an Enthusiastic e-Pack NHL® Collector

My experience with Upper Deck e-Pack™ has been nothing short of spectacular. I first learned about the online trading site through SportsCardForum.com, the same day 2016-17 Upper Deck NHL® Compendium was released. I read a thread that was talking about collector’s needs and wants. When I created my e-Pack account, I wasn’t sure what I [...] Upper Deck Blog

Photo Gallery: Inside the NFL Experience

By Andrew Tolentino | Assistant Editor

Braving the second evening of a three-day North Texas ice apocalypse, I put on my warmest clothes and ventured to the Dallas Convention Center for the Super Bowl XLV NFL Experience.

Despite the freezing temperatures, I  arrived without incident and with childlike glee when I saw the epic Super Bowl XLV letters standing in the iced-over convention center lawn. As visitors – some locals, some tourists, some brandishing terrible towels, some sporting cheese heads – poured inside the building, I couldn’t help but momentarily absorb the spectacle from afar.

However, I have seen the movie “Alive,” and I know what prolonged exposure can do to a man.

After making my way inside the traveling NFL theme park and eating a protein bar (just to make sure),  I confirmed the glorious magnitude foreshadowed by that dramatic entrance. I was greeted with the hustle and bustle of show-goers, a light show and an enormous Drew Brees cut-out hanging from the ceiling. At the epicenter of the experience, the Topps and Panini-sponsored Memorabilia Show lured me in immediately. Bringing their best host-city wares and cream-of-the-crop football collectibles, dealers set up shop, hoping to make hobbyists out of every attendee. Offering reasonably-priced merchandise and promotions to a crowd of awestruck football fanatics, most of these merchants didn’t have to do much convincing. 

Beyond gridiron collectibles, the event was packed with engaging exhibits and photo ops. I watched as attendees posed with their heads atop life-sized mannequins from various teams, placed their hands in player-casted molds and stood in line for autographs from Will Witherspoon and Chinedum Ndukwe. Surrounded by locker room display cases, visitors could even use computers to search for and watch specific plays from the season.

Marked by interactive displays, free autograph sessions and other activities throughout, the event is more than just a sight to behold. Appropriately labeled, the spectacle is all about the experience.

With that being said, below are some of the visual highlights from my frigid, but rewarding night. Stay tuned for an upcoming NFL Experience video.

Filed under: Beckett Media, NFL, Panini, Topps Tagged: Dallas Super Bowl, NFL Experience Memorabilia Show, Panini, Super Bowl XLV NFL Experience, Topps The Beckett Blog