Other basing Kits

[cellardweller]

I know this is skullcrafts forum so please dont chastize me.  I am curious if anyone uses or has purchased kits from anyone else i.e. games workshop, gf9, spectrehobbies, darkart, or terrainforge? 

I am merely wondering and wanting to see your opinion on any others.

[James]

   No reason at all to chastise you for bringing up my competetors. I have always welcomed healthy competition. Always will. In answer to your question, yes. I have purchased and used most of the products produced by the companies you listed above. I have a deep interest in those products because I don't want to lose my foothold on this market. I continually try to improve upon the materials I use.

   As for my opinions of these companies, well...obviously I am going to be biased, so nothing too surprising is going to be written down here. Bare with me though. I see these companies trying to mimic what I initially started. Wait, let me back up there a little, Antenociti's Workshop was one of the first to offer small basing components in a box, I merely stole that idea and went to the extremes with it. However, I was one of the first to make the kit a "complete" all-in-one resource. I am also the first to manufacture the kit and not simply repackage other, already made, products.

   Are my products better? Yes and no. I take very great care in every aspect of these kits. I am a hobbyist, first and foremost, meaning that if I wouldn't use them, why would anyone else? What that amounts to is that I am extremely meticulous about the materials I produce and because it's all on a relative small scale, I am able to produce them consistently so what you see is what you get, all of the time. Very little deviation occurs in my process. So, in essence, it takes me a little longer to do what I do, but the results are (I think) better than what a large manufacturing plant could come up with for the masses.

   Are the other company's products crap? Certainly not! Basing is basing. They offer their versions, I offer mine. There are certain factors, such as costs, quality, choices, etc., but all of the products are going to get the job done on your base. Why buy Skullcrafts over the other kits available? I'll let my products speak for themselves. My target audience is for those hobbyists who grow bored with a bland looking base that offers little to the imagination.

   Does that answer your question? (even if biased).

 

[Guitar Guy]

Oh we won't chastise you CW . You'll find that we are a community of mini fanatics that use all sorts of stuff to make bases and minis stand out. Skullcrafts products are just one of the many things we use to accomplish that and the more you hang around the forums the more you'll notice that we all use basing stuff from other companies as well.

Back on topic, I've used GW basing stuff and GF9 basing stuff. The one product that I realized I was getting ripped off from was the static grass from GW. They basically repackage static grass from Noch in smaller quantities and mark up the price. I really liked the green flock from GW but for some stupid reason they no longer sell it. I also have used their sand tubs but have found them to be a little off scale when I used it for basing. The basing kit they just came out with looks really neat. I have always wanted to try using brass etched leaves for basing but can never find a local supplier here in the states(hint, hint James ).

GF9 makes some terrific stuff. I am not sure if it is repackaged or not but my guess would be it is a possibility. I use the fine granulated foundation grit and the foundation dirt and found them to be close to scale or if not dead on for minis. The fact that GF9 has a kit named the Master Basing Kit is just hilarious enough that I have thought about purchasing it  .

The interesting thing about Skullcrafts is that James makes everything himself. He doesn't repackage stuff with the exception of the Steampunk kit( I don't think you can make gears, chains, and springs that small by hand ). So he really does provide a unique product you won't find elsewhere.
G.G.


 

[Klingbeil]

Wait, let me back up there a little, Antenociti's Workshop was one of the first to offer small basing components in a box, I merely stole that idea and went to the extremes with it.

careful..  he'll sue you for taking his idea of putting things in boxes now    what a tard

but don't put credit where it isn't due.  Woodland Scenics has been doing this for decades.  you however, have been doing it better than the others since the day you opened shop.  seriously, it's impressive the amount of effort you put into the making of the material and your dedication to keeping everything non-toxic...  
not that i plan on eating grass flock or chugging a pint of your PVA glue  

i've used lots of different suppliers for my basing and hobby materials over the years.  i think your stuff is very fairly priced based on the quality of the product.  
AND it's all made in america  

[Klingbeil]

i just want to add that i buy anything once to evaluate their quality.  my own personal educated guess is that 90% of the stuff out there is bulk product just repackaged with a new label slapped on it.  over my lifetime of crafting, i've bought from Woodland Scenics, GW, GF9, spectrehobbies, terrainforge, and a dozen others i can't even remember because they weren't worth remembering.  i however, will not buy any sample product from antenociti because of his poor business ethics, bad attitude towards customers, and deceptive self promotion.  i will not support this type of behavior from someone that only wants to cash in on our hobby and doesn't actually care about the community in general.

skullcrafts excels at this because he himself genuinely cares about the quality of his product, so much so, that he is probably harder on himself than he really needs to be.  let's be serious...  how good does sand need to be? 

I also have used their sand tubs but have found them to be a little off scale when I used it for basing.

THAT says it all right there.  james is a basing artist and no one is harder on their own work than the artist themselves.  if it doesn't pass his personal level of quality, it's not going to be in his store.

[Stephengroy]

I have the GW Fantasy kit.
The slate pieces are far too small IMHO, but the resin pieces are nice.  many are confirured for square bases, which I dislike, but may be sanded easily.
The etched brass bits however, seriously rock.