Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Product Review: Tectonic Craft Studios

Hey Everyone!  Today I am bringing you a review of the products over at Tectonic Craft Studios.  Dan over there reached out and asked if I would kindly review some of the great products he makes for all types of Wargamers.  I was happy to do so as he is a wonderful human being and he makes quality stuff!  I picked out a few items and Dan included a few surprises for me to review for you all.


The first product I want to take a look at is one I actually use in my games.  Combat Gauges are everywhere and I own more than few myself.  What I like about this one is it is more than just a standard 1”,2”,3” style.  It certainly has those, but it is bundled with an additional piece that measures 6”, along with other useful distances marked along its side as well.  The two fit together to help those armies who like to drop in 9” away from enemy units.  The best part is you can also customize the wording on these quite easily to help promote your blog or podcast!


The next two products go hand in hand and are all about helping your hobby.  The paint handle is solid and is much larger than I expected.  I have never been a fan of the arms to rest your fingers on that I see on some paint handles, but there are plenty of people who do like that style.  I would say it is best suited for larger hands and bigger models.  All in all, it serves its job well, but it as suited me so I will likely be sticking with my Citadel Paint Handles.  The Paint Pot Holder is another story as this little tool is a true gift!  It goes together quickly and keeps you from having to post a picture on Facebook about your recent spilled pot of paint.  Even better is the ability to disassemble it for when you are traveling light and still want to hobby while not spilling your paint.


No matter what brand of paint you use, we all have a problem with keeping them organized.  The basic paint rack is nice and rest comfortably on a table, but can also be secured to a wall due to the precut screw holes on the best allowing you to hang the entire rack up like a picture frame.  The rack also has the ability to grow to meet your needs with additional paint rack modules you can add as you need so you are not buying an entire new rack every time you need a place for those three new paints you need to try.  You can also mix and match the racks if you mix and match brands of paint for your projects.


When you think of MDF wargaming aids it is likely you will think of movement trays.  It is no secret that I am not much of a fan of using Movement trays, but it does not mean I do not see their use.  Especially custom ones to help meet certain needs within the game.  The movement tray pictured here is almost an necessity to make good and quick use of the new Endless spell and its rules.  Tectonic Craft can do more than this and if you reach out to them then can likely create a custom tray to fit whatever needs you might have for when you are rolling dice.


If you are a fan of using movement trays then you will want to see the bread and butter of what Tectonic can offer.  They can create many sizes, layouts, and styles if you are planning to use movement trays.  I personally like the lipless trays that allow a true base to base contact to happen between yours and your opponent's models.  They offer these preassembled, but if you are buying enough to run a few hundred Witch Aelves you can order them unassembled for less money.  I am going to try my hand at basing a few of these trays up to see what my models look like in a fully based tray.  It might even be enough to convince me to use them in future games.


Tectonic Craft has a large number of useful tools for all types of wargaming and the site is well worth your time to check out.  They can create almost anything you could think of to be used in your games and the prices are very fair for the quality of the product.  They also attend a lot of the major U.S. conventions like Adepticon and NOVA so you can always see their products first hand there as well.


Happy Hobbying!

Chuck Moore