Thursday, July 4, 2013

A source for superior slottas

Mamabigbig bases are pure win

So I may have mentioned that, while overall the low-profile bases I use for my D&D collection are my favorite, I'm going back to using slottas for my Citadel fantasy collection. Slottas have some disagreeable qualities, and since I've gone with low-profile bases so far for my orcs I'll either have to accept a bit of miss-match or go back and rebase them, but they have a number of pros too and I came to this decision after careful consideration. I'd like to get into the pros and cons in later posts, but at issue today is, for those that do slottas, where to get them?

First, though, why do I need new ones? I have a big box of nothing but slottas but sorting yielded the wrong ratio of diagonal slots to straight slots to closed top. Now, quite a few of the square ones I have are the original model that have a punched diagonal slot and an additional straight slot you can pop out yourself with a screwdriver. These are great, but I have to ration them out carefully for the reason that the straight slot of this type sits closer to the back edge than those that only have a straight slot, and this is a better fit for some figures and a worse fit for others. It's best to have a variety and I don't plan to use these rare bases on a figure that doesn't need one. The end result for me was I needed a lot more straight slot and more closed top (the closed top are needed because some figures don't look right either diagonal or straight, but need a cut of a smaller angle, in which case I cut my own slot with Dremel and cutoff wheel, or cut off the tab and glue the feet directly).

Now, also in the box are a number of off-brand slottas that have a textured edge and in some cases a more rounded corner. I need to say I really don't like these. When buying slottas online I wanted to avoid these at all costs and it's not always easy to tell from the catalog pics what you're getting.

I found a number of sources, but the was only one that had straight 20mm square slottas, pictures of quality that I could confirm the edge was smooth, and inexpensive shipping to the US (free Worldwide, as it happens) was ebay seller Mamabigbig.

Well, I got the bases, and they're perfect. They are sturdier than "name brand" ones I have already, have super-clean sides that are, again, straighter than the name brand ones, and shipped free they come to 11 to 14 cents each for infantry. There is also no sprue bur at all and the injection mark is under the base and out of site. Any size or option you can think of save 20mm round they have. In the listing titles some say Version 3.0 etc, which leads me to believe they aren't ones to settle but have done their due diligence with R&D. It's definitely paid off, as their product is superior in every way. And service was great, shipping fast and the prices as good or better than anywhere. I'd share pics but the pics in the store are as good as any I could show. My only advise to them is pick a cooler name for your store already! Anyway, highly recommended.

3 comments:

  1. These are the ones I have been buying as well....I occasionally have to clean some flash from the slot but for the price I'm not complaining!

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  2. Sorry Bro, gotta disagree. Mamabigbig is a great name. Maybe not for a slotta base seller. However, take Aughra from the Dark Crystal, give her some minderz and some brass bells (so the other orcs can hear her coming) and a Jamaican accent (so she can say stuff like "F@#king Foot of Gork, mon."). What do you have? Mama-Big-Big.
    She'd fit right in with the Old Skull Tribe.

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    Replies
    1. LOL I stand corrected. One converted shaman comin up.

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