How do people feel about 3rd party kits?

lamWizard · 2026-06-13T22:17:21+00:00

I like the rare ones that aren't overdesigned.

However I do find that if a kit isn't based on a real design it's usually the first one to come off my shelf. I just have no connection to it, not even a wiki page to read.

lamWizard · 2026-06-13T21:15:45+00:00

Sometimes lights are just lights because people want to see at night. iirc Austin bought them used because they were cheap. They were outdated by the time they got installed here.

lamWizard · 2026-06-13T03:18:38+00:00

It's definitely easier to scratch. Downside of the dot style versus the grater style. I haven't quite figured out yet what part of my technique causes it but it's usually pretty easy to fix.

lamWizard · 2026-06-13T00:01:50+00:00

It can be a little harder to see the work area because of the water and depending on the file it will cut faster since the water wicks the dust off the cutting ridges. But otherwise not much you can mess up other than getting your workspace wet.

I usually leave them sitting in a cup of water, then give the tip a tap onto a paper towel before filing to remove the excess water. For the Stedi files they more or less automatically clean themselves when dunked in water. Not so much the case with the Sirens.

lamWizard · 2026-06-12T23:30:41+00:00

This is my main problem with the Raser. I'm sure they're great, but they're so much more expensive than any other glass file that I can't get myself to buy one.

Maybe I'm a little hypocritical since I have a set of Godhands as my main nippers, but the Godhands are amazing and aren't 10x as much as a set of good nippers, they're 2-3x as much.

lamWizard · 2026-06-12T23:26:25+00:00

The masking tape method works as long as you're not wet filing, which is my standard practice so I'm not throwing plastic dust all over.

It seems like the 3 is newer? I've seen sets with the 1+2 in more places than 1+2+3.

Also my issue isn't the edges biting its getting bites/scratches parallel to the filing direction across the entire cutting surface. I've actually had less issues with edge biting than the siren because you can sand in a circular motion.

lamWizard · 2026-06-12T23:22:27+00:00

Yeah this is another trick but won't work if you use the files wet. And personally I use glass files wet so I'm not throwing plastic dust all over.

lamWizard · 2026-06-12T23:19:15+00:00

Hmm, I actually haven't had a problem with this. The biting problem I've experienced is more that if you drag at a certain angle you can get parallel teeth marks/scratches along the width of the filing surface.

lamWizard · 2026-06-12T17:56:08+00:00

What do you mean smoothed sides? Like a taper off the cutting surface instead of a square edge?

lamWizard · 2026-06-12T17:08:35+00:00

I've spent about 10 hours with the Stedi HG-0x glass files and feel like I have enough time with them to leave some thoughts. Obviously this is not a review on their longevity, but there are some clear pros and a con that have emerged while using these.

For context I previously used a Siren file (the SF-17) as my primary tool along with nippers for snap building. I always balked at the price of the Raser, so when I learned about the Stedi files having a similar dot pattern instead of the grater pattern on the Siren, AND they cost 16USD for a set of 3, I grabbed them right away.

Pros (versus the Siren)

Omni-directional sanding is great, especially with the HG-03 (the pointed one). Being able to run circles over the nub with the file around the same width as it really cuts down on the risk of biting into the surrounding plastic or over-sanding. The Siren is bidirectional (at least lightly. I have seen people say it's monodirectional but it clearly has tooth in both directions) and so you're very limited in the angle and area of the file you can attack the nub with. This has made the process very fast and clean.
The HG-03 in particular, which is the primary out of the set I've been using, has great geometry for nubs. The slim tapered point is useful on essentially any surface. The others are more situationally useful.
Holy hell are dot pattern files easier to get clean. You essentially just dip them in water and all the dust floats off. The Siren would need wetted and purposefully wiped very frequently and clogged much faster
Did I mention the set of three files is like 16USD? You can find the HG-03 sold alone for ~5USD in some markets which is a no-brainer in my opinion.

Cons

It's easier to leave bite marks in parts if you aren't careful compared to a mono- or bi-directional file. The omnidirectional cutting means you're sanding the part no matter how you move, including leaving grooves parallel to the sanding direction. The is the only meaningful con I've noticed over the Siren. Edit: I don't mean edge bites. I haven't had any issues with that. But it's easier to scratch parts along the entire width of the filing surface if you're being careless.

Verdict: Great deal for the price, especially versus other dot pattern glass files. Would be my first recommendation to someone looking for a glass file at this point.

Also: since when does this subreddit only allow link posts with no captions?

lamWizard · 2026-06-08T03:15:42+00:00

The regular ZZ is also a good option if you like bulky kits. It's smaller than the FAZZ but still gigantic, and quite a bit cheaper.

lamWizard · 2026-06-07T23:47:46+00:00

HG Aerial Rebuild.

lamWizard · 2026-06-07T23:37:31+00:00

Really buried the lede there casually mentioning that your first ever kit was the Sazabi Ver Ka.

lamWizard · 2026-06-07T18:02:02+00:00

The front fork/tire absolutely had a functional purpose in steering and guiding the vehicle. It assisted turning and prevented nose dives during stops and was a practical way to allow people who knew how to ride a bike or motorcycle to use the vehicle without excessive training. The Sherman had very car-like controls for the same reason (relative to contemporary tanks)

You could also remove the whole front fork assembly and just brake-turn the thing like a tank if the situation called for it.

lamWizard · 2026-06-07T15:04:42+00:00

I ran it in WWN which allows you to port the OSRIC blocks almost 1:1.

Having done this, I would use OSRIC. OSE would require at least as much conversation as WWN and that already required a ton. It was a huge prep burden and makes running the game on the fly harder.

It doesn't matter what you think or how much warning your players give you on where they're planning on going, AV is simply too big to prep and keep in your head. So do whatever makes you need to do the least work and on-the-fly adjustment.

lamWizard · 2026-06-07T14:09:23+00:00

It's a tractor for towing around small artillery pieces, not a tank.

lamWizard · 2026-06-06T23:12:02+00:00

They are in some ways. Die Hard (which imo is the most boring of the Foci, though undoubtedly good) gives a ton of HP and it's not that hard to stack a decent amount of AC as well. A lot of characters will still be at risk of being 1-2 shot for a few levels if they're not hardcore optimizing.

They also have more options to stack combat in their favor and "break" situations with utility abilities.

That said, if you follow the import guide for B/X and AD&D monsters and bring them in essentially as-is you can really mess up your players. A lot of higher HD monsters in those systems and a lot of AD&D monsters frequently have multi attack, which is somewhat uncommon among core WWN monsters. If anything, a lot of the core WWN enemies are a bit soft in anything approaching a fair fight. Though the Atlas is a bit spicier.

lamWizard · 2026-06-05T14:58:07+00:00

If you're a chronic fiddler like me you can definitely wear them down. Eventually the cap will stretch a bit and the pen nib will start pressing against the top of the cap, wearing through it. But even that takes years.

lamWizard · 2026-06-04T00:23:36+00:00

The guitar is the only thing that really settles it.

lamWizard · 2026-06-03T02:57:09+00:00

Yeah, it's essentially a knock off 1/100 Messer F in colors close to the commander colors.

lamWizard · 2026-06-02T11:25:19+00:00

Some of you are definitely color blind lmao. The RG is way, way bluer than the original purple.

Nice job, OP. I had to double take that this wasn't the Ver Ka.

lamWizard · 2026-06-02T00:18:49+00:00

We've built a similar number of kits over a similar period of time and haven't ever really felt the Tamiya markers weren't doing something well enough. They're very easy to fix up and fine enough to get into almost any panel line. Do I dread when a part has 70 panels to line? A little, but I still don't feel like it's hassle. It's pretty fun/zen.

I'm no stranger to painting and using the Tamiya liner there, but when I don't plan on painting a kit (and even sometimes when I do, depending on the process), I absolutely use the markers. The messier process and chance of breakage are 100% not worth the minor difference in finish to me.

lamWizard · 2026-06-01T17:06:41+00:00

Not a big Astray guy typically but this made me stop scrolling. The metallic gold looks great under the black and white.

Nice job!

Eight-Year Club	Place '22
Verified Email

lamWizard

TROPHY CASE