Here I am with another Hobby Holder review! Once again I was NOT paid to do this review, I spent my own money to acquire these items. Also, a quick note, permission was given to use the gifs and photos in this post. If it has my watermark I took it, if not it was with permission.
If you are new to Hobby Holders or have not read my first review you can find it here: The Hobby Holder: Review
“I remember this! I love mine! What’s new?”
It’s only been a little over a year since my last review but the people over at GameEnvy are at it again. With a second Kickstarter campaign under their belts I have some new and exciting things to share with you.
This second campaign was more successful, by a lot. With a projected $15,000 needed to complete the project they blew way past that by making $125,827 with 3,298 backers! That’s over 500 more backers than the first project! According to the Kickstarter there are now “well over 8000 painters in more than 50 countries are using the Hobby Holder”
Once again I am blown away by the quality and ingenuity of this product which is still made from high quality ABS plastic in the USA.
I pledged for the 4 part kit, where you could mix and match the four parts available. I chose one of each piece which included: a base, an original stability bar, an XL stability bar, and an ergonomic grip. Then, because of stretch goals, I also received: the “Hit the Ground Running” pack (made up of 5- 28mm bottle caps and some Loctite Fun-Tak (which I personally do not care for), a screw, two nuts (of different sizes), and a promo button (with new art!).
“So, what is new?”
I’m glad you asked! They have introduced a new Ergonomic Grip and an XL Stability Bar.
These are completely compatible with the original Hobby Holder set up, which is made up of a base, stability bar (in this case either bar works), and a 28mm bottle cap.
“Tell me about the grip first.”
The QuickClick system is the first and biggest thing, it allows you to quickly click the bases in and out of the grip. Before, to attach a base to a grip you had to screw a bolt through the hole of the base into the hole in the grip. If you feel the need or want the extra security two nuts and a bolt are provided to screw the base down. The next thing is shape; because of the redesigned shape it is now easier to hold both the handle and the grip at the same time giving more control and support while painting.
The grip is made of two pieces that are screwed together with four screws, two at the top and two at the bottom. If the grip is too tight to turn the base or just tighter than you’d like when you click in the base you can do a couple of things. Firstly, you should click the base into the grip and rotate quickly for about 20 seconds. Then unclick the base from the grip and this should solve any issues with tightness.
If that does not fix it or loosen it to your liking it is recommended to loosen the screws a ¼ turn at a time until it has reached an acceptable tightness. If loosening them a little at a time doesn’t work you may remove the screws and and start from scratch. However, over time it will get easier to manipulate, so regular use might solve your problem anyway.
If you would like to weight the grip you can completely disassemble it and reassemble it with some sort of weight inside and then screw it back together. If you backed the Kickstarter you will receive an email with a download to STL files in it. There are several files included, one being for a weight to go in the grip. If you do not have access to a 3D printer these products should be available at retail at a later date, like what they did with the STL files from the first Kickstarter.
Overall, I find this much more convenient than the previous iterations of grips that I own and will be purchasing more of these over time.
“Super neat! What about the stability bar?”
The stability bar or, as it is more commonly referred to as, the handle is now available in a larger size. I find it will be good for both accommodating larger minis and for people with larger hands than myself.
Here are the two handles side by side, original on the left.
The XL handle attaches in the same manner as the original handle. Using the same QuickClick design it snaps into place around the same bases that the original handles use, so no need to buy extra, unless you want to or don’t have one already.
The XL handle allows you to put minis on bases as large as 70mm whereas the original handle only allowed up to 50mm bases easily.
The angles of the finger rest have been adjusted very slightly, this allows you to place minis that are taller than the handle on the holder while still being comfortable.
You do still have the option of turning the handle upside down and can paint minis even larger. Either handle gives you many ways to hold the Hobby Holder so you can get just about any kind of angle to paint.
My only gripe about the new XL bar is it’s slightly too large for me to hold, but I have smaller hands so this may not be the case for you. While I can’t comfortably hold it with my index finger I can hold it with my middle finger fairly well. You can see this in the pictures below.
“Where can I get these again? And how do I follow them to learn about future projects?”
Currently, you can pre-order the new items through the Kickstarter page here.
You can also follow them on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
And as always you can visit their website and find all sorts of hobby related items. From brush stands to bases! They even carry Paint Pucks!
Happy Painting.
-S
sparrowmarieminis.art 