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SIDKIT WORLDCON KIT REVIEW

 
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drmcoy
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Joined: 13 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:54 pm    Post subject: SIDKIT WORLDCON KIT REVIEW Reply with quote

I recently reviewed the Coyle WorldCon kit (even though it is not currently offered in kit form any more) and promised a review of the SidKit.

This is a quickie-review -- in the interest of time, I wanted to get pictures up. To see them (and pics of Sidkit next to Coyle), go here (you may need SAFARI or MOZILLA browser to see the pics):

http://web.mac.com/tedeckel1/Site_3/Photos_2.html

I have built several items from SidKit -- SPACE:1999 stun gun and commlock, the Mal Firefly pistol and the previous version of the Bladerunner gun. Sidkit's prop replicas I built vary in degree of accuracy to the original screen used props, but the kits themselves have always been well-engineered for assembly and his on-line instructions have always been helpful.

Sidkit's latest Bladerunner pistol follows suit with a superbly engineered replica of Deckard's infamous sidearm.

I did not offer any pics of the kit in its unfinished state as these pics are available on the Sidkit website and other members have posted pics. The kit comes already assembled -- or at least 99% assembled -- you have to add in a few small detail parts.

The kit parts are clean and all parts are pre-drilled/tapped as needed.

I took the pistol apart on Friday afternoon, that evening I polished up the parts with dremel brass brush and steel wool that were to receive a PERMA BLUE finish, on Saturday I applied the Perma Blue and primed and painted the black parts, and Sunday I spent about an hour or so putting it all back together -- gluing a few of the intricate components inside the gun magazine section, and then installing the LED lights.

This is perhaps the nicest surprise about the kit -- the lights come PRE-WIRED so all you have to do is insert them in place and then push the raw end wires into a small box that completes the connections -- no soldering is required -- although some die-hard builders may solder the connections anyways. The green ones light up, too -- the also come pre-wired inside the little metal rod and the green LEDS are already glued into place -- so you have to mask them off before you prime/paint the rod.

As a kit, I can't say enough nice things about the Sidkit -- a joy to build. With rare exception, every single part/bolt/screw fit perfectly. A note to the more novice builders -- you really should LABEL the screws as you take the pistol apart because many of them look similar and it's a real bear trying to remember what screw goes where only from memory. You can do this by wrapping the screws loosely in masking tape and making a short note on the tape where the screws go on the gun.

Most of you will use the pics to judge the accuracy of the kit as it compares to the screen-used prop. The Sidkit is almost spot-on in every detail. It is difficult for me to make judgements on the finer details as I truly have a hard time discerning them, but here are a few really small things that don't appear to be 100% -- the barrel length and diameter of the barrel "hole" (the width of the actual hole where bullet comes out seems a tad larger than on hero prop).

The bottom of the LED case (provided in metal and resin/plastic) seems to set flush with the housing, whereas on the actual prop I believe the bottom actually stuck out a bit from the bottom -- at least it appears this way in photos, but this could be because it was loose on prop -- I truly don't know, but my friend Sonny commented on this so I thought it deserved mention.

The OFF/ON markings on the switch cover are molded into the metal (or plastic depending on which you decide to use) -- but once you prime and then paint black, the indentations of the actual ON/OFF letters aren't as defined -- I was hoping to rub on some white acrylic paint and wipe off excess, hoping the paint would fall into the little channels of the inscribed letters -- but they weren't deep enough to accept the paint -- at least the OFF letters weren't. I suppose I could go back and use a needle or pin to try and scratch out the black paint, but this is work that my eyes just aren't cut out for anymore, so I may just let it go. On Coyle's kit, he did provide a separate metal plate that had the ON/OFF words printed on them, which is a nice touch on the COYLE version -- but as this was his kit, such "kit" comparisons seem moot.

I am having a hard time deciding whose grip is more accurate. Sometimes the Coyle looks more accurate and then times when Sidkit's grip looks dead-on...I would love to hear other's thoughts on this.

Well, I'm writing this late at night and my brain is somewhat fried from my day, so I'm sure there is more I'll add about this later this week.

Bottom line, if you do not have a BR prop replica, desire one made of metal and you have modest building skills, then I believe this is the best kit you'll find for the money. While it may not be 100% spot-on, it's close enough to my tired old eyes, and I welcome others comments on details I may have overlooked -- positive or negative.
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QuasiOdo
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Joined: 26 Nov 2007
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Location: Cleveland, Ohio

PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

An objective eye is refreshing to see.
It seems that both guns have their merits, whether they be accuracy or convenience of build.
Maybe now everyone will stop the insanity, hostility, etc., and appreciate those who have spent countless hours enriching the hobby.
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Anson James
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Joined: 31 Oct 2006
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Location: Ireland.

PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

QuasiOdo wrote:
An objective eye is refreshing to see.
It seems that both guns have their merits, whether they be accuracy or convenience of build.
Maybe now everyone will stop the insanity, hostility, etc., and appreciate those who have spent countless hours enriching the hobby.


For animosity which a dash of racism you should look at Rich's posts in the Pit.

Great review - thanks!
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BeastMaster
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Joined: 19 Jul 2007
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Location: UK

PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

cheers for the review. Unfortunately I have the labourious task of converting a 2006 sidkit into a worldcon, with the help of some conversion parts. So alot of modding will be involved. You WC kit owners dont know how easy you got it! Wink

drmcoy, where did you get those little grub screws for the ammo cover? Maybe now you can take the best bits from both kits and put them together for the perfect blaster Cool

OB sells plastic on/off covers. Maybe file off the one on the ammo cover and just stick one of those on.
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QuasiOdo
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
For animosity which a dash of racism you should look at Rich's posts in the Pit.

I HAVE READ HIS POSTS.
When are people going to let this all go??? What exactly is the point of bringing this up OVER and OVER again?
God forbid trying to be positive.
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drmcoy
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Joined: 13 Apr 2008
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding the little set screws on the LED housing -- on the new Sidkit Worldcon kit, theyare supplied as two poured metal parts that plug into the holes ont he LED housing -- I bet Sidkit would send you a set for a buck or two. or you can try to find a setscrew at hardware store, but finding setscrews with SLOTTED tops is a challenging prospect as most have the hexagon type indent -- but if you aren't being anal retentive about this, the hex setscrews should do the trick -- then all you would have to do is add the litle collar on the one, which you could make from a metal tube, or like I did on the COYLE kit, from a plastic tube painted gunmetal. The Coyle kitcame with authentic slotted set screws, by the way.

As for piecing together parts from Sidkit and Coyle, this might be a real challenge as not all parts are exact same size and, more importantly, do not have the screw holes drilled/tapped in the exact same positions. I guess you COULD get a RAW kit from each maker without anyholes drilled in, but this would be a LOT of work to piece them all together.

It is my humble opinion that each kit is outstanding in its own way -- just a matterof whether you wanna build the Sidkit yourself (which is pretty easy) or spend the extra $$$ for a ready-made Coyle.

As for upgrading an earlier Sidkit to a WorldCon version -- you should simply write Sidero and see if he'll sell you the needed upgrade parts as I BELIEVE the WorldCon parts can be retrofitted onto the earlier versions of his kit.
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BeastMaster
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yep I have the crucial upgrade parts already which also includes the ammo box and cover in metal. I dont think the screws you talked came with it though. If I cant get hold of any I'll ask sid if he could send them.
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drmcoy
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 11:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Someone else was having trouble with the swing-out bullet chamber assembly -- just wanted to note that I'm also having some issues with this ont he Sidkit -- it was also a finicky thing on Coyle kit.

The issue on the Sidkit is that it is challenging to get the little rods and springs and end cap and ejector port installed so it works SMOOTHLY. I have NOT spent a lot of time futzing with this yet as I don't intend to keep opening and closing the chamber, but as I know many others will want to do this, I'll post any progress/tips I discover on how to make this asepct of the kit work better.
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The Loyalizer
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does the cylinder rotate when the tigger is pulled or is it static?
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SaberFreak
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Loyalizer wrote:
Does the cylinder rotate when the trigger is pulled or is it static?

Static. Not that you'd be able to see it rotate anyway, even if it does rotate...
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drmcoy
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The cylinder does NOT rotate on either the Coyle or Sidkit when trigger is pulled. I do not believe I have ever seen ANY replica that had this feature, with possible exception of phillipes replica which was made from all real gun parts -- as his actually fires, I imagine his barrel does rotate when trigger is pulled.
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Anson James
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

drmcoy wrote:
Someone else was having trouble with the swing-out bullet chamber assembly -- just wanted to note that I'm also having some issues with this ont he Sidkit -- it was also a finicky thing on Coyle kit.

The issue on the Sidkit is that it is challenging to get the little rods and springs and end cap and ejector port installed so it works SMOOTHLY. I have NOT spent a lot of time futzing with this yet as I don't intend to keep opening and closing the chamber, but as I know many others will want to do this, I'll post any progress/tips I discover on how to make this asepct of the kit work better.



I glued my 2005 Sidkit chamber closed - the chamber is too heavy to stay closed as it really is a big hunk of metal.
Some things are best glued anyway especially where painted metal is concerned - it obviously doesn't take much to scratch the paint.

Sure the moving features are cool but the last thing you want is people picking the gun up and playing with it.
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BeastMaster
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 2:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

from what I understand the led cover is fixed to the ammo box by a small screw at the back right? Just wondering in the case of the metal led cover how that holds up? it looks as if the little tab on the led cover is taking a bit of strain holding it all in place.
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technocoy
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Joined: 21 Jan 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 11:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

anyone order one recently since Sid has started to build inventory? How long is shipping to the US taking on average? I'm about to buy and I'm so impatient!

This kit is looking really nice. I can't wait
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clutch
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 1:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Took me about 37 days from clicking send on paypal to having it at my doorstep.
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