So, I saw the GemCat movement templates on EBay just after Christmas and at $40.00/free shipping, I thought, why not? No one's ever said, "I have too much X-Wing stuff." I blame it on Christmas Spirit. The templates were available in 5 different colors - FlorBlue, FlorRed, FlorGreen, FlorOrange and FlorYellow. I got the FlorBlue templates. I have some black acrylic movement templates that I have been using for a while (also found on EBay) and I thought the blue would be a good change.
Immediately after payment, I received a message from GemCat asking me what custom engraving I wanted on the templates - Super impressed! I got the Imperial Cog on mine as I am a dedicated Imperial player.
The shipping information said that GemCat was in Poland and that the processing and shipping time could be lengthy. I ordered them on Dec 30th and they showed up on Jan 17th. To California I might add - not too bad for a quick jaunt across the pond!
After opening the shipping package, I was first impressed by the display packaging. They come in a semi-rigid felt "tray" that I have found to be great for storage. I'm planning on beefing up the tray with a BattleFoam topper to make it a little more stable. After that, it should make for great template storage.
As for the templates themselves, they have a great florescent glow, very much like the FFG templates and range rulers that we have all come to know and love (if you have them - I have a range ruler from the 2014 Store Championships.). I compared each of the maneuver templates with their FFG cardboard counterparts and have found mine to be exact duplicates. The only fault I have with them, mine in particular, is that on the 5-straight template, there are a few protruding bumps on the the left edge, near the middle of the template. Nothing a little dremeling can't take of and they shouldn't affect gameplay but...
The only real difference between the GemCats and the stock cardboard (or other acrylics), besides the obvious upgrade in material and quality, is the width of the range ruler. It is narrower than its American brother but that doesn't really bother me. In fact, I actually prefer the narrower ruler as it makes it easier to get in-between ships.
Overall, I am very impressed with these movement templates. I have played a few games with them and they are very nice. They look great on a play mat and fit perfectly in-between the maneuver "nubs" on the ship bases. More than anything, my X-Wing friends are blown away by the felt storage tray. I'm fairly confident that I will use the GemCat's until I see something better is available or I am lucky enough to acquire some official FFG templates. I think that they are well worth the price and would recommend them to anyone looking to upgrade from cardboard. My experience with GemCat was awesome and I would not hesitate to buy from them in the future.
Enjoy and fly casual!
Edited by GrumpyMuffin