Review: SLAB Baseplates

Last year, SLAB Baseplates were brought to my attention by my friend, Jae.  In the intervening year they've gotten their product onto Walmart shelves.  Since I now have a local source I decided to get a package and do a review.

Box.  MSRP is $29.98, for a $7.50 Price per Piece.

Parts.

Those White bits below the baseplates

are clips to hold them together.

Underneath.

Size Comparison.  Clockwise

from bottom left: SLAB, Make-

It Blocks, Lego, and Lego.

Thickness Comparison.

Build.  (Including the Usual Suspects for size.)  While they might

look  interesting, they are difficult to assemble.  Some of the clips

 wouldn't go into place, the plates have to be aligned in a particular

 direction, and I feel like they don't have Lego's tolerances.

The Questions:

Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Terrain.  (0)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Above.  (-10)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: -10 (C+).  I'm not sure this set needs a score as it will be for building terrain and setting the mood for the game.  At $7.50 for each baseplate they are cheaper than standard Lego -- and larger -- but I'm not sure how compatible they might be due to the thickness difference.  Although the manufacturer claims they are stackable.  Also, this is a combo pack with four different colors.  Which means you'd need to buy multiples if you only want one of those colors.  If you buy directly from SLAB they are roughly twice as expensive as these for individual baseplates.  As always, "Your Mileage May Vary" depending on what you want and what you're looking to build.  Honestly, I'm not impressed.  After fighting to get them together I'm probably not going to get more, even if they look cool.