We probably all know of the London toy store, Hamleys, but those in Sheffield will wax lyrical about Redgates. Let me assure you, that when Hamleys opened in Sheffield, killing Redgates, it was a case of Southern bullshine, obscuring solid Northern gold.  Any child who remembers Redgates will tell yanyone who cares to listen, how truly brilliant that store was. Four floors of quality toys, usually the entire range of any product line, and many ranges which would not become fashionable for 2 decades. They were ahead of the curve in so many ways. And so, having been wowed by Beatties and these newfangled fan tasy games in the glass cabinats in the RC car section, lets walk 500 yards down the road and perhaps back in time 4 years or so. Redgates was the best prof of life test a child could ask for. If your pulse didn't quicken as you passed the large glass windows of this department store dedicated to the edification of children, you were dead. It was that simple. Now,  Re...

 Well, as we alight from the 'City Clipper' on Pond Street and head back along the bus shelter which fronts the Peace Gardens (an ironic name, I assure you), we se Beatties of London, a Mecca for all kinds of serious hobby products, and today we may find something new. It's been a couple of years since we slipped the timestream where we had just come out of the Co-Op with my nan, and on this overcast day, we are here with my best mate at the time, Alan Staniforth, about to run across Pinstone Street to Beatties: The pic above is a little later, after the long, wooden bus shelter was pulled down and replaced with these horrible tube steel and perspex monstrosities, but we can see Beatties, so lets cross the road and try not to stand out in our skinny fit jeans, denim jackets and wannabe, Hippy pretentions which at this point are starting to show, as we seek to emulate people like Stanny's elder brother Dave, who was a biker and in our eyes, rather cool and getting us int...

 This morning, I've made a list of the stuff with my painter, which once I have it back and based signals the end of my collectiung of fantasy: 240  Chronicle Hobgoblins 60 Chaos Goblins 222 Chronicle Orcs 180 Dark Elf foot 49 Dark Elf Cold One riders 4 War Eagles with riders 1 rider for War Eagle 10 Orc Wyvern Riders 6 Harpies 72 Chaos Creatures 1 Ogre Champion 200 High Elf infantry 62 High Elf cavalry 8 Chaos Champions 4 Beastman Champions 9 Orc crewmen Leaping Slomm Twoface Zygor Snake Arms Chaos Harpy 140 Chaos Warriors 20 Angels 160 Broo Beastmen 3 Dark Elf bolt throwers and crew 31 Gargoyles 12 Red Goblin rider models 16 Eagles 200 Northern Dwarves 7 Goblin characters 32 Night Goblins   Not much of a post, I know, but I know that fellow enthusiasts like seeing such lists.   Once I have all of this back and based, I'll be stepping away from collecting Fantasy.

 I just opened the John Blanche sets from The Army Painter, and whilst they are undoubtedly useful, I have a few thoughts. Here are the colours and paints included in the two sets, after getting through the plastic, cardboard sleeve and indeed the box itself. Why oh why do we need so much packaging for this product? Once you get inside, there's the same rather uninspired piece of artwork in both sets (why they didn't go for something more exciting or indeed two different pieces, given the amount of packaging fluff, I don't know, but it's the visual equivalent of Steve Hackett's 'noodling', and a massive oversell on the part of TAP. There are sundry other flyers and booklets, which, given that this is a supplemental/advanced set, seem to be another waste of paper and effort, which, like it or not, the customer will have been charged for.  So; here's the stuff you really want to know about: Now, on reflection and as a veteran full-time painter, I would hav...

 Well, after a 15 minute ride on a 47 bus, we have arrived in Sheffield's Haymarket and two shops beckon which, directly led to me getting into wargaming, although there are also a couple more smaller places in the market itself, but they only have the odd diecast car and Timpo Swoppets copy, so we'll not waste time there today as my nan has to do the weekly meat and fish shop, and I reckon I can get her to spend some money on the family's golden-haired-first-born... Actually, once I ntroduce a location, it may be best if I move across the mutliverse to offer snapshots of how it was but also look at where a place tied into my hobby. Feel free to ask questions in the comments if you wish.  Sheffield market had an area known as The Gallery which was two stories up, a quadrangle of shops comnnected by aerial walkways, which also connected to Woolworths, British Home Stores and several other larger businesses, but the reason I liked it (Woolworths will play it's part later,...

 As you will be aware by now, I am both veteran fantasy and historical gamer. My push to have all my collected fantasy stuff painted has become known affectionately as 'Project Weird Shit' and is currently around 60% complete, mostly because of the sheer number of figures it involves and because I have wasted my life sitting on carrier bags full of lead. Literally... Back in the very early 80s, those of us with connections on the GW staff had a nice little arrangement going whereby the staffers would pop down to Citadel HQ, and use their 'buy by weight' option, and, for a small 'commission' we could access that treasure trove of goodness. The first time I saw a GW carrier bag, half filled with Fantasy Tribes Orcs, I nearly pissed my pants. In the local area, it was not uncommon to see the swapping of carrier bags between the gaming youth as they traded armies with each other. I shudder to think of doing that now, with aged models, but when you are 14 and these t...

 Over the last 4 and a half decades, I have seen a lot of things in this fine hobby, some have been great and many, many more, pretty pointless. One particular 'Room 101' subject for me is the sheer amount of 'kit' we supposedly need just to be seen as 'proper' wargamers. Look, you used to need a few dice, a ruler, a toolbox full of figures and maybe a protractor. Now you need 'battleboards', specialist dice, more supplements than a Venice Beach bodybuilder; and that's before you get to painting the figures.  Why, do we need 300 page books wherein only 30 pages are actually the rules? Surely all this eye candy and fluff is a waste of time, money and supposedly precious resources? In my eyes,a set of Gush Renaissance rules are way more eco-friendly than a set of pike and shot, and the minimal approach means that gamers have to get off their increasing lardy arses and do some research themselves. As to eye candy, there's plenty out here on the web....

 So, toy shops... I genuinely believe that in Sheffield, we were spoiled for choice. I was born in 1968, so I lived in the golden age when Action Man was an alpha male, but girls had Havoc, a smaller scale action figure for girls, who had a motorbike for Christ's sake... She kicked Sindy's flowery-knickered ass, and even Action Man watched his step around that lady. Barbie stayed well clear for fear of getting a brake handle taken down the side of her nipple pink convertible. Havoc was designed by Mary Quant - talk about designer toys - and was well tooled up: When it came to Action Man, I was a pedant for detail. I actually bough matching uniforms (Duck Hunter pattern, high boots and M1 steel Helmet , or green jumper and beret for commando missions, for all of the troops under my command - Which if I remember correctly was 7, although the Assault Boat could only stay afloat with 6, so two patrolled in my Cherilea PBR, to allow a fully tooled up 5 man team to conduct raids, rep...

 Well, it's been a fortnight since I took ownership of the former Rodiss ECW collection, so this morning I thought I'd see how it looked on the table. I filled my 15ft table and still have around 300 in the boxes. It's a beast of old school Hinchcliffe goodness (with the odd Minifigs and Warrior models). I also cracked on with basing over 350 more of my old school fantasy project: Consequently, I have not had time to befging part of my Memory Lane series, but I'll make time over the next week, and we shall return to the early 1980s and my (mis)adventures therein. TTFN

 I wrote around 370 pages some years ago, ostensibly about being a tabletop gamer and roleplayer in the early 80s and beyond, but I think it's time to add to that and indeed add texture and context to what it was like to be part of something as awesomely different as this hobby was then.  So, let me try and fill in some gaps and widen the scope of my original writing. I make no apologies for being an unreconstructed man of my time. I don't have time for political correctness, nor for the identity politics of the world today. I believe that everyone has a right to do as they wish within the basic tenets of morality - it is private to them and should be kept that way. If you are 'offended' by terminology, recollections and the like, then please feel free to simply exit this blog and, off you can jolly well fuck, and live your own life. I won't be offended.  In  1981, I was just a normal kid - normal for the time, at least - and in that Autumn, I'd gone from Junior...

 Over the last week, I have found myself walking out to the games room to simply stand and look at the Hinchcliffe ECW collection which I purchased from Robbie Rodiss at the weekend. Today, I think I'm going to go out and formally deploy the two armies for no other reason than I want to  see them arrayed for battle. I also got the final piece for my Citadel Giant - YAY!  I'm really settled - at last - with where the last phase of my life in gaming is going, and like the proverbial dog to vomit, I'm comfortably ensconing myself in the fantasy and pike and shot arenas, in essence going back to where I began, only in a bigger way than I ever could as a kid. It feels like I've come home, and finally, I've decided to stay here. It's comfortable. The ECW, just needs some baggage wagons and a few little cosmetic flourishes such as camp followers, tents and the like. I'm just rounding out the composition and acquisition for a Great Italian Wars set up. I'm plann...

 As Lilly Von Schtupp, the Teutonic Titwillow sang, 'I'm tiiiiiiired' - And that is how the Vapnartak show felt, yesterday. It began promisingly enough with the usual half hour wait in the freezing cold of the North, but beyond that, Vapnartak felt tired in the same way as Triples did in it's final few years. There was a distinct lack of historical manufacturers, but a plethora of tat stalls, selling stuff not even related to gaming - 3D printed cartoon characters anyone? Companies you'd expect to see at the show were absent as were good looking participation/display games with a handful of exceptions from the usual suspects. We expected to see The Bunker represented at the show, but either they hadn't been invited or had decided not to attend. The cafe, has a captive audience at this venue.... £5.50 for a 4 inch sausage roll, supposedly hand rolled on the thighs of Tadcaster virgins was a piss take. £3.10 for a supermarket can of Coke? Fuck right off...  Once a...