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...

 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,...

 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...

 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...