Blog: Old Man Paints – Oldhammer Wargaming Figures
Owner: OldManPaints
Author: Tideswellman / Old Man Paints
Post: Sheffield Games Workshop
Sheffield, a city in the North of England, is well known for its rich cultural heritage and its thriving arts scene. It’s also home to one of the oldest branches of Games Workshop, a company that specializes in tabletop games and miniature figurines. Founded in 1975, Games Workshop has become a leading retailer of tabletop games and hobby supplies, with branches all over the world.
The Sheffield branch of Games Workshop opened its doors to the public in the late 1980s and has since become a staple of the city’s gaming community. Situated in the heart of Sheffield, originally in the area known as ‘the moor’ the shop become a hub for tabletop gaming enthusiasts, offering a wide range of products, including miniature figurines, board games, and hobby supplies.
As I remember, in the late 1980s Games Workshop sold other games and other figures/minis, not just their own brand ‘Citadel’. I seem to remember there being lots of other types of games on the shelves, as well as a plethora of gaming books and magazines.
Another fond memory of mine was the way that the miniatures were presented. There were rows of ‘blister packs’ on at least 3 walls. So many figures to choose from. If your preference was fantasy, you could choose from the citadel ranges, these comprised of orcs and goblins, Elves and Dwarves, human fighters and wizards, undead, Skaven and of course Chaos miniatures. There was also a small Lord of the Rings Section. If Scifi was your thing then there was the newly released Rogue Trader or Warhammer 40k. You could play as space marines or orcs, in addition, there were Zoats, and Imperial Army, Genestealers and the Eldar (space elves).
In addition to these, there were also miniatures available for other games such as ‘Call of Cthulu’ ‘Talisman’ and of course, A D&D. I remember on occasion old miniatures would be given away with purchases especially if the blisters had split or the minis were discontinued. these minis were usually pre-slotta or solid base minis, which at the time, we sneered at but now I really love them.
I’ve spoken before of my mentor Kenny Crow, what a great guy…I’m sure without his encouragement this blog and all my painted miniature collection wouldn’t exist today.
As a youth, my friends and I had one gaming aim. Get out figures into the GW cabinet. I’m sure I’d take something in for evaluation every week. By the end, I must have had about 20 figures in the cabinet. I used to charge the princely field of £1 per mini. I just loved the hobby so much, it wasn’t about money.
What I don’t remember is when I stopped going to GW….I think it was around 1992/2. I just fell out of love with the miniatures. The new ranges weren’t doing it for me…they had overly large weapons and the ‘Enforced’ colour schemes were really beginning to annoy me. I was told that all minis for the cabinet had to have ‘Goblin Green bases’, I really didn’t love that…and then there was the ‘Red period’ No, no, no, no, NO!! So many of the figures started coming with plastic arms and weapons, and whilst i can see what GW was trying to do, I wasn’t feeling that either. I guess I just drifted away from the hobby as beer and girls started to be more attainable.
Of course today, Games Workshop has rebranded as Warhammer and has moved around the corner from its original location. Not too far away. I went into the shop in 2023 and had a nice chat with the manager there. They still had kids playing games and painting and I think that’s still one of the best things about the whole scene…but despite having some plastic miniatures…for me, metal will always be where it’s at, and I’m happy to buy from other smaller companies nowadays. Such as Knightmare, Diehard, Satyr, Essex and Alternative Armies.
Anyway, that’s all for now, brain dump complete, folks.
Continue reading on the Old Man Paints blog
Owner: OldManPaints
Author: Tideswellman / Old Man Paints
Post: Sheffield Games Workshop
Sheffield, a city in the North of England, is well known for its rich cultural heritage and its thriving arts scene. It’s also home to one of the oldest branches of Games Workshop, a company that specializes in tabletop games and miniature figurines. Founded in 1975, Games Workshop has become a leading retailer of tabletop games and hobby supplies, with branches all over the world.
The Sheffield branch of Games Workshop opened its doors to the public in the late 1980s and has since become a staple of the city’s gaming community. Situated in the heart of Sheffield, originally in the area known as ‘the moor’ the shop become a hub for tabletop gaming enthusiasts, offering a wide range of products, including miniature figurines, board games, and hobby supplies.
As I remember, in the late 1980s Games Workshop sold other games and other figures/minis, not just their own brand ‘Citadel’. I seem to remember there being lots of other types of games on the shelves, as well as a plethora of gaming books and magazines.
Another fond memory of mine was the way that the miniatures were presented. There were rows of ‘blister packs’ on at least 3 walls. So many figures to choose from. If your preference was fantasy, you could choose from the citadel ranges, these comprised of orcs and goblins, Elves and Dwarves, human fighters and wizards, undead, Skaven and of course Chaos miniatures. There was also a small Lord of the Rings Section. If Scifi was your thing then there was the newly released Rogue Trader or Warhammer 40k. You could play as space marines or orcs, in addition, there were Zoats, and Imperial Army, Genestealers and the Eldar (space elves).
In addition to these, there were also miniatures available for other games such as ‘Call of Cthulu’ ‘Talisman’ and of course, A D&D. I remember on occasion old miniatures would be given away with purchases especially if the blisters had split or the minis were discontinued. these minis were usually pre-slotta or solid base minis, which at the time, we sneered at but now I really love them.
I’ve spoken before of my mentor Kenny Crow, what a great guy…I’m sure without his encouragement this blog and all my painted miniature collection wouldn’t exist today.
As a youth, my friends and I had one gaming aim. Get out figures into the GW cabinet. I’m sure I’d take something in for evaluation every week. By the end, I must have had about 20 figures in the cabinet. I used to charge the princely field of £1 per mini. I just loved the hobby so much, it wasn’t about money.
What I don’t remember is when I stopped going to GW….I think it was around 1992/2. I just fell out of love with the miniatures. The new ranges weren’t doing it for me…they had overly large weapons and the ‘Enforced’ colour schemes were really beginning to annoy me. I was told that all minis for the cabinet had to have ‘Goblin Green bases’, I really didn’t love that…and then there was the ‘Red period’ No, no, no, no, NO!! So many of the figures started coming with plastic arms and weapons, and whilst i can see what GW was trying to do, I wasn’t feeling that either. I guess I just drifted away from the hobby as beer and girls started to be more attainable.
Of course today, Games Workshop has rebranded as Warhammer and has moved around the corner from its original location. Not too far away. I went into the shop in 2023 and had a nice chat with the manager there. They still had kids playing games and painting and I think that’s still one of the best things about the whole scene…but despite having some plastic miniatures…for me, metal will always be where it’s at, and I’m happy to buy from other smaller companies nowadays. Such as Knightmare, Diehard, Satyr, Essex and Alternative Armies.
Anyway, that’s all for now, brain dump complete, folks.
Continue reading on the Old Man Paints blog
