| jdpintex | 22 Apr 2022 8:20 a.m. PST |
I just found out that I have to go to London for business in June. Are there any decent miniature stores/hobby shops in London these days (Post-Covid)? Any suggestions for any 'off the beaten path' sights to see? I plan to visit Portsmouth, Imperial War Museum and the British Museum. Any other suggestions? Many thanks |
| GurKhan | 22 Apr 2022 8:47 a.m. PST |
There's still a fair amount of arms and armour in the Tower of London, though the bulk of the museum is now in Leeds. londonducktours.co.uk runs river trips in WW2-vintage DUKW amphibious vehicles, if that tickles your fancy. Not sure what shops there are these days, sorry – apart from the ubiquitous Games Workshop stores, of course. |
| Dave Jackson | 22 Apr 2022 9:03 a.m. PST |
There is Hannant's hannants.co.uk 1/72 figures. Also…not quite what I think you are looking for…but might be worth a visit and a wander thru… mklmodels.co.uk |
| KeepYourPowderDry | 22 Apr 2022 9:11 a.m. PST |
Might I recommend the Wallace Collection? For a preview see link There's also a large number of English Civil War related sites in town listed under link |
| Londonplod | 22 Apr 2022 11:42 a.m. PST |
Orcs Nest is just off Charing Cross Road, not sure if Dark Sphere is still open, physical shops are a bit of a rare beast these days. |
| Bunkermeister | 22 Apr 2022 12:32 p.m. PST |
There is Hannant's hannants.co.uk 1/72 figures. +1 Dave Jackson. I buy mailorder from them when I have a large 1/72nd scale plastic order. They seem to have an excellent supply of such items. They are a full range hobby shop, but all I buy from them is figures. Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog |
| MajorB | 22 Apr 2022 1:34 p.m. PST |
Bear in mind that London to Portsmouth takes about 2 hours by train, so allowing time for visiting the sights it'll take you more than a whole day. The Mary Rose took us a whole day last time we went, so don't try and do both the Victory and the Warrior as well! |
| Gray Bear | 22 Apr 2022 3:02 p.m. PST |
I visited from the US in 2019 and we took a train to Portsmouth, toured the Warrior and Victory, did a boat tour of the harbor, then took a train back to London. One long day. I second visiting the Wallace Collection. Unlike many London sites, it was not crowded but well worth the visit. Enjoy your trip! |
| Cavcmdr | 22 Apr 2022 7:01 p.m. PST |
The Central London Wargames Club runs on Mondays and Thursdays. See madaxeman.com for details.
:-) |
| D6Craig | 22 Apr 2022 8:10 p.m. PST |
Orcs Nest is great, very small but a mix of board games and minis.
Dark Sphere Sheperds Bush is still open, Waterloo branch is closed sadly.
Small board game and fantasy RPG section in Forbidden Planet on Shaftesbury Ave.
Leisure Games in Finchley has plenty of stock for most things tabletop. |
martin goddard  | 23 Apr 2022 12:05 a.m. PST |
Sounds like a great trip.
Assuming that you are not a frequent visitor. 1. Science museum top floor. Quiet and a great collection of aircraft. Komet, Spitfire, Hurricane etc. A calm hour up there. The cafe does good food. Museum entry free.
2. I would second the recommendation for the Wallace collection (still central london). Free entry. Cafe a bit expensive. A dark museum. Needs good eyesight.
3. Horse guards chapel. Very nice. There is a shop there too that sells Britains figures. Full of interesting things.
4. The guards museum is mall but excellent. A bit underground. It is full of interesting artefacts.
5. Bomber command memorial. Very big and very interesting.
6. Museum of London. Lots of interesting dark age and Roman living history/replica type stuff.
7. For collectable wargame figures there is a shop in one of the passageways leading away from covent garden. All the above have proper web sites that give better detail than mine
You might need to add another week to your trip. martin |
| Lamorak | 23 Apr 2022 12:47 a.m. PST |
You could also try the RAF museum in Hendon and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. There is a lot more to see in Portsmouth too. There is the Royal Armouries Artillery collection in Fort Nelson, the Royal Marines Museum, The Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, The Museum of Naval Firepower in Gosport, Southsea Castle and the D Day Museum next to it, and Porchester Castle. The remains of the town walls are also worth a walk too. |
| Fred Mills | 23 Apr 2022 2:34 a.m. PST |
Though I love many of those mentioned above, including the IWM, personal faves include the Cabinet War Rooms, HMS Belfast, and the National Army Museum in Chelsea, which has transformed in recent years and maintains a very good roster of programs and changing exhibits. |
| jdpintex | 23 Apr 2022 6:54 a.m. PST |
Many thanks. I am adding a few days of leave after the business trip to get in the sights. There is so much to see so I'll do my best |
| Goober | 25 Apr 2022 4:03 p.m. PST |
I'd skip the IWM , personally. It's a shadow of its former self after the revamp, sadly. The National Army Museum in Chelsea, on the other hand, is well worth a visit if only for the magnificent Waterloo "miniature". nam.ac.uk G. |
| D6Craig | 25 Apr 2022 7:43 p.m. PST |
Sadly I have to agreed with Goober, the IWM left us very underwhelmed after it's big revamp (but if you'd never been there before, maybe it's okay for a short visit).
The IWM do however also have the Churchill War Rooms in King Charles Street, which would be worth a visit.
link |
| ezza123 | 30 May 2022 6:57 a.m. PST |
If you are in central London on a Thursday evening, why not drop in to The Exiles for a game. Further details and our gaming schedule can be found here: link |
worries about not losing his rules stuff.
