A Jaunt To Alumwell* Wargames Show

I went, with General Charles, to the Alumwell Wargames Show today. We went via breakfast at a local hostelry: yum! The show was a lot of fun and I bought some of the items on my shopping list. There was however a dearth of Pulp figures by any manufacturer present. A sharper-eyed-than-me reader will now inform me there were heaps of them. There were also a number of interesting and some quite beautifully presented games. The one I can remember was a depiction of part of The Great Siege of Malta 1565 which looked great. The Nice Man even gave me an info sheet describing the action.

I was taken particularly by the range of stuff that Ainsty Castings had on offer. I bought a box of 'Trade Goods': stacks of assorted barrels, bales of cloth, crates and giant oil/wine bottles in wicker baskets. I was also impressed by Sgts' Mess. Very friendly with a wide range of unusual, and therefore useful, 20mm WW2. If I re-start Megablitz they can expect my custom. They were also selling some laser cut kits for harbour quays; I bought a nice landing stage and some trash cans. Bottled paint was also going at a nice price if you shopped around.

The only downside of the afternoon was a significant minority of unwashed, smelly bodies at the event. How hard is it to wash or bathe or shower oneself and wear clean clothes before going out in public? I guess they stood out because the majority of attendees did not stink.

The afternoon was brought to a premature end for the General and I by a REAL fire alarm and evacuation. Wargamers are a cool and orderly bunch. They left the hall with minimal fuss and followed the staff's orders. Well done!

Luckily for me I'd bought all I was likely to and wanted to by this point so off we schlepped for a cup of tea and a chat back at the General's GHQ. Which is an apt description of the building let me tell you. The General then dropped me off at Wolverhampton Train Station and I was back home in Brum regarding my loot an hour later. A very enjoyable day!

All the best!

*Not in Alumwell (Walsall) it's in Wolverhampton  these days. And actually easier to get to by bus and car.

 The Venue: Aldersley Sport Village