Yesterday I had a requirement to go to Southport. (Don't judge me, it's written into my contract.) Our office there is right opposite the North Sefton branch of Games Workshop - and that is the only reason I did what I did.

I remembered my need for a pot of matt varnish. I'm painting some 28mm C14 and obviously want the nice armour to be a bit sparkly (Yes, I know there are probably 14 better ways to do it, but I am where I am.) but want the tabards and surcoats to be nice and matt.

Well, I girded my loins for a visit to GW, which I eschew as a priest avoids a whorehouse ... no, hang on that's probably go there weekly ... (and come back weakly) ... I avoid GW as a vegan avoids a full English breakfast, on principle even though it's quite tempting. So, loins girded, I marched up to the door to find a hand scrawled sign crudely tacked to the door. It read, in what can only be described as a jagged hand that the sole denizen and keeper was off being trained, and consequently the premises were closed, unless you had a level 6 unlock spell.

Slightly miffed, but at the same time relieved, I caught the train back to Liverpool Central. Scupper me, if there isn't a GW right outside Central. Once again, I girded my loins (I think I may have pulled something that time) and chin high, marched in. As soon as I entered through the Fission Security Grid, I was accosted by an obviously senior member of staff. I could tell he was senior as he had been through puberty and possibly had once had a girlfriend who allowed her to touch her once. ("Touch her what, Percy?") He greeted me in a cheery way.

I searched dubiously among the pots of paint ... goblin excrement purple, dragon buboes blue, dwarf pustule orange etc, and wondered is shed-snakeskin could possibly be a matt varnish. "I seek a pot of matt varnish." I said, in my best GW voice. He scratched the place where a beard presumably would be one day if he ate his elf underwear greens, and looked a little crestfallen. "We don't do pots of matt varnish ... only gloss." He brightened. "But we do have tins of silk."

Only when I had exited the Portico of Reason Disestablishment did it strike me as odd that GW who have a large range of rather good quality paints don't make a pot of matt varnish.

You couldn't make it up!

I can only hope you showered immediately when you got home? The dark lord can smell the puberty from that shop, and he will be displeased and cast the curse of the ever bending rifle barrel onto you if he finds out!

When are you going to assemble your Land Raider?

You may have gone in for 'x', but you usually come out with a bag full of 'y'.

To be honest, the only thing I normally buy from GW are their paints.  Although this January, I rather inexplicably had a handful of GW 'Vouchers' (given by bemused relatives during the festive season), which I spent on some high priced plastic terrain.  Its still in the box, but will come in handy someday.

Daley-Rowney Soluble Matt Varnish (enamel base) has been my choice for the last ten years and it last for ages. 75ml jar and dries matter than...anything matt you can think of. Never had any problems whatsoever. Would recommend it all day long and is available from nearly all artists shops and WHS.

Many years ago, I painted some West End Games Star Wars stormtroopers.  Lovely and white they were.  I gloss varnished them, and slowly over the next couple of weeks they turn a deep yellow/brown colour.  I've never varnished a miniature since.

Could you not have matt varnished them, then go back over the armour with a pot of gloss?

Or am I over thinking things...

Either way, good luck without coming out with something "useful"

I walked past a GW store in Toulouse yesterday (on the last day of our week's holiday/family visit) - being Monday it was closed.  I pointed out to my wife that even had it been open I wouldn't have gone in! 

I had been roundly ignored by the family for talking about 1814 battlefields, wondering aloud which French military units various armed patrols on the streets were from etc.

Edward

Heh, I never bother going in my local GW anymore - and I'm mates with the manager. 

By the way, that matt varnish always goes on top of a coat of enamel gloss.

Continue walking past GW and exit the station onto Bold Street. Turn left and walk up Bold Street until you come to the Art shop on your left (it's quite a long way up, but I can't remember its name). Enter and purchase a pot of Windsor and Newton Galleria matt varnish. Can be thinned with water and never dries cloudy. There's so much more to hobby paint than GW. If feeling adventurous, take a bus down to Allerton and get off at Penny Lane (the Beatles had a song about it). There you will find Hatton's, a world renowned model railway shop. They have a comprehensive range of Vallejo paints, including all three types of acrylic varnish.

Quote from: fsn on 08 September 2015, 07:31:42 AM
he had been through puberty and possibly had once had a girlfriend who allowed her to touch her once.

Do their staff use some bizarre sex-change spells? If so, please buy me as many as you can. I'll be able to name my price in this country!

Hi Leman, art shop is Rennies, been there a long long time.

Opposite is Forbidden Planet as well


I will be visiting both on my next pilgrimage up to the 'pool.

Quote from: Leman on 08 September 2015, 03:31:28 PM
..... Windsor and Newton Galleria matt varnish. Can be thinned with water and never dries cloudy. ........

Thats what I use, and very good it is too. It is availbable in Leicester fron Gadsby's (art shop), in the market place.

Windsor and Newton for mine too.

Thank you gentlemen. I'm off up that end of town to Rennie's this afternoon. Will certainly get some W&N.

Hmmm - I think GW gets too much grief. I don't buy much stuff there, but they are at least there and in the absence of other figure / paint / hobby shops, that is at least something. Youngsters are in there painting and playing - again that is at least something.

Many of the GW stores (southport included) have gone to a new model of 1 staff member who shuts the shop for lunch and takes Monday / Tuesday off as their day off. I suppose if they do staff training they are running classes of say 20 and that will mean 20 shops will close and there is not enough cover to keep them open.

I am not a fan, I do buy some stuff, so not fighting their corner, just trying to bring a bit of balance. Agree that the Winsor & Newton varnish is the way to go, but be careful when applying not to lift ink off the figure and contaminate the varnish bottle - probably best to decant a small amount of varnish out for the job.

It strikes me that this GW high street model of business is just about letting them hang on to a high street presence. Any worsening position would  likely lead to closure, like them or not, the loss of them from the high street is a loss as the premises will probably be replaced by a charity shop of coffee shop.

I love a nice cup of coffee.

On a positive note, plans are in motion for a 'proper;' wargames shop in Southport - on Lord Street, next to Nero. Good news for those who want both coffee and wargames.

They do not promote painting anymore in their shops.
A one man shop-manager cannot do it anyway.
I loathe GW for what they have become.

Quote from: Norm on 09 September 2015, 07:30:36 AM
Hmmm - I think GW gets too much grief.

Not possible, there is not enough opprobrium in the entire universe to heap it in sufficient quantities on the heads of those who have turned GW into what it now is

I'd sooner the shops were a Starbucks or a charity shop than that people should be lead to believe the GWs current offerings are wargaming.