Warhammer stores - Walsall in particular

[Covkid]

Been having a bit of experimentation with painting the insides of coal hoppers recently. I started off with ochre colours but then I saw a reference to Typhus Corrosion paint by Citadel / Warhammer. I bought some online and having used it I am very impressed. 

 

Have to say I try to avoid online purchasing and would rather go and browse a shelf full of products in a real shop, My nearest Warhammer store appears to be Walsall so I sallied forth yesterday afternoon to the address shown online - Old Square shopping centre in Walsall. Knowing parking would be an issue I chose to park on the Asda carpark as I needed some shopping, then wandered down the marketplace and into the Old Square shopping centre.  My wife used to work in there fifteen odd years ago, but I wasn't disappointed to see so many empty premises.

 

Anyway walked from one end to the other and back and no sign of Warhammer so walked along Bridge Street, then wondered whether it might not be in the centre at all, but actually in Freer St. The reaosn being Warhammer advertise as being open until 2000 but the centre locked its shutters at 1800. Walked up Freer St passed "Brrgrr" and found the Warhammer store, and a very helpful guy in charge. 

 

My brief lesson in their paint was that Warhammer and Citadel are the same company but this one traded as Warhammer. The shelves of paint contained Base, Contrast, Shade and Technical types and I understand wargamers are very into shades, washes and highlights.  Wanting to sample them I picked up three pots

 

Base - Dryad bark

Shade - Agrax Earthshade

Contrast - Snakebite Leather

 

Will update you, but thought it worthwhile advising anyone not to walk through a "dying on it's feet" shopping centre when you really don't need to.  Perhaps much easier to catch a 51 or X51 then walk around the corner !!!  

 

 

HTH

       

Edited December 15, 2023 by Covkid

[wombatofludham]

You were very brave walking around Walsall in daylight. My family who live around the town all avoid the place as they don't have access to an armoured car or armed guards.

I must admit fantasy/war figure painting is something I need to look at as their techniques are amazing.  My brother is an accomplished sci-fi and war modeller and has introduced me to some of the paints available so there is a lot of stuff out there which is useful.  I especially like the texture paints, brilliant for modelling lifted track or derelict buildings.

[Ben B]

Warhammer paints are very good, my only complaint is the modern ones seem to dry out fairly quickly (apparently the bottles don't quite seal properly; no doubt a deliberate design choice, to ensure the need to keep buying new paints. I still have a few of their early-90's acrylics in an earlier design of pot which are still perfectly usable, despite them being dipped in and out of since I was 10!) 

 

Nuln Oil is worth a look, a thin weathering wash.  Great for rolling stock.

[shipbadger]

Some years ago I walked into a Warhammer shop (in Truro) just to go and look at the paint.  I found the chap running the place very helpful.  I explained what I wanted by way of paint and he disappeared out the back returning with a sack full of discontinued colours and sorted out some he thought would be of use to me.  I also came away with 'A Free Guide to Citadel Colours'.  If this is not still around it would be worth assking for whatever has replaced it.  This explains what Base, Shade and all the other terms mean and how they are used.  If like me you thought that painting equaled primer followed by an enamel top coat and not much else then it is a real eye opener.

[GMKAT7]

Good afternoon folks,

 

My son was really into the Warhammer 40k series and I have painted numerous Tyrannids and Space Marines for him. Plus, used the textured paints for the bases.

 

I have used various light grey base colours, to give variety, for BR unfitted vans and opens.

Chaos (now Abbadon) Black is also a good satin black for underframes or grey wagon number patches.

If a Matt finish is required that is covered by the final varnish coat.

 

Cheers, Nigel.

[Alex TM]

Hi,

 

I recently gave up using their paints solely for the reason that I was trying to cut down the number of ranges and shops I would have to visit to stock up.

 

IIRC Citadel is the prent company, while Games Workshop and Warhammer are brand names.  The shops went through a rebranding process a couple of years ago.
 

The Citdael paint range changes every few years; many of the colours are simply rebranded while others disappear, and new ones introduced.  They have also changed the nature of the paints so that they have different purposes.

 

The rattle cans are usually very good, especially the Chaos Black primer.

For background information on how to use them there are plenty of online tutorial.  These are worth watching especially if moving beyond Base or Layer colours.

 

There is a lot we may learn form military and sci-fi/fantasy modellers but note that the style of the latter is not usually for the subtlty that often appears with railway or historical modelling.

 

Hope some of the above is of use.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

 

 

[Trains4U]

I use Citadel paint a lot (including some 30 year old pots…)

and its not just available in warhammer stores!

if you venture upstairs at my place, you’ll find this lot…

 

[walrus]

ISTR in a recent BRM article Phil Parker used Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil to weather a narrow gauge loco very effectively. Aquired some Nuln Oil on the strength of it but not yet had an opportunity to try it.

 

There are many tutorials on the Citadel web site but this one using Typhus Corrosion and Ryza Rust looks particularly interesting.

https://citadelcolour.com/videos/rust/

[Firecracker]

I rediscovered Warhammer paints (background - in my teens I built a bit of Warhammer, mostly imperium of man.  I never really got into the gaming, I mostly made dioramas with the figures.  University and someone offering (what I felt at the time) was a decent amount of money for them took care of that).  Anyway, I rediscovered the paints and am really taken with the technical paints.  Typhus corrosion and Ryza rust are brilliant for heavy corrosion, also a rust wash over a coat of Typhus can produce interesting results.  The dry brushing colours are also worth exploring, Verminlord Hide produces a good worn effect on BR maroon and the blues (names escape me) do similar on BR blue.  The textured mud colours are brilliant on tracks and chewed up ground, plus there’s one which cracks as it dries, which is brilliant for dried mud.  The washes - Nuln oil over humbrol 121 is a brilliant quick and easy way of getting something that to my eyes looks like clean but aged wood, Arthonian Camoshade is good for algae and moss buildup.  The tool they sell are also worth looking at, I’m very taken with their sprue cutters and their scenic products (particularly the weed ‘tufts’ are worth a go.  I’d also rate their shops (or at least the ones I’ve been into) as among  the most welcoming I’ve been into.

 

Some of the results

Mud around the figures is GW, also the track to LH.

shading on the roof of the cl. 37.  Also used in wheel marks to LH in ballast yard.

Rust effects on skip are entirely GW.  Also rust on 21t mineral behind.

The bed of the conflat behind the yellow Ruston is Nuln oil over humbrol 121.

Owain

 

 

[Ben Alder]

Nice work, and a definite thumbs up for the GW paint range. I sell them in my shop, and seeing what the fantasy modellers achieve with them is an eye opener. Railway modellers should make a point of taking a look at their paints and some of the many videos and You Tubes  that are posted demonstrating  them. Nuln Oil is probably the single most versatile  quick improver - adding shades and depth to figures  and features in a moment.Their range of tools etc tend to be overpriced though when packaged in a GW blister and the same ones can usually be found in the Modelcraft or Expo offerings a good bit cheaper.

[Captain_Mumbles]

I love adding the Warhammer , or should we say 'grimdark' skills to model railways. In moderation of course.

 

[Blefuscu]

On the subject of their shops, one of our local ones (Barnet) has just closed down. Or, rather  I have just noticed it has closed down.

 

As a wargamer of old, now with kids, I have always developed a bit of a love hate relationship with warhammer that is beyond the scope of this thread. However, I think their shops are pretty stellar. Above and beyond the general management decision to pull most of my army list from the shops (oops...here we go!) I generally find the staff are excellent. They have to deal with everyone from cynical old farts like me, to young kids, confused mums... and they just seem to me to be uncommonly good at it.

 

Paint wise i prefer valejo or p3, but I have nothing against citadel.

Their brushes are crap though!