Page 1 of 3
So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 1:21 am
by nashorn88
Just curious where everyone buy their stuff?
I uses to buy from my local gaming.
I remember the days when I was still living at home and when payday came around I would spend my whole paycheck at the store. Those were the days.
These days I get most of my stuff from eBay.
I like the look of ghq site but no advantage to buy direct.
I used a few other site since they give a credit towards something else.
I kinda wish GHQ would give a discount for large orders. The monthly deals are great but seems like same items all the time or is it just stuff I don’t need.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:44 am
by redleg
My very first micro armor purchases were through the Squadron catalog. That was way way way back in the day and I had to get my mom to write me a check to mail in and it took 4-6 weeks to get it. Years later I would go to Old Town San Diego to a place called Game Towne which is now closed.
Nowadays I just order most of my micro armor from the GHQ website, though I do frequent ebay and I find some good stuff on there sometimes. I'll keep my eyes open for some old M60 tanks for you on there PanzerGator!
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 6:35 am
by MechCommander
For me Its ether direct from GHQ or the rare trips to the Sentry Box in Calgary as none of the 2 game stores in Grande Prairie carries ANY historical miniatures at all. Well Wonderland used to carry Flames of War and Bolt action, but they decided to get rid of both of them along with any other non Games Workshop games, and turned their game store into a Comic shop/Restaurant/Magic store.

Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 8:10 am
by panzergator
I bought my first GHQ micro armor from the U.S. Cavalry Store right outside Fort Knox, KY when it was at the top of the overpass. As time went on and I changed duty stations, it was easier to buy direct from GHQ. Now, it"s GHQ and CofC (Chrisswim).
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 8:24 am
by redleg
I stopped by Brookhurst about 6 months ago and sadly they do not carry micro armor anymore. I'm always on the lookout for it, but I haven't seen any on a store shelf in decades. There was a Hobbytown USA store in Colorado Springs that carries GHQ and the competitor back in the early 2000s, but I understand that they no longer carry it there.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 8:42 am
by MechCommander
Yea it seems like most hobby stores today tend to sell only Warhammer 40k or Magic the Gathering, and just leave everything else out. I still don't understand that strange mentality from people.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 8:45 am
by StarCruiser
Pretty much has to be direct now.
My first GHQ minis were bought at a little shop on FM1960 called "Discount Hobbies" way back in the early 80's. They're long gone, and so are all of the other shops that were scattered about the Houston area.
The best shop I ever found was the original "Hobby Center of Killeen" (anyone who served at Fort Hood in the 70's to 80's probably knows that one). They carried the entire - then current - GHQ line, along with many other brands. Nice hobby shop, nice game shop - plus arts and crafts etc. Now, it's just a shell owned by someone else and carries little other than R/C stuff (been a fair number of years).
So, with nothing remotely local, it's direct only...

Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 8:58 am
by MechCommander
Thats True, I love visiting and playing at the Sentry Box when I get the chance to travel to Calgary. I guess it just takes a passionate and dedicated owner to cater to any miniature gamers needs regardless of scale and brands.

Honestly makes me wish I see more of that, instead of the owner that GP got for Wonderland

.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:07 pm
by STS
For me it's the German GHQ distributor, Masters of Military (about 90% of my purchases). It's one of the few places in Europe that sell GHQ and that have GHQ in stock (some UK stores only have them as "special order"). I don't think I've ever seen it at any local hobby/gaming store. Also they're nice and helpful people, in addition to having their own 3D-prints of microarmour that GHQ doesn't make (e.g. a full Patriot battery).
The other 10% are purchases on ebay, whenever someone is selling off used stuff.
I haven't ordered anything directly from GHQ or any US-based store. It's just way to expensive when adding in shipping and customs. A 125$ purchase will add 26$ of shipping, and (if I'm unlucky) another 46$ in taxes and customs, as well as an hour of waiting time at the customs office.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:41 pm
by rdenman62
Starcruiser I have to agree that the “Hobby Center of Killeen “was the place where I got started in micro armor. I was at ft hood from 1980-1983...used to go there twice a month when I got paid..still have all the micro armor I bought back then. Visited my daughter at ft hood 35 years to the date after I left back in 2018. The building was still there but I didn’t really look to see if it was open or what it was at the time. I don’t remember seeing any signs that it was still a hobby shop. Kinda a rough area in that neighborhood. Quite a difference 35 yrs make.. my wife and I lived just off post a block from walker village.. that no longer exists either
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:45 pm
by StarCruiser
They're on East Stan Schlueter Loop - and have been for probably 25 years now. Just a shadow of what they were back in the day...
I'm not even sure that the current owners are the same ones that bought the original shop back in the late 80's. I haven't bothered to check them out in many years since they really don't have much that I'm interested in anymore.
They haven't even updated their old website in years - since they went with Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category ... 667719672/
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:13 pm
by CG2
Magister Militum in the UK.
Tax & Shipping from the USA is just ridiculous so there's no point ordering direct.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:36 am
by Guroburov
Haven't seen minis in a store since my starving college student days. Bought first ones off fleabay in the early 90s as a mixed lot. Then found the website and just order direct since then.
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 9:25 am
by BurtWolf
Always bought used in Arlington VA and the Toy Soldier in Gettysburg. New packs always through GHQ direct. Got into these minis only seriously in the last 10 years or so and never saw them stocked retail unfortunately ...
Re: So where do you buy your micro armor?
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:37 am
by Hoth_902
I have been to both Brookhurst hobby and American Eagle. Last time I was at Brookhurst, about 5 or 6 years ago, they had one little spinning rack with a handful of stuff. My last visit to American Eagle was around 2010 time frame and it was during there sell off before they closed. I remember they had a huge wall that had tons and tons of GHQ stuff. Every time I roll through lake city, which is not far from my house, I lament about the place and annoy my girlfriend. LOL