I love visiting game shops when I travel and this was the best one I've checked out in London so…read morefar. They have a great selection covering board games, RPGs (including some wonderful indie titles as well as a lot of D&D), tactics games, and hobby supplies. I had a lovely conversation with Winter while I killed time before a show. I own a game store in the US and they gave me lots of ideas for new things to try! There was a great mix of popular titles and more niche ones, all at reasonable prices.

What a lovely little D&D shop. This place is a treat. Great selection packed tightly into a small…read morespace.

I just love coming here. It's not particularly well signposted, and isn't on a street where you'd…read moreexpect to come across it. All that does is make it all the more special when you arrive. The store is an Aladdin's cave of treasures. This isn't those Warhammer type games, no Orcs and Goblins will be found here. Instead, these are the proper toy soldiers from a vast array of eras. They are set up in displays, although the vast majority are for sale. The only downside is that it gets a bit warm in here during the summer, but frankly the awesomeness of it all is well worth it. If you're in the Buckingham Palace area with your kids, then I worth popping in just for a look around - at speed you could do it in two minutes, but I'm pretty sure you'll want to stay longer.

Great selection of toy soldiers. Fun place to shop while visiting Buckingham palace.read more

Great little model shop in central London. It's a bit pricey, but they have a pretty large…read moreselection of high quality models (mostly cars) that are great for gifts or if you like to collect them. They don't seem to have anything middle of the road, it's pretty much all high end stuff, but if that's what you're looking for it's perfect. The guys that work there are really knowledgeable, and apparently celebrities walk in there all the time to buy gifts for people, so if you're into that kind of thing you can go people watch there!

A nice little shop with quite variety of models. The man speaks spanish well enough, so if you…read morefear your english is not the best, don't worry too much. When you buy, they offer you their newsletter service that is both digital and printed magazine format. They send me one every month and I live far, so its a nice service. The man is very kind and helpful with costumers.

If you're a young man now turned white as snow and wrinkled as trousers waiting to be ironed, one…read moremight call you old. But no matter your age, you can be as young at heart as you want, and it's shops like Ian Allen Book and Model Shop that will nurture your young spirit. They have the elixir of life - QUICK! Go before it all runs out. When I went here, I felt a bit out of place, like a zebra in Antarctica. Every other shopper here was an older to middle aged man, and I soon found out why. (Well who can really say why, but let's pretend I have all the answers). This place sells nothing but books that deal with transportation - trains, boats, buses, banana peels, crabs as strap on shoes - and history/military. They have supplies for building train sets too. I have to admit, as a young woman, this place isn't really my thing. However, I aspire to grow up to be a middle aged man stuck in the ephemeral chambers of my boyhood, so when I attain such great heights, I'll probably go back.

The best railway bookshop in the country. A must-see shop for anyone interested in railways.read more

It says hobby shop ,and that is exactly what it is. Model aircraft is their interest mainly. Some…read morewhile ago I was told about them and wanted to start a hobby of some sort. Unfortuneatly they banned the club from the Downs (Elf & Saffty Gnomes), and it spoiled my interest. Joy destroyed by factions.I know it is meant for horses to run and train ,but they are not there all day?

I like this shop. Good range of stuff. However, more importantly for me, as a relative newcomer to…read moreaeromodelling, i ask questions and get lots of good information, and am not talked down to. However, as some reviewers of model shops seem to forget, the shop exists to provide a living. I can understand why model shops get upset with people picking their brains and then buying elsewhere. As a customer i buy things but even when i am buying something small i am treated as a valued customer.

The Armoury of St James's is a fascinating collectors' boutique offering an extensive range of…read morehistoric miniature military figures. All miniatures available are hand painted and most are completed to a truly outstanding standard. Among the thousands of figures on display, most of the important military themes are represented, including WWII, WWI, British colonial wars, Crimean campaign, Napoleonic wars, 7 Year's War, Medieval knights, Japanese warriors, etc. There is a considerable selection of the individual historic military commanders as well as various rank and file troops. I was particularly impressed by the collection of figures of Napoleon as well as many of his marshals and generals. I also enjoyed studying the varieties of Napoleonic forces including the famous cuirassiers on horsebacks, the old guard grenadiers, and the Saxon infantry. The figures are available in various sizes, with most made in traditional 1/32 scale, but plenty of larger miniatures are also on offer. In addition to lead and tin, there are some items available in porcelain. All are hand painted by experienced internationally acclaimed professionals. Prices for most items are considerable, which is certainly justified given the excellent quality of workmanship. A 1/32 figure of the highest quality costs in the range of £100 and some larger custom made pieces may be worth up to over a £1000. There are some cheaper options, however, with the more mass market, but still very high quality figures, costing around £20 each. This shop is undoubtedly a heaven for collectors or someone simply interested in the military history. However, if you haven't expressed interest in this area before, it's still worth taking a look just for the experience. There are very few places in the world that showcase such range of beautiful historic miniatures.

A tiny shop located in the Piccadilly Arcade, this shop is very, very cool for its selection of…read moreminature figures priced about £5 to £15. I am sure the prices are higher for the more intricate figures, but they have antiques including war brooches, paintings and busts. If you are into war history, this is most certainly an interesting place to visit for five or ten minutes.

I love all the Cass art stores, I've never had a bad experience. Charing Cross is quite a small…read morestore and usually very busy, or so I've found, possibly because it's right next to the portrait gallery. Staff are excellent and friendly, and very help when it came to choosing some different paper types.

This place rules. The prices on professional quality art supplies are great and the selection is…read morereally good, especially considering the shop's small size. They basically cut out the crap and sell the good shit actual artists want at a decent price. They do still carry nicer student watercolors (like Cotman) if you just want something to mess around with out in the city but professional level isn't what you're after.

Wonderful employees that are welcoming and kind is what you can expect to see. If you're crafty…read morethis is the perfect store for you. You'll notice an array of yarn material, and arts and crafts tools, as well as home decor items, in addition to back to school resources. Thank you for being helpful, and accommodating.

I could spend an absolute fortune in hobby craft. this shop has everything your heart could desire…read morefor all your crafting needs. It stocks products for all kinds of arts & crafts projects and has some specialist items that may be difficult to find in other stores. Hobbycraft have regular displays and demonstration days which can be great fun and may even give you ideas for your own craft projects. If you want to make anything seasonal (christmas / easter) I would advise you to purchase what you need early as Hobbycraft tends to stock these things about 2 months in advance and they tend to sell out quite quickly. The reason I have given 4 stars rather than 5 is because this store can be a bit expensive