I have shopped at Wonderland Models numerous times. Selection of models is amazing, with a number…read moreof bargains to be had. Staff have always assisted me with open and honest service, even if it meant me spending less. I will be visiting again next week and already looking forward to going.

Wow! So many rooms of treasures!!! If you are a affectionado of model anything, this is the place…read moreto come. It's so fun to wander the neighborhoods wherever you are visiting to stumble across local businesses that are also dedicated to their particular craft, love, hobby, etc. I bought several of the cardboard models for stocking stuffers and had to resist buying a VW van one for fun because the suitcase is full of treats already. Wonderful helpful staff as well make this shop an absolute must stop and buy!

A great shop to see if you're a big Harry Potter fan. I've been to lots of HP gift shops and they…read morehad things I've seen before, for similar pricing. Even if you're not buying, it's still a fun shop!

Calling this a museum is quite a stretch... it is a gift shop for all things Harry Potter. It is…read morecool, but quite small and I wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes waiting in line unless you know for a fact there's something you intend to buy. We waited about 10 minutes and line and probably spent about 10 minutes inside. If we weren't in the area, I don't think it would have been worth it.

This place looks friendly and fun from the outside and, surprisingly, isn't full of middle aged…read morevirgins. The guys inside are enthusiastic about their hobbies which include model railways and scaled buildings. I find the doll's houses with the miniature furniture a bit creepy and perplexing, but there must be people out there who are into it. They also sell model planes and cars in all their intricate parts along with glue, paints and DIY intstructions. None of this is really up my street, but I can understand the attraction to creating something detailed and impressive from scratch. It's all quite expensive, but you're paying the quality and the realism of the products. I doubt I'll be back here, but if you're into this stuff then it'll be a great place to meet like-minded people.

I went in here with a rather eccentric uncle once a long time ago - as it's one of those kind of…read moreplaces. I then went again more recently to find a model of my boyfriend's 1984 Mercedes 200 123. Which they didn't have, but it gave me the opportunity to browse the range of tiny little models that opened my eyes to a world of craftsmanship I didn't even know existed. Trains, cars, boats, planes, all perfectly scaled down. Wonderful. They do have an online shop, but where's the fun of that? The internet certainly doesn't take me back to my childhood, but tiny figurines do, also falling out of trees takes me back but that's nothing to do with anything.

Small friendly shop. Variety of board games for all ages. Table top role play and minis plus…read morepaints. Had a great chat with the staff and found not only some stuff for myself but also got some gifts to bring back for others. Liked it was in a quiet part of town away from all the tourist chaos and that it was a small business store and not a big box location. Highly recommend.

Ask your average Edinburgh resident where or what Black Lion is and they will probably point you…read moretowards the zoo. Ask your average nerd and they will point you towards Buccleuch St. If war-games, role-playing, board games, trading cards or anything of that sort is your thing, then Black Lion Games is the place for you. Don't be put off by its dark dingy exterior and grated windows, inside is bright fresh (newly refurbished) treasure trove for your inner child and suppressed imagination. There is nowhere else in Edinburgh quite like it. Black Lion should be intelligent-geek central. Given its relatively small size, the shop has a great range of stock. If they don't have something in, they will order it for you promptly. There is a nice variety of role-playing books, from well known games like Dungeons and Dragons and World of Darkness to less well known and independent games. The owners will be happy to help, and won't patronise you if you're just looking for a chess set and don't know what a level 20 Tarrasque is. The shop also supplies war-game miniatures and card games like Magic the Gathering or Legend of the Five Rings. To complement this nice dice, paints and other accessories are available. However if poring over vast tomes of rules and rolling dice isn't your sort of thing, there is also a great selection of classic and new board games and traditional games like chess, dominoes and backgammon. The staff will also be happy to get you started on a new hobby and games are sometimes run in the shop too. Don't be intimidated by nerds in their own territory, this place is worth a browse even if the closest thing to "Magic: The Gathering" you've got so far is the Beltane Fire Festival. The cost for board-games, role-playing books and miniatures always gears towards the pricey, but with the fluctuating popularity of such things, and the ever erratic role-playing market, Black Lion does a good job of just keeping itself going. It's also one of the few local, businesses like it, not just in Edinburgh but in Scotland and across the UK. A cool and original shop. Highly recommended.

Its a big shop full of creative stuff catering for all types of crafts and hobbies…read more The one complaint might be that although they touch on many different crafts, they dont specialise too much in any. Probably ok if you dont specialise and are looking to try new things, but perhaps not catering for those past the beginners stage. Another drawback is that as they are located in the edge of town retail park, they are not that easy to reach unles you have a car.

I really needed some kind of notice board and from being there from previous experience I know they…read morelegit have everything you could want. Anyway so I looked a few other stores which where more convenient to get to, and to no avail I chose to go to a store that I know would have it. Such great variety. Lovely staff. Laura, was amazing she's really friendly and had a laugh with her. Great experience and would recommend anyone with Arts and Crafts or general purpose needs to come here. Not just a girls store too lads

Okay so Games Workshop is a chain store but as most uber nerds will know, every Games Workshop is…read moredifferent. If you don't know already, the Games Workshop (or GW) is a UK based retailer which sells their own line of war-gaming miniatures across several table top based games collectively known as "Warhammer". In short Warhammer is a fantasy/sci-fi battle game in which the collector buys models, constructs and paints those models, puts together armies and plays an opponent in what amounts to very complicated Chess with a lot of luck thrown in. Sound overly complex or just weird? Not if you're basically ten years old at heart. One reason for writing a review for this GW is that I believe it's a great place for getting "the hobby" started. Every GW offers starter games to people who are starting to collect or are just simply interested. I have witnessed several games here and the staff seem particularly good at teaching the rules simply and emphasising the core of the game (particularly to younger players). In general the staff are really chatty and helpful. My collecting of Warhammer has been a bit on and off over the past couple of years due to the financial burden, but the staff are always eager to catch me up on the latest news. Some GW can come across as a bit overbearing, with local players always camped there and staff protective over their little club. This GW has never seemed like that and I am always comfortable walking in and asking questions or just browsing. It's also a great location, smack back in the middle of the Royal Mile. The stock is more or less the same as in other GW, with the various major games including popular The Lord of the Rings battle game. Having said this I seem to have been especially lucky in this shop in finding what I have been looking for. A great Games Worksop with helpful staff and a friendly atmosphere. Good for those already into the hobby, those just starting out or those even remotely interested.

Dabbled in these games once upon a time but had neither the patience nor the geek-factor required…read moreto become a 'gamer'. Did love painting the wee models though. As far as Game Workshops go the Edinburgh outlet is pretty solid. Small compared to others around the country but the seem to have an active community that game there frequently, the staff have always been friendly and helpful and continue to be so, and the artists in house are a talented and creative bunch. Do still love a neb in the window to see the creative aspect of the hobby. Prices - as always - however are stratospheric. Very glad the hoby didn't stick...!

I am not a numismatic myself. If you don't know what that word means, you're probably not one…read moreeither. It doesn't refer to some sort of respiratory disorder, nor to an obscure sexual perversion - it's actually the term for someone who collects coins. Collects them in a deliberate, hobbyish sort of way, I mean, and doesn't just continually accumulate annoying piles of coppers at the bottom of their purse. Anyway. If coins are your thing, the Edinburgh Coin Shop is an obvious destination for you. It's a decidedly old-fashioned shop, with its peeling painted sign, gloomy interior and grime-encrusted windows, but inside is a wealth of small monies, and I get the impression that the people who run it know their stuff, and will be probably be able to answer any coin-related enquiries that you care to throw at them.

Hidden down a small and little-used laneway is the Edinburgh Coin Shop. So small you'll miss it if…read moreyou blink, so non-descript you might not know you've found it even while standing directly outside, it has a potent mixture of old-world charm and a greasy, under-hand, second-hand purveyor of anything, no questions asked. But this shop holds marvels of history, ancient coins medallions dating back to the Greeks, Romans and beyond. For a handful of change or a note or two, you can own a hand pressed silver Tetrobol from Histaea on the isle of Euboea from the 3rd century BC. Nothing brings human history into such sharp relief as exchanging coins of current mintage for those of long lost civilisations. Even if you do not intend to shop, the Coin Shop is definitely worth a look.

I was instantly attracted to this shop by all the antiques lined up in the window. The brooches and…read moregorgeous porcelain ladies galore made my eyes bulge in awe. It's very small, but utterly brimming with stock. It makes me feel like I'm in someone's attic, it's very personal. The collection ranges from old 1920s pocket mirrors to beautifully binded books, with nouveau inspired flowers running up the spine. The woman stationed behind the desk is absolutely lovely, and although it is an intimate setting she leaves you free to browse without badgering you to buy. The brooch collections are surprisingly cheap and she has a box full of antique postcards. There's something melancholy about rooting through a box full of heartfelt scribblings from another time, but it is nevertheless interesting. For film makers and art projects at least the donated, personalised cards and monochrome photographs would come to a good use. A Pandora's box of yesterday's treasure that you would willingly open if you're into well preserved, pretty bygones.

Its a small shop, ideal for a browse, especially when you have time to spare. The stock is sort of…read moreoverflowing and you can find all sort of trinkets, jewelry, memorabilia, books. Downstairs you will find a lot of books, packed everywhere. It gives you the idea of the place where one mans rubbish is another mans treasure and you can spend an age in here. Most definitely worth a visit if antiques and rummaging through such stores is your thing.