Warhammer — Local services in Manhattan Beach

My experience here was fantastic. I'm usually keenly aware of when a salesperson is trying to get me to spend money, but the manager, Dan, who helped my friend and I out when we first got there, was stellar and showed a lot of passion for the hobby.

I'm new to Warhammer, but decided to come and see what stock the store had since I didn't really want to pay for shipping from the Games Workshop website. I wish I came in sooner!

When you first walk in, you're greeted to an awesome display of Warhammer miniatures. The left wall is lined with Age of Sigmar sets and boxes, and the right with Warhammer 40,000. These are cleverly divided in a way that helped me find what I was looking for: Specifically, Grand Alliance Order and Chaos minis.

The back of the store contains the supplies. For beginners, this is extremely useful. Citadel supplies (which are Games Workshop's official products) are used to help put together and paint your models. Books are available to teach you how to make minis, paint minis, or how to play the game. Furthermore, there is an entire section of novels if you're feeling like getting even further into the lore of Warhammer. It seems like they just have a massive stock of EVERYTHING.

And if they ever don't have what you need in stock, there is a kiosk in-store you can use to order what you need from online and have it delivered directly to the store FOR FREE. This saves a TON on shipping! Also, ordering from their kiosk (rather than online) helps support the local store. If I ever go and they don't have what I need in stock, I'll definitely order from the kiosk. It's a win-win situation.

Getting out of the retail portion of this review, I need to talk about how awesome it was that this didn't feel like a "usual" retail experience. A lot of my positive feelings for Warhammer (the store I'm reviewing, not the game) came down to how the manager seemed to be so passionate about the hobby. Dan helped my buddy and I out, answered our questions, and reassured us that he's a resource. If we have questions about putting models together, painting them, or playing the game...just come in and ask. I'm pretty much brand new to Warhammer, so this sort of reassurance is much appreciated and helps me get into the hobby as a newcomer.

There are a lot of social aspects as well. You can come in for tutorials on how to play, paint, or model GW minis. There are painting competitions, tables to play Warhammer on, tables to paint on, release parties, and other gatherings to meet and have fun at it. If you need any help at all, the workers at the store are ready to give it. My only personal interaction was with Dan, but that was enough to tell me that Warhammer is a fantastic place to come when I have the free time.

My only regret is that I didn't buy my initial Warhammer supplies from the store. I ordered online, which means only Games Workshop got my money, not the store.

So kudos to Warhammer for being such a fantastic store. From their extensive stock, to their layout, to their community and events, and their passion for the hobby. I know I'm coming back this weekend to preorder the Soul Wars...

What a great spot and addition to the area! The store is clean, well laid out, and has a substantial amount of product on display. Most all of what you'd need to hobby paint is here.. and there are two gaming tables with scenery and such to battle. There's a nice center area for building and painting as well if you'd just like to sit and paint with like minded enthusiasts, share progress, tips, etc.

The regulars at this shop are very friendly and helpful, with a wealth of warhammer gaming and painting knowledge, lore, and lots of jokes.

The real shining gem here is the manager Dan. His enthusiasm for the hobby is downright infectious and I really don't know that there's any part of WH he doesn't know. I haven't painted miniatures since 1989, but somehow now I have 4 imperial knights. Personally for me he's been patient and helpful with my painting, to the point where he has spent time off hours thinking on the goals I have and how best to reach those goals.. and that's well 'above and beyond' effort. I'm not sure I would have invested so much in this hobby so quickly if I wasn't so happy with that.

This spot is worth a drive if you haven't been... so...

I was excited for this store to open however after attending a few times I found I wasn’t welcome. A few things that were a put off. 1st after showing a fellow gamer how to magnetize his models I was instructed not to because GW doesn’t sell magnets. The dumbest thing I have ever heard. 2nd was when the topic came up concerning playing custom models that they needed to adhere to the GW model requirements posted on the main site. All fine. However after getting approval from Warhammer World to run my scratch built Warhound Titan in events the store manager still objected to playing it in the Manhattan Beach store stating no proxies would be played in his store. Unfortunately GW corporate defines the model as a “Beautiful scratch build” completely within the spirit of play. They also said it was not a proxy.

The products are already more expensive in the physical stores and more often than not we are pushed online to purchase bitz that are not available in store. Its decisions like these that are going to drive hobbyists out of the brick and mortar stores all together. Long live garage hammer....