A year ago this weekend, we opened The Combat Company warehouse. We dubbed it the Fantasy Factory – a place where all your tabletop wargaming dreams could come true. How’s it been? You couldn’t even begin to imagine… The extra storage space has allowed us room to expand the ranges we hold, and increase the stock for the ranges we already carry. We’ve already had to install more racking and reinforce the beams to hold the tremendous weight of plastic crack. The paint rack swells with Vallejo, AK, Badger and more. The rafters are packed with transport cases, and foam of variegated size. The back wall is stacked with Warmahordes. We needed to make more racks for Infinity. The clearance pallet was instated. The floor space has allowed us to host wargaming events, from our first Warmahordes tournament to Bolt Action Demo Days, and X-Wing competitions. Most recently, we hosted our first, fun-focused Sy-Co weekend, where 200 gamers rolled dice and wandered through over the two days. We now see a regular set of friendly faces who come round to game. We are now home to the X-Wing obsessed guys from local wargaming club, Allies of Convenience. In the beginning, it was merely sounds of Lift-face the Forklift drifting back and forth the factory floor – now it’s the sound of mates meeting and greeting, dice rolling, victory cheers, and sympathetic groans. And laughter, lots of laughter. Very soon in the piece, we invited Luke from The Sound of Machines - Commission Miniature Painting to share our space. What started as a cool business idea has evolved into a great friendship, and a natural progression for both ventures. Contrary to what he might tell you, he’s an absolute pleasure to have around, his skills are amazeballs and his beard, magnificent. We look forward to hosting the first Sy-Co Painting Day in December, where he holds centre stage to share his wisdom. This year has proven that the theory works – a Bunnings of wargaming has a place in Sydney. Build it, and they will come. On first visit, most people’s jaws drop. On second visit, complement bombs are dropped. Then you’re a regular. Thank you to all of you who have come through, it’s always an absolute pleasure. Behind the scenes, we couldn’t have done this without the crew: Russ, Mike, Vince and Ness. Words like tireless, passionate, enthusiastic, loyal, multi-skilled, and good-looking come to mind. Thank you. 2014 has been a tidal wave, building up an incredible momentum, and we have every intention of riding it onwards and upwards, no matter how bumpy it may be, no matter the obstacles, the fear, the risks. The number of complement-bombs you drop when you come to the warehouse shows us we’re on the right track. So what does 2015 hold? More of the same: More games. More hobby stuff. More events. More comps. More Sy-Co demo days. We will continue creating this space you can think of as your wargaming home, where you can play in a relaxed, comfortable environment, meet with friends, and get all the plastic crack you need. Most importantly, 2015 will bring you more of what you didn’t expect, because we love to surprise.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 07:54:26 +0000