I found an old copy of Space Crusade for the Commodore 64 up in the attic a while back. This was alongside some other long-forgotten finds like my childhood Space Wolves, Lizardmen, and Undead armies. Oh, and some Monster in My Pocket.

Space Crusade was an 8-bit dip into the Grim Darkness of the far future. I initially thought it was a digital version of Space Hulk, but now I see that Crusade was actually a board game in its own right. Would it be fair to call it a more simplistic and accessible version, given that it was co-produced with Milton Bradley of HeroQuest fame?

To be honest, I don’t have a huge amount of memories of playing this. And, given that I was very much into both Games Workshop and Commodore 64 games at the same time, I wonder if that means that it just… wasn’t very good.

I did enjoy this Space Crusade review on YouTube by Nostalgia Nerd, though. Cracking music on the game.

It must’ve been the turn-based mechanic that put me off, though. I’ve just never enjoyed that way of doing if I’m playing a computer game.

So as much as I enjoyed another wee look at the box and gameplay, here, I’d still rather play Golden Axe, I reckon. Now that was a game!

Last year I set to working through a couple of boxes I found in my parents’ attic.

I’ve written about some of my hobby-related finds so far. I unearthed a Space Wolves force, a small Lizardemen army, and an Undead warband.

It’s taken me a while to get to some of the smaller, more esoteric stuff though. This time around, we’re taking a look at some Games Workshop receipts from 1995-1998.

I’d found an old wallet in one of the boxes, and these were tucked away inside. A bizarre thing to keep, I’ll admit. But quite a nostalgic find, and fun to look back at all the purchases, as well as the pricing.

In 1995 I was obsessed with Orcs & Goblins. By the 97/98 period though, I was putting some serious effort into collecting the shiny new Lizardmen forces.

I was still flighty with my buying, though. I can see I was picking up undead and Chaos Space Marine stuff too. I’ve always been more of a collector and (fledgling) painter than a gamer. If I liked the look of something, I always added it to my “to-buy” list.

Trips to GW as a kid were rare because there wasn’t one anywhere near where I lived. I’d usually get to go a day trip there after a birthday so I could spend the paper that fell out of the various cards I’d received. I’d have a list drawn up of what I was going to buy at least 6 months in advance. This was done by pouring over the pages of my White Dwarf collection. These lists probably changed on a weekly basis, too…

Again, if you fancy a look at some of the other stuff I’d recovered, check out my Space Wolves, my Lizardemen, and my Undead!

Clearing out the attic is a dangerous game. The main concept is that you’re supposed to get rid of stuff. Unfortunately, the amount of nostalgia-themed rabbit holes you can fall down are endless. I’ve found plenty hobby stuff up there to create an entire series about. I’d like to start though, with Monster in My Pocket.

I think I discovered Monster in My Pocket around the same time as I discovered Games Workshop and Citadel Miniatures. It was the early 90s. Probably around 1991/92. It’s not hard to see why I fell in love with both. They’re actually quite similar in many ways.

Here’s the full haul of Monster in My Pocket figures I salvaged from the attic. The multi-coloured ones I still think of as “the new ones”, even though they probably came out about 1994! The newer Monster in My Pocket – in my opinion – weren’t as good as the old ones. Does that sound familiar?

There was a real character and charm about Monster in My Pocket. I loved the aesthetic, and the individuality of each figure.

I also used to own the Monster in My Pocket sticker album and collect the stickers. My grandad would bring me home a couple of packets after his work on a Saturday. It’s a different topic altogether, but there’s nothing quite like the smell of a freshly opened packet of stickers.

There was inevitably going to be a crossover between my Citadel Miniature and Monster in My Pocket hobbies. Here, you’ll see one I attempted to paint as a kid. I remember he was called Ogre, because I used to pronounce his name “Orgy” and I always wondered why my mum found it so amusing.

I also created some terrain with another figure. I glued it to a bottle top and painted it gold. I’m sure this was many years on, when I started collecting lizardmen.

Monster in My Pocket also suffered from “scale creep”. I didn’t like the newer ones, and found the blobs of different colour a bit… rubbish and pointless, I guess. But then again, I was used to leafing through copies of White Dwarf where I’d see some of the best painted miniatures in the world. I must’ve just thought “if you’re going to paint them, paint them properly”.

I still don’t know whether to stick them on Ebay or not. As I say, the point of pulling loads of stuff down from the attic was to actually get rid of it. But I’m quite attached to these little guys. I’m actually thinking of making up a couple of Open Combat warbands with them. This could be a great way to start playing miniature wargames with my nephew.

And the two sea creatures on the left here, how good would they be in a Man O’ War, or some similar sea-based game?

Right, that’s it then, it’s settled. I’ll keep the Monster in My Pocket figures.

There’ll be plenty space in the house once my wife divorces me and moves out!

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