John Zabawa’s Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers has long been a favorite stop for many wargamers, plastic toy soldier collectors, and those hobbyists who enjoy high-quality 54mm collectibles such as King & Country, Conte, Britains, etc. I always enjoy visiting with John; he’s one of the true gentlemen of our hobby — very knowledgeable, strong on customer service, and well informed.
Recently, I stopped by his shop on Steinwehr Avenue on the south side of Gettysburg during a visit to town with some of my family members. The store, as always, is filled with eye candy — row after row of every kind of plastic army men and military toys that one can imagine, vintage Marx boxes from my childhood, shelves stuffed full of model kits, bags of unpainted wargaming figures, finished dioramas that will dazzle you, hobby supplies, and so much more. It’s all here.
John has a back room where he maintains a large gaming table for the gamers who regularly meet in the store.
On my visit, he had a 15mm layout of Pickett’s Charge set up, ready to play. Here are a few photos. I really like the custom-built Lutheran Seminary that he placed at the end for visual effect (yes, it was not on the field of the assault, but it is a cool-looking model, designed and built by very talented modeler Gary Manville).
CHARGE! Civil War miniature wargaming and dioramas 