Since starting the Gundam modeling hobby last September, one of my first concerns is where to buy these kits. There is no actual hobby store here in Iloilo that is a seller of the kits. Before, a friend introduced a website that sells Gundams locally but which you should pre-order first. The problem is that I find the prices a bit expensive and only a few kits are available so I decided to Google search the Gunpla stores and here are some that I could recommend.
Greattoysonline.com – this store has a lot of variety of Gundam kits for sale, and they not only ship locally within the country but also worldwide. They have a few stores in Metro Manila which you can just walk-in and buy your desired kits. If you are purchasing online, you can check their eBay page, or buy directly on their website. I have actually bought a few kits from them, and what I’ve noticed is that their prices vary from their main online store and their eBay account. Your best resort is to contact them personally to ask for the definite price, though I recommend buying from their eBay items as they are listed cheaper.
Wasabitoys.com – this is a smaller Gunpla store in Manila which also has a lot of Gunpla items for sale. Comparing to Great Toys Online, some of their kits costs less though most are limited on stock. Good thing is that they are easy to communicate with on mobile if you are inquiring for a specific kit. As of this posting, I have just purchased one kit from them and still planning to buy more (if the budget allows it).
M1gs Gundams, Zerofour Gundam, Otakuhobbitoys Ph – these are Facebook stores. Their advantage is that they are easy access to most Fb users, and can advertise their items on sale by just posting photos of the kits and tagging them on their FB accounts. They make good use of the free advertisement on Facebook since most people (including me) usually include it in their daily routine. They are just one pm away from inquiries of your target Gunpla kits.
Usually, it is just your personal preference on where you’d want to buy your kit. As for me, my best option is just to order via online (one disadvantage of living in the province). Hopefully, someone would open a business in Iloilo specifically for Gundam kits. Well, it could be not just about Gunpla but still. Anyhow, enough of this wishful thinking and I hope I’d helped you a bit in finding store to buy your kits.
Until the next post. Hint: it will be about EDH. 😛
*post photo from Flickr.