What We Found Inside Manila’s Gundam Base Pop-Up Store

It’s been 45 years since the very first Gunpla model went up for sale. In celebration of this anniversary, Bandai Hobby launched the Gunpla Base Pop Up World Tour, opening up mini Gundam Base stores for a limited time. These pop-up stores sell model kits that are either exclusive to Gundam Base stores or limited-run event exclusives.

See also: The History of Gunpla

One of the countries included in this World Tour is Manila, Philippines. For years, the Philippines has been no stranger to Gunpla events. Ban Kee Toys, Bandai’s official distributor in the country, would organize mini pop-up events and building competitions. However, this was the first time any sort of Gundam Base was available in Manila.

Located out of the way on the fifth floor of Shangri-La’s East Wing in Mandaluyong City, the location might have been tough for new visitors to find.

Inside the store, visitors were greeted by two large Gunpla: one of the GQuuuuuuX and one of the RX-78-2 with the Gundam Base colors. Aside from these two statues, the store was also filled with online-exclusive products as well as kits that are not normally available in stores.

One of the attractions was a framed display of what seemed to be runners of the revived version of the first ever Gunpla: the RX-78-2 kit from 1980. On top of that, info boards showed which items sold out and what was coming soon.

Of course, what would a Gundam Base store be without Gunpla on display? From clear versions of certain Gunpla models to kits that are only available via the Premium Bandai brand, this Gundam Base store had them everywhere.

One of the display kits that caught my eye was this Premium Bandai version of HGAC Vayeate. Now the Vayeate, together with the Mercurius, are already P-Bandai items themselves. Seeing a white one, however, is something that really surprised me.

Upon further research, it turns out that both the Vayeate and the Mercurius got Suivant re-releases in 2025. It could be that they only used this model kit as display material, or it might be a hint of a re-issue this year. Fingers crossed!

Of course, the main attraction of these stores is the availability of regular and Gundam Base-exclusive Gunpla kits being sold. But Bandai also promoted other Gundam-based items that are not necessarily Gunpla kits. This is where the Gundam Assemble miniatures come in.

For those who don’t know, Gundam Assemble is Bandai’s take on tabletop gaming. Think of it as Warhammer 40k but with various characters and suits from the Gundam franchise. As part of the promotion for its upcoming global release this October, Manila’s Gundam Base store dedicated a shelf for these mini Mobile Suits.

Based on what I saw here, the miniatures are intricately detailed and the paint job is comparable to what I notice on GBWC-level Gunpla kits and dioramas. As far as things go, there seems to be a market for a Gundam-based tabletop game. With the existence of fan-created tabletop games using Gunpla like Gunpla Battle: War on the Table, Bandai has seen an untapped market and decided to make things official with the birth of Gundam Assemble. Now all that remains is to see if fans adopt this new venture.

Upon further reflection, this Gundam Base Pop-Up Store was both a hit and a miss for me. The fact that a Gundam Base Pop-Up Store, even a limited-time-only one, was available in Manila is a net positive for all Filipino Gunpla fans. It gave local fans a chance to see and feel the Gundam Base experience without spending serious money on plane tickets to Japan.

Since the store was only open for a limited time, I think the small space worked really well. It wasn’t too big for a store that would only be in the building for a month or so. At the same time, it was not so small that the whole thing could’ve been done at the mall’s event center and presented as a normal Gunpla event.

The big negative of this store was the location. It took me some time before I could find the store. It didn’t help that the store is located at a somewhat secluded location on the fifth floor of the mall’s annex. To my surprise, when it first opened its doors at the beginning of the month, there were many people in attendance. So many that the store started a queuing system where people could only visit the store at certain times, which got scrapped as time went on. Even if my own experience was mixed, it’s clear that the store was a success for a lot of local fans.

Though the store is now closed, it may not be for long. If this banner I spotted at Super Manila Comic Con 2026 is any indication, stay tuned for a potential permanent Gundam Base in Manila!

John Carlo Rayas is an anime fan that dabbles in Gunpla. He also has a website that talks about Philippine otaku culture.