Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

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Spidey62
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Location: New Castle,Delaware

Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

I assume Gundam store and more isn't shipping to the east coast this week due to the hurricane.
I ordered 3 kits Tuesday and they tend to be at my door in three days.
However this time, I have yet to get my email saying its even shipped and the track order form provided by the link in the order confirmation email has no status on my package.
I'm not mad,If its the weather I can understand but I have a uneasy feeling with my money in someones pocket and what I want is just,out there in the abyss for 4 days,going on 5 now.
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Fignuts
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

GundamStoreandmore took almost six months to get me my order one time. It was a nightmare. Pleasant experiences beyond that, but man, when they fuck up, they really fuck up.
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Silver_August
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

I am absolutely shocked that no one's suggested this place but...

http://www.plazajapan.com/

Ever since I found it, it's been my go-to site for all my purchases. the prices are competitive to HLJ, but where it excels is shipping. Shipping is Air Mail so its already better then SAL, and they're very quick to respond to problems and desires to change or cancel orders. If you're looking for older stuff you might be out of luck...but they always get the latest stuff and they're quick to restock on stuff that sells out.

Oh and they do sometimes randomly stock up on older kits, namely MGs so, keep an eye on that when they get in new stuff.
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Fignuts
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Is Hobbywave still considered a reliable service?

Got a nice bonus in my upcoming check, so I'm going to treat myself with a MG Perfect Zeong.Hobbywave is the only place I've found that has it in stock. I just want to be sure, since it's a major purchase.
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Silver_August
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

they look relible...they have the HG Stargazer in stock...I like that, but their shipping seems over the roof...more so for me being Canadian X_x but...I might have to keep this place tabbed.
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Raiden
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Hobbywave is very reliable. and the Shipping is awesome since its Flat rate so you can buy as much as you want to get more bang for your shipping costs.
Ciel
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:40 pm

Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

If you can even get Hobbywave's search engine to even work. I type in ZZ Gundam and get Seed Destiny kits.
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Robolizard222
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

For 2 years I have been going to www.robot4less.com.

They have been my go to site for getting Gunpla since I've became a gunpla builder. They are stationed near Los Angelos, CA, and have a large selection of kits. They have always responded quickly to all my inquires, and try to get all the newest kits as fast as possible while still having a large selection of older kits. They even got the new MG Nu Gundam ver KA to me before Christmas. They also have coupon sales listed on their facebook page usually every other month so go check em out.
People ask me if I'm a cat or a dog person. I'm actually a dog person. They taste better.
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Gearhead1182
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

These are some sites I personally buy from and had a good experience with.

Hobbysearch (www.1999.co.jp/eng/) Direct from Japan, very cheap prices on kits. Customer service is A+. Shipping is fast, but expect to pay alot for it (Price of a new Master Grade depending how much one orders)
Tisinc99 (www.tisinc99.com/) Rare MSIA figures, decent prices, won't break the bank but needs to restock inventory
Robot4less (robot4less.com/) Old and new model kits, Customer service is A+, prices vary but sometimes overpriced
Gundamstoreandmore (www.gundamstoreandmore.com/) Huge variety of kits but does not update inventory on website
Hobbywave (www.hobbywave.com/) Huge variety of kits, Customer service is A+, Awesome prices on kits, Shipping takes a while though
Plajapan (www.plajapan.com/) Customer service is A+, Able to bundle your order for a huge discount, Not as much kits as they used to
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nortran11
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Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 2:21 am

Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

I'll give another shout out for robot4less.com.

I just placed an order, ten minutes later I got an email telling me my order status changed to shipped with an attached tracking number.

Can't beat that with a stick!
Turn-A Binker
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

I found a site called Gundam Planet, located in NJ. Is that any good?
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billng
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

As a Canadian buyer (In Ontario) where would be the best place to buy my kits? Im just getting into gunpla building and Im thinking of getting 3 MG kits.

1)Shin Matsunaga's Zaku II 2.0
2)Astray Blue frame 2nd revise
3)Aile strike gundam with bazooka

It seems that HLJ has the largest selection available but the shipping is quite costly. Hobbywave looks quite appealing with the $18 flat shipping cost to Canada but how reliable are they?

On another note, is it okay if I just use a black gundam marker to do all the panel lining?

Thanks for the help ^_^
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Gearhead1182
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

I literally went to GundamPlanet's store in Jersey when I was there for the weekend, figured I can get some kits while I'm there, the salesguy was cool and helpful. I got the HG GM Sniper and Re-Gz as well as the MG Seven swords. I dont know about ordering thru their website but they are legit.

Hobbywave is great for my wallet, they have great prices and shipping is only a flat price. I bought several kits from them. I bought from old school F90/F91, Nadesico, Patlabor and HGUC kits. I'm in NY and the shipping took about a week and a half unless you want to pay extra for faster shipping methods.

As for Gunpla customizing, the thin gundam markers are good for paneling but you can also use regular finepoint thin black permanent markers. It works exactly like the gundam markers because if you make a mistake, you can just rub it off easily before it sets.
Scheuch13
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Anyone stateside figure out if its cheaper to order from www.1999.co.jp or HLJ when shipping is factored in or to order from a stateside company?

Back when I first got into gundam I always ordered from HLJ and it seemed like it was cheaper, but it has been a long time since I ordered overseas, and most of my purchases are from gundam store.

If HLJ or 1999 would just give shipping estimates then I would probably do more business with them, but I can't place an order when it comes to international shipping without knowing how much it is first.
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Fignuts
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

I'd also like to know if any one has ordered from Gundamplanet.com.

The site looks very nice, prices are relatively low, and they have lots of kits that are out of stock elsewhere.

Also, seems to me Gundamstoreandmore is in rough shape. Almost everything has been sold out for a long time now. Shame, as they were the cheapest place around to get gunpla.
RLZIII
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Does anyone know a good place to buy P-Hobby exclusive items (name Gunpla)? I know that GG Infinite carries most of the P-Hobby stuff, but they are expensive and often sell out quickly. Many major sites (HLJ, Hobby Search, et cetera) don't carry those items. Is there a way to order them directly or through other means (Amazon.co.jp maybe?)? Thanks.
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RGM-79 GM
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Fignuts wrote:I'd also like to know if any one has ordered from Gundamplanet.com.

The site looks very nice, prices are relatively low, and they have lots of kits that are out of stock elsewhere.
I've gotten the Re-gz, GM II, GM III, EFF Hizack, Marasai(Titans), Base jabber, 2x EFF Nemos, the RG Zeta Gundam, and the RG Gundam MK II Titans from Gundamplanet.com. They shipped quick, apart from needing to backorder the basejabber as someone else grabbed the last one before me, and all models were in great condition with no damage to the boxes. The only complaint I have is that with my first order, even though I registered on the site they didn't give me any reward points. Since then I have gotten them but still not for my first order. Apart from that I've had no issues and I will be buying from them again.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Has anyone bought from iplamo.com before?
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DunGoufd
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Joined: Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:19 am

Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Hey all, how are the shipping charges for the places you shop? I've purchased kits from ebay in the past and the cost for shipping MG kits via EMS tend to be around $20-$25 (from Japan to North America). But I've recently purchased a single MG kit from Hobbysearch and got slammed $40 in shipping charges for it! The cost of the kit is only $50! They tell me packaging can increase the weight of a kit up by 1000g.

Is it the same in all these other online shops?
Xenosynth
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Re: Best sites to buy Gunpla/MSiA / information

Well, most places charge a high shipping fee if it's directly from Japan. Honestly, your best bet for price would be either ordering from gginfinite or gundamplanet since they have warehouses in the US (So the shipping is normal) but they mark up the kits a bit to make up for that. Hobbylink Japan on the other hand is usually best in terms of kit base price, but it is in Japan so you have to make up for it. Depending on the size of the kist and whatnot, sometimes it's better on hobbylink, sometimes it's better on Gundamplanet or GGinfinite. Honestly you might wanna just throw the same stuff all in a cart and see which one is cheapest for you, because it does depend on your exact location.
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