ROSEMONT, Ill. (WLS) — Gundam fans unite! The first ever store in the country for the popular anime figures from Japan just opened in the Chicago area.
The Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont welcomed the first Gundam Base site in North America on Friday.
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“I just went crazy,” Gundam fan Chloe Altez said. “I was like, I have to be here.”
“There’s no words to really talk about it,” Gundam fan Mohammad Masoud said. It’s just, if you know, you know.”
People waited in line Friday morning before the store’s grand opening to be among the first to experience it all.
“They have stores all over the world, but this is the first here and they chose fashion outlets to be their home, so we’re really excited,” said Katie Walsh, senior marketing manager for the Fashion Outlets of Chicago.
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“I used to have to go to Japan in order to see a Gundam Base shop,” Altez said. “I don’t have to travel anymore. I can stay here in Chicago and there’s a Gundam base shop here. Everything that I would want from trading cars to the model kits, stationary is even here.”
The mega-popular robot model kits have captured hobbyists around the world.
“I’ve loved it since I was a kid, and it’s a really great opportunity for the city to have something as beautiful as this, and it’s really cool to see,” Masoud said.
Now a global fandom, they first grew in popularity in Japan in the 1980s from an anime television series.
“It’s about the story of a machine and also a human who combine together and fight together and grow together,” said Junko Fukamachi, general manager of IP business at Bandai Namco. “It’s a long long history.”
The store features kits and merchandise for sale, large model displays, and a dedicated play area for card games among fans.
“Build and start to make my deck. I can’t wait to play this,” Masoud said.
The store remained open until 9 p.m. for opening day festivities.
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