Barnes & Noble Begins Selling Gunpla Models

Book and media retailer Barnes & Noble announced in March 2014 that it would begin selling Gunpla, the Gundam franchise’s line of plastic model kits, starting in April of that year. More than 400 Barnes & Noble locations in the United States were set to carry a variety of Gundam Plastic Models across multiple grades and scales, drawn from franchise entries including Gundam Wing, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Gundam Build Fighters.

The announcement came as the Gundam franchise marked its 35th anniversary. Gunpla kits are known for snapping together without glue and requiring little to no paint for a finished look. Barnes & Noble had tested the concept in 2013 at a small number of stores before deciding to expand the offering chainwide. The kits were supplied by Bluefin Distribution, Bandai Hobby’s official U.S. distributor, with packaging and product left unchanged from the versions sold in Japan.

Some stores were reported to feature in-store displays showcasing built sample models alongside the kits for sale, and some locations reportedly began carrying related Bandai product lines, including S.H. Figuarts figures spanning Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and Power Rangers, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball, ahead of the official rollout.