Drove over 30 minutes to check out this store. When I arrived the store was locked with a barely noticeable sign taped inside the door that said "Bathroom brb". It was 40 degrees out and they were not right back. This is not a serious business and should be avoided. read more

Build Up! Import Hobby and Toy - Store door with hours and Bathroom brb sign - Hobby Shops Near Me - Independence, Missouri

This place is awesome. The new place is smaller than their previous location, but the crew is still amazing. They are super knowledgeable, very helpful and super friendly. They have a big selection of kits; they didn't have the kit I wanted at the time but they let me know when they should be restocking so I can swing by then. If you're new to building, I really recommend this place. This crew can set you up and guide you on the best kit for you. read more

They can answer all of your gunpla related questions and will even give your model a free photos hoot. They are my goto place for gunpla tools and replacements even though it's an hour drive from my home.​ read more

Fantastic store for those into the model building hobby! I just discovered the hobby a little over a week ago for building Gundam kits and everyone highly recommended this store! Walking in, i was completely blown away! Very clean, very organized store with A TON of selection. The owner/operator Jared was more than accommodating and answered my many questions after I told him I was brand new to the hobby. I wound up settling on a few different ones after speaking with him and I am very excited to build more kits. I know I will be returning to this store for all of my needs involving the hobby. Check them out! read more

This has to be one of the coolest places I've ever been! As someone just starting out getting into gunpla, the employees working here were so awesome in helping me make a good purchase and extremely knowledgeable! They have so many options to choose from and most of them on display. I would highly recommend coming here! read more

I don't know if this place is even open anymore. Showed up at 10, the time they open and waited 15 minutes. No one came, really sucks wanted to add to my Neon Genesis collection. read more

When I heard there was an anime store going up in Independence, I was thrilled. It'd been well over a decade since Mo Iikai closed and though finding merch has become easier with online sites and import brokers, point and click shopping doesn't fully replace the experience of being able to talk about your interests in person while shopping. So I sought out the new hobby shop in town; Build Up! Import Hobby & Collectibles. On first approach I worried the existence of the shop was a mere rumor. There wasn't a sign, just BUILD UP! written with window paint next to a drawing of a mecha. I was worried this would be another tiny start-up that would be closed within the year. Once inside, my fears were abated not only by the product, but the owners of the store themselves. I ventured in and was immediately struck with how large the shop was. The right side was set with display cases of Japanese snacks and model kits, while the left had tables and chairs which I found were intended for use during events. I was immediately greeted by one of the owners, Jared Whisenand, who was not only friendly and personable, but a nerd himself. After speaking with him about the business, I really feel excited about the new retailer. First I found that they only sell legitimate items imported from Japan. To me this is huge. As a content creator and a fan, I see the effects of bootlegging merchandise and how difficult it is to find legitimate goods in shops. I had just been at Independence Center taking snaps of the stuff they had on display at Asian Gifts, which is primarily bootleg and it shows. Jared was eager to show me the display cases along the wall with finished model kits and dioramas. The display cases were intended to be used by fellow model builders to display and sell their work. There were already a handful of painted and customized kits on display, with some really awesome looking Gundam dioramas up for sale, some of which were put together at the store during a recent event. Next to the register was a display of 3D printed runner stands. For those outside the kitting community, a runner is the plastic frame that the pieces of kits come on. They are as numerous as they are bulky. Half the hell of building a model is finding the piece you need among the multitude of plastic runners in your box. The existence of runner stands was completely new to me, but listening to Jared explain who made them and how they were designed made it immediately clear that he was passionate about the hobby and not just in it for a quick buck. After spotting a Kamen Rider model kit, I put 2 and 2 together and Jared confirmed the store's namesake. As a Tokusatsu fan, finding other people (in my area no less!) that loved Kamen Rider to that extent filled my nerdy heart with glee. Kamen Rider and Gundam fans in plain sight! Looking at the store layout, it was clear they gave a lot of thought on how they want to present their product. Most places that sell model kits have them stacked in such a way that maximizes usage of space over promoting of product. While this is great if you know exactly what you're getting into, it's counterintuitive if you want to bring in new people to a hobby. All the kits were displayed with their artwork facing out so someone who had no clue about the hobby can see the beautiful promotional images that were intended to draw people. It seems like common sense to display product like this, but sadly most hobby shops go for the space-saving route at the cost of window shoppers. This is playing to their advantage already. In the few weeks they've been open, they've already acquired new loyal shoppers who have started their rabbit hole journey into kit building. Surprisingly, they've been primarily female or younger folk. This speaks volumes to how Build Up! is choosing to market themselves as an open and accepting space over the more secular, often elitist atmosphere of your typical hobby shop. Aside from model kits and figures, many that you won't find available outside of online retailers, there were a variety of Japanese snackfoods on display as well. Owner Lauren Lamb, whom I hope I can meet in the future, has taken up ordering Japanese snacks, including lines of "moe" snacks that have become popular. I was surprised to see that the items on display differed from the usual fare. While most nerd-catering retailers stick to safe bets like Pocky, I saw displays of gummy candies and licensed promotional items that you normally would only be able to pick up in shops around Akihabara. There was even a display of Super Lemon. I haven't seen Super Lemon in a shop in years! Our conversation shifted to plans for the future of the store. Jared stated he intended to bring in manga and light novels to the sell, emphasizing the importance of sorting them by genre and not just shelving all books together. There was talk of bringing in clothing vendors catering to fans of Japanese fashion movements, which had me perking my ears as a read more

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Customer service at its finest with a unique selection of ever updating import goods aimed squarely at the anime lover in all of us. Build Up Import Hobby hosts a huge selection of hard to find model kits, Import candy and ramen, impossible to find model tools, paints, and collectibles. With a huge floor space dedicated to the closet nerd in all of us, the owners have truly found a niche we've all longed for for years. If the products, location, and unique approach to "hobby store" weren't enough, the owners are extremely polite and work tremendously hard to ensure the customer needs are met. As the store progresses I've seen the postings for build groups go up, kit swap events, and a potential future offering build classes. It's truly revolutionary seeing a business take the approach of not just serving the current market but building upon the existing customer base and expanding the hobby. Thank you Build Up! read more

It seems to be well stocked with various Japanese models of robots and things. I was looking for traditional scale models- airplanes and ships, that kind of thing. They're more geared toward anime and gaming. That's fine of course, but what earned this store my less than stellar rating is the fact that I lapped the perimeter of the store at least once without the staff so much as acknowledging my existence. read more

As a model builder who wants to support local businesses, I was excited to see Build Up! open. I've been in the store several times, mostly to get paint or other tools. The owners are really great folks, very helpful and nice to talk to. As a guy who builds Star Trek, Batman and other pop culture models, I'd like to see more of those kinds of items in the store, since I'd be buying more from Build Up! and less from other stores. I'm also interested in buying an airbrush at some point. But I'm happy to support them any way I can. read more

Finally a place near my house that sells gunpla!!! I was very excited when I noticed the shop. They seem to have a great selection already and I plan to support the local shop. I asked about two sets that unfortunately had been purchased earlier that day/week due to being popular perhaps. The owner was helpful/friendly and assured me they would be getting more in soon as well as restocking other sets and getting in new items as well. Get out and support the local shop. We need more places like this around and they plan to expand so I'm excited to see what's to come. read more