The wife and I were walking around Japan town on Saturday and I poked my head into one of the stores there looking for a new Gundam kit but there was only one. I asked the owner and he mentioned Tatsu hobby as it wasn't far away. First off, this place is kind of hard to find as it is in a completely nondescript industrial complex and far back from the street. There is no way you would just be driving around and come across this place, you have to be searching for it. Also the layout of the store is weird. You first enter into a small room with a couple of display cases, (nothing you can buy I think), with a small desk and a cash register to the right. There was a small man sitting there having a conversation with a person so I wasn't quite sure what to do. My first thought was, "This is it?" But then I noticed there is another room through a open door in the back, so I proceeded through. This is where the kits actually are. The main room is pretty cramped with a few shelves of kits and a table that 3 people were sitting eating at and having nerdy discussions. I wanted to ask a question but I wasn't sure if they worked there or not. I didn't really see that there was really any sort of organization to the store other than the Gundams pretty much seem to be along the rear of the room and other types of kits are near the front. My biggest gripe is that none of the boxes have a price sticker on them. You have to ask the guy up front. Lame. And the couple of kits I asked about were priced higher than other places I normally buy from like Newtype. I'll just stick with Newtype in Union City from now on. Unfortunately they are only open M-F but they do ship and I usually get my orders in a day or two. I wouldn't bother going to Tatsu again. read more

Great place for hobby. Cozy but very packed and easy to find items, they have large range of selection. Prices are comparable to online

Amazing local shop run by genuine Gundam fans. Always helpful. Always friendly. Always good chats when you stop by.

Great store for gundam enthusiasts considering 75% of the store is dedicated to gundams. There is a huge variety of kits here including some hard-to-find ones that are often out of stock online. They also have accessories such as markers which are $5 each. Store owner is friendly and very knowledgeable. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was that prices are not marked and you would have to ask for the prices. read more

Tatsu Hobby - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Jose, California

I recently introduced my 5 Year old sun to Gundam Build Fighters recently and he has shown a lot of interest in building his own Kit. I thought it might be a little early, but my wife urged us to at least give it a try. I found this establishment on Yelp and headed there after work. The location is a near the 101 offramp, in industrial center, generally used for Mechanics and small shops. It was not too hard to find and there seems to be ample parking. Once i walked inside, there were 100s of built kits in a display, which is very cool to look at. I believe the owner, greeted me and asked if it was my first time. I answered "yes" and asked for recommendation for my son. He recommended for a Pokemon Kit or and SD kit as they were easy to build and would be a good start. Once i walked into the main area, there was a plethora of kits available. Lots of Gundam and other anime figures were available. I ended up deciding on Rising Freedom Gundam SD Kit for my son as it looked fairly straight forward. For myself i decided to get a RG Kit, which looks like more detailed than the kits i built during my high school days. Once i was ready, i spoke to the owner on the cost and it was lower than what i would have purchased online and we had a short chat. Overall i really enjoyed looking around and having nostalgia of looking at some of the Gundams from when i was younger. P.S. My son was able to build the kit. Took a little bit of help for stickers and helping him follow the instructions but it went pretty well. read more

Tatsu Hobby - Rising freedom Gundam SD kit - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Jose, California

First off I wanna say that I'm a loyal buyer to this shop since 2022 and is what kept me in the hobby even through this rough eighth grade year and I highly recommend that you visit to find kits your looking for or maybe just to browse. Believe me! I come from the Monterey Bay Area every other Sunday and I enjoy just browsing at times, it's that nice. The shop has a good variety of of gunpla, Figma/sh figuarts, other nick nacks like nippers and stickers, they even carry P-Bandai at times! They have a very vast collection of Hg's all the way from Gundam AGE to the newish GQuuuuuux series, though there's not as Mg's as Hg's their selection is still quite the treat! Their Rg's are spread a bit thin at the moment but that's honestly a problem from Bandai as they're not releasing that many Rg's now a days. And lastly of course the Pg's, I don't really remember which specific Pg's I saw but I know I saw at least 2 of them in their which is very nice . Their pricing is very nice as it stays close to the original Japanese price and if not it's maybe no more than a dollar increase. The staff there are also very nice and I love to have brief conversations with the (I believe is) owner of the shop about what's new or when they get a new shipment. This spot is a hidden Gem and I highly recommend going there if you're in town or have been simply considering if or if not to go. 10 out of 10 shop and it's a pleasure being able to grow up going to such a nice shop read more

You just gotta make sure the store is open. Hours are not always correct. Beside that everything else is fine read more

Best Place in San Jose to get great Gundam Kits, and saves me a lot of money from shipping cost. It Beats waiting from other dealers online. Plus they got mr.hobby thinners I need and so much more. The prices are great and fair ! No haggling here, feel confident to buy and grow that collection. The staffs are good dudes and passionate. The only thing negative about this place is that it feeds my addiction for more gunpla . It's a must to come here . I recently discovered this store and I highly recommend a visit here Jeffrey read more

This is a place that I started the hobby of gunpla few years back. I really would give less stars if I didn't care about the business of this place but in bay area we are so limited. Prior to covid, this place always had kits that you wouldn't worry about being out of stock because there really wasn't much of a shortage. So I will not ding them on bandai/ blue fin for not providing supplies. I used to check virtual inventory prior to coming to the shop just because I wouldn't have to scroll through their site to see whats available. That hasn't been updated or been active since January. I was told to just do pre orders for future inquiries but I have not dince due to gunpla shortage and uncertainty of when it will actually arrive. What really pushed me to write this review is just the fact that they cannot open the shop on time. If it says open at 2, 4 out of 5 times I've shown up they are not open. Today I come by again, with written sign that says 2/2:30pm, currently is 3 as im typing, still not open. Not only they are not even respecting their own hours at this point, and me being aware that their warehouse is pretty much not in stock at this point, I really hoped for their best but they have been falling apart since last year. I really hope things get turned around read more

I came here solely because my bf wanted to come here lol, so this is his review. Quick background, he was built at least a dozen Gundams and is pretty educated about all of this hobby stuff; me, not so much haha. The owner is Alex and like many other reviews said, he is very knowledgable and friendly. Immediately knew that it was our first times, so I bet there are usuals that come often! He answered any questions we had and even recommended some kits too. Location was a bit tricky to find at first because it is not your typical big, hobby store so keep that in mind. However there was a lot of parking. When you first enter, its a little office with cases of models built in display cases, then there is a backroom where all the kits and tables to build are. Before it even opened, there were a few people in their cars already waiting as well so I highly recommend stopping by. In the back there were a variety of kits to choose from and Alex was restocking some items too! My bf ended up buying a kit and he was very psyched about how it was a a bit cheaper than the typical online ordering websites and didn't have to wait for shipping lol. He said 'we are so coming back next time!' read more

It's a little tucked away and opened at 2:30 when I went, but by far the best place to shop for gunpla in the area! Good selection and fair prices. Support ur local gunpla store..there's not many :) read more

Got my first ever gundam here and Alex was very helpful. I ended up changing my mind on model choice and he fully accepted an exchange for a different one the next day. Appreciate the courtesy. read more

If your a collector of any kind, or maybe your a craftsman, remeber doing models when you were a kid? This place is a must visit. I am complete noob to the industry but the owner has the most beautiful collection I've ever seen. If your looking for something to do during lockdown? He will square you away!! Totally family oriented (until my kid messes up my paint job). Owner Is a gem not pretentious and very welcoming gave me space to check everything out and answered my dumb questions with class. Thanks X! read more

We are from San Francisco, we drove all the way from SF to San Jose to branch off on our gunpla stores. And let me tell you, this store did not disappoint us, once we walked in it was like a party. lots of people and lots of kits to work with. We bought Gundam Helios, Exia and wing zero. was amazing would come back again. 10/10 read more

A bit hard to find based on Apple maps, but once I found it, it's a treasure trove of models, tools, and creativity. The shop owner was great! We chatted on all things kits and model. Really great place. The work space he has for his customers is a huge safe space for modelers. read more

Been coming here for years just to look at all the cool stuff. I usually pick up transformers figures. The most comfortable gundam store I've been to. The owner is the chilliest dude and knows his stuff. Glad to see the shop still standing strong through this pandemic. Going to stop by hopefully soon to check out the new shipments! read more

Absolutely 5 stars! This place is awesome I was googling around and I even went to japan town to find stuff. But most shop are just too over priced. People there are the right type to ask about gunpla. They know stuff! Release date and about different version and where to get it. I bought a couple model kits at the comic shop in amc 16 Cupertino. That shop's price was ridiculous. Plus they don't know much about the kit and for most of the store they ll just say what you see is what we got. This place has most of the kit from varies gundam series. So if you are looking for those main character you can get most of them in either HG MG. I was looking for some gm and jesta ( those die in 20 sec in the anime XD) however they don't carry much of them. Oh btw if you are also into zoids they have a bunch of choices as well. I like zoids but I really can build those tiny piece from that company. Kenobukaya? I forgot. The actually place is a bit deep inside the warehouse driveway. In front of it there's a recycle dumpster. If you see a group a otaku then you ve arrived! read more

Tatsu Hobby - The model I was looking for is still on its way to their shop but I end up getting this little guy and some other misc. - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Jose, California

Awesome awesome place to grab your gunpla necessities. Went for a bottle of Mr. Mark softer and ended up buying a couple markers and new kit! read more

Enjoyed buying and have awesome kits for beginners and advance builders highly recommend buying to them read more

Tatsu Hobby - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Jose, California

I heard about this place on Reddit and the SF Gunpla Facebook group and decided to stop by. It can be pretty hard to find, but once you see the big 761 in the business park on Marbury, you just turn in and go all the way down. You can usually see the door propped open and sometimes a group hanging out or building Gunpla outside. Once inside, you are usually greeted by Alex, the owner and two display cases full of models the store has built. One is full of painted ones and the other is full of straight builds with panel lining. You can also spot their US National 3rd place trophy in the case, so you know these guys are the real deal. The store seems to foster a tight community as many people hanging around are pretty chatty and chummy with Alex. He will also pretty much recognize if you're new instantly and ask if it's your first time at the store and will direct you to the shop in the back. When entering, you'll see the walls lined with a bunch of kits. RGs, HGs, SDs, and even some PGs and Metal Builds at the top. There are even anime or comic book figurines available if that's your rabbit hole. It's basically a weeb hobbyist's paradise with Gundam, Fate/ Grand Order, DragonBall Z, merch. I was there for Gunpla and was able to see many hard-to-find kits on my bucket list. I decided to pick up an MG Barbatos. I actually came back the next day to pick up some HG Origin Zakus. Unfortunately, they didn't have Char's Commander Unit or the Standard Green Grunt I was looking for, but Alex said I could get the Gouf and High Mobility types, same model, different colorways. Coming back the second day, I noticed many things I had my eye on the day before were suddenly sold out, so if there's something you want, you should probably buy it right away! There's also a selection of tools like nippers, nipper covers, paints, panel liners like markers and the acrylics available. Alex was able to answer all my questions about painting, panel lining and general information about each kit pretty much without missing a beat. So you can tell he loves Gundam and knows his stuff. He also knew exactly what he had in stock and each price without even checking. The only downsides I would say are the store is a bit small, it can get a bit warm because the A/C and ventilation isn't so strong. There were many things sold out, but Alex told me they usually restock every two weeks and many things I asked about would be restocked. It was also hard to check if they were open because there was no response on the phone or Facebook, but Alex told me it was because he was a bit busy and had a late start. All in all, I think this is a great store. There is a great selection even when I came at a time with low stock and the pricing is very competitive. This is probably going to be my go to store and will be happy to support them as much as I can. Go check it out! read more

Came here with very little knowledge on Gundam models, We were shopping for Gundam to give as gifts. I've known about this place for a while but never been inside, finding the shop itself is a little tricky. Once we came in we were greeted by someone at the register. I spent a few minutes looking at the built gundams in the display case, the worker behind the register asked if I've been there before and I told her it was my first time. She welcomed us to go through the door into the warehouse, where you will find more Gundam models for purchase. A gentleman with a beard helped me and I told him that I didn't have much knowledge with Gundams. He was very knowledgeable with the models and was able to answer all my questions. I didn't feel rushed or pressured to buy anything during my time there. The only dislike was that there isn't any prices on the models and they'll have to look at the pricing sheet in order to give you the proper price. The prices are very competitive nonetheless. The boxes were bigger than I expected and wasn't able to take them home with me the same day, so they gladly put it aside for me to come back the next day to pick it up. Great experience overall and I'd be glad to recommend this place to anyone looking for Gundam models. read more

Tatsu hobby is definitely the place to go if you are looking for Anime/Japanese related items. The owner and staff are very friendly and really do treat you like family when you enter. If they do not have what I am looking for they really take the time and try to help you find what you are looking for. Usually they will tell you the ETA on the item as well as quote you before hand how much it will cost. If you are not in the area they also provide shipping. They also do pre-orders on items and are very quick in notifying you when your item arrives. This is a great place to shop! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. read more

Prices are better then online for some items. My new MG was $20 less then amazon. Can't believe my luck. Small but they had everything I wanted. I didn't feel it was that hot and I was really impressed with their selection. Please go online first to see their stock. It seems everything is everywhere. Always ask for help. Glad I found this store. read more

Wow. Im surprised this place has not been reviewed. Without a doubt, Tatsu Hobby is the best place to buy your Gundam models. They have the biggest selection in the bay area as well as the cheapest compared to D & J Hobby, Anime Palace, and any other retailers selling gundams. Their selection ranges from HGUC, MGs, exclusives, HGSEED, HG00, PG, Kotobukiya Zoids, Macross, Eureka 7, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Code Geass, and much more. They also carry mecha and tokusatsu super sentai figures from various series too. As for the prices, they are as close as you can get to original prices seen in Japan unless its convention season. Alex(The owner) is a really nice guy. He knows his stuff about gunpla and very helpful if you have any questions regarding his stock or questions about a certain mecha series. He also does have gunpla competitions too. Now lets talk about his physical storefront. Its located in a warehouse park similar to that of anime palace. In terms of space and layout, its very similar to anime palace so expect a warehouse look and not a small actual retailer look...if that makes sense. Also if you want to build your model kits there, he has tables set up as well as a station for air brushing. Members from the SF BayArea Gundam Club also hang out there from time. read more

I read the yelp reviews and I have a lot of friends who are into gundam building who love this place! Really it's a great shop. It's on the small side, but they have an excellent collection and really nice staff. Pros: Great Selection Great Staff Amazing Display Case Cons: Small Shop Difficult to find location The staff was really helpful in helping me understand what kind of kit types there are. Unfortunately I wasn't ready to purchase anything, but I know for sure I shall be heading back to buy my first gundam here! They even have a table set so people can work together on building their models! read more

I absolutely love this place!!! The first time I went in there I wasn't really into Gunpla and I didn't know anything about Gundams at all. But the people that work there are very nice and visiting with my friends got me very engaged into it. By the time I knew it, I bought my very first build at a very good price! I then find myself going there for 4 days straight buying something new every time and asking very noob questions about Gundam related topics. I thought I would get judged but everybody there is very cool and are glad to help me out with any problems I had. I find this to be one of my favorite place to hang out with my buddies. 6/5 stars! read more

First off, let me say I've been shopping with Tatsu Hobby when he was just selling out of his house. He's got the best selection of products and kits including exclusive kits only sold in Japan, event only kits, and many other models besides Gundam. If you're looking for affordability and near retail price in Japan, this is the first place to look. I also run a Tumblr for Tatsu Hobby, so feel free to check it out! Ganpura-otaku.tumblr.com read more

I don't normally build gundam, but when I do, I get really serious about it. I popped it to this shop to get tools after watching a few YouTube videos, trying to be an expert knowing exactly what I wanna get. When I walked in to this store, it turns out they don't have either of the items I was looking for (a bottle of thinner and a hobby knife). However, the store person was so nice and took the time to explain to me the alternatives I can use instead, and even took the time to explain to me that I don't even need a bottle of thinner to begin with (as I was just looking for something to erase the panel lines that went out of the line). He even told me what other tool I can use instead of hobby knife. Even though I didn't end up buying anything, I still wanna salute them for their honesty and how they went above and beyond to help. You guys have earned yourself a customer and when I need something in the future, you guys will be my go to from now on! read more

So, after Epyon, I got an MG Wing Zero Custom, a PG Astray Red Frame, and an MG Full Armor Unicorn Gundam Ver. Ka. Every time I came, these guys are always welcoming and helpful. Go here for all of your Gunpla needs! read more

Tatsu Hobby - Perfect Grade Gundam Astray Red Frame. - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Jose, California

My go to Gundam shop in the Bay Area, arguably the best selection you can find locally. Price range is decent. From the few times I've stopped by at this place, it's relatively quiet and occasionally would have get-togethers for model kit building with other Gundam aficionados, which is very ideal for me. My only complaint with Tatsu Hobby is the store sometimes opens later than it claims to open. Definitely a Gundam store I'd recommend to friends! read more

Great place! They had just what I needed and a huge selection of models. Friendly employees, very helpful. They even carry they good spray coats that online stores never seen to have in stock. read more

This place was a great discovery!! Just got back in to gunpla and this place has an excellent selection. The hours are a bit inconvenient though.. They would have easily received 5 stars from me if their hours of operation were a little better. lol, since they open at 2pm I can't drop by during my lunch hour.. :( . Otherwise they'd be getting 5 stars.. read more

I came here during their stated business hours and they were closed. I actually travelled a long way. Ended up being a waste of my time. maybe they don't need money? Oh well. read more

Great selection and service. Was in the area for work and made sure to make this my first stop, even before going to my hotel. read more

Definitely a shop run for the love of the hobby. Welcoming community. A small local business worth supporting.

I usually come by the store once a week to pick up any gundam to add to my collection and they never disappoint. The staff is nice and friendly and the pricing for their products are great for what you're asking for. I've been going for the last year because a friend recommended this store to me. I recommend anyone that is interested in gunpla to come here. read more

I guess my only complaint about the store is that it's really hot in here since there's not really an AC unit in there, and their hours. My go to place for buying GunPla when I'm not ordering online. Kits are priced where they should be, and they even carry P-Bandai kits(Which I feel blessed for. Hell, I was even given a heads up on when some P-Bandai wing kits are coming in, which I know I gotta check out!). Their selection of MGs is very wide and they have kits from all throughout the years of the master grade line, along with keeping up with the newest kits around. They're cooperative on social media, and they also carry a small selection of Mr Hobby items. Can't recommend them enough since I'm always thinking about paying a visit to them! read more

The owner Alex is a top notch expert and pro when it comes to running this awesome hobby store! Been going for years now and his selection only gets bigger! Look no further for Japanese hobby supplies and collectibles. read more

This place is great. Small, but great. You can find some nice gunpla and gunpla supplies here. It's a bit small and it can get pretty hot inside in the summer but staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Great local place to get kits. read more

I searched online forever for a MegaMan X D Arts Vile Figure and finally found one at an awesome price while on Tatsu Hobby's website. I purchased the figure and it arrived promptly and efficiently. Definitely would recommend people to buy from Tatsu Hobby and their website too. read more