I just found out that Bandai has inaugurated its first capsule toy shop in Bangkok this June to much fanfare. The shop, located in busy Siam Centre district, features capsule machines where the tokens cost 50 thb each, but you require multiple tokens for a purchase. I haven't had time to visit myself but I noticed many of the stock Gachas are selling for 150 THB (about 4.25 USD) with pricier ones such as the Mechanical Bust series set at 250 THB. Interestingly, the 500 yen price (plus 10% VAT) has a near double mark up here in Thailand.
From the posted screens and youtube videos I have seen they currently also stock Mobile Suit Ensemble 3.5, Part 23 and 4.5 (later also confirmed Parts 04, 10, 15.5 and 24 as well as the lastest Senshi Forte set with the Witch of Mercury figures) all selling at 250 THB. From a strictly financial point of view I think it makes little sense to purchase from this shop compared to ordering the exact items you are after from Mandarake but the wait can of course be quite long before you strike that gold.
Check out the shop's facebook page for more teasers and information.
If you can stand youtube vloggers this recent video is also a good introduction. As you can see, Mobile Suit Gundam is just a fringe interest even in Asia and not really as popular as you may have wanted it to be.
Bandai has been opening up these Gashapon shops all over the US as well. Unfortunately the markup is also pretty high and the Gundam selection is very limited.
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