Opening of new Gundam anime superstore in America postponed indefinitely

Gundam Base Minneapolis grand opening has been derailed by “unforeseen circumstances.”

September 30 was supposed to be a day of joy, excitement, and plastic for fans of venerable anime mecha franchise Gundam. That’s because it was the date on which the grand opening of Gundam Base Minneapolis, a brand-new Gundam superstore, was scheduled to take place inside the Mall of America in the northern U.S.

Unfortunately, the day turned out to be one of, if not necessarily sadness or full-on disappointment, a decided lack of new Gunpla models to put together, because not only did Gundam Base Minneapolis end up not opening on September 30, as of right now no one knows when the store will be open.

▼ Artist’s preview rendering of Gundam Base Minneapolis

As announced through Bandai Namco’s American website and official Twitter account, the store’s grand opening had to be delayed “due to unforeseen circumstances.” Not only that, it’s been delayed indefinitely, with no word as of this writing as to when it will be ready for shoppers and event guests.

Bandai Namco was able to give fans a heads up four days before the scheduled opening, so that no one had to waste a trip to the location just to find its doors closed. Also effected is the Bandai Namco Cross Store, an anime and character merchandise specialty shop, which will be located adjacent to Gundam Base Minneapolis. The Cross Store was also supposed to open on September 30, an event which has similarly been postponed indefinitely.

To its credit, Bandai Namco has been rather courteous in handling the matter, saying in its announcement:

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause.

We know many of you have been looking forward to exploring these new destinations, and we’re just as excited to welcome you through our doors. We’ll share the new opening date as soon as it is confirmed, along with more details about what you can expect when we open.

We sincerely apologize again and thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support.

Unfortunately, with no more specific details about the cause of the delay than “unforeseen circumstances,” it’s impossible to even speculate how long the delay may be, though it’s hard to escape the feeling that Char is somehow involved.

Source: Bandai Namco via Anime News Network/Ken Iikura-Gross, Twitter/@bncrosstore_us
Top image: Bandai Namco
Insert images: Bandai Namco (1, 2)
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