ET Land (Electronics Land) in Yongsan isn’t just a great place to buy electronics and records; it’s a great place for hobbyists too. Now, I’m no expert on model building, and I was a boy when I built my last model car. My father, on the other hand, was a model train collector and I was surrounded by the hobbyist culture when I was a child. Visiting hobby shops kind of finds it’s way into your blood, and I have to admit that after seeing the wide selection of hobby supplies, puzzles, and models that are available for purchase, I am tempted to try my hand at model building once again.
There are many hobby shops in ET Land and they each specialize in a specific hobby. Let’s take a quick look at what I believe are the best of the hobby shops.
A good place to start is Gundam Base. Gundam Base is easy to find since it is located on the 6th floor of the ET Land building. It is on the same floor as the movie theater, so it is pretty easy to find. When you see the space-aged storefront with the child sized Gundam statue standing in front of it, you’ll know you are in the right place. As you have probably already guessed, Gundam models are their specialty. There is a huge selection of Gundam models and custom parts to choose from. But, if Gundam isn’t your thing, there are models of other anime characters and mechs from shows such as One Piece, Cowboy Bebop, and the Big O.
Next there is Buy the Gun. Buy the Gun is also located on the 6th and is just down the hall from Gundam Base. At first glance this shop looks like an actual gun shop, but if you are aware of the strict gun laws in South Korea, then you’ll know that that couldn’t be the case. This shop carries parts for Airsoft guns (guns that shoot white plastic pellets). Airsoft rifles and handguns are displayed on shelves along the walls and behind glass cases. They also carry custom parts such as scopes, grips, and laser sights.
Just past Buy the Gun is Asem Hobby. This has to be my favorite hobby shop due to the range of hobby supplies that they sell. Asem has a large selection of paints, brushes, and tools for all types of hobbies. They have a wide variety of models; everything from cars, military vehicles, Gundams, and dinosaurs. They also carry RC vehicles, Legos, board games and puzzles. Don’t forget to check out the vending machines that they have out in front of the store. These machines are filled with figurines from popular anime franchises like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Pokémon.
Our last stop on this trip to ET Land is a place called Hobby Plaza. Hobby Plaza is on the 8th floor and is just above the movie theater. You can take the escalators to get there. Hobby Plaza is the place to go if you like model trains. They have all types of miniature trains, tracks, and assorted parts to build backgrounds and scenery. They even have Korail and KTX models for sale. If you are a fan of trains, you should definitely check out this store. Another nice thing is that Hobby Plaza is that it is conveniently located on the same floor as the food court. It’s a great place to rest and grab a bite to eat after a long day of shopping.
There are a few other shops in the building that also deserve mentioning. A store called DSGamer is a (perhaps) XBOX retailer and is located on the 6th floor next to the movie theater and has Master Chief and playable KINECT demo stations out in front of it.
There are also a number of used video game retailers on the same floor. The movie theater is also worth checking out since they sometimes have specials showings of films from China and Japan. On more than one occasion I’ve seen kung-fu and anime movies advertised there. I do believe that these types of films are limited showings, so make sure you ask the employees at the theater for the dates, times, and languages.
