Argama Hobby

Went with a friend to check this place out. Went in with 0 expectations, came out astounded by amazing stock, good prices, and above-and-beyond attitudes from the store owner. Arthur is a stand-up guy and I will definitely, 100% be paying this place another visit in the future!

Such a great place and welcoming staff. Great selection on model kits and supplies. Since I live in the Finch area this place is also very convenient for me by public transit. I enjoyed my shopping time at Argama Hobby.

While I've only been to Argama a couple of times, I've never had a bad experience here. I was very surprised to find that there was a hobby shop located locally in North York as it meant I did not have to go far to purchase gunpla. Transitioning from that and as you might guess from their name, Argama Hobby specializes in Bandai's plastic model kits based off the Mobile Suit Gundam anime series; commonly called "gunpla". While Argama is quite a small store, they have quite the large selection of Gunpla. This ranges from high grades of different series, all the way to various master and perfect grades. They also stock various other model kits as well, as I have seen model cars, Star Wars, and Pokémon model kits. In addition to model kits, they also stock various accessories and tools for modelers. This ranges from nippers, knives, sandpaper to paints, brushes, and topcoats. In terms of pricing, Argama's are quite competitive with other local hobby stores. I would say their prices are right in between Meeplemart and Panda Hobby, which would be the other two big model kit hobby stores in/around Toronto. Considering the massive increase to shipping prices over the course of the pandemic (not to mention any custom fees), the seemingly increased price compared to importing can definitely be justified. I would say that you are paying for convenience as you are able to see the product you are interested in and also get to bring it home the same day if you decide to purchase, although as I have said earlier, it may even be cheaper to purchase in store considering how expensive international shipping is now. The last point I would like to touch on is the in-person shopping experience, as I believe that is an important part of shopping at a physical store. To that I can safely say that I've always had a positive experience at Argama. The staff are very welcoming and friendly and they were always willing to help with any question I may have. It is clear that Argama is operated by people who genuinely love the art of modelling and their passion shows in how they operated their store. I am by no means an advanced builder for gunpla, as I generally straight build and panel line my kits. So during one of my visits I asked about painting as I had some interest to one day paint and customize my kits. The result was that I ended up having a lengthy discussion with one of the staff members as he explained the various tools and paints for gunpla and how to approach this facet of gunpla building/customizing. This is something I greatly appreciate as I know many hobbies live and die off of their attitude towards new people entering the hobby, gunpla being no exception. Having staff who are well versed in the products they carry is always good in my eyes. So I will absolutely recommend Argama Hobby for anyone looking to either get into Japanese model kits, or are looking to pick up a new kit to build. While their location is a bit awkward, they carry a very expansive inventory at competitive prices. I will definitely come by whenever I feel like buying a new kit (hopefully after I cleared some of my backlog I have sitting in my shelf).

The store is very well-organized and has a wide selection of Japanese hobby toys at a fair price. More importantly, the owner and staff are super nice and helpful. This is definitely a spot you do not want to miss!

Fantastic customer service, incredible availability of products, and great pricing. The owners are more than happy to help out with any questions you might have. Ranging from model kits of One Piece ships, all the way to all skill levels of gunpla. I was actually surprised to see how much more they had to offer compared to regular competitive places like meeplemart and panda hobby. I cannot recommend this place enough.

The best spot to shop for gunpla and hobby needs in the GTA. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. Had a great talk with the owners and will be coming back again soon!

Amazing shop！Owners are super friendly and helpful. My girlfriend and I came to it to look for primer. The owner gave us lots of suggestions and helped us to locate the right tools we needed. Turns out those tools helped me a lot! Definitely will come back!

Amazing place to stock up on paints and other tools to make your kits look amazing. Had a great experience from the very start with Arthur when I was having trouble with my online order, which was resolved quickly. Pick up at the store was no hassle and they even offered coffee to us! Great experience overall and an even greater store! Highly recommend this place