KUCHING: From mini toy cars to cards or even figurines, for collectors, it is a hobby that many may not understand.
It is an obsession or an addiction, or maybe a dream long kept – to have all that they wanted in their collection and display at home.
Mohd Azman Ismail is a collector in Kuching, collecting toy cars from brands like Hot Wheels, TOMICA and others.
He is often involved in expos with his pop-up shop, attracting customers who want to buy from his collection.
“This is my hobby, I collect toy cars. I started as a collector in 2016 and then became a seller of my collection in 2018.
“Since then, I have often been involved and participated in many events in Kuching – community events, car boot sale events, anime expositions, toy expositions and auto shows as well,” said Azman.
He creates dioramas related to automobiles and sports cars, where garages and small figurines are placed to create a scenic setting.
Azman has also organised events related to toy car collections and dioramas.
“I have collected many toy cars for nearly ten years. It has been my dream to have as many toy cars as possible since I was a kid.
“When we were young and we saw all these toy cars, we wanted to have them but our parents could not buy them because they were expensive.
“Now, this is sort of reminiscing about the past and we can afford to buy them with our own money, to satisfy our desires from the past,” he said.
Being a collector, he described collecting as some sort of addiction or obsession, whereby this hobby may not put new collectors on the right path.
His advice to new collectors – do not purchase toy cars or even become a collector.
“To those who want to be a toy car collector or are thinking about being one, I do not recommend you getting into this hobby.
“It’s true! Because once you buy these toy cars, you will not stop buying and collecting, and you will not be yourself again.
“When you buy one toy car, you will want to buy two more, then from ten toy cars to 100 toy cars,” he said.
However, Azman also encouraged collectors to continue with their hobby and their business of selling their toy collections.
“Those who have been collecting toy cars, continue with your hobby and your own business.
“Do what you want and buy only what you can afford, and do not follow the latest trends like buying full sets of toy cars or special edition toy cars.
“Buy them, but do not buy them until you feel a pinch in your wallet,” Azman said.
