Long-term investment: Adam with his collectibles, which include a replica of the Infinity Gauntlet from the Marvel movie, Avengers: Infinity War, at his home in Dengkil, Selangor. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Guests who enter two special rooms in Adam Shahruddin’s residence at Dengkil, Selangor, will be awed by the thousands of toys neatly arranged in the rooms.
The two 1,000sq ft (93sq m) rooms store popular action figures from television series, movies and comics that were the craze of children from around the world in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Among his collection of rare action figures are a Darth Vader (Legend Edition) helmet (Star Wars), hoverboard (Back to the Future), Proton Pack (Ghostbusters), a life-size replica of Han Solo in carbonite (Star Wars) and Magneto’s helmet (X-Men).
Adam, 38, said he started to collect the action figures when he was still schooling, and some of the toys were gifts from his family.
“I started collecting these toys when I was still in primary school and at that time there were many animation series screened on television such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ThunderCats, Power Rangers, Transformers and others.
“These series had a big following among children. There were also some toys I received as gifts from my family for excelling in exams and I still keep them today.
“When I started working in 2007 as a duty manager at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), I started to spend my salary, little by little, to buy toys and action figures.
“To be honest, I am not sure how much the actual collection is worth, but I have spent thousands of ringgit to collect all of them,” he said.
Asked about the satisfaction of collecting toys, Adam, who is the eldest of four siblings, said it was a form of therapy for him when he recalls beautiful memories from his childhood.
“Some people say it’s a complete waste and that it’s better to spend money on other things, but collecting these toys is the same as other hobbies like fishing; it has its own fans, so I don’t think it is wrong.
“My wife and other family members also support this hobby as it allows me to spend more time with my family,” said Adam, who gets his toys from local sellers and abroad.
Adam, who now runs a business selling nasi lemak, said his collection has a high market value, especially among collectors, depending on the condition and edition available.
For example, Adam said, a set of Spider-Man comics signed by Stan Lee, which he bought for RM2,000, is now valued at between RM5,000 and RM7,000.
The same goes for the Darth Vader (Legend Edition) helmet produced by Sideshow, which was bought for RM1,500 in 2011 and is now worth tens of thousands of ringgit, he said.
Adam said he does not have any plans to part ways with his collection. He sees them as a long-term investment to be used in times of emergency and for his children’s education in the future.
