Almost the real deal

Get up close and personal with over 100 famous personalities at the Red Carpet 2 wax museum, writes Loong Wai Ting

BRITAIN’S Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip greet me at the doorstep of the newly-opened Red Carpet 2 wax museum in i-City, Shah Alam. Appearing in their widely familiar gesture in front of a horse-drawn carriage, the couple not only obligingly pose for photographs, they also invite me to stay as long as I want.

While tea with the Queen is not part of the itinerary, I am, of course allowed to stay and hang out with the other world leaders for as long as I want. And I’m free to strike as many selfie poses with them.

The royal couple are one of the many waxworks found in the museum, which also houses various world leaders, movie stars, pop stars and other public figures.

The latest attraction at i-City, dubbed City of Digital Lights, Red Carpet 2 recently opened its doors to the public. The 2,787 sq metre museum has over 100 wax figures from 10 categories including Superheroes, Technology, K-pop and Oscars.

Located about 5-minute walk from Red Carpet 2 is its humble predecessor Red Carpet, which also houses some popular names like Rowan Atkinson a.k.a. Mr Bean, the late Taiwanese songbird Teresa Teng, former US President Barack Obama and more.

Promising to be bigger and more exciting than its predecessor, one can expect to see favourite celebrities in characters from a certain movie or TV show.

STAR-STRUCK

Anticipation is running high as I finally get to meet some of the biggest names in the

The late HK singers Anita Mui (right) and Leslie Cheung.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip await you at the entrance of Red Carpet 2.

entertainment industry.

Being a huge fan of the late Hong Kong singer and actress Anita Mui, her tragic passing in 2003 means I’ll never get to meet the iconic star.

But being able to get close to Mui here, albeit in the form of a waxwork, almost feels like a real deal.

As she poses with her friend, the late

singer Leslie Cheung during the former’s last concert at the Coliseum in Hong Kong, it’s almost as if time is standing still.

It gets better as I move to the next room which showcases superheroes, in particular, the Avengers. Welcoming me to the School for Gifted Youngsters is none other than the brutish-looking Wolverine himself, whose wax avatar — like the vast majority at Red Carpet 2 — makes one do a double-take as it’s very like-like.

From every facial expression to the detail of each feature, including the height and skin tone, the museum has it down pat.

The museum spends a lot of time and effort in maintaining each wax figure. Some require touch-up on their make-up, while others have their hair blow-dry once or twice a week. Talk about high maintenance!

A shrill squeals of a 30-something woman brings me back to the present. Over in the next room is Captain Yoo Si-Jin a.k.a. Big Boss from the hit South Korean drama series Descendants Of The Sun. He is looking as sharp as ever in his military fatigues, with a serious look on his face and the muscle on his jaws clenched shut. It’s easy to see why some women are falling head over heels for the Big Boss.

Excitement for Captain Yoo gradually passes over as standing on the other side of the room is the handsome wax figure of actor Kim Soo-hyun of My Love from the Star fame.

For the next minute, I pretend I am Cheon Song-yi, the love interest of Kim’s character’s in the series.

Fancy a photo with Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman, with his hands on your shoulders? At the Oscars section, you may rub shoulders with Hollywood A-listers including Tom Hanks, Marilyn Monroe, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman, just to name a few.

To unwind, I pull up a chair and have some “serious” discussion on current issues with world leaders such as South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, US President Donald Trump and UK’s former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

mYVeRdiCT

I love the overall no-barrier concept, where visitors are allowed to roam freely and spend as much time as they wish in each section. The setting for each section is nicely done and the details are wonderful.

I feel that more waxwork of famous personalities should be added as time goes by. Apart from that, you could happily spend an hour or two taking photos and rubbing shoulders with these “famous personalities”.

It is thoroughly enjoyable, being able to get up close with the famous people, albeit in their wax form. It’s an engaging experience from start to finish.