Graphic designer with a love for collecting robots
A LOVE for Japanese science fiction shows has opened the world of swashbuckling Gundam mecha (robots) to a Kuchingborn graphic designer.
Abang Daizrulizam Abang Sahari (Abang Joe to his friends) is now an avid collector (and builder) of miniature replicas of these androids – also known as mobile suits – from the Gundam Series, a science fiction media franchise, created by a Japanese anime studio and production enterprise called Sunrise. The stars are giant mecha with mobile suits bearing the name Gundam.
Growing up, Joe has always been fascinated by Japanese Sci-Fi TV shows such as ‘Ultraman’, ‘Kamen Riders’, ‘Super Sentai’ (Power Rangers), anime (handdrawn or computer animation) and cyborgs. He sketched, doodled and made his own drawings and mini comic books. His interest in this activity grew stronger as he got older.
“I guess you could say it has been a part of since childhood and having parents who supported and understood my hobby did help.”
The 40-year-old, who was raised in Miri, also said opinions differed on what to call the hobby of collectors like him, especially the items they collect.
“To most people, hobbies are about collecting things like toys, coins, stamps or books but for hobbyists like us who collect and build scaled down TV Sci-Fi characters, the items could be action figures, figurines or miniature displays. By the way, GunPla are not toys but collectors’ items,” said the Bachelor of Arts graduate from Lim Kok Wing University of Creative Technology, Cyberjaya.
In Japan, Gundam models and the hobby of assembling and painting them are called Gunpla, produced by Bandai, a Japanese toy maker and producer of plastic model kits known to collectors the world over.
Most Gundam models are “large, bipedal, humanoid vehicles controlled from a cockpit by a human pilot and the mobile suits have a cockpit in their torsos with cameras built into their heads to transmit images to the cockpit”.
Joe’s collections include action figures from ‘Transformers’ and ‘Star Wars’, Hotwheels (a brand of scale-based die-cast toy cars) and Lego but his main interest has always been collecting Gundam models, watching anime, buying GunPla (Gundam plastic) kits, building or customising them and once in a while, conducting workshops for GunPla enthusiasts and potential collectors.
He got started when his dad bought him his first Gundam kit for his birthday, almost two decades ago, and he gained more knowledge and experience in GunPla (intermediate level) while studying for his bachelor’s degree.
“I got a 1:144 scale Char’s MS06 Zaku, pink in colour,” he said, trying to contain his laughter, adding that the first Gundam he bought with his own money was the 1:144 scale HG (High Grade) G-Gundam from the Mobile Fighter G-Gundam Series. It cost around RM30 back then.
Nowadays, the price of a GunPla kit can be from as low as RM10, all the way up to over RM2,000 such as Bandai’s 1:60 scale PG (Perfect Grade) Gundam Phenex Unicorn.
“There is even a 24K Gold Gundam RX-78 and the price is said to be mind-blowing. Generally, prices depend on how rare the items are,” he said.
To most people, hobbies are about collecting things like toys, coins, stamps or books but for hobbyists like us who collect and build scaled down TV SciFi characters, the items could be action figures, figurines or miniature displays. By the way, GunPla are not toys but collectors’ items. — Abang Daizrulizam Abang Sahari, graphic designer
More a hobby For him, collecting all the Gundam accessories is more a hobby – something he does for himself and as a way to unwind after work.
The most expensive Gundam item Joe owns is the Bandai 1:60 scale Gundam Strike from Gundam Seed Series, costing close to RM300 when he first brought it. The model is also his favourite.
On the total value of his GunPla collections, he said, “Probably around RM5,000 to RM6,000. Usually, it’s not about the value or the quantity but the personal satisfaction of having these items in your collections.
Joe gets his GunPla kits mostly from toy and model shops with the help from fellow collectors, and online once in a while.
“If I’m lucky, I get them as gifts and if I’m really lucky, I get them as prizes from competitions,” the father of two said, adding that collectors tended to want them all or be very picky in what they were looking for. My fervent wish is to have a 1:60 scale Perfect Grade MS-06S Zaku-II,” he said.
Joe keeps his collections in glass display cupboards and shelves. Some are packed in boxes and stored until he feels like rotating the displayed kits with something else.
He cleans, re-poses and rotates his displays every three months or so.
GunPla kits, he noted, should not be exposed to sunlight and heat as this could cause the plastic to turn yellow and brittle.
“It’s not very nice as well to see dust collecting on the displays. Once, I even had a wasp build its nest on one of my Gundam models.”
He said children love to look at his collections, especially when they go to his house during festive celebrations and birthday parties or were just visiting with their parents.
“Seeing their eyes go wide, their big smiles and answering like ‘a million questions’ from them makes my day. Not just from the kids, sometimes the adults too.”
Apart from GunPla, Abang Joe also enjoys outdoor activities like running, hiking and cycling.
He belongs to the Miri Bikers Club and owns a Kawasaki Versys 650.
He said he is lucky to have the support of his family in GunPla and the recreational activities he loves.
“I have wonderful relatives and friends who do not judge the type of hobbies a person should have. In fact, they will inform me if they come across anything that might interest me.
“I believe everyone is unique in his or her own way. I don’t believe in stereotyping hobbyistscollectors or that they should confine their collections to specific items. A collection can be of anything one likes, not necessarily just toys, coins, stamps or books.”
He said he is happy to note there is a big number of GunPla collectors in Miri who hold a lot of events every year.
Joe loves sharing his passion with the community and has been involved in organising exhibitions and conducting GunPla workshops in Miri for the past few years.
Some of the exhibitions he has participated in were MACGCON GunPla Exhibition & Competition (2014), GunPla & Toys Exhibition 2015 at MYY Mall Miri where he conducted and organised his first GunPla workshop and GunPla Build Competition, and Hobbies, Collection & Art Exhibition (2016) at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, Miri.
Apart from exhibiting his collections, he also conducts GunPla workshops and helped organise the CXM Exhibition Miri (2016) at Bintang Mall Miri, which not only displayed kits for GunPla but also Hotwheels, Transformers and Star Wars. International guest CosPlayers from Japan and Thailand also took part.
In October 2016, Joe was a GunPla exhibitor and a CosPlayer portraying a Jedi at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Y-Centre Mini Carnival at PermyMall in Miri.
In that event, he also took part in a GunPla workshop with orphans from Rumah Anak Yatim Hamidah Yakup. KBS sponsored the GunPla kits and Oil Town Diecast Collector Club gave away free Hotwheels diecast cars.
This year, Joe was involved in the Hobbies, Collection & Art Exhibition 2.0 for the second time at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak Miri as a GunPla participant and event facilitator. He also organised a GunPla workshop and a GunPla Build Competition.
On April 30, the collectors held a Mini SDEX Sinanju Competition at McDonald Jalan Bulan Sabit, Miri.
“It was a fun gathering with friends. A Build Competition was held during the function whereby participants were given a specific time to build their models at home before their works were judged by the builders and friends who attended.
“It started with a challenge between two participants to build a Sinanju kit but eventually turned into a full competition between 20 builders,” he said.
“Builders also often create a GunPla diorama, either combining it with their collections to create a background scene or according to a theme during exhibitions. The diorama is not the same for every exhibition.”
A diorama is defined as a scene, often in miniature and reproduced in three dimensions by placing objects or figures in front of a painted background.
Abang Joe said he would not try to influence his children – a boy, 5, and girl, 3, – on the kind of hobbies they should have.
“As a parent, I will guide them but will let them decide for themselves. My little girl is now into all the ‘Princesses stage’ and likes the colour pink whereas my boy is gradually growing into having a robot collection. His present collections consist of ‘Ultraman’ and ‘Transformer’ action figures and a handful of other types,” he said.