TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Epic toys, not only for boys
Choo-choo: An HO scale (1:87) model of a railway set on display at a toys and games exhibition in Malang, East Java
Change Size
Choo-choo: An HO scale (1:87) model of a railway set on display at a toys and games exhibition in Malang, East Java.
Toys and hobbies can satisfy and bring joy to any person, regardless of age. As British novelist Roald Dahl said, 'Life is more fun if you play games'.
Muhammad Rizal, 33, was arranging a number of planes on his aircraft carrier, which took him just several minutes to organize into a neat display. They were not real, of course, but only toy aircraft about 10 centimeters long.
Do adults still play with toys?
'Don't get it wrong, toys aren't just for kids,' said Rizal during a recent toys and games expo at the Taman Krida Budaya, the East Java cultural park in Malang.
Rizal is a member of Scale Hobby on Community (SHoC), a forum for toy or scale model hobbyists.
'Toys have different scales like 1:35 for tanks and 1:44 or even 1:100 for Gundam robots,' explained the souvenir maker.
Before becoming models, life-size replicas or figures, the toys start as small separate parts that need to be assembled.
The time it takes to complete this process can vary with regards to types, sizes and degrees of complexity. 'Simple models can be assembled in three days but intricate ones may take a week or even a month,' he indicated.
Although already available in Indonesia, especially Jakarta, most of the assembly materials are purchased abroad online from countries such as Italy and the US.
Community members, comprising people from various professions aged 22 to 40, have to pay
Rp 400,000 (US$34.60) to Rp 2 million for toy model parts. The price excludes the additional cost of paint, which makes the final product look better and resemble the original object as much as possible.
It's the community's rule not to buy and sell the models they have assembled. 'Community members communicate through social media so that the assembled toys are posted on our forum for our comments and discussions,' he said. Rizal acknowledged the absence of material gain by this method and referred to inner satisfaction as the motivation for his and Malang's 80 SHoC members' passion.
For those interested in making such toys, Rizal offers workshops and free tutorials. 'Sometimes people ask to have their models built by supplying the materials for us to assemble,' he noted, adding that he charges Rp 200,000 to Rp 500,000 for assembling the models. 'But it's the personal deals of relevant members,' he affirmed.
Meanwhile, Siswanto, 36, a contractor from Malang, was playing with HO-Scale-1:87 trains with his peers. The miniature trains can move forward and backward on tracks powered by electricity and operated through a remote control. They are exact replicas of the trains in railway stations. 'All circles are thus fond of this type of model trains,' said Siswanto.
This train operation hobby is indeed costly. A genuine mini locomotive, usually from Germany, is available for Rp 700,000. One particular toy shop sells Marklin brand trains for as high Rp 25 million. Siswanto admitted the need to also have a set of replica bridges, signals and other equipment to complete the collection. 'All of them can be bought online and obtained by barter with fellow hobbyists throughout Indonesia,' he said.
Siswanto described this hobby as quite educational with regards to using electronic components, presenting an architectural based diorama, exercising patience and finding companions through networking.
Paper replica makers affiliated with Paper Replika Indonesia or Peri Kertas demonstrated their skills through a number of action figure replicas and toys made from paper. Ipang, 20, a member of this community, claims this hobby to be the cheapest of all. 'We just need paper, designs downloaded from the Internet, patience and creativity,' said the medical school student of the Malang Islamic University.
Art paper is relatively easy to obtain from paper shops while the printing cost is only around Rp 15,000 for three to four designs, which are then cut and attached to the relevant models. 'Simple replicas take one day to craft while complex figures like Iron Man or Gundam robots may take months,' he pointed out. Peri Kertas Malang's members generally avoid trading or selling their items for monetary gain, with the exception of personal designs that have already secure copyrights.
Die-cast toys, made from metals molded into desired models, were on display in various forms such as automobiles, aircraft, ships and other vehicles. Car models have been most widely collected, with several well-known manufacturers like Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Tomica.
Bobby, 40, a die-cast car hobbyist from Bandung, West Java, has finally collected about 1,000 toy cars of this type. Their prices range from Rp 15,000 to Rp 1.5 million. 'Most of my die-cast toys are race cars,' he remarked.
The display this time also held a die-cast car racing competition by using a special track and dividing contestants into several categories like base metal above 40 grams and under 40 grams. The man who works as an event organizer didn't care much about the prizes offered. 'I'll surely be quite satisfied if I turn out to be champion,' he said.
Tommy Sanjaya, 30, is ready to hunt for his toy collection abroad. He said in London there had once been a diamond studded die-cast model worth more than Rp 1 billion. 'But fortunately I've collected several Chevy Panel and milk delivery cars from my search in some European countries,' he revealed. Both types may fetch Rp 5 million per unit, according to chairman of the Diecast Toys Malang (DTM), who collects as a hobby and for investment.
Several participants in the other pavilion were engaged in a game called Crush Gear. Originating in Japan, the game takes the form of a fight between two Gears in a ring. A Crush Gear is a motor-driven plastic toy with many gears in it, operated by dry cells. At a glance, this game resembles traditional cock fighting found in a number of villages across Indonesia.
A visitor expressed his disappointment, though. 'What a pity, I've found no PC or video game contests. I came here hoping to compete in a tournament to test my skills,' said Eko Wahyu, 20, a PC game buff from Kediri, East Java. The student of Brawijaya University, Malang, originally expected such competitions as Dota, Point Blank, PES, FIFA and Street Fighter.
Nabila Ramadhani, 7, who was accompanied by her parents, didn't find the Barbie and Princess dolls she craved either. 'As it turns out, the expo is dominated by toys for boys,' lamented Widia, 33, Nabila's mother.
Ika, a member of the exhibition committee, admitted that this program was unable to present PC games for technical reasons. 'On the other hand, we also had difficulty in inviting participants to fill a toy stand offering dolls for girls,' said Ika.
- Photos by Nedi Putra AW
