A Marvel of a collection

Mohammad Nasir’s mother used to grumble whenever he spent ridiculous amounts of money on Marvel figurines.

But the nagging came to a halt one day when he sold a figurine for $1,200, making a profit of $800.

Mr Nasir, 40, has a total of 115 figurines in his collection to date – all stored carefully and categorically in the allocated work space of his five-room Tampines HDB flat.

Indeed, entering the room felt much like entering a mini Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with figurines inside a glass display case arranged in a manner leaping, flying and sparring.

“When you buy these toys, you have to assemble the parts yourself.

“Sometimes, it can take me a day to complete one. So I have to make sure that they are squeaky clean,” said Mr Nasir, a father of two who works for a hardware company and runs a wedding photography business on the side.

An avid fan of MCU films, Mr Nasir began his collection at the age of 20, while in national service.

“I got my first figurine from the Action City shop at Vivocity. Collecting them provides me with joy and solace amid a busy life,” he said with a laugh.

He recalled how his mother could not apprehend his obsession.

“She felt it was a total waste of money to spend hundreds of dollars on toys,” said Mr Nasir, who has spent close to $60,000 over the years on his “toys”, and around $8,000 on renovating his hobby room.

But he feels that “everyone should have a hobby”, and is happy that his wife has been supportive of his endeavours.

Mr Nasir noted that his hobby can be a form of investment too.

Half of his home renovation cost, which amounted to $80,000, came from selling off his watch collection, comprising mostly G-Shock frogman watches that cost from $500 to $1,000.

“There are some figurines that I have sold for a higher price than what I bought them for. Right now, I am not keen on selling the figurines, but if I need to, I will,” he said.

In his collection, he has most of the characters featured in the Marvel movies – Hulk, Ant Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, to name a few.

His favourite figurine is the Iron Man.

“Iron Man resonates with me because he reflects technology and engineering,” he explained.

Mr Nasir said the most expensive piece he bought was a Thanos figurine, which cost him $1,500.

“Sometimes I just stare at my figurines and I slowly refresh the movie scenes in my mind,” he said, admitting that he is an “impulse buyer”.

“I buy figurines once every two months. The moment I see a nice figurine on the social media pages I follow, I make sure to grab it quickly.”

Aside from Marvel figurines, Mr Nasir collects figurines from movies like Terminator. He also has Captain America’s shield and Thor’s hammer.

Unlike their father, Mr Nasir’s children – an eight-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter – don’t possess an interest in toy collectibles.

“They used to collect toys when they were younger, but their interest did not last,” Mr Nasir said.

“Whenever my friends’ children visit my house, they would be so mesmerised seeing my figurines, they would just stand in awe,” said Mr Nasir, who added that he has since influenced two friends to start collecting figurines.

“I think this passion will stay with me for a while… I’m planning to collect the latest Deadpool and Wolverine figurines next.”