My brother The Star Article

WHEN there is a sale in town for toy cars, Ho Kwan Lun makes sure he is the first to grab the best selection before everyone else does.

The mechanical engineering student will roam the streets for a 24-hour convenience store just to purchase those Hot Wheels toy cars at a cheaper price.

“Whenever there is a promotion or sale, my older brother and I will drive around looking for a 7-eleven store, they usually offer discounts and we don’t want to miss out,” said Kwan Lun who calls it their little ‘hunting’ expedition which they continue to pursue even though the brothers are now studying in different states.

Special privilege: As members of ‘Under the Hood Collector’s Club’ the brothers were also able to buy limited edition cars such as the 1970 Pontiac GTO ‘Judge.’

The duo, who hail from Seremban, said their craze for toy cars started after watching the movie Transformers in 2005 where they spotted their first love — the Bumblebee Camaro.

“We tried looking everywhere for it but only managed to find a red-coloured 2007 model in the end,” said Kwan Lun.

During their bid to find their favourite toy car, the brothers often go on the Internet and visit toy shops.

That way, they also found other collectors on the Internet including a collector’s club which they joined to get to know others who enjoy the similar interest as them.

“They will share tips and information of new cars through online forums as well as organise gatherings among the collectors,” said Kwan Lun, who brought some of his collection with him during the interview at a relative’s home recently.

Kwan Lun showing off the different types of cars in his collection which is shared with his elder brother.

Sharing the collection with his brother definitely helped in saving money as the cars can be quite pricey at times.

“The cars can be quite expensive and often difficult to find too. Instead of taking the job of ‘hunting’ for it alone, I have my brother, Kwan Wei to help me, which is great,” he said.

Among those which the brothers treasure are the Audi R8, Nissan GTR T35 and the BMW X6M (dealer’s edition) which all cost RM300 and above.

Also in mint condition is the 1970 Pontiac GTO and two 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 in different colours.

The yellow Lamborghini Diablo GTR is still intact in a box and Kwan Lun would only take it out to polish and clean. Otherwise, he says, it stays in the box.

In their home’s living room, there are four cabinets filled with different cars which they had purchased throughout the years.

Every two months, Kwan Lun would take on the duty of polishing and cleaning the cars.

When asked if their parents were supportive of their hobby, he said it was difficult in the beginning as they did not see the benefit of collecting cars.

“They often tell us how we are wasting our time and money on toy cars because we have to depend on them to buy,

“Now, they understand us better, when they see that we are serious in collecting and not just for the fun of it,” he added.

The brothers who are both studying engineering, said they would collect and purchase what they could afford until they eventually graduate and earn enough money to purchase the more expensive cars.

“Hopefully next time, we will have a room dedicated for our cars,” said Kwan Lun.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/10/26/central/6896261&sec=central