PETALING JAYA, Oct 15 — He has spent close to RM60,000 on Star Wars both collectibles comprising of rare finds and personal favourites since he was 21.
For Harjit Singh, 36, there is absolutely has no regret over his purchases from Singapore, Japan and through various online sellers, as he has been a huge fan of the franchise since he was a kid.
In his Seremban home, a cosy Star Wars corner stands out.
Visitors can take in the world of Mandolarians, Jedi figurines and a corner for his exclusive items such as the 1981 Empire Strikes Back rebel transport.
Even his wedding portrait is in sync with the theme, showing him and his wife dressed Jedi costumes with lightsabers.
Boasting a total of over 1,000 toys, Harjit has it all — from 3.75 inch Jedi figurines to Mandalorian helmets and many Darth Vader action figures arranged neatly in the cabinets.
"It’s all an investment and I don’t regret buying them whether it’s from online sellers or friends. It’s never a loss as the Star Wars collection is always evergreen in the marketplace.
“I can resell them for more than half of the original price because Star Wars merchandise is an investment, especially those made by popular brands such as Kenner and Hasbro.
“The other brands are not as famous as these two and would not fetch a good resell price — sometimes the resale price can go twice or even thrice of its original value," he told Malay Mail.
Most of his Star Wars toys have been unwrapped from their packaging and are all arranged in different cabinets in the space.
As an avid collector, Harjit believes that the toys must be felt, and a bond must be forged between collector and their toys.
“I have friends who would buy the toys and keep them in the boxes — but I can’t. I need to see and hold my toys — it’s quite a special feeling."
The Star Wars fan who is a full-time videographer and photographer has travelled to countries such as Japan and Singapore just to buy his limited edition collectibles.
For him, Singapore and Japan are his go-to places to get his items — especially the rare picks cannot be found in Malaysia or online.
“I remember having to get extra luggage just to buy additional toys in Akihabara in Japan that one cannot purchase here.
“I had spent close to RM4,000 buying items in Japan when I went to the country some time ago — one of the items I bought was the Sandcrawler which is a Star Wars vehicle.
“There are some items that can only be purchased in Japan as it has such a rare collection that one can never get it in any part of the world.”
In Singapore, he has even purchased the Rancor monster toy that can be seen in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.
His other rare exclusive Star Wars items include the 1983 Star Wars Ewok village playset, and the 1985 Dulok shaman with coin and staff.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Harjit started collecting Mandalorian helmets and figurines after the series came out in November 2019.
“I was interested in the Mandalorian series when it came out as it added more colour and characters to the Star Wars universe — although I have to say that I’m still a huge fan of the original movie franchise.
“I bought the Mandalorian figures in a bundle from a personal seller online — as it’s cheaper to get them all in one-go.
“But my favourite character of all time is Darth Vader. I have his helmets and his action figures of all sizes — there’s nothing quite like a villain like him in any series and I love him,” Harjit said.
Harjit plans to retire from being a collector at the age of 45.
“I plan to sell all my Star Wars items to the next person.
“For now, I’m going to collect as much as I can — and I’m glad to have my wife’s support.
"I’m not a huge spender — I would only buy when I have extra money or would keep aside a portion of my money from my salary to buy these items.”
His wife, Mugambikai Rajaguru, has been supportive of his pursuit in collecting his Star Wars collection.
She said that since being married to Harjit, she has learned a lot about the Star Wars universe and would occasionally help him out with listing out descriptions of the toys online for sellers.
Other times, she would help him unwrap his Star Wars toys and arrange them neatly in the cabinets.
“I remember having to take out the delicate figures from the boxes without having to ruin or tear the boxes — so that Harjit can resell the toys back in their original boxes.
“It was tough work — but it was worth it as the Star Wars corner in our home looks grand with all of Harjit’s favourite toys,” she said.
