GEORGE TOWN, Dec 9 — It all began with an F-16 Fighting Falcon — a supersonic multirole fighter that first captured a young boy’s imagination.
Choo Huang Ming was 12 when he bought his very first miniature modelling kit of the aircraft, paid for with money he had diligently saved.
That early spark never quite faded, but the hobby only truly took off in adulthood, when he was working in Singapore as a storyboard artist.
“I was in my late 20s then, so I would make miniature models after work and at that time, I mostly made military vehicles,” he said.
He has always been fascinated by military machines, and since these were not something a civilian could ever own, miniature models became his way of bringing them into his world.
Choo also began taking on part-time commissions after work, customising models according to each customer’s requests.
In his 15 years living in Singapore, he continued building bespoke models for clients who found him through an online community of miniature-model enthusiasts.
“There was this online community of miniature model hobbyists so I would get customers from there, they would commission me because they like my workmanship,” he said.
When he eventually returned to Penang, he set up a home workshop with his business partner, Andrew Gay, to grow the model-making venture.
They worked out of his house until late 2010, when they decided to open a shop and began stocking miniature kits on top of crafting custom models.
“We started with only two brands of modelling kits at that time,” he said.
As their customer base expanded, Choo began organising annual dinners to thank customers and bring Penang’s miniature hobbyists together.
In 2015, he launched the Malaysia International Miniatures and Hobby Show (Malcom), and the business has continued to grow — he now distributes more than 60 international brands.
“We even have our own brand with four products that are mainly Malaysian subjects,” he said.
Recently, Choo and his team created an intricate diorama of Penang’s old jetty and its modern counterpart for the Penang Ferry Museum.
The project spanned almost three years: more than two years of building the diorama from scratch in their workshop, followed by six months of installation at the museum.
It was their first large-scale project involving automation — roads where vehicles could move, slow down and even stop at red lights.
The six months of assembly and testing were painstaking, as the team worked from morning to evening each day to get every mechanism functioning smoothly.
“We were commissioned to create Phase One which is of the old Weld Quay, complete with tongkang and sampan in the sea and an electric tram along the road,” he said.
For Phase Two, they recreated present-day Weld Quay with Rapid Penang buses and the modern jetty.
The display runs on electricity and comes to life for three minutes each time a visitor presses the activation button.
“We learnt a lot when making this diorama, there was a lot of trial and error especially when setting up the automation and timing the movement of the vehicles so that they would not run into each other,” he said.
Choo said the ferry museum commission marked a major milestone — the fulfilment of his long-held dream to have one of his creations displayed in a museum.
“When I go into miniature modelling full time, I dreamt of starting a shop, being able to distribute a lot of brands, organising annual shows to encourage more interest in miniature modelling and having a piece displayed in a museum and I have managed to do all these,” he said.
Looking ahead, he hopes to keep organising the annual international show, not only to showcase modellers’ talents but also to encourage children to explore the craft.
“It is more than just a hobby because this involves patience, creativity, perseverance, close attention to detail and innovation,” he said.
