Vancouver retro toy show is a blast from the past

Fans of action figures like He-Man, Ninja Turtles and GI Joe will be out in full force at the Retro and Relevant Toy Show at Heritage Hall in Vancouver on Sunday.

"I always get made fun of by my family and friends...but for some reason it's just a passion of mine," said Gabe Ng, who will be attending Sunday's show and owns 1,700 action figures that he estimates are worth $70,000.

"I find it's a better outlet for myself versus going to the bar to drink all the time."

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Ng says collecting is partially about recapturing a pleasant part of his childhood.

"Kind of reminisce when you [were] a kid watching the Saturday morning cartoons and maybe right after school running home to watch the episodes on television."

Ng attributes his passion for collecting to his wife.

"He had talked about enjoying these Transformers and there was this one particular one he liked so I went ahead and bought it, not knowing that this is what it started," said Corinna Ng.

The couple says the den has become a showroom for visitors and somewhat of a playroom for their three-year-old son.

"It kind of reminds me of when I was a kid, watching through his eyes, how his imagination works and playing with different Transformers and just coming up with different stories," said Ng.

"I never really pushed him into liking Transformers. I bought him a few, if he likes it great. If he doesn't, that's totally fine as well."

While Corinna says she's glad how much pleasure Gabe's hobby gives to the two men in her life, she has no intention of starting herself.

"I think we'll go broke if we both have a hobby like this," Corrina said with a laugh.

To hear the full story, listen to the audio labelled Retro and Relevant toy show.