Tamiya collectors build and race their cars at The Brickyard. Josh Mercado 

MANILA -- If girls are going crazy over Labubu, boys are gathering to show off their remote-control cars, mini-four-wheel drives, and other collectibles, particularly Tamiya cars, which initially became popular in the Philippines in the 1990s and are now making a comeback.

On Saturday, Ferdie Kahn, owner of The Brickyard and the brand’s official distributor, hosted a build-and-race-your-car indoor event at his store at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

Tamiya Jr. Neo-Vqs, Tamiya Mini 4wd, Tamiya Geo Glider, and Tamiya Festa Jaune, as well as Tamiya Brocken Gigant, Tamiya Manta Ray Mk II, Tamiya Mach Frame, and Tamiya Cross Spear 02 were all on display during the event. While some beginners built their cars, veterans raced their toys.

Kahn, who has been a collector since he was a child, spoke about his passion for car collectibles and how he created his business. In 2018, Kahn opened his main store at Glorietta 2 with the man himself, Shunsaku Tamiya, son of the late Yoshio Tamiya, the founder of the Tamiya Corporation.

“It was my hobby when I was a kid. My dad used to buy it for me. Not necessarily the Tamiya that you're talking about, which is a small car. When I started the business, we realized that it has a lot of following,” Kahn said.

“Tamiya's popularity began in the early 1990s and then faded until the early 2000s, when it resurged. As a fan of Tamiya kits myself, I wanted a place where builders and racers could hang out and play. More than that though, I wanted The Brickyard to be a place where we can introduce the hobby to more people, whether they be kids or kids-at-heart,” he added.

Pinoy version, the Jeepney

During the interview, Kahn claimed that the version he made, the Jeepney, is one of the best-selling Tamiyas and is on display at Tamiya's official store in Japan.

The Brickyard owner Ferdie Kahn talks about Tamiya collection, trends, competitions. Josh Mercado 

“The initial Jeepney version, in red, became one of Tamiya's best-selling models. They sell it. If you go to the Tamiya store in Tokyo, you'll find our Jeepney at their coffee shop. It is popular even outside the country,” he said.

On creating another Pinoy version, he shared, “Regarding another version of the Jeep, all I can say is that we will build a Philippine car, a special Philippine car. We are in the process of designing. We strive to highlight the Philippines itself, whether it's through the flag, the colors, or something special, like the Philippine eagle.”

Racers, competitions, trends

Kahn also talked about the race they host, a starter pack for newcomers, and the most recent car toy trends.

“We have races every year to qualify ‘yung racers natin to represent the Philippines in the international competition. Locally, the passion is incredible. You can see when we have races — we have 500 to about 700 racers and you can see them, if you come to one of our big races — you can see them really, very focused on their car. Makikita mo talaga ‘yung so much passion,” he shared.

“We compete very well internationally... We won actually when we hosted it in 2009... Then there was the pandemic, and we made it to the semis in 2022 and 2023. In 2026, we will host it again,” he revealed.

“Every November, one of the big Tamiya RC competitions takes place in Japan, known as the World Challenge. We are going there on November 14th with two racers from the Philippines to compete. Those two racers must have won the regional, which we hosted only about a month ago in Circuit, Makati, with approximately 100 racers, 50 from the Philippines and 50 from overseas. That is the biggest one. That is specifically Tamiya. Throughout the year, several of our Filipino racers attend other events in the United States or Thailand, but they are not specific to Tamiya,” he added. 

Tamiya cars are on display at The Brickyard at Ayala Malls Manila Bay. Josh Mercado 

Kahn advised beginners to begin with minis and gradually progress to larger sizes.

“Starter kit of a Tamiya is less than P1,000. You have P650, P700, and a little more upgraded is P1,100. When it comes naman to the RC, you're looking probably at about around P15,000. Complete set, ready to run, and puwede sa competition,” he said.

Discussing the trends, he told ABS-CBN News, “When you talk about the car itself, there's the basic and there's a very, very top grade. There's something in the middle now, which is partially upgraded. So it’s not the open; instead, we call it X stock, which means that we can upgrade the part, but you cannot customize. You can just keep upgrading it. That’s the trend right now. And, for I think for the beginners, what we call box tub. So, right now, we are actually having a box tub race for children and for adults for Halloween. That’s something that you just build out of the box.”

For Kahn, it is more than just building and collecting cars, drives, and collectibles; it is about bringing everyone together, creating a strong sense of community, and living in the moment, since life is not a race. More than selling, he enjoys the satisfaction he receives when someone buys their dream toy, which they could not afford when they were younger and now can afford and live the dream.

“I am living the dream of a million people as well,” he ended.