Dio Ortigas, who has been a movies and comic books enthusiast since he was a child, has accumulated about P4 million worth of realistic action figures since 2012.

“Since a very young age, like every other child, mahilig ako sa toys and it’s something that followed me until I grew older,” Ortigas said, “Like they say, we, [boys], don’t grow older, our toys just become more expensive.”

Ortigas shared that he has always been a Batman fan growing up, and currently owns about 200 DC, Marvel, and Disney figures.

“Pag nasunog ‘yung bahay, ang una kong kukunin ‘yung Christian Bale na Batman, ‘yung malaki. It’s not super rare, but for me, it’s very detailed,” he noted.

His collection of hyper-realistic figures originated from a Hong Kong-based shop called ‘Hot Toys,’ which produces limited edition action figures for every movie that comes out.

Each piece amounts to P8,000 when pre-ordered, but the price appreciates by P2,000 to P3,000 after the pre-order period.

In 2012, Ortigas turned his hobby into a business: S2 Toys and Collectibles, located in Greenhills, Ortigas.

“The best kind of job is a job that you feel you’re not working,” he shared.

Despite having other businesses to handle, “nothing keeps me as sane as this one. Here, I don’t feel like I’m working,” he said.

Famous celebrities and personalities frequent his shop, namely: Julius Babao, Nyoy Volante, among others.

“These are grownups that wanted to buy these kinds of things when they were young and now, they can,” he added.

Ortigas prides himself in not only having built a shop, but also a collector’s haven where the community can meet and bond over its shared interest for comics and movies.

“You find somebody who is as interested as you but doesn’t look like they like these things… A lot of collectors are married, have children so it’s nice for them to talk to someone who appreciates it like other collectors,” he said.

Ortigas says as long as movies, cartoons, and comics are there, his love for collecting is there to stay for years to come.

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