IT HAS been seven years since Warren Tan picked up his superglue and said he’s going to make toys. Growing up in the 1980s and fascinated with the comic books and toys made during that era—the best created, in his opinion—he started out as a collector until he opted to put his craftsmanship into play.
“I’ve always wanted to be involved with the creativity and imagination behind toy lines and comic titles, designing my own characters, being geeky and all that,” he said. “In collecting, sometimes manufacturers don’t make the characters I want to get—that’s when I started to make my own version of them.”
Known in online communities under the alias Toyphilia, Warren has received recognition for the intricate handling in his works, all manually sculpted and painted. Some he built from scratch, some he made using old, miscellaneous parts from other figures. Usually depending on his whim, he has done several characters, from the obscure ones in Marvel Legends and Transformers to G.I. Joe and Mr. Potato Head. It is a hobby, he said, he often does in his spare time in the evenings.
It all started online. There he did his research for toy customization techniques and tricks, and where he found famous toy artists Frenzy_Rumble, Jin Saitome, Xaviercal (all aliases) who served as his inspiration. “(My toys) almost always seems to be a work-in-progress,” he said. “I guess I’m more into the craft—not collecting—when it comes to customization.”
Warren’s entire collection, including the ones he bought, now range a “few hundreds” (I’m not really counting,” he quipped). It is an evolving set for which he always seeks for cool ones to add in, and at the same time, sells some away once he starts losing interest in that toy’s story line. He has owned Gundams and Zoids, Transformers and some superheroes, with a penchant for the rare and well-designed. “I also enjoy collecting funny-looking ones. I recently bought Finn and Jake since they were on sale, and I also have the characters from the movie Mallrats,” he said.
Although, most notable in his collection are the vintage pieces that are a rare find in the market today. “Some of them are butt-ugly,” he said, “but I enjoy keeping a piece of my childhood on display.”
In 2004 and 2005, Warren was part of the team that organized the Toyphilia exhibits held in Kahayag Café and Handuraw Café, where he and other collectors showcased over 700 toys. He also owned and managed its namesake store located along Escario St. for a time, before channelling his attention to customized work. By day, the crafty and artistic Warren manages a creative design studio.