AFHub Handle: Gold
Real Name: Goldrich Castillo
Year of Birth: 1977
Location: Quezon City

With a name literally as rich as gold, you’d almost expect the person behind it to be exuding with self-satisfied superiority and snobbery. Well, I’m happy to report that nothing could be farther from the truth.

I met Goldrich Castillo for the first time in Alabang about 2 years ago. He drove all the way from Zambales (as I recall it) to meet up with me and purchase my extra DCD Brainiac 13. Admittedly, I found it a little odd at the time that someone would drive that distance just to acquire one solitary toy. I later came to realize that this is the depth of passion Goldrich has for his action figure and toy collection. And it works both ways with him – he has done this sort of thing both when he is getting something or when he is giving you something. To give a real-life exmample, I recently purchased one loose figure from him and he again drove all the way to Alabang just to meet up with me. He even threw in a few 12-inch mutant prawns to boot :-)

So contrary to what the name might prompt a total stranger into thinking, I must say that Goldrich is probably one of the most self-giving persons I have met.

Let’s try to get to know a little more about him and his passion for toys…

Do you remember when you started collecting?

I think I started collecting in early 1990’s. It was when the animated Ironman line went on 50% sale at the malls that got me interested in hunting down most of the Ironman Armors.

What are some of the toy lines do you collect? And why?

I currently collect Marvel Legends (and “Legends”-scale figures), Justice League, Soul of Chogokins, SOTA’s Street Fighter series, Transformers G1 (and the occasional non-G1) and King of Braves Gaogaigar toys.

I pretty much collect these lines because I grew up watching or reading about most of the characters and I love the detail and likenesses on the newer stuff.

What was it that brought you to collecting? And what is it that keeps you going?

Generally I blame that “Collect them all” slogan plastered across all the toy catalogues I read as a kid. It just stays glued to one’s subconscious even after all these years.

How do you display your collection?

Hehe, I don’t. I’m usually out of town a lot and cleaning the house everytime I get home is a real chore. So everything pretty much stays under wraps until I open them up for photo-taking. Before I leave I repack everything again and store them in big boxes. Maybe after I get married and we have our own place, that’ll change.

Do you have a favorite character(s) among those you collect?

King of Braves Gaogaigar. I’m not exactly sure why but I love that show. I think it’s because of the old school Super Robot heroics.

Which item in your collection would you say is your absolute favorite and why?

The King of Braves Gaogaigar Shishio Guy and Mikoto Utsugi wedding statue. I proposed to Astrogirl using it. She loved it!

What prompts you to purchase an item?

I try to stay inside the lines that I currently collect. I draw the line at insanely expensive repaints of the same items that I already have. I also try not to get drawn into expensive variations of the same character.

For example, the Fewture Getter series. I passed on that. While the toy was expertly done, had a lot of diecast, it was still just a conceptual version of Getter (no offense to folks who love the toy). It wasn’t based on any of the shows I’ve watched, plus the hefty price tag and difference in scale compared to the Soul of Chogokin versions just didn’t sell it for me. I guess you could say the scale factor is pretty important as far as what I decide to buy goes.

Where do you do most of your toy purchases? Do you shop online?

I usually get from Greattoys, they always keep me informed on releases. And since I’m usually out of town a lot, I rely on them heavily for keeping my reservations on new items. It’s been a good idea so far. I also try to get from Druids Keep as much as I can and the occassional Toy Kingdom Marvel Legends and CATS DC Direct purchases. I only go searching online as a last resort.

How about eBay?

I also go via eBay. I haven’t tried other online shops yet apart from www.hlj.com

How do you decide which items to open and which ones to keep mint-in-package?

I pretty much open everything.

What do you think of custom figures/toys?

I love the stuff they do. Really impressive. You can see the love and effort they put into their craft. It takes a lot to make something you pour your soul into and then watch as you sell it to someone else.

Do you customize your own figures/toys? What’s you inspiration for doing a particular character?

My customizing skills are pretty much that of an amateur so I don’t think I’ll be doing any customizing soon.

What’s the first thing people tell you when they see your collection?

“Love your photos.” Hehe, I’m still trying to figure out how to improve the photos, though. If you see Japanese toy review sites, those are real works of art. I hope to be able to do photos that nice one day with my collection.

In the next 5-10 years, do you see your collection growing or would you have grown tired of all this?

In 5-10 years? Hard to say. At the rate things keep coming out I hope I can keep up. Personally, I think my biggest problem would be storage and display space, followed of course, by money, you can never tell when the economy’s going to go up or down.

Realistically, though, I think it’ll never end since toy companies always know how to produce cooler stuff. It’ll be just a matter of where we draw our own personal lines and then look back and say, “I’m done and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.” Hehe, nothing is forever in this world.

Take a peek at Gold’s toy collection…

To see more of Gold’s amazing collection, please follow and bookmark this link: http://goldgaigar.afhub.com.

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