Die-Cast Collector

I consider this the crown jewel of my fledging collection: the Virgin Galactic WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo.It was an arduous task to get this;  a few months I got an email from airlinemuseum.com that the model is available on pre-order, but it did not become available for shipping when I tried to buy one. I waited for another office mate, last month, to go to the United States so I can buy it and ship it to him.And the wait is well worth it. The model is very detailed and intricate; even the underbelly does not lack details.  WhiteKnightTwo is the "mothership" cargo aircraft manufactured by Scaled Composites to carry the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane which will be released mid-flight to fly into space .  Virgin Galactic plans to start the suborbital flights in 2013. It will fly 6 passengers and 2 crew members to an altitude of 68 miles, which is 10 miles higher than the boundary considered as  space, for each flight [ 1 ]. Model: Scaled Composite

The two AirAsia planes, an AirAsia Philippines Airbus A320-200 and an AirAsia X Airbus A340-300, side by side. 

AirAsia, a low-cost carrier based in Malaysia, recently established a Philippine subsidiary. The new airline, which flies from Clark International Airport to several local and international destinations, uses Airbus A320-200 planes for its routes. The Airbus A320-200 is a narrowbody jet with a range of 3,300 nm. It can carry up to 150 passengers [ 1 ]. This model was bought in Toy Studio in MBK mall in Bangkok.  This is the  second AirAsia jet  in my collection. Model: Airbus A320 Livery: AirAsia Philippines  Registration: RP-C8191 Manufacturer:  Phoenix Scale: 1:400 Length: 3.70" Wingspan: 3.35"   Provenance: Toy Studio - MBK Mall , Bangkok, Thailand  Price: 1,200 baht

Last weekend I visited a hobby shop while in a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. The shop is named Toy Studio, and it is located at the second floor of the MBK Mall in downtown Bangkok, right along Sukhumvit road. The store is not very large, about 20 ft x 20 ft, but it is brimming with die-cast toys in all sizes and shapes. The glass front has shelves that contain a vast number of planes and cars, including 1:100 sizes. They also carry most of the notable brands: Herpa, Gemini, Hogan, Dragon Wings and Phoenix. Most major airlines are represented, as well as the more obscure ones. I also saw some die-cast military aircraft in 1:200 and 1:44 scale.  I found the prices to be wanting though. I was hoping that the prices would be a bit cheaper than the shops in Metro Manila but found out that they are almost the same. I bought an AirAsia Philippines A320 for 1,200 baht, which is about PhP1,600, which is the same price in Manila. I still bought just so I'd have something that w