Travel - Hong Kong 2007 Pitstop 1: CTMA Centre @ Mongkok
24 03 2007
The first pitstop for my Hong Kong trip would also be my favourite toy destination. That was my resolve while I was on the ferry heading to the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. And this location is none other than CTMA Centre in Mongkok. To be exact, it is at the corner where the end of Sai Yeung Choi Street South meets Dundas Street. It was certainly a silent sense of joy when I saw the neon-light signs of CTMA Centre again.
CTMA Centre houses many toy shops… as well as stores for ladies wear. And this is a wonderful mix of store variety… in my opinion at least. If you are heading for CTMA Centre with your wife/girlfriend in tow, you can be sure that the ladies will be able to shop while you take in the sights of the toy shops’ glass displays. In short, you should not have the problem of a bored female companion pressuring you to get out of the toy store! Isn’t that what we want? Shop in peace? Woohoo!
I would consider the major toy tenants here to be Toy Hunters and Superman Toys. They are just twice the size of the other toy shops here. Toy Hunters are the distributors for Hot Toys figures. They usually update their shop display with the latest Hot Toys releases. In Sept 2005, it was the Apone-Vasquez Alien 12″ figures. This time, it was Ripley and the rest of the remaining Marines. It’s been a while huh. Other figures on display were Robocop 3, Rocky, T2 Endoskeleton and other figures slated for release during this period. Other stuff on display include Sideshow’s products. I took in the complete shock of how big Jabba’s throne would be when I saw it in the shop’s display. There was also the Alien Queen at the back of the shelve! Ooo… delicious!
Superman Toys is … a bigger shop with plenty more walking space and glass displays. The average toy shop here is pretty cramp as every inch of space is used for putting a toy on display. I remembered buying Guyot from the Guyver series from Superman Toys back in 2005. Superman Toys can also be accessed from a stairway on the side of the building facing Dundas Street.
Shops in CTMA Centre carry a huge variety of toys from 1/6 figures, chogokins, Saint Seiya, Masked Riders, Ultraman, Macross, Gundam kits, Master Replicas, small collectibles and many others. It would be wise to scout out all stores before confirming the decision to buy. I checked all stores for my Takara Masked Rider No. 2 figure(including places outside CTMA Centre) before buying from a store here which had a price of 1280 HKD. Toy Hunters quoted me 1585 HKD. Do the maths and you know the difference! And remember to visit the basement as the 2 floors below have more toy shops than above.
CTMA Centre ranks as the No. 1 spot for hunting toys in Hong Kong in my opinion. There are many stores housed within it allowing lots of browsing and comparison of prices. It’s centrally located in the bustling Mongkok and is about 2 mins walk from the nearest Mongkok MTR exit. If you are having a problem deciding which toy to buy with your budget, you can ponder over a dessert in the Xu Liu Shan store a stone’s throw across CTMA Centre. If you only have time for one place to shop for toys, CTMA Centre is probably the best bet!
Hey did you spot the special edition brown alien by hot toys? I’m looking all over for it.
Nope only saw the Queen Alien.
[...] an excellent, if not the BEST guide for 1:6 collectors. I’ll definitely be visiting CTMA, where Toy Hunters, Hot Toys‘ official distributors are. Also, Marvin just spotted these guys [...]
[...] most importantly, CTMA, the fabled toyhub of Mongkok. SWFToys has a detailed post on CTMA here, essential reading [...]
Do you have any suggestion on finding old Hot Toys figues?
I’m looking for the 1/6 US NAVY SEAL NIGHT OPS JUMPER from Hot Toys. There’s one listed on ebay from a HK seller but it’s USD 200. I have a friend coming there on August 2007 and I might just be able to buy it through her, hopefully at cheaper price.
And thanks for the guide, this sure will help my friend when she gets there.
Hi Doly,
The best bet is still the shops in CTMA centre and Richmond centre. For CTMA, check out Toy Hunters first as they are the distributor for Hot Toys. But cross your fingers.
When I was there in March, I was looking out for the SOAR but could not spot any.
Good luck!
Thanks for the heads up.
Oh, I forgot to ask. How much are the prices for Hot Toys current and latest releases at Toy Hunters? The official HT website never mentions the MSRP prices and I’m curious whether TH is selling them at or below the MSRP. I also want to know how broke I’m gonna be when she gets there
Hi Doly,
Come to think of it, I’ve yet to buy Hot Toys figures from the Toy Hunters store as they are readily available locally. But expect MSRP prices for new figures.
I’ve inquired about older figures before and the prices are more steep than the other stores in CTMA (that is if they carry the same figure).
Broke? You’ll be getting a few figures? Transport home will be a challenge!
HI doly, i like to give the address to visit your store, i will go to Hong Kong these month and i’m a star wars collector.
Thanks
send me more information about the direction, and phone to my e-mail
Yeah, the CTMA just has to be number 1 for toys in Hong Kong. I actually missed this place the very first time I visited Hong Kong - but I was determined to track it down the next time! The only problem (and it’s a big one), was that many of the smaller retailers didn’t open until quite late in the day.
I recall waiting for quite some time after 5pm one day just to hunt down some Japanese G1 figures prominently displayed in a closed shop window in the basement. The owner never came in time and I had other things I wanted to do on holiday. Hopefully they’ve all got opening times listed on the windows by now!
Hi Jon,
Yeah, it’s a destination not to be missed by us! Going there after 5pm is probably the safest bet for all stores to be opened.
Bring back an update the next time you are there!
Hi swftoys,
You have provided a great guide for me. I will be going HK in Nov. Do most of the toy shops accept Credit Cards? Do you see lots of Star wars Kubrick? Thanks
Hi jedi_slayer,
As of my last trip there, most of the shops do not accept Credit Cards. I had to go to the ATM to withdraw cash on several occasions. So don’t plan your purchases around the use of Credit Cards. Toyzone accepts Credit Cards though.
As for Star Wars Kubricks, they are available but these are really down to which piece/set you are looking for.
Have a great trip!
Hi
Can you tell me if you stock Dragon tiger tanks???
Many thanks
H
Pretty good place to go. Course when I went it was full and packed and well, walking was pretty difficult… so surprised to see it so empty and you being able to actually take pics!