As per reports, Robin Chua, a Singaporean has built his Minifig-dom worth a five-figure sum over the last 13 years. Everything is awesome when one owns 6,334 Lego Minifigures, have built a global community of over 62,000 Lego fans, and – most awesome of all – have a wife who supports your Lego obsession!

Robin Chua, 44, better known as ‘Minifigbin’ on Instagram, runs one of the biggest Lego-themed Instagram accounts in Asia. Chua, who works in the education industry, cheekily pointed his finger at his wife, Cynthia Soh, for kickstarting his Lego obsession.

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“She’s my enabler,” he declared. “I started collecting Lego Minifigs in 2012 because she didn’t know what to get me as a Christmas present. So, I pointed at the Star Wars Advent Calendar at the Lego store.”

Soh, a civil servant in her 40s, had no idea that her innocent gift would be the genesis of his growing Minifigdom. “I didn’t know he would be this crazy! We had an agreement when we moved into our flat – we share our master bedroom and have one room each to do whatever we want with. His collection has overflowed into the rest of the house,” she laughed.

Inside his home, over 6,000 colourful Minifigures, or Minifigs, occupied every square inch of available surface in the living room. Only the coffee table was spared, presumably because they have to eat somewhere.

Everything is neatly arranged according to themes. The biggest "army" was the Star Wars Minifigures, which was fitting since it started Chua’s craze. This amazing sight took Chua four weeks to set up, singlehandedly, for the story. The Minifigures are kept in his Lego room although he might display some now and then.

Chua’s interest in Lego started in childhood. “When I was in primary school in the 1980s, I was super fascinated by Lego sets but couldn't afford them,” he recalled.

His first Lego Minifigure was a fireman, which he got when he was six years old. Although his mum threw away all his toys when he grew up, Fireman somehow survived. Chua found him 10 years ago when the couple moved from his parents’ home to their new home.

He estimated that his collection is worth “between S$100,000 and S$150,000”. Like many fellow collectors, Chua does not buy just one Minifigure; he can buy 10 or 20 of the same if he likes it, to build an “army”. One of his most expensive purchases was four Zelda Minifigures, which cost him S$180.

The item that would give him the highest return on investment is a set of four Ninjago Minifigures, which he bought from Carousell. A gift-with-purchase item from American store Target, only available in the United States, it cost him S$30 seven years ago. “I almost opened it for my display- a friend told that it is now worth S$700.”

Robin Chua advises: “Don’t buy a newly launched set right away. Check out all the e-commerce websites, like Bricklink (an online Lego marketplace), Amazon, Lazada, Shopee and Carousell which often offer discounts a few months after the launch. I try to ‘tolerate’ and wait for the sales.”

Collect within your means“You don’t have to collect 6,000 Minifigs. For some, three or five can make one just as happy.”

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In September 2022, the couple went on a trip to the “motherland”. The three-day Lego Inside Tour at Lego’s global headquarters in Billund, Denmark, is a highly coveted experience. It is literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience because one can only go on the tour once. He and his group of more than 40 people even met Lego’s top management and designers, some of whom he’s still in touch with. One of Robin Chua's most memorable experiences was meeting lead Lego designer Jamie Beard.

The couple came home lugging 60kg of Lego. Participants were also given tour-exclusive goodies. Chua said he has spotted one of the exclusive Lego sets resold for over S$4,000, and the Minifigures for S$500 each and more. While Chua collects other Lego too, Minifigs take up 90 per cent of his collection. It's just a preference thing-he shared.

To Chua, doing his part to build a global Lego community is more precious than profiteering from the bricks. While it is common for Lego collectors to buy and resell their sets – and Chua has done that too. In fact, many "true" collectors like Chua generously gift their spare Minifigures to one another, especially the local specials.

To Chua, the best thing about being a Lego collector isn’t the fact that these toys make good investments. To him, it is the joy of finding his people. He has made good friends around the world. Chua has also hosted overseas Lego fans, including Christo Baranowski, an American Lego ambassador who goes by The Stud City on Instagram.

There are less than 100 Lego-recognised ambassadors in the world who actively engage and build communities of Lego fans. Singapore doesn’t have one yet and Chua hopes that he will be the first, some day. The Chuas don’t have kids but they welcome friends who do. In fact, he often prepares small packs of Lego for the kids.

Key Takeaways:

Robin Chua owns 6,334 Lego Minifigures, worth S$100,000 to S$150,000
His hobby began in 2012 with a Star Wars Advent Calendar gift
He runs ‘Minifigbin’ on Instagram, helping to build a global community of Lego fans
In 2022, he joined Lego’s exclusive Inside Tour in Denmark, returning with 60kg of Lego

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