Pak Bambang at the launch of the Malaysia International Miniature Hobby Show at The Wembley Hotel
By V. Sivaji
The Consul-General of the Republic Indonesia in Penang, HE Bapak Bambang Suharto is a busy man considering his role to ensure the safety and welfare of his citizens and in the meantime to foster good relationships between two nations.
His days are often packed with his official duties, invitations to many state events and other official functions.
Despite this, not known to many, he has a unique hobby – the assembly of model aircrafts and battle ships.
He started his passion way back during his early school days in the 1970s.
“My favorite TV series at that time was “The Six Million Dollar Man”. I saw US military aircraft in the movie. When I visited a model hobby shop in my hometown, I noticed some model kits of aircrafts that were used in the movie. That was the beginning I got interested in model kits,” said Pak Bambang to Penang Hyperlocal.
He recently also took part in the Malaysia International Miniature Hobby Show where some 1,000 participants from 25 countries took part. The event was held at The Wembley – A St Giles Hotel.
He submitted his creation of the Lockheed SR-71 stealth bomber aka “Blackbird”. The aircraft is known to fly three times faster than sound or commonly known as Mach 3 capabilities.
Today, his collection ranges from aircrafts, helicopters, ships, spaceships, tanks, military vehicles, figures, and also civilian airplanes.
“My collection also includes military aircrafts, consisting of piston-engine fighters, jet powered fighters, bombers and military cargo planes.
“Among my favorite models in my collection are the modern fighter jets, military cargo planes and aircraft carriers.
“To me, fighter jets represent advanced technology combined with highly skilled and trained pilots. Military cargo plane is an important element in logistical support for any military or humanitarian operations. Aircraft carriers represent a complicated arrangement of team works,” he added.
“For the completion one one model kit, it depends on the scale and the level of the model. It also depends on the available time that we can allocate to complete the model.
“Building a model kit requires passion. We also have to be in a good mood in the process of completing a model kit. I usually avoid building a model kit if I am not in a good mood, even though we have free time. So patience is the key here.
“If we are in a good mood and have free time, we can finish it in a few days or weeks. However, more complicated models require more time to complete. It may require a month or more,” he added.
Despite his busy schedule, he tries to find time for his hoby. Once he has decided to build a model, he will dedicate some free time to finish them.
Currently, he is planning to build a model aircraft carrier. It is a combination of a ship, fighter jets, helicopters, figurines and the supporting vehicles.
To-date, he estimates that he has more than two hundred kits in his collection. He usually stores them in a room that functions as my studio as well as storage to store all of my collection.
Pak Bambang had also participated in a miniature exhibition in Helsinki, Finland in 2008 while being assigned there.
“Miniature hobby is an interesting hobby. It teaches us about passion and patience. If we want to achieve a fine and best result, we need at least those two elements – being patient is still important in my opinion,” he adds.
Pak Bambang with his SR-71 model aircraft