Towering toys: Thai artist brings childhood heros to life Like many youngsters in Thailand, Pairoj Thanomwong was an avid collector of figurines from his favourite comic book heros and sci-fi movie characters. Decades later, the 43-year-old has turned his childhood passion into profit, leading a team of welders to transform scrap metal into towering statues of popular film and TV characters. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES.