Meet International Icons In Malaysia!

By Zairina Zainudin KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Want to meet international celebrities like David Beckham and Johnny Depp or history makers like the British Royalties and American Presidents right in Malaysia? All you have to do is proceed to RedCarpet@i-City, Malaysia's own wax museum in Shah Alam (in Selangor state), where international celebrities and important personalities will be among the 100 'residents' there. RedCarpet@i-City, like the world renowned wax museum of Madame Tussauds, display waxworks of historical figures, celebrities from the entertainment world, sports stars and even world record holders. Therefore unlike in other wax museums of the world, visitors here will be able to view real life looking wax figurines of the tallest and smallest person in the world, and people with abnormalities such as long neck and other oddities. The museum opened on Aug 15 was envisioned by i-Bhd's Executive Chairman Lim Kim Hong and is the latest attraction at i-City after its Snowalk, WaterWorld, FunWorld theme parks and colourful LED landscape. THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN ASIA The real life looking wax figurines there have been made by Zhongshan City Elephant Sculpture Art Co-Ltd (ZCESA) of China, a company that has made a name for itself in creating real life wax personalities for museums and theme parks. ZCESA's representative, Zhao Xue Rong, noted that the figurines were made using a combination of newer wax material and advanced computer aided design technology. "These wax works resemble very close to real human beings due to their material, colour and intricate details worked out to perfection by our craftsmen," he said to Malaysian reporters who were in Zhongshan, China recently to take a look at the wax works being made for RedCarpet@i-City. THE ART OF MAKING A WAX FIGURE Zhao pointed out to the eager media members that it took up to five months to make a wax figure that is expected to last up to 20 years. The use of new wax material, a combination of wax, resin and silicon, and advanced technologies not only enabled the company to come up with compelling wax figurines but also helped to reduce their maintenance cost. An interesting point illustrated by Zhao is that the wax figurines were made from bottom up, meaning the artisans started from the legs and worked their way to the head. And the head is seen as the most important part in providing the real life appearance. Getting the hair done and incorporating eye lashes and the right skin colour calls for great care and patience on the artisan's part as the slightest run off in the facial details could affect the appearance. Often, artisans use the real dimensions of a living personality to come up with a wax replica but in the case of personalities of the past, they try to find the closest dimension possible based on hundreds of photographs that are available. WHAT HAS REDCARPET@i-CITY HAS TO OFFER Bernardo Munoz, RedCarpet@i-City'S Creative Design Director noted that the wax museum is set to provide a different experience compared with other wax museums. Munoz, with more than 10 years of experience in creative conceptualisation and designing for thematic entertainment and attractions, said 10 out of the 100 wax figurines in the museum could dance, sing, speak or move. Some of the wax figures with voice capabilities are that of Korean pop star, Psy and music legend Michael Jackson. The wax figurine of Malaysia's father of independence Tunku Abdul Rahman moves and depicts the historical moment of independence on Aug 31, 1957. "We are confident that RedCarpet will provide visitors an opportunity to come face to face with real life looking personalities within real living environment themes," said Munoz who was previously involved in the development of 'The Lost City', 'Dubailand', 'Disney Pixar' 'Universal Studios', 'Stargate', 'Sega Republic' and 'Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas'. HELPING TO BOOST THE NATION'S TOURISM SECTOR The project costing US$7.57 million (RM25 million) took eight months to complete and i-Bhd's Director, Monica Ong noted that RedCarpet@i-City brings a new dimension to the nation's tourism sector. (US$1 = RM3.29) The wax museum was launched by Malaysia's Tourism and Culture Minister Mohd Nazri Aziz and the launch is also in preparation for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2014. "We have products to attract international visitors and something compelling for local visitors," he said. -- BERNAMA