BABES & BABIES

FAST cars and sexy models are a common sight at car shows.

HER MAJESTY: Nicola Bennett, 18, won the Carnival 2009 Race Queen title. Photographers making sure they get the best shot. AT THE PINNACLE BOOTH: June Low, June Wee, Winnie, Sonia and Xiaoting. ON ALL FOURS: Keane Wong, winner of the baby crawling race and another competitor taking a break. TNP PICTURES: KUA CHEE SIONG

But what about a race queen pageant?

Indeed, such a pageant was held over the weekend at the CATS Classified's Car-nival, which attracted more than 70,000 to the Singapore Expo on Sunday.

Certainly, not all turned up for the pageant. There was another reason - car candy. It was Singapore's biggest car-mart event where visitors splurged nearly $30 million.

Compared to last year, car sales dipped 20 per cent to 465 cars, but sales of accessories rose by 25 per cent.

More than 80 exhibitors featured hundreds of new and pre-owned cars, and an impressive array of motoring products and services.

Now in its 14th year, the annual event included a baby crawling race and an office chair race.

Who won

The Race Queen pageant saw 60 women vying for the coveted crown of Car-nival 2009 Race Queen.

Contestants were tested on their catwalk and posing ability, their knowledge of cars and their 'Race Queen Factor'.

Finalists were quizzed to see how quickly and confidently they could respond.

Singapore PR Nicola Bennett, 18, an undergraduate, emerged the winner.

The Eurasian of British and Indonesian descent bagged $2,000 and a portfolio session with a professional photography studio.

Some adults braved embarrassment to weave through an obstacle course - seated in office chairs.

The baby crawling race, which required toddlers under 12 months to crawl 8m, was a good reason for mothers to join the mostly male crowd.

A few tots called a strike and refused to continue crawling midway while another decided that he just wanted to sleep. And so he did, halfway through his race.

Keane Wong, 11 months old, crawled in his own unique way to win the race in 22 seconds.

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OH ROY! MEET TOY MAN SOON

Recession or not, it's business as usual for The Falcon's Hanger owner Roy Soon

YOU may have heard that the world is in the midst of a severe economic crisis.

TOY MANIA! Toy Carnival @ SAM will take place at the Singapore Art Museum this Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

But for Mr Roy Soon, the 37-year-old owner of The Falcon's Hanger, which specialises in selling toys and collectibles from Japan, Hong Kong and the US, it's been business as usual.

He believes what has helped his company during this economic downturn is his 'customer profile, which is middle-to-upper income'.

He told The New Paper in a recent interview: 'Our customers have a buffer. That's why they've been with us for years.'

Just like the movie business, which doesn't seem to have been adversely affected by the global meltdown, toys appear to be recession proof.

Said Mr Soon: 'When the downturn hit, yes, some were affected. Some cut down here and there. But most will say that it's bad enough that every day is bad, the toys can't go! This is my end-of-the-day joy!'

Mr Soon is so optimistic about the toy business here that he is helping to organise the upcoming Toy Carnival@SAM. It will take place at the Singapore Art Museum this Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

A total of 30 vendors will be participating in the event, which Mr Soon hopes will attract families, in addition to hardcore collectors.

'It's a low-cost event, and there are free giveaways.'

Local toy collector Sam Leung, a 29-year old flight attendant, says the recession has curtailed his toy-buying sprees to a certain extent.

He said: 'I used to spend from $200 to $600 a month on toys. But for the past two months I haven't bought any.'

Yet, he said if he really likes something enough, as an avid collector, he would not hold back.

As for the carnival, Star Wars fans will want to take special note, as the members of costume enthusiast group 501st Legion Singapore Garrison will be there in full Star Wars regalia.

Droid hunt

Said Mr Soon: 'They've organised games for families, such as a droid hunt. They'll also be free to pose for pictures - they live for that!'

For those who love Japanese pop culture, the carnival will also feature cosplayers dressed up as anime characters.

Based on past experience with smaller-scale events held by The Falcon's Hangar, Mr Soon is confident that the carnival will draw a large crowd.

But some might wonder if Singapore can support two separate toy fairs.

The Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention (STGCC), supported by the Singapore Tourism Promotion Board, kicked off last year. It will be on again next month at the Suntec Convention Centre.

Mr Soon doesn't see a conflict.

'The STGCC is international. Our event is more of a local, Sunday family event. We don't want to compete with them. I invited them to come down and do their publicity with us.'

As for the toy fans themselves, two events are obviously better than one.

Mr Leung says that he would definitely go to the Toy Carnival.

'There isn't enough of this kind of thing in Singapore.'

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