'It started with Dh8': Dubai teen now owns 1,000 diecast cars

Dubai: It started with an eight-dirham Hot Wheels car and a aunt who gave it with all her heart.

Chuck Soriano, 17, has been living in Dubai for 11 years, and in that time he has quietly built one of the most impressive collections you will find in a teenager's bedroom. Over 1,000 diecast cars line his walls and shelves, a mix of Hot Wheels, Mini GTs and other models, each one chosen deliberately, stored carefully and appreciated deeply.

"When I was 11, I knew I was going to get a first car one day and that it was going to be really cool," he says. "So with my allowance, I started buying Hot Wheels and waiting for them to shoot up in price. That is how everything started."

More than just toys

What makes Chuck's collection interesting is the thinking behind it. He understands why certain cars hold value, how rarity drives price, and why keeping a car in its original packaging matters. Hot Wheels stops producing certain models, demand builds, and mint-condition pieces can climb dramatically in value.

His most valuable piece right now is an R34 Skyline GTR from the Fast and Furious Hot Wheels set, which he estimates sells for between Dh500 and Dh600. "So many people became fans of that car through the movie," he explains. "The prices just went up for everything connected to it." He is holding onto it for now, with half an eye on selling it when he is ready to buy his first real car.

The one that started it all, that Hummer H2 gifted by his aunt 13 years ago, sits among the collection too. It is not worth much, it was Dh8 when she first bought it and around Dh24 now. But for Chuck, it is priceless.

"She gave it to me with all of her heart," he says. "That is all that matters."

A room full of stories

The cars are only part of the picture. Chuck's room is also home to a row of old skateboards hung on the wall, each one a retired deck that has been ridden, broken in and worn down through years of daily skating. His dad bought himself a skateboard around 2015, Chuck started borrowing it, and by his sixth-grade graduation he had one of his own.

"All of my old decks that have been used and broken, I hang them up as a memory of what they went through and the tricks I learned on them," he says.

There are also old currency notes from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, brought back by relatives travelling through the region. Among them are old Filipino peso bills that are no longer in circulation, two design generations out of date and quietly becoming collectibles in their own right.

And then there are the Tamiya model kits, cars built piece by piece from the engine up, a level of detail that goes well beyond collecting and into something closer to craft.

Also something sentimental that he shared with us was a customised car hidden amongst us collection. "So this was originally a red Volkswagen beetle, I stripped it down and painted it blue because my parents have this picture from two decades ago."

Cars and Chuckies

In March 2025, Chuck launched an Instagram account called Cars and Chuckies with his friend Marcus, where he reviews vintage, rare and enthusiast cars. He finds owners at car meets, walks up, compliments the car and asks for a few minutes of their time.

"Ninety per cent of the time they say yes," he says. "The car community here is incredibly welcoming."

His first ever review is still the one he treasures most. He was about to leave a car meet, unable to build up the courage to approach anyone, when a stranger spotted his microphone and came over. That stranger introduced him to three people, one of whom handed Chuck his keys on the spot.

"He said, the car is all the way over there, do what you want, start the engine, rev it, open the hood. It was an Alfa Romeo 156 GTA. I will forever treasure that moment."

The family behind the collection

Chuck is homeschooled through an online programme, which his parents Gweys Soriano and Jeff Soriano say has given him more control over how he balances his time. School always comes first, they are clear about that. But the structure of home learning has allowed him to pursue skating, music, car events and his growing Instagram presence with real intention.

"He's not only collecting randomly," Gweys says. "He tries to understand the car models, the brands, the small details that make cars more interesting and valuable."

Gweys recalls Chuck identifying cars on the road from the back seat at three or four years old, calling out the make, model and year with a confidence that caught his parents off guard every time. "He would look at cars as if they were human or pets," Jeff says. "He could see their characters, their responsiveness. That was really amazing for a three-year-old."

Everything in the room has been bought from Chuck's own allowance, traded with other collectors or gifted by friends who knew exactly what to look for. His parents say they support whatever he needs to keep going, whether that is filming equipment for his videos or space on the wall for another shelf.

As for what comes next, Chuck is thinking about business management, with a vision of turning everything he loves, cars, skating, music, into something that sustains itself.

"Why not turn hobbies into business?" his dad says, clearly proud. "He already has that vision at 17. I never had that at his age."

His younger brother has started noticing the Nissan Skyline on the shelf. Chuck has noticed him noticing it.

"I am really happy that he is following in my footsteps," he says. "That is a really good thing."