YOU CAN SENSE ULTRAMAN'S PRESENCE IN the funky headquarters of Hong Kong celebrity Eric Kot. The penthouse production house, with its music and design studios and commanding views of misty, downtown Tin Hau, could very well be the setting for an episode of the acclaimed TV series. The theme song re-mixed by a bunch of hot Japanese DJs (Ultramaniax Beats) is playing from the stereo, and life-size toys from every cartoon and science-fiction movie imaginable stand around the space. A cast of trendy characters zip between the orange rooms - these are the independent musicians and fashion designers that Kot supports under his umbrella of fame. At the centre of the buzzing action and amid wafting clouds of sandalwood incense, sits the stocky celebrity with the beaming smile of a Laughing Buddha. Kot is renowned in Hong Kong for his hilarious chat shows on Commercial Radio and his directing and acting work (notably in his role as Piggy in last year's TVB series The Monkey King - The Quest For The Sutra). He is also a toy-maker and cites Ultraman as his No 1 influence. It began when he was five. 'I was a poor schoolboy when I first watched it,' he explains in his characteristically raspy voice. 'There was something about this superhero that caught me. He had amazing magical powers.' It set off a fixation that has resulted in a collection of more than 100 figures that populate his home. A community of life-size Ultramen are also stationed in a nearby warehouse. It is the second-largest collection in Hong Kong, second only to Canto-pop star Andy Lau. 'It started in 1988 when I was working at Commercial Radio,' Kot says. 'My hard-core, die-hard fans followed me when I left the station. They saw I had an Ultraman bag and starting sending me things. That was it, word got out. Fans started sending me stuff.' He whips out a black box with a holographic image of the wand-waving superhero. 'Dadana! If you are a fan of Ultraman, this is the No 1 thing you should own,' he cries, punching the air with kung fu slashes. It is the Ultraman Memorial Box, a collection of 10 laser discs with all the original episodes. 'I bought it for $5,000 in Tokyo in 1992. It's amazing, I watch it a lot.' A book of poster illustrations by Yuji Kaida also takes centre stage in his collection but surprisingly, Eric Kot's favourite Ultraman possession is not a dazzling limited-edition piece, but a small, battered Kanegon. The blue monster with a coin stuck in its throat, has become a reminder for Kot with his status as a rich celeb. 'This guy is known in Cantonese as Sek Ching Gwei, or Eating Money,' he says patting the monster's head. 'He begins life as a poor child, and one of the Ultraman baddies offers him black, magical powers to make him rich. He accepts and becomes a monster. It is a sad story and I like it. It teaches me a lesson not to be greedy. I keep him with me all the time.'