How Nicholas Tse inspired this Singapore prop gun supplier to start his business

Why I Do What I Do is an original AsiaOne series where we showcase people with uncommon professions and what it takes to get there.


One of the first things you'll notice when you step into Jimmy Low's workshop in Woodlands is the sheer number of guns lining the walls.

From Smith & Wesson revolvers to assault rifles not unlike the ones toted by Singapore's soldiers, he has it all.

You might be forgiven for thinking you've entered the den of a mob boss, but the 500-odd guns the 69-year-old owns are mostly replicas that he rents out for television and movie productions.

Even if you haven't heard of his stunt and weapons company The Stunt Production, you've probably seen his work in the Ah Boys to Men movies, the Triple Nine series on TV and even Bollywood flicks - he counts the 2006 thriller Don starring Shah Rukh Khan as one of the highest-profile films he's worked on.

Besides weapons, he's also provided stuntmen and rigged 'explosions' for the government's anti-terrorism drills.

It's pretty much the dream job for any gun enthusiast, but 25 years after he first established The Stunt Production, Jimmy tells us why he's just about ready to call it quits.

Make no mistake — Jimmy is still very much passionate about stunts and his weapons business.

'Audiences are not stupid'

As he shows off his arsenal, which includes over 80 pieces of deactivated weapons and some 500 epoxy and rubber replicas, he explains: "We're not making big money. We only want the industry to look good."

Scoffing at the toy guns that some local productions use, Jimmy says that how realistic a weapon looks can make or break the production.

"It's colourful so they spray it black," he explains as he mimes an actor toting a cheap plastic gun. "Don't move!"

He throws up his hands in exasperation and adds with a wry smile, "Nowadays the audiences are not stupid."

The son of a martial arts instructor and stunt director, Jimmy found his way into the entertainment industry thanks to his father's actor friends.

"They said, 'Eh! Your son looks good ah! Why don't you just send him to Hong Kong and become an actor!'"

And so Jimmy headed to Hong Kong at the age of 21 to chase his acting dreams. Alas, he was "not very good" at Cantonese, he admits, leading him to go into stunt work instead, capitalising on his talents as a former competitive gymnast and springboard diver.

Stunt work in Hong Kong

Then young, hot-blooded and fearless, Jimmy says he got his big break in the stunt industry when he volunteered to jump 10 storeys from a cruise ship into the sea.

He was one of the most junior stuntmen on set, but stepped up after his seniors couldn't make the leap.

"The director said, 'You sure you can or not!'", Jimmy recounts in a mix of English and Cantonese. "I said, 'Yes, I can!' So I went up and jumped and really went into the sea."

The incident earned him the Cantonese nickname Hoi Lu Hung among those in the industry, which translates to "sky, land and sea".

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As he built a name for himself, he began to get more work, even doing stunts for some of the biggest Hong Kong stars including Alan Tang Kwong-Wing and Sam Hui.

Ironically, after he returned to Singapore in the 80s and got into stunt directing, it was another Hong Kong star who inspired Jimmy to start his prop weapons business.

According to Jimmy, actor Nicholas Tse was in town filming and had been playing around with one of his rental deactivated weapons.

"I told him off, and told him not to play the gun," Jimmy tells us. But Nicholas apparently reacted by nonchalantly asking for a prop gun.

"I said 'Okay, continue playing. I don't have.' So one month later I produced everything."

The offhand remark inspired Jimmy, who began to explore different moulding and modelling techniques to create guns that were hardier and safer to handle roughly (he gamely demonstrates by smashing the butt of a rubber gun against his head).

Now, these dummy weapons make up the bulk of his collection and are one of his company's mainstays.

Tough to survive

Despite the illustrious career that's left him with countless stories of his daredevil exploits and celebrity encounters over the years, Jimmy says he's ready to "face reality" and give it up.

"Life is not easy nowadays," he sighs.

Besides the Covid-19 pandemic, which has decimated his business, he says the legal regulations around replica weapons have left him in a pickle.

Under the Under the Arms and Explosives (A&E) Act, weapons including blank-firing firearms or deactivated firearms require a license.

While the license fee used to be payable for each category, regulations over the years have shifted towards individual licensing of each firearm, Jimmy explains.

"One [license] costs $220. If you have 100 pieces, you have to pay $22,000 for two years.

"You think I can survive with that? I can't!"

While his MP has helped him with his licensing fee issues for the past six years, Jimmy says he's unsure if he'll be granted another exemption when his licenses expire next year.

Instead, he's holding out hope that he'll be able to sell his business and enjoy retirement life travelling the world with his wife, Linda.

He grins as he tells us that his bucket list includes taking the Trans-Siberian Railway all the way to Russia.

From running away from explosions and standing in for actors in car crashes, Jimmy is now training his body for a different goal.

"I'm exercising one and a half hours a day, brisk walking to keep myself fit," he declares.

"When Covid-19 is over — go! We'll start to travel immediately."

kimberlylim@asiaone.com

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