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MASSEY is
published by Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston
North, New Zealand
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MASSEY has a circulation of 75,000.
Copyright:
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provided you first gain permission from the editor. |
When I was 11, I was taken to The Louvre in Paris by my mum
and dad. I was touched by the beauty of sculpture. Now the
problem for me and my earning capacity is there is no way
for me to own beautiful sculpture in my home. The bronzes
are vastly expensive.”
Taylor – for a moment sounding Franklin-Mintish –
is talking about The Lord of the Rings’ line of collectibles.
Fifteen years ago, he says, he discovered ‘garage kits’,
the models produced by fine art fantasy sculptors.
“I have a significant collection of sixth scale human
figures that I have assembled myself.” Some people,
he admits, would label them as nerdy. “But I collect
them because they are beautiful pieces of fine art. So I have
100 fine art sculptures in my house. Luckily Tania tolerates
them.
“I always wanted to have another arm to our company
that did this sort of work. I delved into it in Meet the Feebles:
I made up a kit and sold it around the world. But with LOTR,
I had the opportunity to reinvent our company and start up
another branch.”
Sideshow Weta Collectibles is named after Weta’s fifty-fifty
collaboration with a small American company that makes action
figures. “We develop the original masters; they distribute
and manufacture,” explains Taylor. “We now have
120 LOTR products on the market.”
Recently the company won the contract to make muppet models
for Hensens. “That was a major coup,” says Taylor.
Talks are also under way with the rights holders for Star
Trek and James Bond movies.
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