Sculpting for a toy company is a very unusual job. How did you arrive at your current position? Which has been the most rewarding figure you have worked on to date?
Well, being a founding member of the company sure helps! Prior to Sideshows inception I was a makeup effects artist for about ten years. The expanding use of CGI put an end to my stint in effects makeup.

I remember sitting having lunch with Rick Baker and he says he's a little troubled by the whole computer graphic thing. Well, when HE says something like that, it gives you cause to think. So, I was looking hard to transition out of that business and into another that used my same skill set. I think I did in the nick of time too. The effects business ain't what it used to be.

When you sit down to sculpt a figure what reference materials do you use?
Sadly there really isn't enough time to do the intensive research we'd like to do, so we rely heavily on DVD's as source materials, as well as related Bond film books. Sometimes you can pick up a gem or two by surfing the net. But for me, the DVD's are best because I can go frame by frame until I get what I need.

Can you talk us through how you sculpted / modeled your favourite Bond and the process and equipment used?
As a Bond fan from way back, it's hard to say. Jaws, Q, Pierce, Tee Hee, Zao; I've truly enjoyed working with them all. If I had to pick a favourite it would have to be the original James Bond, Sean Connery. He made the part bigger than life. If you asked any fan over thirty, "Quick! Think of a James Bond!"… Connery would be the first thing to pop into their head. He personifies the suave, crafty, man’s man secret agent.

When the quarter scale line came to us, I was happy to get another crack at Connery. While I felt I got close with the 1/6 scale version, it just wasn't quite there. It had been irking me, so thankfully it came across my plate again.

As I mentioned Connery, to me, has a very complex face. It looks simple enough, but when it came down to it, I had a helluva time getting the front to line up with the profile. Subtle facial variations plagued me. Finally I just kept hammering away at it until things started falling into place.

GoldenEye

Did you create a completely new figure and head for the 1/6 scale GoldenEye-Brosnan figure? What improvements have been made compared to the earlier Die Another Day figure?
The response to the Brosnan figure has been quite approving. I was pleased with how he came out, so the team didn't feel it was necessary to alter his classic stoic look for the new figure. That one was best left alone. We will do some slight modifications for future products.

You have also created the Sean Bean figure from the GoldenEye collection. Can you talk us through how you went about modeling his scarred face?
If there is a figure that may take on different appearances in any given story line, I will fashion a sculpt of that character at his finest.

After the "nice" version has been molded, I will take that sculpt and modify it. It's the best way to make sure I've got all the forms correct and it's always good to have a natural representation before I muck it up. Thus, the scarred Alec Trevelyan. That way I'm covered if I ever need a clean copy.

What is the bonus accessory that will be shipped with him?
The exclusive version features the scarred face sculpt.

Were there any interesting design aspects to the GoldenEye accessories?
Heath Hammond - Supervisor of Product Development adds, "The Swiss Seat repelling harness was a tough, tough accessory to fabricate and to reproduce because there was again very few scenes which clearly showed the rig."

Available Now
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond
Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan
Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp