Elton receives special Weta gift

Pop sensation Sir Elton John received a special gift from Weta Workshop on his recent trip down under...

Weta's early 70's music aficionado / Sculptor Eden Small couldn't believe his ears when he was asked to embark on one of his latest projects: to sculpt a miniature statue of pop sensation, Sir Elton John.

"I'm a real fan of Elton's earlier work", says Eden. "'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and 'Benny and The Jets' are two of my favourites and anything from his 'Tumbleweed Connection album'"

Elton was recently in Wellington to perform his first New Zealand concert in 22 years. He was presented with the final gift by Weta’s Richard Taylor and Tania Roger, and Jamie and Anne Selkirk before the show.

Eden says it gave him a great sense of accomplishment to see the final model after it was painted. "I had to look through 48 pages of images on the web just to find one where he wasn't wearing glasses to get his eyes just right", he remembers. "When we put the glasses on him, I was stoked - I thought 'finally - it really looks like Elton!"