High
on The Hulk
February
25th 2004 - NOW
By Ron
Devitt - Staff Reporter
Port
Moody's Ross Agro is on an "incredible"
high these days.
Agro,
30, was asked to design and sculpt a larger-than-life
image of Bruce Banner's pumped-up green alter ego
in 1997. The local artist worked for two months in
a Vancouver studio creating the comic book character
based on specifications given to him by Universal
Studios.
He even
went to the California studio to put the finishing
touches on his green monster as part of the studio's
tribute to Marvel Comic Book characters.
Over
the years, Agro wondered if his creation was still
a popular attraction at the studio. When the movie
The Hulk was ready for release, Agro called the studios
to find out if his work was still on display.
"I
did it in 1997 and I thought they destroyed him,"
Agro said from his Port Moody studio. "But they
kept it and it's their showpiece for the movie.
Agro
looks back at those days in amazement, recalling all
the hours and hard work. At the time, Agro was doing
graphic designs for snowboards. The company he was
working for was at a trade show when Agro was asked
if he might be interested in creating some characters
for a bid to Universal Studios.
Of course
he said "Yes," and he was ecstatic to learn
they had won the bid to create the Incredible Hulk.
He began
to work on the huge project based on studio specs.
Agro's Hulk stands some nine-and-a-half feet high,
weighs 500 pounds and is eight feet wide from elbow
to elbow.
He designed
the metal and wood armature frame of the body and
then covered the armature with a polyurethane foam,
which he sculpted with a hacksaw and knives.
"This
was the first time I've ever sculpted anything resembling
a human," Agro said. "I usually do more
cartoonie things."
As it
neared completion, he sent pictures of his creation
to Universal and was told by the studio bosses that
his character's head was too big. So, he started trimming
foam from his monster's cranium.
However,
he hit an air pocket in the foam and lost most of
the head, forcing him to start from scratch and put
an entirely new head on the massive body.
After
the head was fixed, the sculpture was fibreglassed
and then gel coated. He spent hours sanding it and
filling in rough spots, working almost around the
clock in order to meet tight studio deadlines.
"I
did 72 hours straight," he said. "It was
to the point where you're actually sleeping while
painting at the top of a 12-foot ladder."
The work
took its toll - Agro lost 20 pounds off his own 165-pound
frame as he climbed up and down the ladder hundreds
of times as he worked on his hulking creation.
He then
went to California to install the monster on site,
working overnight to ensure it was ready for the public.
When the gates opened, he sat across from his creation
on a park bench to watch the reception it got.
"To
see all the people running up to it and posing with
it ... it was really cool to see that," he said.
"They said about 45,000 people a day go through
that park. People from all over the world, and stars,
have posed with him."
For a
long time, he said, the only two photo opportunities
at Universal were his monster and Jaws.
"A
lot of people I talk to say they have pictures of
their kids with him," Agro said.
Agro
has since created designs and sculptures for other
theme parks, children's play areas and private corporations
in the Lower Mainland.
