Crafting Lara Croft: Wētā Workshop’s Creative Journey with Quest for Avalon

Wētā Workshop is a world-renowned creative studio of passionate artists dedicated to creating, learning, solving, and inspiring across various mediums - including collectible figures, limited edition statues, environments, and realistic prop replicas.

Among their recent works, the 1:4 scale statue Lara Croft Quest for Avalon stands as a testament to both artistry and process. For the team, the goal was not simply to capture Lara Croft in a dynamic pose but to find an expression of her essence and bring that into the physical world. Hours were poured into refining subtle details: the angle of a limb, the fall of hair, the tension of a muscle. Every decision was made in service of Lara’s character and story.

From Simple Beginnings

Every project begins with concept art. At this stage, artists explore pose, posture, expression, and environment, searching for the “guiding star” that will anchor the entire production. The aim isn’t to finalise details, but to discover the character’s truth in context. This work is done closely with art directors and with feedback from the creators of the original material. For Tomb Raider, that collaboration came through Crystal Dynamics.

Once the concepts are set, the sculpting begins. Wētā Workshop’s sculptors bring different strengths. Some specialise in digital, others in clay. Some focus on environments while others concentrate on characters. For Quest for Avalon, the work was shared between two sculptors.

Jorgelina Yeme focused on Lara Croft herself. She connected deeply with Lara’s strength, finesse, and presence, and translated that into form. “There’s a poetry to this pose,” she explained. “As if Lara is dancing with the sharks, weightless and fearless. Sculpting her underwater meant letting go of gravity, which goes against the usual instinct of a sculptor. But that challenge was part of the thrill. I especially loved capturing her form, that perfect balance of strength, elegance, beauty, and danger that defines Lara Croft.”

The environment was sculpted by Mauro Santini, whose passion for the natural world informed every detail of the circling blue sharks. To him, they were more than simple antagonists. They were primal, instinctual presences with their own beauty. The result is a scene where Lara and her adversaries stand as equals, two forces defined by their own history and instinct for survival.

From Digital Model to Physical Form

Quest for Avalon was sculpted digitally, but eventually it had to become something tangible. The digital model was divided into 70 separate parts for printing, casting, molding and assembly. Each part was 3D printed, inspected, and cleaned before being handed to the modelling team, who refined textures and details by hand. Sometimes this meant etching into the surface. Other times it meant layering on clay or plasticine.

Once approved, silicone and fibreglass molds were created for each part. Into these molds, polystone was poured, chosen for its ability to capture fine detail and provide weight and resilience. For elements requiring a different quality, such as translucency for jellyfish or flexibility for delicate areas, other materials like resin and polyurethane were used.

Bringing the Statue to Life

The raw casts then returned to the modelling team for final detailing before reaching the paint department. Here, painters applied multiple techniques including airbrushing, washes, dry-brushing, and foils to create surfaces that felt authentic. Skin needed to carry the warmth of life, coral needed its organic irregularities, and fabric needed to read as cloth rather than stone. Although most of the statue was cast in polystone, the final paintwork ensured each surface looked like its real-world counterpart.

Finally, all 70 pieces were reassembled into a single statue: Lara Croft Quest for Avalon. What began as sketches and concepts became a fully realised collectible through months of planning, hundreds of hours of labour, and the combined expertise of dozens of artists.

A Tribute to Legacy

Wētā Workshop’s collaboration on Tomb Raider collectibles has always been about respect for character and story. Whether creating a miniature, a commanding 1:4 scale centrepiece, or a faithful prop replica, the team approaches each project with the same goal; to honour Lara Croft’s legacy through craft. For the artists, the finished piece is just as much a reward as the connection it forges with fans who share their passion.

Lara Croft Quest for Avalon is available for preorder now. See all of Wētā Workshop’s Tomb Raider collectibles here.

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