A BOURNEMOUTH sculptor met one of his film idols after making a statue of the Terminator.

Garry Ault, who created a bronze sculpture of the character made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, was shocked when a picture of his work he posted online went viral.

Soon after, an events company specialising in celebrity experience evenings contacted him and asked him to produce another two statues for a charity auction.

It was there Garry presented his piece to Schwarzenegger himself.

He described it as an “incredible experience”.

“The whole event was amazing. There were two auction evenings held in Edinburgh and Birmingham. Both statues were signed by Arnold and one sold for £2,500 and the other for £6,000 in Edinburgh. I was really touched it sold for that much – it was the second highest-selling piece on the night,” he said.

The statue, measuring 1ft tall and standing on a 4ft base, was the first Garry produced at his company workshop. After the sale of his two cold cast bronze Terminator statues at auction, he presented a foundry bronze version to Schwarzenegger as a gift from the events company.

He said: “There was a great response to the statue. They got me up on stage and carried it on – it was a dream come true. Arnold was blown away by it. I went backstage afterwards and he told me the muscles on the statue were perfect and he wanted to commission me for something else.

“It was incredible to have my first piece out of the studio achieve such recognition,” he continued. “Arnold is a massive hero of mine. He speaks all the time about never listening to the naysayers and never being scared of failing – it really resonates with me as I’ve had to deal with setbacks for most of my life and when starting my business.”

Garry has since been invited to visit the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum in Austria who wish to purchase a version of the statue.

“It shows if you put in the work, you’ll reap the rewards,” he added.