The New Zealand sculptor hired to make a statue of Sir Keith Park for display in London was dropped a year into his work because of British rules surrounding public art works.
A statue of the New Zealander was placed in London's Trafalgar Square this month in recognition of his Battle of Britain heroics, with London businessman Terry Smith having paid over $200,000 for it.
Auckland sculptor Roderick Burgess was initially taken on by Mr Smith for the project, but was later dropped and replaced by British sculptor Les Johnson, the Sunday Star-Times reported.
Mr Smith's project team said after it had committed to the project and a scale model example had been created by Burgess, it was told by the Westminster City Council that any piece of public art needed to go through a selection process.
That meant the team had to start from scratch and judge designs submitted from several sculptors.
When that happened, the work by Burgess was judged third-best and the winning sculptor -- Johnson -- got to complete Sir Keith's statue.
The issue upset both Burgess, who said he was left significantly out of pocket, and Sir Keith's family, with great-nephew Joseph Gillies telling the project team the family was embarrassed about the treatment of Burgess.
"My great-uncle would not have conducted himself in so nonchalant a manner," he said.
Mr Gillies said Burgess had got Sir Keith's likeness right, while Johnson did not understand his great-uncle.
Family members were nevertheless proud and grateful that Mr Smith had funded the memorial, he said.
Burgess said the chosen piece of work was "not a warrior" and the "most insipid piece of work I've ever seen in my life".
Mr Smith said he had wanted to use Burgess, who said he had since been compensated to the tune of $10,000.
The Trafalgar Square piece is a temporary glass-fibre one made of Johnson's design by Wellington's Weta Workshop, but a permanent bronze statue will be erected in Waterloo Place next September.
NZPA