The Stan Winston Studio had not used hydraulics before, and considered them a learning experience. They were essential for moving larger parts of the queen puppet, including the head; a foot press in the body could hydraulically move the tail up and down. Shane Mahan sculpted the head by sight based on a maquette, since computer technology to scale up the model's design did not yet exist; it took several weeks to sculpt. Two heads were built: a lightweight, fragile one, and another which could survive some damage. Each was articulated with hydraulics and cables to control the queen's mouth and lips.