About to meet my untimely end.


This is more Howard the Duck memorabilia than I saw on display at ILM. I was told that while Stan’s designs weren’t used, he was so proud of them that he kept them on display.


A Shaggy Dog. I like how he’s flanked by robots.


Babe, Pig In The Congo.


He just wants a hug.


Andy Kaufman from Heartbeeps! Along with an appliance from The Wiz, this was the coolest, most unexpected thing on display.


A panda head on a work desk. No idea.


Blair Butler pointed out to me that Pumpkinhead has junk. Not just a lump, but real junk. Sadly you can’t quite make it out here.


A chorus line of Terminators.


The blurry guy is Tom Cruise from Interview With the Vampire. For some reason you’re not allowed to photograph him. And yes, that’s a robot of The Burger King up top.


Shitty quality pic, but I think you get the drift. Apparently Stan Winston built a Governator as well.

I just came back from the Stan Winston Studios in Van Nuys, California, where I got to interview Chris Swift and Dave Merritt, the guys behind the amazing armor in Iron Man, as part of promotion for the upcoming DVD release. Talking about Iron Man was a blast, and the interview was great, but the real fun of this trip was getting to see the many incredible Stan Winston creations on display, and to get to walk around the workshop a little bit and see the sculptors and designers in action.

I took some pictures with my iPhone – the quality isn’t the best, but I think you’ll enjoy this peek into the magic tucked away in a sunny Southern California suburb. To make this easier on your browser, I’ve cut it into two pages.


The Iron Man Mark I armor. It weighs 80 pounds.


Mark II. It just arrived at the Studio while we were there. It had been on loan to the Met in New York for an exhibit on costumes.


A creepy Robert Downey Jr mask. I imagine the stunt man inside the Iron Man armor would wear this at times.


Dave and Chris.


Me with the Iron Monger. That fucker is HUGE.