The conference room at the Stan Winston Studio special effects shop could charge for admission.

The room's long table is surrounded by creatures and characters from Winston's unparalleled Hollywood career, including a red-eyed, life-sized replica of the robot endoskeleton from "The Terminator;" a full-sized velociraptor from "Jurassic Park;" a miniature of the queen monster from "Aliens," a tall, menacing "Predator" creature and a full-fledged model of "Edward Scissorhands."

Winston, 60, is a Hollywood legend for the creatures he's helped create. He won an Oscar for special effects for 1993's "Jurassic Park" and for 1986's "Aliens" and also has been nominated several times.

Winston and his studio show no signs of letting up. They are working with James Cameron on his new sci-fi adventure film "Avatar" that's set 150 years in the future and are building the suit for the new "Iron Man" movie helmed by director Jon Favreau.

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WINSTON'S FAVORITE PROJECT

During an hourlong interview at his Van Nuys studio, Winston said he's often asked about his favorite creature or project. Winston said he's always given the same answer: that picking one over another was like asking someone to choose their favorite child.

Until now.

Titan Books in November 2006 released the 336-page coffee table book "The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio" — his new favorite project.

"Very few people get to walk in these doors and see this room," Winston said. "These are probably the biggest action figures anyone has ever seen. I've always wanted to share this, share what it took to create this over the years."

The book chronologically covers the early days, reaching back to the 1972 television movie "Gargoyles" when Winston applied make-up and includes his collaborations with Cameron on 1984's "The Terminator" and later again with "Aliens."

The book is a must-read for anyone who is a fan of special effects, full of behind-the-scenes anecdotes. In the opening scene in "Terminator 2," for example, when a robot from the future crushes a child's skull, Winston crew member Shane Mahan and his team made 28 brittle wax child skulls for the multiple takes by director Cameron.

"Any other director, 10 skulls would have been plenty. But with Jim, you make a lot more of everything — and it still isn't enough," Mahan said in the book. "We had two skulls left in the box when we finally got it. I was so thankful."

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ON DIRECTORS

Winston has worked with a generation of talented directors — special effects are pointless if there isn't a strong storyteller behind the project.

So what's the dirt on Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Tim Burton?

Come back to this spot for an asap video report.

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Paul Chavez is an asap reporter based in Los Angeles.

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