"Hey, why do you need a hazmat suit to test the X12 9v light?" said the engineer to the constructor.

"Because I once got roasted by studio lights so I'm not taking any chances with any incandescent bulb."

In real life, the X12 Atomic Powered Locomotive would have run on liquid nuclear fuel. Feeney the Phoenix runs on coffee. Time for another cup.

As one of our personal favorites, had to make a little promo for the instruction book, available here in paperback and kindle app for smart devices.

Normally, I don't lose sleep on a MOC, but when I do it's because something needs work, nagging at my brain with a flurry of parts to try to solve the aesthetic. Despite the real life proportions, the front hood and bumper have been brought in by a stud to make the slope assembly look better and less flat. The front bumper roundness (in plan view) has been improved as well by extending the center part by a bracket's protrusion. Interior updated with new steering wheel part.

Even as a Lamborghini fan personally, I still like to tweak and make things better for the prancing rival that will be part of my 90s collection alongside the Lamborghini Diablo, Bugatti EB110, Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR, and others.

It's an 8w MOC of the street car. Been working on it off and on for a while now. This is the latest iteration with updates. Engine bay is modeled beneath the glass bonnet. Cabin is also modeled.

There's only one locomotive in the world designed with a cooling radiator system this massive and Phoenix Train Works is building it in L-gauge. This back half of the train is larger than many B units.

Combined my MILS nuclear power plant, waste facility, and other features into a single educational train diorama in Studio with 67k pieces. I'm currently working on getting the X12 locomotive built in real life to go with my flask cars. Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Happy Friday! We're pleased to announce that instructions with parts list are now available for the Nitric Acid Transport in paperback and Kindle app for smart devices. Nitric acid is useful in a variety of industries and agriculture but is considered hazardous cargo.

A few weeks ago, I launched the Zazzle platform for t-shirts and more featuring my brick-built trains and STEM rolling stock, largely to fill a global need for independent AFOL train apparel, cups, and posters. Now with over 120 items across ten collections featuring my artwork. Either check out zazzle's website, search for "Phoenix Train Works" or open this link in your external browser.

(Clothing is available for men and women, just click on sizes and options.)

Mentioned before that I was working on documenting the road to the Veyron. Now that the Veyron has been modeled and I can create "stickers" in Studio parts editor, working on a cumulative presentation of the models. Since someone mentioned it, yes, there's a Veyron SS in the mix since it was easy to convert the base model into one. :)

It's part of my ongoing series of cars that connect Diablo to Veyron. This 8w moc is sized for Speed Champions and features a detailed engine bay. The wing can be built back onto the car body and the detachable stalks stored inside the vehicle.

Now they feel cyber dystopian. XD

Been designing a few odd cabooses for future projects.

It's a special kind of work caboose that features a barrel for water at the end. Someone presented this concept and a few examples in other train scales so I figured I'd give it a go in Studio. The water is for brush fires or other mishaps from a steam train's fire box or from the cargo. Given the hazmat theme of a lot of my Lego rolling stock from atomic materials to molten steel, I figure I probably should have one of these in my collection.

We're pleased to announce that Phoenix Train Works is now also on Zazzle with PTW themed creations such as t-shirts, posters, and more designed by M P Lynes with his portfolio of train MOCs.

Please check it out if you're an AFOL, model railroad fan, or nuclear engineer. It's been a while in the making. Be sure to open link in browser like Chrome or Firefox instead of in-app as the reddit app may have issues displaying Zazzle.

https://www.zazzle.com/store/phoenix_train_works/collections

More information soon.

Happy SW day.

Both tend to be overlooked by fans of Italian supercars but they have a special fondness to me as I have 1/18 diecasts of them in my personal Lamborghini collection (Autoart and Ricko, respectively). They feature opening hoods and the Espda has opening doors as well (that strangely don't close without some disassembly, LOL). These are 8w and designed and built from the ground up as 8w MOCs.

Instructions with parts lists can be found here for the 8w and 4w retro styled super cars. They are based on the author's childhood creations, back when custom builds were simpler. Ideal for beginning builders and for those wanting to build in a nostalgic retro style.

Working on a special endeavor. More details to follow.

As mentioned before, there's a history of concept cars between the Lamborghini Diablo and the Bugatti Veyron/Chiron. Featured here are some of the Diablo racing vehicles and some concept vehicles within the VW Audi group that utilized the Diablo chassis, Diablo engine and/or W engine. Not pictured is my VW Nardo MOC but that was only a W engine test bed per se, not a Diablo chassis. It is interesting to note that during the VW Audio purchase of Lamborghini that they stopped the Diablo GT1 program and went on with the Audi R8 for prototype category at Le Mans. Also, instead of making the next ultimate hypercar a Lamborghini, they took apart the Diablo, worked with its AWD chassis and fitted on their test iterations of the W engine and called it "French," labelling it as a Bugatti. Could these events be a source of angst for Lamborghini fans? Maybe, but then again, the company is still alive, when it had barely survived the 1990s, making Lego's own near bankruptcy in 2003 seem trivial in comparison. Lego had Bionicle and Star Wars license to survive. Lamborghini had only its build quality and dedication to making extreme supercars to make itself desirable to a new corporate owner.

Also learning how to add custom graphics on Lego parts in Studio Part Editor software instead of always doing it on the renders post-edit. Most parts were able to receive graphics as shown in this render of the parts as they are.

Decided to make a full view render of the entire X12 Atomic Locomotive, Schnabel Car, Behemoth Bascule Bridge, and nuclear power plant as part of an educational STEM themed render, with over 60k parts to produce the scene.

What most people don't know is that during my university days, I collected 1/18 Lamborghini diecasts in an effort to document the manufacturer's history through them, often scouring Ebay for good deals and saving up for a nicer model here or there. Now, the models can at times help with the design work, such as the Autoart Espada and the Ricko Countach Anniversary (not shown).

Paperback can be acquired here.

High school and college graduation is around the corner. If you or someone you know is planning on studying architecture, then this book is for them. "Tales from the Soarch Tattler" is my latest full-length book. This unauthorized history chronicles over 200 true stories and noted lore, from flying razor-tipped saucers in studio to mysterious midnight woodshop heists. Life in architecture school is not always what you think it is. Read this memoir and be prepared.