Matt Bacon

Outstanding work! Lovely crisp,. clean detailed builds, flawlessly executed, and it's nice to see such a wide range of subjects. I'd be proud to have built any of them, but I think the Skyline just shades the win with that engine bay detail (though I have a soft spot for a Pink Cadillac, like anyone, right?) Great stuff. best, M.

I genuinely think you’d be better off with plans and some plastic card… https://aerofred.com/details.php?image_id=91773 There’s so little in common between the Spitfire fuselage and S.6, and any resemblance between the wartime floats and the earlier ones is coincidental: on the S.6b, one is longer than the other to counteract prop torque, for example… best, M.

Thank you all very much indeed for the kind comments. If nothing else, I hope I’ve persuaded a few that white metal kits are a workable alternative if there’s no other way to build the auto you want on the shelf! best, M.

These guys are following up the first new build steam locomotive in the UK for 70 years (the Tornado) with new Gresley P2 -- the most powerful steam loco ever to run in the UK. The P2 had a difficult start but diesel and electric were just around the corner which meant they were never developed and improved like earlier steam locos (https://www.p2steam.com/design-study/). So they've decided to build a P2 as it would have ended up if it had the kinks ironed out: https://www.p2steam.com/ It isn't cheap... buying two boilers costs $1m. but they are fund-raising very successfully. My uncle and I own half a dozen rivets in the frame somewhere... best, M.

I like the Tamiya Fine Surface primer from a can, but it is expensive -- but if you want to never have to polish a clear coat, it's the best starting point. For simplicity of clean up (water), and quality of finish, especially under acrylics, for airbrushing I'd recommend the Stynlyrez primers, which come in silver, grey, black and pink that I know of -- there may be more. Grey is neutral, silver makes the colours pop (and helps stop bleed-through from the base plastic), and pink is ideal for reds and yellows... Ferraris, basically. best, M.

Moving house put a big crimp in my building this year. I've got a brilliant new workspace in theory, but getting the house in order has been the #1 priority this Autumn/Winter. Hopefully, electrics outdoors will be done early 2022 so I will have heat, light, and fume extraction up and running so I can get back to the bench. So for 2021 I have only these two to offer: Ford GT40 Mk2, Meng, 1/12 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, SE Finecast, 1/24 With luck, 2022 should be a little more productive! best, M.

Well, I haven't quite _got_ it yet, since it's a Christmas present, but this arrived today: I'm looking forward to parking it next to the Airfix Bentley and Meng GT40... best, M.

A 1/24 Aston Martin DB4/5 done to Wingnut Wings standards, released in boxings for a standard DB4, DB4GT, DB4 GT Zagato, and DB5 by mixing and matching body shells and chassis components… best, M.

Die Hard ? Muppet Christmas Carol Gremlins The Hogfather (not a movie, but...) Leverage: the Ho Ho Ho Job The Canadian Broadcasting Company's Fireside Al Maitland's Christmas Eve reading of The Shepherd, by Frederic Forsyth best, M.

Looks great -- very well executed. I'm going to pinch the deepening with the drill bit idea for my next one! best, M.

Don't get me wrong.... I _love_ the orginal CX-75 concept. But the power-train was far more clever and less Batmobile than it sounded. The microturbines (scale ups of model RC flying engines) were there as a "sustainer" where they ran constantly at the same speed, generating power into the electric propulsion system battery, while super-sophisticated disc electric motors to drive the wheels provided throttleable power and all the torque from zero revs. The real value of the turbines was massive simplification and increased reliability over a reciprocating engine. IIRC, there are only about 10 moving parts in each turbine (if you count the turbine/compressor spool as one, which it is...). It didn't happen because the engineers couldn't figure out how to get enough air into the engine room to feed and cool the turbines for sustainable use without making the frontal drag of the car impossibly high. Realistically, the CX-75 is comparable to the BMW i8 (although slightly less practical) as a pointer to the future. The power pack is still my bet for the non-commuter sports car, where suburban charging networks are dense enough to sustain pure electric, but to get out on the open road requires something different... unless the Mr Fusion pack means where we're going we don't need roads... best, M.

Scribe along the line with a scriber or back of a knife blade, roll some 5amp fuse wire under a steel rule until it’s completely straight and use thin superglue to fix it in place in the scribed line to make the trim. You can either scribe the line and paint, then fix the wire, or fix then paint and finally run fine wet and dry or a sharp knife along the top to re-expose the silver metal… best, M.

If you're not worried about the shape being perfect, the Revell coupe, and the Revell roadster. If you want a coupe body that's correct, then the Heller, because the Revell coupe windscreen is too shallow, which makes it look slicker but isn't actually right. If you do decide on the Heller, then grab a copy of the Revell instructions or look at online reviews and chop up and reassemble the Heller kit parts until the body breakdown is the same as the Revell kit, because Revell have figured out how to engineer the coupe to hide all the seams when you put it together... best, M.

That looks excellent -- very realistic finish and colour is spot on. Spare tyre on the bonnet is a lot better than on the roof! Oddly, that raised plate on the back door is also a mount for the spare wheel (check the spacing of the raised nubbins top centre and bottom corners vs 3 studs on the rim), but it's way too low. You could shave it off and mount the wheel near the top of the solid panel. There's no recess in the door for the wheel, unlike the bonnet which should be dished for the wheel to sit lower in... where's that aftermarket resin copy of the Esci bonnet when you need it? best, M.

Au contraire, mon ami… the 70s Classic cars (Delahaye, Hispano Suiza, Bugatti), F1 (McLaren, Lotus, Brabham) and sports cars (Ferrari 512, 917, 908) plus oddballs like the hotel bus and Delahaye fire engine are, IMHO about as good as it could have got in an era of analogue design and old-school prototyping and tooling… best, M.

...anyone looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, a more restrained (and chic) alternative to the usual Rosso Corsa/Giallo Fly examples, might want to consider this elegant Burgundy and Tobacco scheme: https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/chassis/4136/Ferrari-LaFerrari-214218.html best, M.

Physically, no... but I'd be mighty hurt and upset if I stepped on any of the models that are currently in my display cabinet! Personally, having built all three of the big Lego Technic cars (GT3, Chiron and Sian) I'd say they are fascinating and enjoyable to work on, cool things to look at when they are finished, but most importantly I've built them as as a family activity over a few months each around the dining table with my wife and kids, and THAT time is priceless... best, M.

Credit where credit’s due: don’t forget these guys: https://www.ulalaunch.com/ Currently doing most of the _serious_ US space activity… best, M.

Still my favourite line from any Star Trek… “Are you from outer space? No, I’m from Iowa, I only work in outer space.” I’m glad Bill got there in real life… .. not convinced that it has much to tell us about further exploration and exploitation of space, though, and it’s going to be a long time if ever before space becomes a net source of resources for Earth rather than a drain on them. A self sustaining Mars colony would probably cost as much blood and treasure and scientific breakthroughs as a safe reliable fusion reactor, and I know which one I’d rather mankind had… best, M.

Looks fantastic… I bought one of these because the original is just bonkers. Not built it yet, but if I get it half as good as you have, I’ll be very pleased. I only regret that Tamiya didn’t do some transparent cowls so you could see the amazing engineering with the bike completed… best, M.

Maybe they are machine reading the labels for bulk mails and the system can’t cope, but First Class is still sorted by real people at a critical point… best, M.

Gregg asked me to hold off publishing these Under Glass pictures until MCM #209 has landed, but now it's swum ashore here in the UK, I figure it's reasonably safe... best, M.

My #209 just landed in Yorkshire, UK, and very nice it looks as well. Just starting to read it properly... best, M.

One I’d forgotten: “Night Without End” about a plane crash in the Arctic is another that’ll give you frostbite… best, M.

Alistair Maclean… great Scottish thriller writer of the 60s and 70s. Lots of movies based on his books: Breakheart Pass, Fear is the Key, Puppet on a Chain as well as the above. A bit formulaic, like you say, but the good ones are really good. His first book HMS Ulysses is based on his real life wartime experiences and is one of the good ones. The Satan Bug scared the … out of me as a 13 year old. And for members of this forum, The Way to Dusty Death, which is set in and around 1970s Formula One, is on topic… best, M.