Matt Bacon

I’m liking your #2 photo there a lot, Richard. Thanks to you and Mark for the pointers! It looks like I’m free to improvise a bit from my paint locker, and possibly even leave off the top and irons... best, M.

Hi, all... this Matchbox kit, which I've just acquired, is billed as a "1930 Packard Victoria." There seem to be quite a few Packard Victoria's. If anyone could help me out by identifying what car this is, and what I should search for in Google Images to find some alternative pictures of the real thing, especially in terms of potential colour schemes, it would be much appreciated... Many thanks! best, M.

Thanks, guys... it looks I'll be waiting a while for this one, since the only one available on this side of the pond is £758 (really!) from Amazon... I'll keep my eyes peeled for the 2004 Commemorative edition, which seems to be the most recent release. Thanks! best, M.

Now the Corvette topic has piqued my interest, what’s the best way to get a C5 Z06 in model form? I can find AMT and Revell kits of what seems to be the right generation, but someone must have got the recipe down pat already... beat, M.

Looks fantastic. I didn’t know this existed. I really want one now. I didn’t have a full on Scalextric set as a teenager, but I had this car. We won races in half a dozen households against all comers, because the Wolf stuck to the track like glue, whilst the the Martini Brabham fell over, and the Tyrell struggled to accelerate out of corners. For most tracks my friends built, you could pin the Wolf and take all the corners flat... beat, M.

and you can even follow Bill's advice in the UK: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/chevrolet/corvette/chevrolet-corvette-c5-z06/9806886 best, M.

The first picture isn't a real one, it's a mockup. Bill's right that it looks pretty Corvette-y, but I guess if I was making an "artist's impression" than I'd go for that look as well. I'll reserve final judgement until we see the real thing. There's something off in that picture about the way the rear intakes, haunches and integrated wings intersect and blend into each other. I think the key factor is going to be price. If it comes in at Cayman/Alpine A110 money then it's a killer. If it's in 911/Mclaren 570 territory, then it'll have to up the game dynamically, and if it's competing with the Huracan Performante/McLaren 720S/911 GTxxx/Ferrari 488 Pista, then they'd better have hired in some ex-Lotus and/or Ford GT team engineers to fettle it for the road... best, M.

It's fantastic stuff... it's almost like it blows the dust right off... M.

PM me with an email address, Randy, and I’ll send you the build review article I did on the Delahaye for Airfix Model World. They’re generally great kits, detailed, accurate and well-shaped. If there’s a fault it’s that many of the mechanical parts are scale size and thickness, so they can be fiddly and fragile. IIRC I replaced the wheel spindles with brass rod, for example. There’s some quirky design... the door interiors and windows are one transparent piece, for example, but it makes sense when you build. Heller also sometimes uses fine raised detail to show where one part joins another, so look out for it... and don’t sand it off thinking it’s damage! bestz, M.

Sadly, beautiful as it is, it was a bit of a handful to fly, belying the old adage "if it looks right it'll fly right." A tendency to stall and drop a wingtip on takeoff or on landing, lack of stability, very poor pilot view on the ground, and extreme sensitivity to centre of gravity changes as the the fuel gets used up made it an excellent fast cruising, long-legged air racer, but a nightmare to get off the ground safely and back down again. Which is one reason why they only ever built five, of which only two survive... and one of those was rebuilt after a take-off crash... best, M.

Hi, David... are the building kits in 1:43, or have you enlarged OO/HO railway scenery? I've always really liked some of the buildings that Scalescenes do, but when I tried enlarging a 1/76 garage to 1/24, it was really too blurry. If your guys are making O Gauge card kits to work from, I think enlarging to 1/24 might be do-able... All the best, Matt

Those aren't planes, they're curves, and all the better for it... ;-P M.

As OP, I'm prepared to stretch the definition of beautiful a fair bit, but I've got to draw the line somewhere. An F-4 is FAMOUSLY "not beautiful." Aggressive, tough, menacing, purposeful, sturdy...any of those I'll give you, and more. But beautiful, no... and I've built at least seven of the beasts of various sizes and variants... ;-P best, M.

I have to agree on the Blackbird, but I'm surprised no one has posted this angle, which IMHO is the best of all.... cool, alien and spectacular at the same time: best, M.

It is, but the De Havilland DH.88 Comet air racer, as opposed to the DH 106 Comet jet airliner from several years later. Talking of De Havilland, the stunning 1938 DH 91 Albatross pre-dated the Constellation by 5 years: clearly, there's a "right" shape for a four engined prop airliner... best, M.

How could I forget this one: best, M.

We've done the cars, and more than a few of us are "plane guys" as well... so here are a few starters for 10: ...and if I had to pick one, for so many reasons, it would have to be the last one... best, M.

Looks fabulous! It must be Festival of Speed time again (where else would you get a car like that at speed with.... hay bales as catch fencing?) best, M.

Is it just me, or would that make a most bodacious Ghostbusters Ecto-356? best, M.

Sewing machines to bicycles to cars isn't such an unusual progression in the history of car makers. Interestingly, Otley, just down the road from us, could have been become a new Coventry -- centre of the British Motor Industry. The first license holder for building Daimler cars in the UK was a printing press manufacturer (another type of company that knew about large, complex mechanical things with reciprocating parts and chain drives, high precision mechanisms, forging and casting) in Otley. Sadly, the German immigrant who put the deal together fell out with Daimler after a handful of cars were built, otherwise the Mercedes might have been first created in West Yorkshire... best, M.

is there any info on whether it has an engine? If it has the V8, it would be a good source for copying some in resin for use in your MGBs or Morgans; and if it doesn't, there are at least two aftermarket Rover V8s that could be slotted in... http://modelkars.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1237 best, M.

I don't know about "There isn't a right answer..." ;-P best, M.

Thanks very much, guys! Just remember... the owls are not always what they seem... best, M.

One of Airfix's 1970s wildlife kits (all birds). It's a simple kit, but needed a fair bit of Milliput to blend the various parts together a bit more realistically. best, M.

Don't take this the wrong way, but have you checked to see if there's a very thin protective film on the inside of the case that peels off? I have a feeling I've had to do that with at least one of the display cases I've bought... If the inside is actually that bad, I'd take it back to where you bought it.... it's not fit for purpose... best, M.