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A National Treasure❤

I was an employee of Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. in 1979. I remember a discussion with a MoD official about the origin of the program name ‘Chevaline.’ He told me that ‘Chevaline’ was the French name for a ‘pack horse’ and this was a reference to the ‘PAC’ or Chevaline ‘penetration aids carrier’ or PAC. The PAC carried all of the penetration aids as well as the two re-entry vehicles. Seemed plausible at the time. The Chevaline, however, was inspired by the Lockheed’s A3T project which was an A3 variant employing decoys and other penaids (penetration aids). Within Lockheed, the A3T was referred to as ‘Topsy’ or ‘Super Antelope.’ On this basis, the ‘Antelope’ story and the association with an ‘antelope’ is intriguing. All that aside, the real impetus for Chevaline was the US’s unwillingness to make Poseidon with its MIRV’ed warheads available to the UK. The irony here is that later the US made Trident I available to the UK. Nevertheless, as a Yank, I enjoyed my time at RNAD Coulport (POMFUK).

His enthusiasm is infectious! How can you not be excited listening to Mat talk?

Why no Matt Irvine making models Twitch channel?

Good morning, Your comment has a lot of ecological insight certainly. This must be also an incentive for us to respect more our planet. The necessity for us to replicate what our planet does for us will teach us what our common mother has done for us for thousands of years. Respect the cost itself, I may realize how expensive it might be now, but thinking on the future with Space Elevators and cheap available extraterrestrial resources, the cost perspective will quite change. Also we will have tools like never before, superintelligence, predictive superintellygence, advances in bio and nanotechnology influencing in new ways for climate replication and care. I'm pretty convinced that the combination of them all will provide us a way to solve the issue. I'm a person dealing with technology that fails every day, programs, cables, boards, motors,... And sure the early years of Space migration will not be nothing of easy and will have cost deviations, but as long as the future advances, costs will tend to stabilize and hopefully replicators will win scarcity before the XXI Century ends. Many thanks for your comment, Valentín

A beautiful dream, but there just seems to be huge problems with space colonization, because our earth provides so much of what we need to live, providing it artificially becomes massively expensive. The Biosphere 2.0 propject was a failure and there's never been a successful repeat of that. The ISS requires constant supply runs to be made.

So exciting! More of this please!

The __ Interplanetary Society...🤨

It is good to see John, as I remember him. As my grandad, happy and full of life, but also as someone who never failed me, when I needed him. His experiences through life, knowledge and expertise, always provided me with motivation and guidance, that made me see, that I'm no different to anyone else in engineering. He was a true ally and friend to me. I miss him, I wish he was still here. But my promise to him, will be my contribution to his legacy.

That was fantastic.

That was wonderful. So lovely to see the great Matt Irvine and his amazing work again. Thank you.

This is the most enjoyable thing I have watched fpr ages, I found it completely absorbing and I think I may be feeling an itch.....mmmm..shall I make a model?

Fun fact: Magnox/Edge Of Darkness was remade in 2010 starring Aussie Mel Gibson as the main character Craven. I haven't seen the UK original but the remake seems to pretty close to it - worth a watch!

What a legend..

Mat doing a miniature model making segment, on an 1990s bbc school’s programme, taught me an approach to art, design and craft that took me to my current job in schools. Many thanks to him.

I’d just like to say a personal thank you to you, albeit 40 odd years late, you came to our school around 1980 and gave a wonderful talk on all the models you had created and TV shows that you had and were working on at the time and I still remember the hairdryer spaceship you brought along with you and of course K9 was there to. Your enthusiasm for modelling/ special effects sort of lead me to my first job in our local model shop where I worked for a number of years, even now I still make various plastic kits and build model railways, though now I’m in my mid fifties, I still remember with fondness the day the man from the telly, who built all those wonderful things came to visit our school 👍👍

A thoroughly enjoyable film. Mat is a gem.

Magnifique

Blakes 7, loved the Liberater

Only ten minutes in and this is possibly the most fascinating video I've ever watched. Wish I had a 45 minute tea break at work, saved for later!!

Amazing. Mat is behind almost all of the Sci-Fi I love. I've been tinkering with creating miniatures lately. I work with kits and household items, and garbage I find on the street. Thank you for this inspiration. Love this so much!

Fantastic, well done. Really hope you get the fall of moon dust completed, it will make a brilliant movie.

Watch "Marlencol"

Ooohh man THANKS I NO longer need to wonder which were my favourite programs and films growing up in the eighties ITS THE ONES THIS WONDEROUS MAN had a hand in OH CMON PEOPLE CANT WE MAKE A MUSEUM SOMEWERE TO DISPLAY ALL HIS MODELS AND TELL HIS STORY IM NOT ALONE THIS GUY IS VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE WE SHOULD CHERISH OUR HERITAGE IM GEUSSING HE WOULDNT WANT THE FUSS! BUT PLEASE MAT FOR THE FUTURE BUILDERS AND DESIGNERS OF ALL KINDS YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION !!! A TRUE TREASURE ❤

What an interesting man reminds me of a chap who picked me up as a hitchiker in a yellow 2cv back in the 90s and gave me a monopoly tour of London he told me he worked in special effects mmmm I wonder ?

Wow Great Video. And What a lucky Fellow. "Do the thing you Love as a Job, and never really work again..!" I have made Models all my life and sometimes Sell them. Mainly at a loss but it's Seed Money for the Next kit, at least..! Great Story, Thank you to who ever Uploaded it. I have Subscribed to the Site..! Cheers All. Kim in Oz. 😎

Could listen for hours about all his jobs. 👍

I like this guy and his long answers.

amazing video

God you brought back some memories of “Thunderbirds” I remember watching those here in America as a kid and I knew even back then that they were like puppets that you could actually see the strings on them! Oh great times back then!

❤️💚💙🌹👍

you sound like chris tarrant

Would love to hear his opinions and thoughts on various classic-era Space Lego sets, Coleco's StarCom, Jaque Fresco's work (the models specifically), and the opening sequence in Logan's Run.

If you are a scale model kit builder, this video is a MUST. Glad to see Matt Irvine in his natural habitat. Oh and by the way, that's a very nice Captain Harlock Arcadia!

I have no Idea who you are Mat Irvine - but YT reccomendet that video to me - and now I want to see more of you and your models.

I met Mat in BBC special effects when he was making the spider’s city from Planet of Spiders. Cardboard tubes sprayed black - I saw it happen. He also showed me Boris, the spider built on a toy train, which looked great but apparently wasn’t used much in the studio because he/she was unreliable. Happy memories…

Mr Irvine, Johnson, & the many other great model builders unnamed as will as writers for storys, some ham acting, Dr who, Blake 7, may have been budget, but best memories, even the bullies at high school that picked on the nerds had to watch the episode where the brave DSV1 had to defend use from the wicked aliens that commanded blow dryer ships and other house hold lazer armed tat, thanks Mr Irvine for the insight & imagination you & story writers gave use.

What a fascinating video. ❤ as an illustrator this is inspiring.

Lost In Space robot is model B-9, if you ask. But everyone calls it "Robot".

Mat just radiates enthusiasm. It's very pleasurable to watch, and absorb his fascination with models.

This was brilliantly informative!

I had the pleasure of meeting Matt at a sci-fi convention in Manchester 40 something years ago. I got to play with Blakes 7 guns, see Boris the Spider in action and hear some wonderful stories from the sets (disappearing Blakes 7 Bracelets!). His enthusiasm was infectious then, great to see it is still there.

Silent Running one my favourite films, rarely mentioned these days.

Good to see you again, old friend. You 'keeper of the flame' you!

Brooke Bond produced a series of cards in packets of tea, called "The Race Into Space" (1971). These featured many of the early satellites, unmanned deep space explorers, and early Soyuz and Apollo modules. They would make an excellent range of kits.