Valentine Mk.I 1/72 Italeri

The Infantry Tank is a category of tanks that originated between world wars in Great Britain. These tanks were intended mainly for direct support of the advancing infantry and for destroying the enemy’s fortified positions. The Infantry Tank Mk.III was named Valentine and replaced the older Matilda types. In 1940-1944 over eight and a quarter thousand Valentines were produced in eleven versions.

Believe it or not, the Valentine Mk.I kit already saw the light of the World in 1976 and was produced by ESCI. By the 1990s, it appeared six more times in Revell, Aurora, and ESCI/ERTL reboxing. After 2000, it returned to the market by the Italeri company, where it was released three times (if we do not count its covers with new parts of the Bishop self-propelled howitzer). I would say that the model was very detailed and innovative for its time, for example, the tracks are link-and-length style and not those rubber ones, the tools are moulded separately and not just as reliefs, all the hatches can be left open, the basic interior of the tower is also included, together with a tank commander figure. Although some details are a bit rough or simplified, even today this kit does not embarrass itself! I took the construction as a relaxation with just a minimum of necessary modifications. These include, in particular, thinning the fenders, lining the opening in the tower for the cannon shield, deepening the exhaust hole and the barrel of the Besa machine gun, chiselling the handles (or replacing them with new ones from wire), adding a rod antenna, a folding mirror and replace the barrel of the two-pound 40mm cannon (make new by yourself or buy some aftermarket piece, the one in the kit is unusable). I added some more gear to my desert Valentina – ammo crates, various sails, rope and canisters of two types. The model represents a British Eighth Army machine named “Hawkhurst IV” from the Battle of Gazala 1942 and is painted with AK 3rd Generation Acrylics (the main colour is Light Stone No.61). The decals from the Italeri kit from 2003 are excellent despite their age, the patina was provided by Tamiya Panel liners, pigments and an ordinary soft pencil.

I glued the same model with the modifications described above once again in a green coat (S.C.C. No.15 Olive Drab) of the 6th Armored Division of the British Army from Great Britain named “Apache”, probably from 1944 (here the kit instructions give two different years; 1941 and 1944 and a wrong (grey) colour of the tank) and for the third time, I made this kit as a self-propelled howitzer Bishop (more about Bishop maybe next time). If the Valentine Mk.I – Mk.XI theme would be taken up by a nowadays quality company and made to new standards, I would go for it to have another one piece on this theme. However, even this almost fifty-year-old kit is not to be thrown away and can definitely please in your showcases…