I’ll make Tamiya’s Valentine tank this time. It is a part of a partially connected caterpillar. I suppose it is a relatively recent release item.
The chassis is built from boards to a box. However, there is a place to reinforce parts inside, so I don’t have to worry about it.
For the time being, the assembly of the AFV body has been completed.
The bottom of the tank looks like this. I don’t know much about the structure of a Valentine tank and this suspension, so I wonder what kind of parts will come next.
It’s complicated.
(2021/02/27)
I was worried that all the rollers with different diameters would be grounded. I could get this done without trouble by concentrating and making arrangements.
Only one side of the partially connected track has been attached. The slack is just right.
I installed the track belt parts on both sides safely.
The slack expression of the track belt is terrific. If you’re building a Russian military vehicle, it won’t have a side skirt, so you’ll be able to enjoy this superb expression even after it’s completed.
This track is easy to assemble among the kits that use the partial connection.
Since the slack is hidden in the side skirt of the British tank, I took a picture from both sides.
(2021/02/28)
This time, it will be made by the British army on the North African front, so I will finish it with a side skirt though it is a bit pity. I thought this model had an excellent caterpillar with a partial connection.
The turret is relatively tiny. It looks like I will start the painting process soon.
The body color of this Valentine tank is sand yellow because it is on the North African front line. The manual says TS-46 light sand. Dark yellow will look like a German tank; I think a little reddish-brown with gradation would make it look like an English tank. What color is Creos? Some possible candidates: RLM 79, Sand Yellow 119, Tan 44, Sandy Brown 19. Sandy Brown looks the best among these.
This Tamiya kit has two British tank soldiers. I am replacing it with a resin head and painting it. Is the Commander on the left?
Tank soldiers don’t have much equipment, so it’s easy to paint. There is still a long way to go because the painting still leaves their faces.
(2021/03/01)
This tank has a somewhat complicated configuration. In my case, the original purpose is to use it as a base for black-and-white gradation coating. The chassis is also complicated, so if I paint it black, the remaining paint will not show up.
I mixed a little white with No. 19 Sandy Brown of Creos this time and applied airbrush coating. I thought I left some dark areas with gradation coating; after finishing it, I could hardly distinguish the gradation.
Well, I was trying to paint the interior of this tank with a matte white. But I couldn’t see inside, so I stopped because it was meaningless. When I looked at the instruction manual later, there was no instruction for painting inside the chassis, so I misunderstood.
So I painted the inside of the turret matte white. The hatch is wide, so I can see the inside a little from the gap, even if two tank soldiers are on it. I think it’s enough to see from above.
(2021/03/03)
In excerpts from Tamiya’s manual, the Valentine infantry tanks Mk. I, Mk.II and Mk.IV looks almost the same except for the engines they carry. Mk. I did not participate in the actual battle because of many initial failures but was sent mainly for defense in England. Mk. II and IV were sent mainly to the North African front for a mortal struggle against the German army.
Mk. II and Mk. IV is for two people with smaller turrets, and Mk. III and Mk. V is for three people with larger turrets. Mk. II and Mk. IV was used most of the time.
While I was making it, I felt it was quite a tiny tank body; the manual Tamiya says that the tank body was made as small as possible to control the increase in weight instead of making the armor thicker. If the tank gets too big and heavy, the engine will be burdened, and the speed won’t increase.
Although it was called an infantry tank, I wondered what the role was for not using a grenade. The tanks themselves were supplied in hot North Africa, damp Burma (now Myanmar), and Russia, they were operating in the frigid weather, so they must have been excellent as well.
Because of the severe climate in North Africa, I weathered it relatively hard. It became a little old tank.
I chipped with a thin brush and sponge for the first time in a while. It has become one pattern, but the dark rust-colored chipping is noticeable and pleasing for brighter tank body color.
They look like a hoodlum, and I’m scared.
The turret is so tiny. It’s too tight for two people.
Strangely, the size of the wheel is different.
Tamiya kits are easy to make and great.
(2021/03/04)
