Every Vally Shall Be Exalted - The Valentine Tank Family Vol.1 - Finished

[Bertie McBoatface]

I'd better get back to the model!

[Bullbasket]

1 hour ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Fipple fapple fopple dweeet.

Good grief! That's worrying. I think that I understood that.

 

John.

[diablo rsv]

I feel your pain Bertie, unfortunately it doesn't get much easier with the Bronco kit tracks. It could get quite expensive if you have to rely on aftermarket tracks on all of your builds.

Here's a link to my woes with the Bronco ones, if it works. Tracks

Wayne

[ColonelKrypton]

On 12/25/2021 at 1:46 PM, Bertie Psmith said:

The mask is from 3M and is a

 

5251+

or FFA1P2 R D

or 20285C

 

Can't find anything using 5251+ but I can using FFA1P2 which leads me to the 3m Series 4000 half masks and model number 4251+

 

Must be a European part or model number as I don't any retailers for that model in Canada and the 4000 series masks isn't common either.

 

In any case, I needed a new cartridges for my old mask. My old one never really fit very well, was big and bulky. Turns out it was a M and I need L. Instead of new cartridge's a new mask is in order and I found on very similar to the one you have. 3m makes good stuff and I found lots of choice on Amazon but you need to buy the half mask and the filter cartridges separately. The straps and buckles look like a weak spot but I did find a low profile with better looking straps; made in the UK and sold under the name GVS Elipse and comes with filter cartridges for that price. Only a wee bit more than a 3m half mask plus filters. 

 

And to shift back onto topic, your tracks are really looking the part. I have always found that it best to break this sort of assembly into short sessions as you have done otherwise I start to rush and when I rush mistakes get made.

 

cheers, Graham

 

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

7 minutes ago, diablo rsv said:

I feel your pain Bertie, unfortunately it doesn't get much easier with the Bronco kit tracks. It could get quite expensive if you have to rely on aftermarket tracks on all of your builds.

Here's a link to my woes with the Bronco ones, if it works. Tracks

Wayne

 

Maybe tracks will always be the hard part. I'm asserting my right as a Brit to moan and groan here but actually I'm enjoying it now I've got my system sorted. That little bit of double sided tape has enabled me to find the fun (and snap! The job's a game).

 

Yours look really good, I use a graphite system too. Humbrol enamel Steel in the modelcolour range has graphite in it and the paint can be polished as it dries. I think you saw my Mk.V?

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 minute ago, ColonelKrypton said:

break this sort of assembly into short sessions as you have done otherwise I start to rush and when I rush mistakes get made.

 

Exactly. I stop as soon as I make a mistake and turn to something else for a while. I'm going twice as fast now anyway so I hope to be finished with it tonight.

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

Well just look at those beauties!

 

 

There's not one stiff hinge out of 130.

 

[Edit: 260 actually as each link has two moving pins. Not that I'm showing off, you understand. Lol, I'm actually phenomenally pleased with myself!]

 

Once I'd designed, learned and practiced my method, it was easy. I think I could do a full pair of tracks in a day now. In three months, not so easy, as I'd have gone a little rusty. My point is that with so many different types and individually quirky tracks on the market, and given that I've only been doing a few tanks each year, I never get to reap the benefits of experience. Each track is a new challenge. As with many aspects of this hobby, I think. The solution is to BUILD MORE MODELS!

 

 

So I put the wheels on and tried the tracks for size. Have you noticed the sprocket? The Bronco track has a different pitch to the Tamiya one so adjustments had to be made. Once it's all glued up, no-one will notice that those remaining teeth, on the inside of the track don't align, and I can put teeth tips into the track from the outside if it seems called for. It also makes sliding the track onto the wheels very easy, though at the cost of the holding effect of the sprocket.

 

 

I couldn't photograph the fitting process because I only have two hands (and forepaws, but the dog tells me she's not allowed on the desktop - which is true actually.) I'd built two links less than Bronco recommended but I still had to take a link out. 

 

 

While I was splitting links, an easy task, I hit on the idea of using a split link glued onto its pins, as a joint. More gluing surface and easier to manipulate! If the join is on the bottom, straight run, it should be undetectable. We'll see.

 

 

All my spare links etc go in here, because "You never know when you'll need one." You can't have too many spares can you?

 

And finally...

 

 

Psmiffy's Top Tips #297

 

I had to cut down the lids of my glue bottles to make them fit into this shallow drawer. Now, if I don't screw the lids down tight I can't close the drawer which saves me a fortune in needlessly evaporated glue! 

[Maginot]

Quote

From time to time I assemble the sub-assemblies, just to motivate myself. Sometimes it helps me spot troubles in the road ahead but mostly it's for the fun of it. I wonder how many of you do the same.

 

Same here, at every opportunity.

 

Good progress. Dare I say that you appear to be well on track?

 

Thanks for illustrating the reuse of sprue and sharing a few tricks. I'm afraid to confess that these gems are entered in my Methods and Materials notebook. Very useful.

 

Reeling with the cricket score here, and I'd say more 'cept I'd risk incurring your wrath by straying down the leg side off topic.

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

 

  The Hull and turret are almost done.  

 

With the tracks finished I was able to fit the fenders, confident that I can draw the tracks through the gaps when it's time to fit them. With the fenders on, it was 'small details' time. There won't be a great deal more handling before it's time to be painting and I think I can trust myself not to break off too many of the little bits at this late stage.

 

 The exhaust outlet had no fishtail.      

 

I found this plastic pipe for the exhaust but I needed to bend it. It's a strange foamy polystyrene that wouldn't stay bent. I was just about to resort to heat when I remembered this trick and inserted some copper wire from household mains cable. Then the bend stayed bent.

 

 

I have a few very fragile parts that I'll glue down after painting id completed. I don't trust myself that much!

 

                                       

 

The wheels will be sprayed separately so that I can paint the tyres neatly. The tracks will also be so much easier to paint off the tank.

 

There are now only two jobs to be done before paint:

 

 

I have to make these rear mudguards. Fortunately, it's all flat pieces and the drawing in ITV is conveniently in 1/35 scale. What a happy coincidence. Seriously, what a good idea!

 

  Wiring Loom    

 

And finally, I'll have a go at the electrical loom for the headlight, only one fitted, the horn and the sidelight. The drawing and the photo (retouched for clarity) don't match, indicating different modification states and suggesting to me that I have a bit of wiggle room in my representation. Doubtless the prototype was used for years as a test bed for mods of all kinds so 'accuracy' is rather a fuzzy concept, lucky for me.

 

 

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

16 hours ago, Maginot said:

Dare I say that you appear to be well on track?

 

🙄 Groan!

 

Yes, they came out well and I learned a lot about using less glue than I'm used to. Honestly, I splash the extra thin around like it had a use by date, and most of the time the tiniest dab'll do ya. I took that thought with me today when sticking the handles etc onto the tank and made a significantly neater job of it all.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Already, I'm considering what to tackle next in this topic. I opened the Tamiya Archer box for a look last night and was delighted to find that it's more than twice the complexity of Mk.II, yet still a relatively easy build kit. It's something I am happy to run alongside the F/A-18 (Meng 1/48) and Ground Attack GBs (Tamiya F-4B 1:48) for the first couple of months of 2022. The aeroplanes have deadlines so the tank will be the one to slow down but this was always going to be a slow project, wasn't it?

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 12/26/2021 at 9:28 PM, Troy Smith said:

copyright

 

I wrote to the publishers today for permission to more widely quote from ITV

[Jasper dog]

You've made a fine job of those tracks, I must confess I doubt I'd have the patience or for the matter the ingenuity to do them.

 

Good luck!

Darryl 

[Bertie McBoatface]

25 minutes ago, Jasper dog said:

You've made a fine job of those tracks, I must confess I doubt I'd have the patience or for the matter the ingenuity to do them.

 

Good luck!

Darryl 

 

Thanks, Darryl. I had my doubts too. I am finding that tracks get easier with each build - I am relatively new to armour models, and it's been 'interesting' learning!

[Bertie McBoatface]

It's still early in the day for me, I don't often hit the workbench before late afternoon, but noisy neighbours woke me and startled me into creativity.

 

 

This is the first 'proper conversion' I've ever done and this id where it became really and truly 'proper' with plasticard and making shapes out of nothing. I've been a little nervous about it. Hell, this is almost scratchbuilding!

 

    

 

I needn't have worried. It's quite easy. Xylene glue grabs strongly and now I've learned how little to use, goes hard quickly too. Using strong lighting, I found that I could offer up the next part and see the shadow of the structure underneath - this I would mark with a sharp soft pencil and then make straight cuts, guillotine fashion with a long straight scalpel blade, nibbling my way to the correct size. Wet the edges with Xylene, let it evaporate leaving that sticky residue, just like the tracks, and then place it in position, and it had better be in position because there's not a lot of time for adjustments!

 

 

Apart from the side view, the shape is speculative. I tried to 'think welder' if that's not an oxymoron, and just fabricate something quick and easy and functional.

 

 

Bob's your uncle. When it's dried, I may add a few ribs and stuff to make it more interesting but that will be this afternoon.

 

   

 

The headlamp and horn conduit is a bit scruffy, I admit. It's stretched sprue on the hull and the curly cable on the lamp is unwound guitar string. I'll connect them up when I fit the lamp.

 

I could be painting by the end of the day!

[Bertie McBoatface]

I was!

 

 

Priming has now been completed, after many contortions to get paint into and around all those louvres and other bumps and dents.

 

 

The exfiltration vent looks good enough now it's all one colour and I can clearly see the contours

 

 

The scratch built rear fenders now look like they are supposed to be there, despite my camera's reluctance to focus on either of them.

 

 

And even the scruffy conduit from this morning looks better in black. 

 

There are a few valleys on the Vally where the primer failed to penetrate, such as under the headlamp, but nothing significant. I'll touch up where required with a brush. I'll be painting with Tamiya and their lacquer thinners so adhesion won't be a problem. In fact, if I hadn't used so many different colours and materials in construction, I might not have bothered to prime at all. As it is, unifying all the materials and giving me a deep shade of grey for the shadows were the main aims of the priming with topcoat adhesion a distant third.

 

[Lazy Modeller]

Its looking pretty good in black clothes!

Cheers

LM

[vytautas]

Looks great, everything looks very neat!

 

Vytautas

[Bertie McBoatface]

35 minutes ago, Lazy Modeller said:

Its looking pretty good in black clothes!

Cheers

LM

 

Thank you. Yes, I'm very pleased with it too.

 

13 minutes ago, vytautas said:

Looks great, everything looks very neat!

 

Vytautas

 

Thanks. It's gone so well that I'm starting to wonder what disaster is just around the corner.

 

p.s. I like your Xmas Icon, Vytautas.

[Lazy Modeller]

1 minute ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Thank you. Yes, I'm very pleased with it too.

You should be! Tamyia gives a perfect finish but try the Oneshot youll be amazed!

Cheers

LM

[Hamden]

 

Your Valentine is looking great in primer, looking forward to the next update now

 

   Stay safe          Roger
 

[Bertie McBoatface]

 

 

These are the kinds of hues and shades I was aiming at. It's a profile from ITV. There are no colour photographs of course so it's all a matter of interpretation. I was keen not to just 'paint it grey'. I wanted shadows and highlights to give the impression of volume and weight in a model that's barely six inches by three.

 

 

This was my palette. I worked dark into light from the shadows to the highlights, blending the next paint into the almost empty paint cup to give a graduated effect. I may have graduated too much actually and lost some contrast. I didn't go all the way to white. I've still got drybrushing and then pinpoint highlighting to do so I'll need the brightest greys for that.

 

 

It's infuriatingly difficult to capture the colour under my office style lighting. Daylight tube? Ha!

 

 

I hope you at least get an impression for now. More tomorrow of course.

 

 

This was one of the intermediate steps but when I'm spraying I'm afraid I seldom think to stop and take a photo. The finish at the moment is like canvas, dead flat and absorbent, perfect for some brushwork details in either enamel or acrylic. There's not much colour on this tank so a few bright spots will really catch the eye. Once they are painted, I'll satin coat ready for the washes and just a tiny bit of oil weathering. 

 

And then some dust. I've got to have some dust, I know what a heavy engineering factory tastes like!

 

 

This was my mix for the tracks, which I see as being relatively new.

 

 

It looks a bit like this, slightly purple for the manganese in the steel. You see that I broke a link while working the track to keep it supple as the paint dried. Having mastered the art of gluing the little beggars yesterday, this wasn't the disaster I though it might be. I didn't even need to touch it up. 

 

The tracks too will be getting the highlight treatment with an enamel drybrushing, and then washing the shadows, then polished steel on the running surfaces. 

 

And some dust.

[SleeperService]

On 12/23/2021 at 6:49 PM, Bertie Psmith said:

My (fifth)speculation draws on the first and boring one, that the name sounded good with Vickers, but also adds a little etymological research done by my son. This isn’t the Saint Valentine tank, but simply the Valentine. It has nothing to do with hearts and flowers. The meaning of the name Valentine comes from the Latin word Valens, which means "strong and healthy." It does sound a little lame to my ears but again, there is precedent. The Matilda, which the Valentine was to replace, also a Carden designed Vickers product, wasn’t named for a sweet old fashioned lady, but comes from the Old German female name Mahthildis, which derives from maht meaning mighty and hild meaning battle. It’s ironic that these two tanks with would be fielded against the Axis were given a German and an Italian name!

That is the best suggestion I have come across. In that era knowledge of Latin and other languages was quite common among people with the 'right' education. Matilda has bugged me for years.

 

This is a great build thread and I'll bet that I'm not the only one learning stuff despite feeling confident they 'know' the subject.

 

Dick Taylor has done two Valentine books in the APH series which are very good too and don't overlap a huge amount with the ones you have mentioned. PART1 and PART 2

[Bertie McBoatface]

5 minutes ago, SleeperService said:

That is the best suggestion I have come across. In that era knowledge of Latin and other languages was quite common among people with the 'right' education. Matilda has bugged me for years.

 

This is a great build thread and I'll bet that I'm not the only one learning stuff despite feeling confident they 'know' the subject.

 

Dick Taylor has done two Valentine books in the APH series which are very good too and don't overlap a huge amount with the ones you have mentioned. PART1 and PART 2

 

Yes, strong and healthy seems likely to have appealed to the educated classes. The tank was certainly healthy (reliable) and eventually reasonably strong when up-gunned.

 

Thank you, I'm certainly learning lots as I go. It's easy for me as my prior knowledge was minimal. 

 

I'd like to see the other books by Taylor. I like his writing style. Unfortunately they both appear to be out of print as well. I'll soldier on with what I've got for now.

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

I've been out with my dog for a long and exhausting walk today. I somehow doubt that there will be much modelmaking happening here until after my next big sleep.

 

However, before we set off, I did find a 'crew' for the prototype. 

 

 

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Alfie, oldest son of Bill Figgis, Head of Development (Valentine) Vickers-Armstrong Engineers, Newcastle on Tyne, on a 'bring your children to work day' in the hot, late summer of 1940. 

 

He's a totally fictional character of course, but I think every tank model benefits from a human presence, if only for purposes of scale.