Into the Valley – The Valentine Tank and Derivatives 1938-1960 by Dick Taylor

Reviewed by Brett Green

Summary

FirstRead

Although we modellers are currently blessed with not just one, but two separate families of 1:35 scale Valentine kits (MiniArt and AFV Club), references are not exactly thick on the ground.

MMP Books has addressed this shortage with the latest in their expanding range of military titles, “Into the Valley – The Valentine Tank and Derivatives 1938-1960” by Dick Taylor.

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The Valentine was the only pre-war British design to remain in service until the end of hostilities in 1945 and was produced in greater numbers than any other. More than 8,000 were eventually manufactured.

Although overshadowed by many other types, the Valentine saw active and important service with the British and Soviet armies, as well as Commonwealth forces. The gun tank was obsolescent before the end of the Second World War, but specialised variants such as bridge layers and self-propelled guns soldiered on until as late as 1960.

Dick Taylor’s latest MMP book is A4 in format, with 192 high quality glossy pages between its soft covers, 32 of those in full colour. The text discusses the design, development production and operations of the Valentine tank and its many derivations.

The book is divided into eight Chapters:

1. Design, Development and Production

2. Technical Description

3. Description of Gun Tank Marks

4. Operational Use

5. Painting and Markings

6. Overseas Service

7. Variants

8. Walkaround

The eight main Chapters are followed by a Conclusion, References and a seven page section of attractive colour plates.

The book is profusely illustrated throughout with wartime photos, scrap view drawings and scale plans. The plans are particularly helpful for identifying the differences between the variants and the specialised versions. The photos show an enormous variety of vehicles in all sorts of conditions and service. It is a shame that some of the photos are very dark and contrasty, but even these are still interesting. Captions are detailed and helpful, as we have come to expect from MMP’s Green series in general and Dick Taylor in particular.
There is a particularly good series of photos of Valentines in New Zealand service, courtesy of Jeff Plowman.

The colour diagrams of camouflage patterns include a top and a port side view. It might have been nice to have included front, rear and starboard views too.

MMP’s growing Green Series of military vehicle books is proving to be a valuable resource, and Dick Taylor is proving himself to be a champion of British tank history as well as camouflage and markings.

Although “Into the Valley” is not specifically a modelling book, its useful blend of history, photo coverage, plans, drawings and profiles make it an ideal source of reference information and inspiration for modellers.

Highly Recommended

Thanks to the MMP Books for the sample www.mmpbooks.biz