Mushroom Model Publications keeps expanding its “Green Line” (dedicated to armored fighting vehicles) and its latest installment covers the Valentine family of tanks, from the design in the late 1930s through its operational use during WWII and other uses in post-war years, up to the 1960s.

The main sections of the book includes the development of the tank, technical description, description of each mark of the family, operational use, painting and markings, overseas use (Canada, New Zealand, India, USSR, among others), variants, and a walk-around.

I found the historical pictures to be very valuable from a modeling point of view, as they provide details on the markings of the tanks plus the environment in which they operated. The picture of the Malta Valentines (with their stone wall camouflage) is very unique.

The book has plenty of drawings showing interior details, both of the fighting compartment as well as the engine, and the tracks, wheels, etc, which would you allow to super-detail your Valentine project.

The book also includes an objective evaluation of the Valentine as an AFV during WWII, from the battles in North Africa to the snowy steppes of Russia, and through the final years of WWII when it became obsolete as a front line weapon but still proved very useful for either training or specialized applications, like bridge layer, clearing out minefields, etc.

This book is neither a modeling book nor a reference book. It is a history book that complements very nicely as a reference book for modelers, due to its large number of historical pictures (black and white), plus walk around pictures of restored vehicles (in color). It also has several drawings in 1/35 scale, plus color camouflage schemes.

I would highly recommend this book to modelers and armor history fans. This is likely to be the “one-stop” shop for historical facts and/or details regarding the whole family of Valentine tanks.

I would like to thank Mushroom Model Publications and IPMS/USA for the review sample.