Finally... a tank! (Patreon)

My friends, it's that beautiful moment of a fresh, new project! And it's finally that Lend-Lease Valentine I promised a few times already. 

This is going to be a proper kitbash of a project, although not the kind most people were requesting. I'm building it from a Tamiya Mk II/IV and a Bronco Mk IX kit. The Tamiya kit is what you'd expect. Very simplified details, but those few parts that I glued together today fit so well you could dry-fit the hull and it would stay together. The Bronco kit, on the other hand, is extremely detailed but you sometimes have to wonder how to put it together. 

My reason for this merger? I have a set of Voyager PE fenders because I want to replicate the extreme damage seen in photo 2, but these are designed for the Tamiya model. Fenders are very sensitive to accuracy and fit, and if they're designed for a Tamiya hull, I'm not gonna risk their fit on a Bronco model. Originally I wanted to build a generic beaten-up Mk IV, but the Mk IX looks way cooler with that large turret and a longer gun, so I bought the Bronco model as well. 

I'm no Valentine expert but the hull looks the same on both versions. The Mk IX came in a welded version, but it seems the Soviets received just the riveted ones, so that means fewer modifications on the Tamiya hull. Thankfully, the Bronco kit seems to be a very generous donor for details and small parts, because that's where the Tamiya one comes short. 

Anyway, I managed to assemble and slightly improve the Bronco turret in just one day and one evening, and I started working on the hull. Yes, it will be in a diorama, but I'm afraid it won't be that pontoon bridge, or any bridge. I have some interesting figures on the way, and I kinda found an acquired taste for muddy ground full of puddles, so... let's just say I have a few ideas... and focus on the construction for now! :)))