There is a great deal of work in the manufacture of a Valentine. All the components of the hull were fitted together very accurately and the steering mechanism was way more complicated than it need have been. Typical British engineering - add more pieces till it works ! In contrast the M3 / M4 series were production engineered from the start and were much simpler.
The Canadians did simplify the front hull of their Valentines by casting it in one piece, and fitted a much more modern Detroit diesel and decent gearbox which was a huge improvement but they still soldiered on with a rather crude and over complicated steering system. All in a tank that was rapidly becoming too small and slow for the needs of the time.
In contrast the Sentinel started off with a modern design that had scope for development and was simple enough to be manufactured. It is a great shame that the availability of engines was reduced to the triple Cadilac set up and that the project was overtaken by politics and events. If Canada and Australia had got together and developed the Sentinel instead of the Ram, who knows what could have been achieved.
David
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