When the British Ordnance Quick-Firing 6-pounder gun first reached the front lines in 1942 it was a much needed replacement for the obsolete 2-pounder then in service as an anti-tank gun. The 6-pounder remained in widespread service for the rest of the war and many years thereafter, and a slightly modified version also served in the US armies with the designation 57mm Anti-tank M1.

The first question to answer is what mark of gun is modelled here. There were essentially five marks, and we can eliminate the Mk I because it had a very short service, the Mk III because it was for mounting in tanks, and the Mk V for the same reason. That leaves the Mk II and IV. The Mk II had a barrel length of about 2.5 metres, and the Mk IV had a longer 2.85 metres, so as this model has a barrel of about 40mm, which is 2.88 metres, this fits with the Mk IV designation. Rather more obviously, the MK IV had a muzzle brake, as does this model, which the Mk II lacked. As the box points out, therefore, you can create a Mk II simply by trimming off the muzzle brake and shortening the barrel. The box also points out that the gun can be converted to represent the US M1 by removing the muzzle brake and using supplied alternative wheel hubs, which is a useful extra. The gun itself is a pretty decent model. The firing mechanism is simplified, as is usual, but the overall model is good with all the detail most people could want. The parts are precisely made in a hard plastic and fit together well after gluing, making it an easy project to complete. Not shown above is the towing eye, which should be attached to the left leg (not the right leg as shown on the box), but there is no obvious way of attaching this item anyway. Still this is a very fair model.

A full crew for this gun consisted of six men, but again following common modelling standards the gun in this set comes with a crew of four. The first figure is handling the gun, while the second and third are engaged in passing ammunition, and the last is clearly in overall charge as he holds binoculars. All the poses are fine and appropriate. The first figure has separate arms, but otherwise there is no assembly necessary. All the men are somewhat oversized for 1/72, as have past Valiant sets, and are of a more stocky build than many manufacturers, but the sculpting is good and detail nice and clear. All wear the standard British battledress, and have mostly deposited all items of kit elsewhere, as you might expect whilst serving the gun.

Some extra ammunition boxes and shells complete this neat little set, which scores full marks for accuracy, although the oversized figures is a problem which is only partly mitigated by the fact that all are kneeling. The gun is well produced and easy to put together, the poses are fine and there is no flash or other areas to clean, so this is a nice little set for a widely used weapon of the Second World War.