patton tank?

[ellis995]

Hi all

just sitting here watching the film " ANZIO " on tv, the tanks on the yanks side look like patton m48's. I thought they did not enter service until the 1950's.

Am i right or wrong

 

[drgondog]

You are correct - hollywood did not have a lot of M-4s or Mk IVs to use as extras.

Ditto "Patton" and Battle of Bulge where many M-60's were involved for both sides.

 

[davebender]

hollywood did not have a lot of M-4s or Mk IVs to use as extras

If Hollywood can build a replica of the Titanic then they can build replicas of Sherman tanks. Apparently war movies have a smaller budget then a love story.

 

[drgondog]

If Hollywood can build a replica of the Titanic then they can build replicas of Sherman tanks. Apparently war movies have a smaller budget then a love story.

The technology - even for Titanic era- was not there for Patton and Bulge and Anzio..

Creating an M-4 and Tiger Graphic and superimposing on real scenary was simply not even close with the processors available in the 80's - much less the graphics object technologies.

 

[davebender]

What's wrong with the low tech approach? Take an inexpensive armored vehicle chassis like the M113 APC and build a plywood structure on top that looks like a WWII era tank. Different road wheels would be the only indication it's not an actual Tiger tank. For the German tanks the tracks would be difficult to see anyway due to the side skirts.

 

[timshatz]

In the movie "A Bridge Too Far", many of the Sherman tanks are the Plywood/Tin variety. The producers had borrowed a bunch of the real M4s from Museams, but didn't have enough to make it look like a real armored column. Had to build them.

I think they dropped the frames over jeeps or something similar.

 

[ToughOmbre]

In the movie "A Bridge Too Far", many of the Sherman tanks are the Plywood/Tin variety. The producers had borrowed a bunch of the real M4s from Museams, but didn't have enough to make it look like a real armored column. Had to build them.

I think they dropped the frames over jeeps or something similar.

You're right Tim.

This from imdb.com.....

The producers were only able to locate four of the many Sherman tanks seen on the screen. The rest were plastic molds set on top of 88" Land Rovers. VW Beetle chassis were used for German Kubelwagens. The tank treads didn't reach the ground, but the film is edited so that this isn't noticeable (except in the section after Elliott Gould cries "Roll the ****ers / Roll 'em, fellas" there are shots of the tanks rolling over the bridge. One tank is seen silhouetted against the background and its tracks are clearly not moving as fast as they should be if the tank were real).

TO

 

[Ivan1GFP]

I believe "Kelly's Heroes" used a pretty good replica of a Tiger tank.

Regarding "A Bridge Too Far", I just thought it was a poor perception on my part.

- Ivan.

 

[renrich]

Perhaps the best movie, IMO, about WW2 and a tank was "Sahara" with a real Grant (or Lee) tank.

 

[Stitch]

I believe "Kelly's Heroes" used a pretty good replica of a Tiger tank.
- Ivan.

Yes, it was pretty close. IIRC, it was sheet metal over a Russian T-34 chassis; the wheels were a little too small for a Tiger tank, but I'm sure 99% of the viewing audience didn't notice.

 

[Ivan1GFP]

The turret was also set a bit far forward and it was a noticeably smaller tank, but the point is that someone tried and if the viewer wasn't all that familiar it was pretty convincing IMHO. Tigers are HUGE!

- Ivan.

 

[Cota1992]

I like the Kelly's Heros Tigers-in my book despite the short comings they still looked better then the "SPR" tigers.
Also don't forget the M-24 mocked up Panthers in Is Paris Burning?
What makes these mock ups even better to me is they were done in the day and age of tossing a big goofy German Cross on a modern American tank and calling it good...They say-" hey we made the effort"...and I liked them.
Art

PS the strangest convesrion from a film I saw was the german 1960s movie "the Bridge" where they converted T-34s to look like Shermans...

"Hey Hey kid...you're not going to shoot that panzerfaust in here are you?"