'Warhorse' Tank On Display At Bovington

The Tank Museum has obtained the tank used in Steven Spielberg’s new World War One blockbuster 'Warhorse'.

The fully operational replica of a British Mk IV tank is set to go on display when the film is released later this week, and will also be used in the Dorset based Museum’s tank displays later in the year.

The full sized replica was based on the Museum’s own Mark IV, which was built in 1917.  

OSCAR award-wining special effects company Neil Corbould Special Effects LTD, whose credits include Saving Private Ryan and Gladiator, visited The Tank Museum in 2010 to take measurements from the vehicle and copy original documents related to the MK IV tank held in the Museum’s Archive.

“The vehicle is wonderful re-creation with all the presence and menace of the real thing,” said museum curator David Willey.   

“But inside, it remains simple and modern.”

The `tank`, which has been kept secretly at the Museum until the release of the film, was built around the engine, transmission and track from a modern commercial excavator. It makes a brief appearance in the film, helping to symbolise the brutal impact of technology on the battlefield and the changes in warfare that the Great War ushered in.

“We obtained this replica because with the World War One centenaries approaching, we wanted a working example of a tank that was representative of that conflict,” David added.  

“For conservation reasons, we are no longer able to run any of our own vehicles from this period.  We have long been investigating the possibility of building our own replica so when this vehicle became available to us we were eager to acquire it.” 

The replica will be one of the many unique vehicles staring at The Tank Museum’s TANKFEST event in June.

'Warhorse' is out in cinema's on Friday 13th January 2012