I saw it in a movie once, Red Dawn (1984)

If you were around in 1984, no doubt you heard of this movie. If you didn't then or haven't seen the original (not the 2012 version with Chris Hemsworth, though it isn't too bad), I would suggest trying to find a copy and give it a watch.

Like a lot of other movies made during the later Cold War era, the Soviet Union was still eyed with suspicion from the Western world and the film industry made movies and television shows to feed into the sense of the unknown. Nuclear war right around the corner, or a Soviet lead invasion of North America.

This picture might look a little funny and dated now, back then, it got people thinking and not so nice thoughts either. The fear of an invasion was very real, however, the means to do so would have be very prohibitive then, in money, manpower and equipment.

Some of those very same elements would come into play with making the movie, Red Dawn. The producers had to go to great lengths to recreate the Soviet identity, long before the internet was the mainstay we take for granted theses days. You couldn't just buy era authentic items like you can today, they had to make everything pretty much from scratch. Costumes, weapons and vehicles had to be manufactured out of thin air, often based on pictures of questionable quality.

 Since this a Tank blog, I will come closer to the point. In 1984, unlike today, you couldn't jump on a computer, cruise the internet and if you had the right amount of money, buy a T-72 MBT. Another slight problem Red Dawn producers faced was the fact the T-72 was still in active service with Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces at the time. And, even if they could lay their hands on one or a few, serious doubts the American government of the time would even allow these machines into the country. So, they had to be built, as closely to the real ones as possible.

Enter Renaud and Andre Veluzat, co-owners of a very large military and movie vehicle collection and prop rental company in California. Somewhere along the way of the movie being put together, their names came up of either having what the producers were looking for, or might be able to have it constructed. By using the chassis of surplus M8A1 Cargo Tractors, some carefully measured sheet metal, along with some molded fiberglass....

....you have something realistic enough to fool high level American authorities of the times. In the end, the producers got two replica T-72 tanks for use in the movie, the Veluzat brothers retained the rights to the machines, making money over the years from renting them out other productions http://www.melodyranchstudio.com/VAR/army_rentals.htm

From shows like Airwolf and Tour of Duty, to the movies, such as Rambo III and Three Kings, this T-72 replica was there.

Today, one of these recreated tanks is on display at the Melody Ranch, in Newhall, California http://www.melodyranchstudio.com/museum.html and in pretty good shape, despite being used hard....

....just like another I know of.