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Mark VII Tank

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"They've got a tank!"
―Indiana Jones spying on the Nazis[src]

The Mark VII Tank[1] (also indicated as Mark 7)[2] was a large tank of World War I vintage. It possessed a main forward-facing cannon, as well as two mounted sponson guns on each side of the vehicle. It is one of the many successor vehicles to the Mark I Tank.

History[]

A German[3] Great War vintage tank sporting a six-pound gun,[4] the Mark VII Tank was actually one of only a very few of formidable British Mark VII tanks survived the end of World War I, to be either sold or given to friendly governments in Africa and the Middle East. It was given heavier armor rather than netting to deflect grenades.[1] Equipped with a large turret-mounted primary cannon, two sides cannons and a six-pound gun, the thirty-six long treaded treaded tank was a massive war machine. One of his prized possessions, the Sultan of Hatay borrowed his tank[5] to the Nazi expedition sent to find the Holy Grail in 1938. It was used to defend the Nazi convoy on its way to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon.[6]

On the way to the Grail Temple, there was an ensuing fight on the tank. As Indiana Jones was busy fighting Colonel Ernst Vogel on the top of the tank, his father, Henry and Marcus Brody were making their escape. The tank was destroyed shortly after the Hatay driver was indirectly killed by a Nazi soldier knocked unconscious by Brody. With nobody at the controls, the tank drove aimlessly off a nearby cliff, killing everyone aboard except Indiana Jones.[6]

Behind the scenes[]

Dickey Beer as a blown up Nazi in the film

A Citroën Type 23 getting destroyed by the tank.

Special effects artist George Gibbs visited a museum to negotiate renting a small French World War I Renault FT for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but ultimately decided on building one.[7] The Mark VII Tank was a replica vehicle built on an old excavator chassis namely a HYMAC 590 and was powered by two rover V8 engines. The drive gear was installed and modified by a specialist engineer from Chertsey in Surrey, Diablo (Victor) Donnelly It was based on the real-world Mark VII, part of the heavy tank series that possessed no main top turret, primarily due to weight considerations and cross-country performance, however this can be excused as a post war modification. The replica measured 36 feet (11 m) long and weighed 28 short tons (25 t).[8]

The tank idea was used from Chris Columbus' unrealized Indiana Jones and the Monkey King script, which was one of the screenplays considered for the third Indiana Jones film before it became Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. However, in Columbus' story, that tank was large enough to raze an entire jungle.[9]

Only three Mark VII tanks had been built and only one delivered out of an order for 74 when World War I ended so the likelihood of one being in the Republic of Hatay is almost impossible. The tank is also referred by Indiana Jones Heritage as a German tank[3] despite the fact that the tank is of British origin and it is given to the Germans from the Sultan of Hatay.[6] The Titanium Series does give the correct origin.[1] The Sultan mentions giving them tanks plural, but only gives them one.[6]

Mark VII Tank NES

The Mark VII in the NES version of Last Crusade.

In the NES adaptation of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the Mark VII appears as a boss fight when the player chooses to rescue Marcus Brody. The tank is coloured grey and possesses two turrets as apposed to one and is very likely based on the french 1920s FCM 2C heavy tank. The player has to fight many soldiers who come out of the turret of the tank while standing on the tank tracks. After defeating enough of them, Brody will come out of the tank and run to safety.[10]

In Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures the Mark VII appears as a boss fight. It is green and quite short in comparison to the other versions. The player has to fight through groups of German Soldiers and men each wearing a fez who through knives (they are likely meant the represent the Army of Hatay). Indy makes it down the Canyon of the Crescent Moon until he reaches the tank. The player has to battle Vogel with there fists while standing on the tank tracks. After defeating Vogel, the level ends.[11]

Mark VII Lego Indy Orignal

The Mark VII in LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures.

In LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures the tank appears as a boss fight in the level Desert Ambush. It is gray and does not have a turret on top, instead Vogel fires bazooka while standing on the top of the tank. The player builds mines to damage the tank and eventually jumps on the tank to battle Vogel directly. After defeating him and an army of Enemy Soldiers, Vogel falls into the tank which drives off the edge of a cliff. Indy survives while the tank crashes. In the DS version, the player has to fight Vogel on the tank as he throws bombs at them. Indy has to use his whip to send the bombs back at Vogel. Each time he sends waves of soldiers to attack the player. This happens three times before the level ends.[12]

Mark VII Lego Indy 2

The Mark VII in LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues.

In LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues the tank reappears as a boss fight, this time in the level Cannon Canyon. It looks a lot more like the one in the film[13] than the previous LEGO game.[12] The player uses various vehicles to destroy enemy vehicles before damaging the tank. Henry Jones jumps out of the tank as it drives towards a cliff. Vogel tries to jump out but falls down with the tank. It also appears in the Last Crusade hub world simply as the "Tank", where it can be purchased for 25, 000 studs. It fires automatic explosive rockets that can destroy sliver objects, two players can pilot it and that is required if they want to fire. The standard version can be used in the "Build Your Own Adventure" mode. The hub world version is a lot smaller than the standard version.[13]

"The Last Crusade" artwork by 17th & Oak also interprets the Tank Chase with a gray Mark VII.[14]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

17th&OakCrusade

"The Last Crusade" by 17th & Oak.

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Titanium Series (Pack: Vogel's Mark VII Tank)
  2. ↑ From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1  Indiana Jones Heritage trading cards (Card: Indiana Jones Versus the Tank)
  4. ↑ Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
  5. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade junior novel (2008)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  7. ↑ The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, Chapter 10: "The Professionals: May 1988 to May 1989", p. 204–229
  8. ↑ Illustration
  9. ↑ The Complete Making of Indiana Jones, Chapter 9: "The Monkey King: July 1984 to May 1988", p. 184–203
  10. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade game
  11. ↑ Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
  14. ↑ "The Last Crusade"

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