Motorcycles, Tanks

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Posted by Abner from 208.48.35.130 on June 12, 2000 at 15:15:08:

In Reply to: Good enough, eh? :) posted by Fall Guy on June 12, 2000 at 13:26:47:

: : : Over at Indygear.com, the sidecar motorcycle in Last Crusade is listed as a Mercedes. Since Mercedes-Benz never built any motorcycles, that's gotta be wrong. The official supplier of bikes to the German Army in 1938 was BMW. The only problem is, the bike in the film doesn't look like either of the bikes used by the Wehrmacht (the BMW R12 and R75) before or during the war. If there are any old bike enthusiasts out there who can shed some light on the mystery of the motorcycle, let me know!

: : If I recall correctly, I believe that Indiana John is the one who ferreted this information out, and the reason it was listed as a Mercedes is that the original prop cycle is/was on display at the Indy ride at Disney World, and it is indeed marked Mercedes. Not that it makes it correct, it's just that it's marked that brand. Not being a cycle man myself, I don't know one from the other. It could be just another snafu of the series, as we have guns used throughout the series that were not manufactured until the middle of the war, so why not incorrect motorcycles? Hollywood! Regards. Michaelson

: Those prop people! They provided us with a mystery motorcycle and the wrong guns. In addition there is still the tank (replica based on a real tank or not?) which is a bit fishy and the Messerschmitt fighters in LC look just like Swiss planes! And wasn't that Kuebelwagen in LC actually a modified VW 'Thing'? I'm not THAT much of a stickler for detail, unless it's a historic movie, but it sure would be nice to know what the propmakers/modelbuilders actually used. Hmmm, don't I remember Spielberg talking about LC as being rather 'authentic'? :) Fall Guy
: :
: :

I thought it would be a BMW R75 myself, so perhaps the prop people mislabled it. I think a trip the Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Mississippi is in order to find out!

Even in supposedly "accurate" movies like "Saving Private Ryan", there are inaccuracies. Apparently the Tiger Tank was not real Tiger but a modified Soviet Tank, and one can tell from the treads.

I think the more you get into learning about antiques, firearms, or old vehicles, etc., the more you just accept these kind of inaccuracies as inevitable. Movies, after all, are the art of deception, and if the producers can find a prop that looks the part they will use it whether or not its historically correct. They just need to fool most people, not the sticklers (like us).

Cheers,
Abner





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