PM sent. Jeff

This has always been one of my favorite movies --- I wish they'd come out with a Special Edition DVD of the film... Alas, probably too much of a cult favorite and not enough of a popular favorite to do so. I don't know if the Jaguar figures are still available (would make sense to re-release them with this Sherman set out)... I'll pick up the Oddball's tank crew set, but honestly the sculpting doesn't look all that great on the set --- but it's the only game in town so I'd still buy it. There used to be a conversion kit for the Tiger (T-34) years ago, but I have not seen it in some time. Hmmmm. Might make a good Father's Day present... Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Me too - but I don't think it'll happen. The concept of a Director's Cut / Special Edition is comparatively recent (I recall "Aliens" being one of the first around 1993-ish, on VHS and it being quite difficult to get hold of as the Internet hadn't yet caught on in a big way) and I'm led to believe by film nerds that I've spoken to on other forums (as opposed to us armour nerds here!) that back in those days, most cut footage from most movies ended up being destroyed. It's a real shame in the case of "Kelly's Heroes" though, because I've read in numerous sources that the cut that made the cinemas was far removed from the director Brian Hutton's original vision for the movie (a vision shared by Eastwood). Hutton wanted more of a satire / black comedy a la "Catch 22", with much deeper characterisation. The money-men and the studio suits however overruled the director and the movie's main star, and insisted on more of a straight shoot-'em-up action movie - which is what we ended up with, much of the characterisation and "cerebral" stuff having been left on the cutting room floor. Still a great movie though, and unlike most WWII movies of its era, took a good shot at getting the hardware right (the Harvard trainer aircraft masquerading as a Hawker Typhoon being the only real weakness for me). - Steve

I'd like to see or at least read about the scenes that were cut from the film... I wonder how much extra was shot and cut vs. what was scripted and never committed to film? It probably would have been a very different film had the director's wishes for a more cerebral or even "Catch 22"-ish approach was taken. I can see where traces of it poke through in the film (the German officer being gunned down by his own Tiger, our own aircraft mistakenly firing on our troops, the bridge being knocked out by our guys, etc.) but the film itself might not have been as fun and endearing if it had taken a more ironic tone. Who knows? It is still one of my top ten favorites and always will be --- maybe one day Clint will intervene and we'll get that Special Edition DVD. And Donald Sutherland's anachronistic hippie tank commander is another of my all-time favorites (right up there with Eli Wallach as Tuco in "The Good The Bad and the Ugly") --- an utterly fun performance ya just can't get enough of! And come ta think of it, Jaguar could do another version of Oddball's crew, this one in the SS tanker's uniforms (not to mention the Tiger commander --- that would be a great figure)! Even as a kid, I remember feeling scared that Oddball didn't bother to paint any American stars on the "captured" Tiger... I guess he wouldn't be Oddball if he did, right? Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

A small resin company did put out a "Tiger 34" conversion kit 6 or 7 years ago. They advertised it in the classifieds of Finescale Modeler. If anyone has the back issues you might look for it.

Here's what the add from the December 2001 copy of Fine Scale Modeler reads: TIGER/34 1/35 Conversion..........$35.00 Kit fof T34 to movie prop as seen in various films. T. Pingarelli P.O. Box 291044 Los Angeles, CA, 90029 22 resin pieces to convert most T34 kits on the market. I wonder if the kit's still available? Cheers jjumbo

cool I can swap it for a tiger Jerry

I've ordered mine from Formations, can't wait It's been a long time to do list thing

It's a great film. But I don't think I'd like to be one of Oddball's crew. He puts a tube over his 75mm gun to scare the Germans into thinking he's armed with a 90mm. Thinking along the lines of the British Firefly tanks didn't the Germans try and target these first as the biggest threat? So in reality he's just making himself a target. Tom