Tanks are among the more expensive pieces of ground equipment a national military has to spring for.  That, combined with the general novelty of seeing these massive, rumbling war machines in person or on film ensures that they maintain some level of value even well after their usefulness in battle has evaporated.

Companies all over the globe snatch up tanks and other similar equipment that were once used on battlefields around the planet for resale to collectors, appearances in movies and TV shows, and in some cases, to offer private rides to civilians that may not otherwise ever get the chance to experience the hot, dark, and uncomfortable interiors of the world’s most powerful fighting machines.

Such is the case for a company out of the UK called Tanks A Lot, and its owner (a tank collector in his own right) Nick Mead.  His business specializes in providing various kinds of tanks for appearances at events, in film, and even for tank driving classes carried out by his staff.  Recently, Meade purchased an ex-Iraqi Army Type 69 tank on Ebay and quickly brokered a deal with the owner, trading an Abbot self-propelled howitzer and a British Army truck to the owner for the piece of Iraqi military history.

Immediately upon taking delivery of his new tank, Mead and one of his mechanics, Todd Chamberlain, set about searching the vehicle and looking over its mechanics.  They quickly found live machine gun ammunition inside – something Mead knew he didn’t wanted to be held responsible for in the UK, so they pulled out a video camera and began filming their efforts to search and clear the remainder of the vehicle.