Stuntman Jim Dowdall | Top 5 Tanks | The Tank Museum 

Plz let him do a "Top 25" - I could listen to him all day.

"If you can't afford a spitfire..." *i can barely afford food*

"When god was a Corporal" I love how seamlessly/dead-pan he threw the joke in. This Dude rules!

This guy sounds like he has had a legendary life!

This guy is great. Good delivery, relaxed expert.

All of the "Top Five Tanks" chats have been great. But Jim Dowdall's is simply the best. I appreciate the perspective of the other guest Tank Chatters: Lindy Beige and Indy Neidell did great presentations that reflect their own unique view on military history and engineering. And I'm quite sure other historians and engineers, military experts and statisticians can give their own views on which armored fighting vehicles were most significant and/or effective. Describing Jim Dowdall as merely a "stuntman" is almost absurdly modest. This is a man who doesn't just drive a massive, dangerous, unpredictable, and unwieldy military monster. He's the guy who knows how to make it work in the way that film makers need to entertain us onscreen. He's been an integral part of so many of the movies that brought armored fighting vehicles to life, for the past half century: Where Eagles Dare; The Eagle Has Landed; GoldenEye , Fury. Jim is obviously the consummate professional. A man who loves his work, and has the skill and dedication to make magic happen. The perfect complement to the professionals of the Tank Museum, and the incredibly valuable and fascinating collection they maintain. Thanks for your work, Jim, on so many great movies. And thanks to the Tank Museum for having the vision to let people like Jim Dowdall share their experiences with the rest of us.

I believe every self-respecting Tank guy gets slightly aroused by the sight of a StuG.

'I first drove one of these in 'Where Eagles Dare'' in ninteen frefrefrer'' Hahaha, love the guy's sense of humour.

@2:53 "If you cant afford spitfire this(Achilles) is the next best thing"

Just had a look on his website... Turns out he was the German soldier with the MP40 in the famous fountain scene of Enemy at the Gates.

Only a Brit would insist on a right hand drive T-55!

I love how he's calmly talking about Michael Caine like no big deal 😂

Well if it weren't for the fact that I'm 4,800 miles away and there's a small puddle between us; you would probably have to chase me out with a broom each night when you closed. Otherwise I might move in to the TOG and just live there.

Dear Lord! I swear, "When God was a corporal..." is my new favourite expression. Bar none. Love it....

Hell, what war movie has this guy NOT worked on?!

Logs as extra protection? Sure. Spare track was also used in the same way, as seen here on the side of the Panther. But that's not all the logs were good for. If you got stuck in the mud, you could chain them to the track to help get you out.

Best Tank Museum video yet. Absolutely fascinating anecdotes from a real tank fan. I would love to see a video of Jim Dowdall and David Fletcher drinking tea and discussing tanks. 😍

"Family allowance". LOL. I love the British language.

Fun fact: the t55 from golden eye (#343) made an appearence in Red Dwarf in the Pride and Prejudice episode driven by Kryten

Smooth camera moves! I suspect Matt has acquired some sort of 'gimbal'.

Things to do before die: - Drifting with a T-55 done....

Heh, my predictable reaction to #4 as a Finn: Is he going to mention it's Finnish? Is he going to mention it's Finnish? He did! Jee! Torilla tavataan!

This is my favourite tank chat where a guest gives their top 5. Jim tells such great stories and his enthusiasm is infectious. Utrinque Paratus brother.

kettenkrad, genius thing that is, i love them so much

This guy is one of the most interesting people ive ever seen on youtube

What an archive! Fascinating first hand accounts of some movie magic. Thanks for making this!

After watching this video i have finally decided that i'm going to treat myself by going to the tank museum on my 40th birthday next year so, i'll be back to share that experience here as well.

Thank you to Jim Dowdall and The Tank Museum for this. (: Simply marvelous and fun to see and hear from someone like Jim.

really great guys! I'm thinking of going to the U.K. just to see this place.

That meaty slap when he hits the Achilles was legendary.

No offense to the normal video curators, but this is by far my favorite video I've watched on the channel, Jim just has that special personality that draws the viewer in on a deeper level....

To me as an american this is the best top 5 tanks, fully enjoyed every second

Please have Mr. Dowdall do another one ! This man is incredibly entertaining .

The best of all the "Top 5 Tanks" vids IMHO. This guy really knows tanks because he's worked on them & lived with them. I particularly liked the Kettenkrad part.

This guy is a natural! he obviously loves the subject. We want MORE!

"Family Allowance" My god these Brits have a crafty vocabulary

This is actually the best episode of this series. Jim is a very good presenter. Strangely, I watched Goldeneye on TV the a couple of nights before this came out, I saw it several times as a kid and loved it. This was the first time I had wandered who was actually driving the tank, I was going to look it up, it was a bit odd when Jim declared it was him lol.

Thanks, Mr Dowdall, for educating us, and for your contributions to so many entertaining movies.

Jim Dowdall is the cool guy to present tanks and tell good stories, I loved to watch him here :-))

STUG FOR LIFE!

Many thanks for sharing this with us. Lots of interesting real world accounts of how these tanks were used and then changed to allow them to be used in the film industry. I must admit the James Bond film Golden Eye is one of my favourites and that Tank chase scene is just the best, if a little tongue in cheek. Many thanks once again, Joe

Wowee, the cost of shooting those shots in St Petersburg. Mocking up a Saladin for that one shot. Also just love the brutal simplicity of the T-55.

I really enjoy these! This one was the best so far! Very interesting stories. You should invite James May to do his top 5 tanks.

I love him already. His number 5 is my fav TD. 4.. the Stug 3. oh yes it just gets better. This is the best top 5 yet by far. He nails the best for me from all the others so far. Not only that he presents it so well. All the others have a 10-12min video. Jims was 30 min. I first cringed as I hit play due to its length. Oh no. He could pick his best 10 and keep talking for 30 min longer and I would be glued.

Now this is a true aficionado! Thank you for sharing your passion with us, Mr. Dowdall. And congratulations on your wonderful (and expansive) career as well!

When I heard what he does I almost skipped the video. GREAT JOB! There is nothing like owning and working on a vehicle to truly know the ins and outs.

Tank driver in goldeneye....wow....legend!!

The BEST top tanks video on this channel. Very detailed and informative. I was glued to his commentary from the first minute! The T-55 Goldeneye story was fascinating!

I loved the video. Simply loved it. Thank you kind sirs.

I heard a Canadian tank general, who had been the top scoring tank ace for the Allies on the Western European front in WW2, named Sidney Radley-Walters, talk about how he destroyed German Panther tanks with his ordinary old Sherman--NOT the Firefly! He said you had to get within about 800 to 900 yards of the Panther and directly in front of it. Then you aimed your 75mm cannon at the portion of the Panther's turret that held its cannon and bounced your shot off the bottom half of the rounded off mantel directly above where the driver sat. Then the round would ricochet directly down and pass through the much more thinly armoured part of the hull and kill the driver, also destroying his driving controls. When the reporter doing the interview (who was absolutely google-eyed) asked him if it was actually possible to "hit a six inch bull's eye at 900 yards with your first shot?" Radley-Walters said completely straight faced "Sure, why not?" How would you like to do that for a living? General Sidney Radley-Walters, a preacher's son from Quebec, killed 19 German tanks with his Sherman during the war. As far as I know, he is still alive and living in a retirement home somewhere in Ontario. (Oops! Actually he died in April of 2015 at the age of 95!) As he gave the interview for the documentary "The Valour and the Horror", they were standing in a Normandy tank museum with a Panther and a Sherman sitting one beside the other. The German tank looked like a behemoth next to the diminutive Sherman. It really put things in perspective! I think very few of us realize just how tough and steely nerved our Normandy tank vets were, especially on the Canadian and British fronts where they faced by far the bulk of all the German armour around Caen. Something like 70% of all German armour in Normandy faced us at Caen, which other people have told me was the heaviest concentration of armour per square mile during all of WW2. Even heavier than at Kursk! "The Valour and the Horror" is available for viewing here on RU-vid at: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vLFqGOh78qU.html The interview with General Sidney Radley-Walters begins at the 1:29:40 mark of this episode called "In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944." My hat comes off to all of our Normandy vets still living ...

"Brosnan took the handsome lessons" What would we do without British humor

@21:44 - "I first drowe one of these in the film called 'where eagles dare' in nineteensixteENHPGPEFMKFEGEPP" BRILLIANT! :-) I could watch more videos of him, probably would be bloody intersting! Do please make it happen because I know a Tank nut when I see one and he kind of fits perfectly!

What an awesome guy - I really appreciate his sense of professionalism and security, while still retaining 'the little boy' in his heart :D :D

Jim’s inclusion of stories from the movies he worked on truly enhanced the video

I could listen to this guy all day.

“Getting paid for having fun” That sounds great!

Come for a top 5 tanks and get a bonus stuntman story on Golden Eye... I love it!

it's not about bulk, it's not about the thickness of the armor, IT'S ABOUT GERMAN OVERENGENEERING

I could listen to him all day, i love the way he is explaining things...

St. Petersburg scene in Goldeneye is one of the best Bond scenes of all time. Peirce was a phenomenal 007

The T-55 story, so good :D Hire him to do more videos!

I'd live to have a pint with Jim. Utterly fascinating

Legend. Great knowledge. I've always wanted a spitfire, now I have an achilles to my ambition.

"Dirty dozen". One of my favorite movies when I was a kid. Also, the term "gas axe" tells me the man has actually worked for a living.

those t-55 stories were amazing!

I can't believe a dozen people actually downvoted this. a great video and a great piece of History both of movies and battle

i feel like the guys at the Tank Museum have a character for any kind of people that might get in....... its friggin awesome!!!

"You don't come back for a second dose" I love it!

Absolutely superb video. Get him on again to talk about tanks!

I’ve watched loads of these ‘Top 5 Tanks’ now by a whole array of people and this in my opinion is the most interesting and informative one of all of them. Well Done. Incidentally it’s the one with the ‘top 5 tanks’ that would be closest to my own choices too.

One it the best "top 5" videos, just because he knows the tools of the trade. Thanks for great story!

This guy should do more, hes really good.

Great storyteller. I enjoyed every minute of this video.

One of the best top 5 tanks i have seen. Love your choices and the stories behind them...!

what on earth did 8 people find to dislike ... that was great

I would love to go to the local Tesco supermarket for my shopping in the Kettenkrad.

Weird. I have known of the Sow's Head mantlet for years and can readily tell the difference between that and the early more boxy style, but never knew why it was called that. Then watching this video and suddenly went 'Oh yeah... it looks like a pig...' :P Really great video.

8:45 love who he demonstrated the weight of the track

I could listen to this guy for hours. His enthusiasm and his storytelling makes it extremely worthwhile.

Mr. Dowdall was absolutely fascinating! I could listen to him talk all day about his films plus his obvious love and extensive knowledge of war machines. Superb Video! Thanks

Hey Tank Museum! do a top 5 tanks with Squire! :)

Thanks Jim for your 5 favorite AFVs. A very interesting talk. How does driving a tank compare with driving an At-At or flying an X-wing?

this guy has lived an epic life! all those classic films hes been in and hes been shot by clint!!!

Relax...like you walk and talk with a good friend who share the love and interest with you. Seen him for first time and i think he is super.

This is my pornography

I always thought the logs were used for mud, not armor protection.

I love motorcycle and sidecars, and ever since I first clapped eyes on the Kettenkrad I thought it would be interesting to ride.....

What a wonderful story teller, extremely entertaining.

What would be interesting is if they brought over MHV. He'd probably faint seeing all of the German Tanks.

nice Top 5

"... but I was GAaaAH StuG, so excited" Fantastic

Glad I clicked on this video,it would be so much fun to spend time with Mr. Dowdall

Damn. I should have asked for an Achilles for Christmas!

Does David Fletcher have a top 5 tanks?

One of these days I will make it across the pond to see the museum

That tank chase in Golden eye was awesome. I loved the drifting. I wondered how they did that.

woah Jim dowdall?

No.4 - A Finnish Sturmi! Nice.

Even though you never see the stuntman, it would still be really cool to watch something like Goldeneye and be like “that’s me driving that tank”

I'd cross the Atlantic from Canada just for this museum