Ultimate Tank Showdown at TankFest 2024 ( FV4005)

This is the story of our journey rebuilding the FV4005 (SPUD) and showcasing it to the public for the first time in history at Tankfest 2024.
Huge thanks to everybody involved in the project and special thanks to
‪@thetankmuseum‬ & ‪@WorldOfTanksOfficialChannel‬
If you could choose another tank to be brought back to life, what would it be and why?
For merchandise visit
mrhewes.co.uk
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Music By: Free Beta Records
Link: goo.gl/peHHCX
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[@MrHewes]

When people ask me why I do this job? It’s for the sense of achievement as it’s far more rewarding than any monetary value could ever be. Was also great to connect with my audience in person for the first time. ❤️

[@rene.0016]

It was amazing to see the evolution of the work in this tank... congratulations!

[@busterdee8228]

It shows.

[@tommyfree4736]

Completely agree with you on this

[@mikewinston8709]

You and the team are completely first class. Long might you all continue….from a former 2434 Royal Hussar - 1974 - 1998.

[@antronargaiv3283]

Well done! (of course it was all due to Ted's project management skills) Really super job on a one-of-a-kind rig, now displayable in the museum, thanks to your team's work!

[@ianjeffery4730]

Thank you for being so kind and understanding when my disabled son came up to you on Friday and asked you who you were and why are you here. You were very kind to him.

[@vickyking3408]

❤

[@MrHewes]

❤️

[@woody5109]

Well done young man, impressive.

[@brln4]

❤

[@Vtarngpb]

@ianjeffery4730 you mean *specially abled son 😉❤

[@farmersboy]

This Tankfest gave me the chance to complete two things; firstly, to see the FV4005 fully restored and running; secondly, to meet the man responsible for not only this, but for what is by far the most educational and entertaining KZbin in my swollen list of subscribed channels. Many, many thanks, and well done to the greatest project manager we've ever seen. Ted.

[@Michael-he7xn]

Bravo!!!

[@MorrisMini-fr2jn]

Why not bring it's brother aswell? The FV4004, Conway. Only 1 is still around, it's in the shed at Bovington. To see both prototypes together and in their glory would be amazing.

[@Gingerfox23]

It's gonna take the museum a while to dig it out though it's right in the back corner, easily 30 other vehicles to move to even be able to assess the vehicle. But yes that would be cool

[@michaelreynolds1904]

​@Gingerfox23 Thats what Fodens are for!

[@kristoffermangila]

You forgot the museum's own collection of ARVs like the Leopard 1 ARV.

[@zefflin1451]

100% agree with this, I'd seen the Conway in the conservation centre while at tank fest and didn't believe it was even still around but low and behold its at behind a bunch of other various vehicles but it would be great to go along with the FV4005.

[@TheGlitch93]

Give Spud a friend

[@cogboy302]

Jack's such a diamond. His interpersonal communication skills are second to none.

[@123123baztard]

And he’s the only one that hasn’t got a can of cider welded to his hand 😅

[@user-sr8cm5vv4j]

The quote from the man who said, "you look smaller on the videos" was priceless...

[@viking1236]

Second to none (at all) lol😊

[@benwinter2420]

Salty dog

[@bobbymac1100]

Congratulations you deserve a big hohohourar ,! the lot of you all should be well proud. Thanks boys and girls.🎉🎊🔥🔥💥💥🇦🇺😎

[@TheCynabal]

Not gonna lie when you turned the lights off and ran the Meteor without the headers was absolutely bloody epic!!

[@Wilko601st]

I'd forgotten about that......

[@EricDKaufman]

As Jeremy Clarkson once said, POWER!!!!

[@kristoffermangila]

Well, it was a derivative of the fabled Merlin engine...

[@user-di4kv9yk3g]

has to be done - when people say about how they love a good V8, i just ignore them with the contempt they deserve bigger engines and jet fun turning fuel to noise - it is a bit American but can't be helped

[@safn1949]

I use subtitles as my hearing is crap, when the Meteor V-12 fires up, subtitles say “music”, damned right it's music, lovely.

[@Hunk1676]

rip and thank you harold for not letting this beautiful piece of engineering not get scrapped and lost to history i'm pretty sure he watched the fv4005 passing trough the arena with joy from heaven

[@theoriginalracingsnake]

Who is chopping onions? What a beautiful bit of filming, the ending got me. Thanks everyone in the team, really. Thank you.

[@cwwhg]

Well done Ted, you did a great job at project managing this bunch of reprobates and keeping them on task! Who's a good boy then eh! 😄

[@wh0dunnitgaming]

Ted deserves a sausage roll

[@user-di4kv9yk3g]

Ted's a proper dog

[@Vtarngpb]

Glad he got a bit of R&R in the sea. Well deserved!

[@donkeykong7777]

I can't believe Ted wasn't riding on top taking his rightful applause. You're all now officially famous, and well deserved too, wonderful job 👏👏👏👏

[@douglarse]

Great idea to put Jack on the top, made the thing look even bigger!

[@andrewdavy3443]

Congratulations to Ted & the entire team, proving that there are still people in the UK who can achieve the seemingly impossible 👍 And to Spud, thank you for saving the FV4005 to be appreciated by others. R.I.P.

[@Jabber-ig3iw]

Thank god Ted was there to supervise the repairs.

[@sangfroidian5451]

It brought a tear to my eye to see Spud putting in a performance at Tankfest. An incredible restoration job by the entire team. I look forward to many more in the years to come!! Keep up the excellent work!!! 😁

[@davidkingman1684]

I just watched the video. The origin story of how the project was born was marvelous. With that and the BARV, your team has returned unusual historic vehicles for the public. History saved for generations. No less than saving Spitfires, Hurricanes and Lancasters. And you made Teddy a celebrity. Huzzah!

[@pabthespanish]

Me and my dad are tank enthusiasts from Spain. Sadly, we couldn't go to tankfest but we always watched and enjoyed each video regarding the restoration progress on the Spud, along with other videos disregarding it too. We both also play world of tanks too!! We mostly play other tanks in general but the FV4005 is my top favorite, many thanks for reviving this powerful beast for Tankfest, i appreciate it very much.

[@DIVERBLOKE1]

All our thanks must go to Spud for saving it the first place, a similar amount of thanks to Ted and then again a similar amount of thanks to You Mr Hewes, Jack and everyone else on the huge list at the back door. Also thanks to WOT (I've played with the FV4005 - its a one shot kill) and The Tank Museum - a place of which I haven't visited yet sadly (or happily even). Bravo.

[@ianmckay1780]

Joe that was the end of an era as far as the 4005 was concerned. She's been there, done it and IS the t'shirt. Thanks for showing your triumphal entry to Tank Fest 2024, with all the adoring viewers looking on in admiration, for all your team's supreme hard work and dedication, over the last few months. Wish you well in your next venture, and assuring you of continued support, with whatever you decide to do next. Just wish I was mobile enough to get there and see everyone in person, and congratulate them all, for their hard work. As I couldn't be there myself would you please pass on my thanks to them. Look forward to the next video as always.

[@phildyson4100]

Thank you. It's been an enormous pleasure watching you all on this journey over the past year and I'm absolutely delighted that you got a proper moment in the spotlight at Tankfest. More power to you all. Hopefully I'll get to tell you that in person at Tankfest next year. PS When is Ted getting his own channel? :) (Is it true he's a terrible diva?)

[@7seriesmax]

One of my favorite things to do with restorations. Take the vehicle back to where it sat forever. Get a picture of it in the exact same spot, but in mint condition. I took my Thunderbird back to the spot where it sat for 17 years.

[@dubstepmachine4430]

The Conway (FV4004) would be fitting to restore as it is very similar to the FV4005.

[@gatling216]

If I could wave my magic wand and make anything possible, I'd like to see the TOG II* restored to running condition. Magnificent old beast, even if it is faintly ridiculous. Well done on getting the FV4005 back together, and well done to Ted for managing the project so well.

[@photosrain4351]

Means a lot to me this video. Although I'm only 62, I know the sacrifice of all of the men and women who rolled up their sleaves and fought for your country and mine ! The sacrifices of you and your team are genuinely heart warming! Great job!!!!!! God bless!

[@nitzerebbhead]

It is a great looking restoration. I used to help restore vehicles at the Fort Snelling Military Museum in St. Paul, MN before the museum was shutdown. It's really satisfying to see your hard work produce something that gives others such joy. A little known project from the 1950s made famous by World of Tanks turned back into a running vehicle is a wonderful thing.

[@MikeGW7ODP]

The fact that you got Spud to Tankfest means that it was impossible for you to make fools of yourselves. Well done Ted and the Team 🙏👏👏👏

[@steveascension9626]

The result of an extremely talented group of engineers and craftsmen working together harmoniously. However, it goes without saying that their companion dog, Fred, watches over and supports them. Thank you for your excellent and, at times, exciting work!

[@Ayane13b]

I've been wanting this tank to be restored since I was 15, I'm 25 now. Thank you for documenting this, and making it happen. Truely an amazing thing. Ill definitely fly out to the museum someday to visit it.

[@MartinFutter70]

A fabulous sight to see her parade around the the arena. Full-on respect to all of you for keeping historic vehicles alive, rather than rusting away. Nice to see Ted keeping cool 😎 As to what you should do next, I have no idea, but I'm sure whatever you choose, it 'will live!' Love all of you ❤

[@fencingcoach3w]

Congratulations to The Tank Museum, WOT and Ted's Team on a wonderful collaboration. How about a video from the tank museum showing the possibles for a future restoration?

[@Eisen_Jaeger]

Apart from them getting the radioactive bits cleaned out I'd love to see the T14 and/or the A33 up and running. Assuming they could also get the track and suspension issues worked around.

[@FF-mt2yo]

By restoring this magnificent tank you have preserved a small piece of history and that is an amazing accomplishment! Returning the tank to pristine running condition is simply amazing! You have done a wonderful thing, bravo gentlemen, bravo!

[@buzzingbusby]

It's got to be a conqueror next.

[@philleeson7835]

Joe, which ever tank etc you decide to take on next will be just as interesting to us viewers as the FV4005. The team and yourself have an amazing set of skills and knowledge far beyond your ages. It's been a pleasure to watch the content that you provide

[@hughthompson8018]

Congratulations, both on an incredible restoration and a really moving video about it. You are an absolutely natural TV presenter! Add to that the Tank Museum has put their faith in you to restore a piece of National Heritage, so you are now on a par with people called Geoffrey and Camilla who restore oil paintings and sculpture. For the next one, it has to be a Conqueror. Lots of Centurions, Chieftains etc, but I think there are only one or two Conquerors left in the world, and none of them run.

[@JW-hv8uo]

Well done! The FV4005 looks like something one of us hillbilly Americans would have built. I can hear it know..."Hey Abner, lets put the biggest dang gun we got on one of them tank machines. Hold my beer while I draw out a picture of it.....". Very happy for a successful TankFest for you and your team.

[@AndrewFurniss]

Well done everyone involved. You did a fantastic job with the project. It must have been such a proud moment to drive it around at Tankfest!

[@jimginn7163]

Nice to see "spud" moving about 👍

[@xandergilson7929]

the music choice... muah... simply perfection.

[@dwarf_nz483]

It is so wonderful to see Spud restored to working condition (amazing job on that front by-the-by) and parading around the arena with its brethren instead of rusting away on sentry duty outside the front of the museum. Tankfest is on my Bucket List, but living in New Zealand it is going to take a lot of money to make that dream come true. Though we all must have dreams. Superb job in restoring the 4005!

[@markhorrell9213]

My thanks to the museum,WOT.,Initially for green lighting its resto..then to everyone who got involved recreating/restoring this grand dame. Without collaboration, sheer determination and funding projects like this languish into lamented rust piles.....well done folks!

[@garethhoward6689]

How humble these guys are, in todays society hard to come by. This is what makes a man.

[@worksgr8429]

the tank i wanna see restored from the tank museum is the fv4202 otherwise know as the 40 ton centurion, it holds a special place in my heart as it was my first tier 8 premium on world of tanks and helped me to learn how to play the game better at an earlier stage, and that when i did tankfest in 2019 i was amazed to find the actual prototype hiding in the conservation centre in the back corner next to the fv4004 conway looking sorry for itself

[@matthewshedden3567]

The best TankFest I have ever been to! What a journey and what an amazing thing to watch you all work! In Mr Hewes we trust! ❤

[@clivewaiton]

Such a fantastic achievement to restore FV4005 to the highest standard that you have. I've watched every video from the start (like many, many other!), it was the highlight of my year to meet you all and have some photos with the team. Dont stop what you're doing!! It all brings back such fond memories of Sennelager and Paderborn in the late 70's and 80's (especially all the Chieftain stuff)

[@richboyo8306]

Amazing work you all have done. History is richer and more complete now you have preserved this machine. Bloody proud of what you have done.

[@windymiller1697]

i must say you have made an old tankie very happy, thank you all , for you persistence and fun whilst restoring this giant. And of course to Ted for overseeing it all :)

[@dandel351]

Now that's something to stand back and be proud of. I'm sure if Spud was still around he'd love what you've done with the FV4005. Ted really deserves extra treats for being the best project manager ever. Great job to all the team I've been really enjoying your work. Thanks all the way from Oz !😁👍

[@pauldarke8024]

Bloody awesome job. Congratulations to all the Ladies and Gentlemen that enabled and carried out this restoration

[@mister_woot]

There's only one answer to your question Mr Hewes and you know it. TOG II*, because as the mighty jingles has told us, TOG is love, TOG is life, TOG is awesome, and even when it loses, TOG always wins. Go on, it's so wonderfully crap it has to be done. 😀

[@fat_biker]

I suspect it's structurally too far gone :-(. Also, every single part would have to be made by hand...

[@outrodrift814]

I totally agree 😁

[@mister_woot]

@@fat_biker possibly... But it'd be one hell of a cap feather to manage it wouldn't it?

[@keithpotter9141]

If not the TOG. What about the tortoise

[@mister_woot]

@@keithpotter9141 good idea! That would be awesome too

[@casto-]

Congratulations Ted! You’ve kept the team going till the end, I salute you! Well done everyone, great to see her back from the dead and running, driving and making a lot of people happy. Definitely something to tell the grandkids one day! It’s a pity Spud didn’t see her completed to her now glory😔

[@triton401]

Thankyou, what an amazing journey you all have had and thankyou for allowing us all to share this with you. I can only admire the dedication, tears and sweat that went into creating this. The soundtrack and narration from you was compelling and wonderful. More please...

[@MickHurst65]

Just an epic achievement all round. The time, the care and the laughs. I was well stoked when I spied a clip of the FV4005 doing a run round Tankfest on Saturday morning just gone.

[@Calz2006]

Absolutely mega work from Ted and you guys. We saw it on the Sunday and you really don't get a sense of scale of it until you see it in person; an absolute unit of a tank.

[@allobject]

Congratulations to you, Mr Hewes and your team! - Great to see you in the driver's seat! Well deserved! - Thanks for all your and your teams labor to share the past in the present.

[@user-uy8fb6xv6j]

I've always loved tanks and am an avid watcher of WOT streamers and videos so I knew exactly what it was and couldn't believe it when you started to restore the FV4005! Brilliant series of videos with a fantastic result. Well done all!

[@In_memory_of_Dad]

This is without doubt the best video from you guys yet. It was a real pleasure to see Spud at Tank Fest and even more of a pleasure to get to meet all of you, especially you Joe. You really are a remarkable young chap with incredible knowledge of your chosen craft. 👍

[@Imp-mq1be]

It was great to see FV4005 and shake your hand Mr Hewes, well done on your work. I hope you got to see the COBI FV4005 with a minifigure of you and Ted

[@harrisonrawlinson5650]

My first visit to the tank museum was in 2019. I made a point of going to look at FV4005 when it was a gate guard, it was really sad to see it in such disrepair and rusting away, I was really hoping that it would at least be dragged inside the conservation centre to slow down the rate of corrosion, especially to the turret. So to see it in person, see it running and go inside the turret on Friday was beyond awesome, 5 years ago, I never would’ve dreamt that I would see it move under its own power. Thankyou for bringing an important part of history back to life for future generations to see. Because I love interwar tank development, I’d really love to see something like TOG being restored to running order, but it would also be awesome to see something like an early model Churchill

[@harthoundsvehiclerestorati8561]

FV4202, it's a cute little thing and that wonderful halfway between your twin passions of Centurion and Chieftain. Keep up the good work chaps, looks fantastic!

[@leenewman4344]

Great job, Mr Hewes and Co. You are all a credit to the preservation and upkeep of these amazing machines. Without dedicated people like you, they would just be pictures in books, distant memories, or long forgotten!

[@Ralph94967]

to everyone involved in the resto of spud thank you all for keeping the history of this particular tank living the the Gent who saved it from being scrapped we will allways be thankfuil for what you did Rest easy soldier the team of the tank museium and world of tanks and last but not least Mr Hewes and all his team i think like so many other folks out their you cracked it to TED the main man in all of this the project manager well bloody done buttons in threes

[@peterhilton7211]

Truly outstanding watching Spud go around at tankfest. For years standing there unloved but now looking and drive fantastically. Thank you

[@Rennie6666]

Well Done Mr Hewes and Team. Mr Harold Hamilton Taylor would be so very Proud of the Time, Work and Dedication you have all put in getting the FV4005 in amazing running condition, I bet he has a huge smile on his face after the great weekend. Next project TOG II

[@bobbroadhurst1648]

The whole lot of you guys, and gals, deserve all the credit and praise that so many have already posted here, a mammoth restoration task but what a final result Big congrats Joe, Ted and the team

[@Lewis-kf2pj]

Got to say Joe (and the whole team behind you) you’ve done a thoroughly amazing job with this one and to say you did it all in time for Tankfest was truly brilliant. You’ve got a hell of a team there old bean and long may it continue, as long as you’re enjoying the KZbin side of things obvs. Gobsmackingly good work and a hat off to you all! I hope you’re all really proud seeing it blast around the Tankfest ring.

[@andywilliment581]

Congratulations to the whole team on this wonderful achievement. I believe Ted deserves a Knighthood for project managing the restoration and keeping you all in line. 😎🇬🇧

[@gavinniles60]

Thanks to Teds wonderful work in over seeing this project and your help in saving a great peace of history Keep up all the great work A big thanks to you all

[@rekabuk]

Full credit to Jack, it can't be easy sometimes. Well done for all that needle gunning and spraying- legioned.

[@JDW-wn9te]

I hope Ted rewarded you all generously for the work you put in to get Spud running, it’s incredible to see such a rare piece of kit running again, and for the journey to have been recorded so well. Well done to yourself & your team for the work you’ve done, and thank you! I hope to see you driving Spud around in the future.

[@barrydavis3044]

Thank you for all your hard work and Bovington tank museum for the support. 😊

[@Flyingfarmer1]

Well done team! You should all be immensely proud. Fantastic achievement!

[@Tangeriine]

Next restoration gotta be a Conqueror dude.... Only tank you never see running. Just do it... 💪 Respect to all the team...

[@The_BenboBaggins]

Absolutely adore Debussey's Clair de Lune - thank you for choosing such a beautiful performance for the background to the start of this video ❤

[@Mia-elf1]

Fantastic restoration, top job👍😎👌.

[@TricksterColonel]

It is a tricky one because the Tank Museum has so many awesome tanks, and so many need a bit of love and restoration. I think the next tank if possible that you could restore, I would say the FV4004 Conway, she's looking a little rough in the shed and I think it would be a great idea for the FV4005 to have her forerunner alongside, so to add a bit of history of how we got to the FV4005. That tank was ment to be a interim tank before the FV214 Conqueror was ready for service to mount the 120mm gun, incase we needed a tank with that gun fast! And I have to say it does look an awesome next project. That's what I thought, but honestly whatever you might restore next, I know you will do an awesome job. Well done lads honestly it was so incredible to watch you complete this, last time me and my brother visited on Tiger Day we saw the FV4005 and thought it needed some love and a restoration, so it was such a coincidence that your new video restoration series came up with restoring the FV4005 haha. Honestly incredible thank you for the awesome content and a fantastic restoration, I look forward to your next up coming videos and a new restoration project! I don't know if the Churchill Gun Carrier is too far gone or a too big a restoration project, but that is another possible restoration, not sure what you guys might think about that?

[@AW-Services]

Thank you for saving a special piece of our military history. A beautifully documented and modern-day realistic approach to tank restorations You've created a piece of national archive with this project. You need to save your restoration video files to a hard format such as DVDs and have the tank museum hold onto them for future generations to accompany SPUD and the significance of this project A job well done by all involved You should all be extremely proud 👏 Rest in peace Harold 🙏

[@BrumKid]

We are all proud of you and your team for restoring such a rare tank into looking so damn good and for it to be a runner👌👍 Now do the same to that damn T34 👍🤞

[@reesefobes867]

We’re all proud of the job you did. Amazing work. Looking forward to the next project.

[@Bebbsy40]

It was great seeing you there on Friday! You've done an outstanding job on the FV-4005!

[@safn1949]

I miss my tank, last saw the old girl in September 1976. Well done gentlemen, glad Teddy has you all whipped into shape. Wish I could be there and meet you all, alas, old age and a bad back says no. Have fun.

[@mgbrv8]

Well, done, lads. And thank you Teddy for making it all possible

[@randombudssouthwestuk9110]

Guy you've done an amazing job bringing the FV4005 back I grew up in Bovington and spent my childhood playing and climbing all over it always wanted to see it in all it's glory fantastic job guys childhood dream come true 👍 👏

[@sdstube8061]

BLIMEY! That was some gathering. You guys should be very proud to put your name to that project too. Very well done chaps. Very well done.

[@hectorpascal]

A Debussy sound track - I am impressed! I am not sure the composer would ever have imagined it being used to accompany tank repair (but I guess it is now well out of copyright and is KZbin demonetisation proof! 😄)

[@Sgt_Bill_T_Co]

Bought a tear to my eye this video.

[@timjames7869]

What a professional video. Somebody’s getting superb at this? Editing must take so much time, but I really appreciate it. Thank you.

[@Abusing-water-bottles]

So glad I got to meet you on Friday. Thx once again for doing this, this is my favourite tank

[@wivout]

Great Job to Ted as Master Project Manager and well done to his Crew, Next on the list should be a Matilda II or Churchill IV

[@Siegfried_drachentoter]

Wasn’t there this year but nice to see the hard work pay off

[@robinjohnhill7556]

I don't know how you do it, you're all brilliant - especially Ted.

[@Toaster193]

This channel is smashing it !... what a series and epic restoration journey. I need a tank. Well done guys, well done.

[@tonic8945]

Great restoration mate, your job satisfaction must be off the scale.

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

You chose a very nice music this time, the calm piano creates a very sophisticated atmosphere. I must come visit some time, I´d really like to meet Y´all, especially Ted.

[@mister_woot]

Claire de la Lune by Claude Debussy. One of my fave pieces of all time.

[@dominicdodd9759]

Nice enough little tune, but best music was from arena around 16:00 mins! 😊

[@jayvernon2575]

The Churchill Gun Carrier would be pretty cool to see... Another unique vehicle saved then :P

[@asmith1708]

I will say hats off to You, Jack and everyone thats got this to happen. I did not know much about the tank, but reading about it and the concept of effectively fitting a naval gun to a land vehicle is clever

[@samplechannel2fiyd5idjfufjfud]

the selection of music is pure class

[@Madjock54]

Great job guys try the churchill gun carridge tank next think gheh got one there

[@neanderthaloutdoors9202]

You and your team have done an amazing authentic restoration job on the FV4005, I remember seeing it sat outside the car parking area at Bovington many years ago looking sad and neglected. Unfortunately I missed out on a ticket to the Fest, bookings only, no pay at gate as normal ! All the best to you all.

[@TheMaelstromProject]

the FV4202 has got to be a candidate for restoration, a vital piece of british tank history between the centurion and chieftan

[@BrumKid]

Thanks

[@MrHewes]

New toy for Ted coming