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Summary After seven months of toiling, a Chinese man creates a life sized replica of a Russian T62 tank.
Its been a labour of love for one man in Chinas eastern city of Hangzhou who has created a life size replica of a Russian T62 tank from scratch.39-year-old Hao Jinxi said he spent seven months and over 400,000 yuan (63,000 US dollars) to perfect his creation of the T62, one of the main battle tanks used by the former Soviet Union.Hao is no stranger to building replicas having spent more than ten years running a company making life size sightseeing train models in Hangzhou, the capital of Chinas eastern Zhejiang province.But a military hobbyist since he was young boy Hao said it was his childhood dream that propelled him to create the replica tank.For me personally, I have liked tanks and military equipment since I was young. So since then, I always had a dream to make a life size replica tank if I had the ability to do so, he said.Armed with a replica machine gun, complete with camouflage paint and a moving gun barrel that fires a mixture of oxygen and ethane gas, Haos replica tank moves and looks as fearsome as the real battle machine.With no military experience and little information on how to build a tank, Hao said his experience in making the replica was one of trial and error.Relying on his experience in his job and his engineering background, Hao said he had failed many times to create the movable parts on the replica but kept on going.Now flushed with pride at his success, Hao said the replica tank was also an experiment to expand his business.Haos pride in his creation was shared by many local residents who were surprised the tank was just a replica.Orders have already started to come in for the replica tank.Hao said as a theme park in Chinas Inner Mongolia may buy thirty of his replica tanks if they like the one he made.
