The pensioner said he bought the 1:6 scale model kit to build a Sherman Firefly tank from British firm Armortek, after learning about them through his nephew’s friend.

A 1/6 version costs 3,600 pounds while a kit to build your own 1/35 scale tank costs 100 pounds. A 1/6 scale American Sherman tank with a British Firefly gun costs £3,600.