So is this remake supposed to take place in the NOW?

Yes, as implausible as that would seem. The Chinese soldiers are wearing the latest camouflage pattern of the PLA, and there are pictures of fake propaganda posters that make reference to the economic crisis, distrust in the government etc. It seems that the antagonists this time make an active PR effort to gain the support of Americans rather than just engaging in brute force tactics.

IIRC, there are no actual T-72s or BMPs available from movie prop companies in the United States (though there are in Europe). Army Trucks Inc, which is one of the most popular vehicle rental companies for big-budget hollywood movies, does have T-55 tanks though.

I guess I'll watch this movie to laugh at how impossible the plot might be.

Just focus on the guns and explosions like I'm gonna do. ;)

Hmmm, are you sure there are no T-72s over here? I always thought that the one in "Three Kings" was real, and that movie was filmed in the U.S.

And yes, I know about Army Trucks, Inc., but they aren't the only military vehicle rental company in the U.S. (though clearly, they are working on this new version of "Red Dawn", since those M1s we see are their mocked-up Centurions.)

That's a pretty convincing mock-up. How can you tell it's a Centurion?

I'd say the T-72 was a fake, since it is narrower than the real vehicle, taller, has a shorter cannon and the position of the smoke dischargers is wrong. Also, Army Trucks Inc was responsible for the vehicles in that film so it is likely that it was another tank that was modified to resemble a T-72. The only U.S-filmed movie that I can think of that has a genuine T-72 is Transformers, during the scene where Captain Lennox's team is ambushed by Scorponok in the desert, and in that case the tank was wrecked.

Hey, it was still a real T-72, though. :)

First, here's a better picture of it on the set of the movie:

http://www.reddawn2010.com/images/ph...l_p1160350.jpg

See how the undercarriage only six wheels per side? An M1 Abrams has seven. You can also see that it's a little too narrow, and that the engine compartment is a bit taller than a real M1. If you look really closely, you can also see some of the gaps in the turret where the metal plating was welded onto the Centurion's turret.

These mock-up M1s were built originally for the movie "Courage Under Fire". Any movie you've ever seen with an M1 Abrams features these tanks, because in real life, filmmakers can't get access to real M1s unless they get DoD cooperation. So far, "War of the Worlds" and "Transformers 2" are the only movies that have featured real M1s (since the military did cooperate on both). All other movies with M1s use the mocked-up Centurions.

Also, you can see more pics of the tanks at Army Trucks, Inc.'s web site, here:

http://www.armytrucks.com/Tanks_Armored.html