Show us your helmets

[PC4U]

I'm totally disillusioned...I was told this was the place to show off ones helmet....

[jamie]

Hello!

just to show the two stahlhelms I use to wear, in the first one I try to show the inside name and the helmet, but is a strange phot, the other I have one with all the equipment.

Best regards!!

Jamie

[blueboyukb]

i`m pleased this thread has been `bumped` up again, as it`s given me the reason i needed to get off my backside and put some pics on here!. i`m not a re-enactor, but a stahlhelm nut, i have some originals but i also enjoy restoring/renovating true relics back into wearable shape. i don`t feel that letting a usable , no paint, rust covered shell deteriorate in a shed somewhere is serving history well. better in my view to bring it back to life. that said i`m not attempting to create a helmet which will in years to come be used to dupe the unknowledgable into parting with their hard earned. to that end there are deliberate `mistakes` on each one, not too obvious to most but a sign that these are not original finds from that era. that said all the shells used are original, war time german, and were in various states of neglect. the intention has not been to portray how the helmet would look today, nearly 70 years on,but how it could have looked at the time, which is why i thought these may be of some interest to the re-enacting community.

this first one is a single decal m42 with a slight rough texture, size 64 shell, feldgrau.

[blueboyukb]

this is a luft, m42, shell size 66, in a `normandy` pattern camo, copied exactly from a known original in a collection.

[blueboyukb]

this is a `work in progress`, a plain jane m40, size 64 shell single decal heer, but, outside sitting in the garden i have a wire` half basket `nicely rusting, (three months so far!) which will be put on after a crude hand painted two tone camo is applied

[blueboyukb]

this is a monster, a size 68 shell m35 double decal ss. apple green. weighs a ton!. got this shell from germany for £11!.

[blueboyukb]

a m35, size 66 shell, with very rough texture paint in `slate grey`. the pics don`t do the colour justice, make it look green!.

[blueboyukb]

and finally (for now!!), a m35 66 shell ss single decal, apple green with winter overpaint, again the pics don`t do it justice, spent a long time getting the `rust` just right, and the appearance of the `brushstrokes`. hope you find these of some interest, if anyone has any questions or comments then please feel free. 8)

[Wilibald]

Well, My M35 shell was bought on EBAY from a canadian vendor located in Nunavut. I paid 100$ for it. It was painted in a (scratchy) Hi-gloss black and was used by Czech Authority...

I stripped the horrid paint down using acetone, I first sprayed it with some slightly textured spray paint ("Excelsuede finish" from walmart...yep! ) refinished it as a DD SS stahlhelm using 1944 Militaria's Feldgrau spray paint, along with some flat black spray touch up. Applied two dry transfer decals, used some light sand paper and steel wool over it all, then sprayed some flat clear coat and. Finally added a set or repro split pins, liner & chin strap and added a dome stamp decal dated 1937... An you can see the result below

I also added a picture of the stripped shell showing the strange marking with the upside down #4... I would be glad to hear your comments about it!

wilibald

[Wilibald]

And here is my M42: originally bought in 1985 from an old couple who'se son had comitted suicide, leaving some of his "collection" behind (for thos einterested: there are some pix of my helmet in its former state on an old thread on this forum).

The helmet was poorly refinished in an olive drab hue and bore two low quality Heer water transfer decals. I finally discovered (years later) that it was a German shell with german components that has been refurbished by the Postwar Danish government. Those helmets were imported by an American company which overpainted the danish finish and sold the "upgraded" versions through mail advertisement during the 70s.

I worked hard removing (sandblasting + acetone) the Danish + american paint then sprayed the "naked" shell with some flat black primer. I finally painted it using a rag and a soft brush (!!!) with a mixture of RAL 6006 color (feldgrau) mixed at a local paint store + some medium grey paint. I finally added a few touches of black spray (very lightly) and oversprayed the result with flat clear coat. The decal is a water transfer. It was "weathered" using sandpaper and a nail!

Here is the result:

[blueboyukb]

wilibald, love the name painted in the second helmet!!. your pics are so much better than mine, i guess i`m no david bailey, which is a shame `cos i wanted to share the weeks/months of hard work which have gone into my helmets, live and learn!.

[Wilibald]

Thanks Blueboyukb

I just used my "old" (2 years...*lol*) 4MP olympus cam on a tripod, no flash, "night picture" mode and, of course, my remote control. Your helmets are great! Just too bad we miss the details. What a WIDE selection too! 8) I wish I had that many helmets to play with!

The name in my M42.? I thought it would add some authenticity to my impression, and I must admit it turned out good enough

Wilibald

[nihil]

Wiliblad> Look good. Are you sure it was the danish goverment, and not the norwegian?

[Wilibald]

Danish? WHY did I say Danish??*lol* You are right: I MEANT Norwegian *lol* Thanks for correcting me

Wilibald

[blueboyukb]

thanks wilibald, your helmets look very good. i might (when i`ve got the time) re-shoot the pics and replace them if i can do any better. as for the quantity of helmets, those six are not all! i`ve two more shells as yet untouched, including a rare q m42, but i`ll wait until better weather before i start on them,as most of my spraying etc is done outdoors. and i`ve a couple of originals which complete with decals etc, which i will keep and preserve.