Opinions on Helmets Requested, Thanks To All Who Reply

[bobby ricigliano]

I have recently began dabbling in some militaria after spending a few years collecting German WW2 firearms. I picked this helmet up recently, and it was an as-is type sale with no guarantee of being original. If nothing else, I liked the way it looked and the price was about what repros go for anyway. I posted pics on another board, and some people dismissed it as a fake. I do not mind if it is a fake, but for my own education and future buying, I would appreciate any insight as to what tell tale signs are there of fakery?

The helmet looks, feels, and smells old. The luftwaffe decal is aged, and the color appears to be right. There are markings on the leather liner, which I have been told are incorrect, and there is a dome marking that I have been told is fake. The chipped paint spots seem odd, not consistent with normal wear, but the metal underneath is bare with some patina.

With that said, I would appreciate any input from the board.

Kindest regards,
BR

 

[bobby ricigliano]

One other question regarding helmets:

Since unaltered, original condition helmets are far outside of my price range, what are collector opinions on "restored" German helmets? I have acquired a couple of helmets that I am certain are WW2 German issue, but they were in poor condition and cleaned / repaired / repainted in correct German paint and decal patterns. Do militaria collectors dismiss these, or do they hold any interest? I am not too concerned with dollar value, as they were not purchased as investments, but they look great displayed in a den or man cave. I personally find them to be much more interesting than reproduction helmets.

Opinions welcomed and appreciated. I promise not to argue with anyone who disagrees with me!

 

[NathanLM]

Shell, paint, liner and decal are all repro. I wouldn't dismiss nice originals as out of your price range. If you can afford to collect German firearms, common but original helmets are within reach. I started with 98ks and moved into helmets this year. Don't regret it one bit.

 

[mauser99]

One other question regarding helmets:

Since unaltered, original condition helmets are far outside of my price range, what are collector opinions on "restored" German helmets? I have acquired a couple of helmets that I am certain are WW2 German issue, but they were in poor condition and cleaned / repaired / repainted in correct German paint and decal patterns. Do militaria collectors dismiss these, or do they hold any interest? I am not too concerned with dollar value, as they were not purchased as investments, but they look great displayed in a den or man cave. I personally find them to be much more interesting than reproduction helmets.

Opinions welcomed and appreciated. I promise not to argue with anyone who disagrees with me!

I hope you didn't buy that as an orig ????? Nothing is real. other than is slightly resembles a real german helmet.

Maybe IMA sells these ? Im not sure they are pure replicas... Ebay and gun broker are full of them. Some better than others..

 

[bobby ricigliano]

I hope you didn't buy that as an orig ????? Nothing is real. other than is slightly resembles a real german helmet.

Maybe IMA sells these ? Im not sure they are pure replicas... Ebay and gun broker are full of them. Some better than others..

Thank you for your input. I am familiar with the IMA replica helmets because I have a couple of them. Their repro helmets are quite good quality, and they offer size 70, which is the only size that fits me! I experimented with refinishing them for my own amusement. lt wasn't hard to make them look used and "battle worn."

I would never try to misrepresent one as original though.

 

[bobby ricigliano]

Shell, paint, liner and decal are all repro. I wouldn't dismiss nice originals as out of your price range. If you can afford to collect German firearms, common but original helmets are within reach. I started with 98ks and moved into helmets this year. Don't regret it one bit.

Thank you, I am sure there are jewels out there waiting to be discovered. I recently found a great all original P-38 for a great price. Now the search is on for a Luger!

I think that most honest collectors and militaria enthusiasts would agree that fakes, counterfeits, and dishonest sellers are the worst part about this field. It is discouraging that often times you have to get swindled a few times before you learn what to look for and how to authenticate stuff on the fly since good deals pop up and are quickly gone.

 

[gummipuppe]

....I am familiar with the IMA replica helmets because I have a couple of them. Their repro helmets are quite good quality, and they offer size 70, which is the only size that fits me! .....

I see we are in the same boat. My reenactor unit absolutely requires members to wear real helmets, but since my head is so huge and a real helmet in that size is hard to find at a reasonable price, they gave me special dispensation to wear an M35 IMA repro. I agree. The IMA repros actually pretty good quality. They cost less than a tenth of what I would have to fork out for a real one in my size.

Although some people will say the IMA repros look "all wrong," I really see no difference in outward appearance between them and photos of some real helmets taken during the war. From I have seen in vintage photos, it appears as though the real helmets varied in shape, depending on size. The large size helmets seem to have less of a crease where the flared sides back extend out from the shell. There also appears to be less of an angle up to the visor. Bear in mind that I am not a helmet collector or any kind of authority on the matter. Just my observation.

 

[bobby ricigliano]

Here is a helmet that was "dug" and restored. It is unquestionably repainted and re-decaled. But I do hope that it is an original helmet and metal band. The restored product looks great displayed among a rack of K98's.

 

[bobby ricigliano]

I see we are in the same boat. My reenactor unit absolutely requires members to wear real helmets, but since my head is so huge and a real helmet in that size is hard to find at a reasonable price, they gave me special dispensation to wear an M35 IMA repro. I agree. The IMA repros actually pretty good quality. They cost less than a tenth of what I would have to fork out for a real one in my size.

Although some people will say the IMA repros look "all wrong," I really see no difference in outward appearance between them and photos of some real helmets taken during the war. From I have seen in vintage photos, it appears as though the real helmets varied in shape, depending on size. The large size helmets seem to have less of a crease where the flared sides back extend out from the shell. There also appears to be less of an angle up to the visor. Bear in mind that I am not a helmet collector or any kind of authority on the matter. Just my observation.

That is great info, thanks for sharing. I have an interest in reenacting as well, but as of now just as a spectator. I bought a brand new IMA-USA size 70 M42 helmet and experimented on it to see how it would come out. This probably about as farbishly incorrect as a helmet could ever be, but I think it looks decent!

 

[bobby ricigliano]

I see we are in the same boat. My reenactor unit absolutely requires members to wear real helmets, but since my head is so huge and a real helmet in that size is hard to find at a reasonable price, they gave me special dispensation to wear an M35 IMA repro. I agree. The IMA repros actually pretty good quality. They cost less than a tenth of what I would have to fork out for a real one in my size.

Although some people will say the IMA repros look "all wrong," I really see no difference in outward appearance between them and photos of some real helmets taken during the war. From I have seen in vintage photos, it appears as though the real helmets varied in shape, depending on size. The large size helmets seem to have less of a crease where the flared sides back extend out from the shell. There also appears to be less of an angle up to the visor. Bear in mind that I am not a helmet collector or any kind of authority on the matter. Just my observation.

This may be the dumbest question ever, but do most U.S. based Wehrmacht reenactor companies communicate in German while "in character?" Is it hard to find 8mm blanks?

 

[RH Scott]

A double decal M42 and helmets with liners just sitting on top.......I don't know what to think.

Yes, many German reenactors use the German language and or commands at events.

No, 8mm blank is common and available.

 

[gummipuppe]

This may be the dumbest question ever, but do most U.S. based Wehrmacht reenactor companies communicate in German while "in character?" Is it hard to find 8mm blanks?

In the US, Waffen SS units seem to outnumber Heer at events. At tactical events that are not open to the public you probably won't hear much or any German being used compared to public events. Use of German depends on the unit and circumstances.

At public events reenactors will typically yell out commands and acknowlegments in German during battle and while marching. Some units will sing songs in German while on the march. When in encampments they, of course, answer the public's questions in English, but some do it with a German accent.

Blank ammo is readily available. My unit commander sells it to the members at events. You can also buy it yourself online. Thing is, if you are a rifleman in an infantry squad, you can shoot blanks without modifying your K98k. If you're doing an impression with a semiautomatic weapon, you will either have to physically alter it to fire blanks or buy a blank firing only non-gun (BFONG) replica.

BTW, doing reenacting is not a cheap hobby. By the time you put together a basic uniform with gear, boots, hats, and helmet plan on dropping at least a grand. Some units are really picky about not using repro gear and helmets, so that drives up the cost significantly. You gotta be really careful buying because some of the repro stuff is of very poor quality. Most units will assign you a mentor who will guide you to avoid the junk and buy what you need to get started.

 

[mrfarb]

I used to reenact, hence my username. My CO was a hard a$$. Once he sent me into a last man standing scenario with just an mg42. We won. He's a participant on these forums.


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[bobby ricigliano]

Thanks for all the replies. What percentage of reenactors would you guys say have actual military service in their background? I have only ever spectated at a Civil War reenactment, which was great, but how do "tactical scenarios" work as in determining who "wins" an engagement? I know a historically based reenactment will follow the outcome of the original battle, but what about random skirmishes?

 

[gummipuppe]

Thanks for all the replies. What percentage of reenactors would you guys say have actual military service in their background? I have only ever spectated at a Civil War reenactment, which was great, but how do "tactical scenarios" work as in determining who "wins" an engagement? I know a historically based reenactment will follow the outcome of the original battle, but what about random skirmishes?

You will have at least a few real veterans in every unit.

Tactical events are much like war games exercises in the real military. The side that "wins" is the one that employs the best tactics. Public events are more like staged demonstrations. Kind of like a play put on for public entertainment and education.

Here's a video I made of a staged skirmish between German and American troops in the woods at the WW2 Days, 2016 in Rockford, IL a couple of months ago:

This is one of the biggest public WW2 reenactment events in the US. It takes place for three days each September on many acres of open fields, woods, and in a village. There is equipment, armor, and vehicles on display and in action from all sides of the conflict in Europe.

 

[bobby ricigliano]

Thank you for posting that. I served in the U.S. Army but never was sent to combat. We did however experience plenty of humping gear through the woods, eating cold MRE's, and sweating all day / freezing at night!

Just the militaria seen in that short video was very impressive. It isn't hard to imagine being there and getting swept up in the experience. I could not quite identify the semi-auto rifle the soldier in the middle was firing. Was that a Gewehr 43? It would be interesting to know what must be real, and when reproduction stuff can be used. Of course real gear is always best, but some of these weapons must be worth $15K -$20K!

 

[gummipuppe]

...Just the militaria seen in that short video was very impressive. It isn't hard to imagine being there and getting swept up in the experience. I could not quite identify the semi-auto rifle the soldier in the middle was firing. Was that a Gewehr 43? It would be interesting to know what must be real, and when reproduction stuff can be used. Of course real gear is always best, but some of these weapons must be worth $15K -$20K!

Looked like an MP40 sub machine gun.

My unit was pretty strict about gas mask canisters. You absolutely must have a real one because the fluted sides of the repro canisters were too shallow. Fortunately, real ones are fairly easy to find at a reasonable price. You also couldn't have a repro mess kit because the loops where the wire handle attaches were not right. Luckily, a local chain of big box stores sells military surplus and they happened to have postwar German mess kits that were correct for only $20 each. Like I said, if you join a unit, they should have someone who can work with you to find everything you need for a reasonable price and that still meets the unit's standards.

 

[mrfarb]

The semi auto rifle was an svt40 Russian semi auto. Here's a pic of a reenactment I went to in Nebraska.

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[bobby ricigliano]

The semi auto rifle was an svt40 Russian semi auto. Here's a pic of a reenactment I went to in Nebraska.

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Ah yes, SVT-40. The editing of the above picture is well done. Modern reenactor action photos are usually easy to spot but the filter and sepia here is spot on.

 

[mrfarb]

Here's a good one at a tactical. We found the best way to get the troops to look battle weary in photos was to get really drunk and stay up late Friday night. This photo was taken before morning formation. Lol. Kidding. About that last part.

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