Best M40 helmet liner and decal

[vonleonhausen]

Hello gentlemen,

I recently bought a Finnish M40/55 helmet (identical to the German M40 helmet) and I'm converting it to a M40 german helmet.

As you might know the liner of the Finnish M40/55 isn't the same as the german one. So I'd like to know where I can get the best reproduction liner and if possible, at a reasonable price? Could you give me the name of a few sellers, please?

In terms of the decals I think I'm going to get this one from Warhats : http://www.warhats.com/store/p540/WW...gle_%232A.html

What do you think about it?

I'm based in Belgium so, if possible I'd like to stay in Europe for the purchases ...

Thank you very much in advance,

vonleonhausen

[vonleonhausen]

Nobody knows a good repro helmet liner seller in Europe?

vonleonhausen

[fusilier1944]

I have no experience with them but Epic Militaria has helmet liners & decals. They're UK based. I know people (Americans) who have had good experiences shopping with them.

Does your helmet have the extra holes that the Finns used to attach their liner? I had the extra holes welded on the M40/55s that I purchased.

[vonleonhausen]

I have no experience with them but Epic Militaria has helmet liners & decals. They're UK based. I know people (Americans) who have had good experiences shopping with them.

Does your helmet have the extra holes that the Finns used to attach their liner? I had the extra holes welded on the M40/55s that I purchased.

Hello Fusilier1944,

Thank you for your answer! I've never worked with them but it's worth trying.

I have no extra holes on my M40/55, Some of them were just kept without those extra holes. I was very lucky to get one of these! The liner is exactly the same as the Finnish ones I had seen before. Still a great piece IMO

How did you fix the holes?

Do you got pictures of it? I would be pleased to see the result!

Best wishes,

vonleonhausen

[fusilier1944]

I've purchased 2 of these helmets from IMA-USA. Both came with the Finnish liner installed with new holes. Neither has German markings. I stripped all the paint off. It was disgusting, thick and gummy. A former coworker welded the holes for me. He used to do auto body work and has experience welding thin metals. He filled the holes and cleaned them up. Then I painted it with RAL 6006 I purchased in a spray can from a reenactor site here in the USA. Unfortunately I did not take any before pictures. The pictures IMA has on their website are very representative of the helmets I received. This one is too small for my head because IMA sells them based on the Finnish liner size. I have installed a liner from IMA as well. It is ok for their price.







In the center of the 2nd picture you can see the imperfection where the hole was filled. Sorry about the poor ironing board photos. It was too dark outside to take photos in natural light.

A reenactor friend of mine ordered from the same source, but in a smaller size (I have a big American head). He received an M42 helmet. It had the unrolled edge and German markings stamped inside. Unfortunately it had the extra holes drilled for the Finnish liner. He asked me to have it filled for him and I also repainted it. I wish I had pictures of that one.

I realize a lot of this information doesn't help you, but hopefully it benefits someone else in the future.