Stirnpanzer for review

[Joe Mc]

Hi all,

I was wondering if it would be possible to review a Stirnpanzer that I took in a trade please?

I looked at all the usual red flags before hand. The angles for the helmet pins seemed correct as do the rivets on the chin straps in lieu of stitching.

There also appears to be markings under the paint but unfortunately the paints very thick so I can only make out what looks like a letter "Z" with a jewellers loupe.

Any opinions are most welcome.

Thank you in advance,

Joe

[Joe Mc]

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[luftwaffenkopf]

i don't like the strap and rivets. the panzer stands a chance but i don't see the 'Z' that you mention...

[C. Roelens]

Because of the thick post war repaint, aged reproduction straps, and lack of a strong manufacturers stamp I would be suspicious of the whole thing. Karel is pretty good with these, hopefully he will provide his expertise in this area.

Chuck

[Joe Mc]

Thanks for the replies.

There's 100% marking under the paint, judging by the thickness of the paint the markings could be very strong but are filled in by the hand applied paint, they are too feint for my camera phone to pick up and the gloss of the paint isn't helping.

I've had a lot of helmet shells with post war paint where the markings aren't visible at all but when stripped back they are they are revealed so just because they appear feint doesn't mean they are struck feint from previous experience.

There were a lot of "improvements" of items in earlier decades (when items were cheaper) so I never rule out a whole item based on these. The panzer fits on a helmet like a glove and the lugs line up to the pins 100% and the tone of the ring is identical to other originals that I have handled.

Thanks again, your input is much appreciated.

Joe