Para Helmet Copy Warning

[Willi Z.]

1944Militaria and FHQ are not selling the Czech-made repro helmets. They are selling the Chinese-made helmets, probably the ones made for and marketed by Gmax. The Czech repros are being made to sell as originals and they constantly improve upon their product. The shells are well marked, but not made from the correct steel. The early ones had a foot "_" on the "1", but they have already corrected this and the new run don't have that mistake. The Czech shells are not shaped properly....the rear flange is too long and not at the proper angle. The shell can be squeezed side-to-side. They should not fool anyone who has handled a real shell. The camo jobs they do are near perfect. These helmets sell for about $1500 from the soucre in the Czech Republic. Unlikely they make their way to dealers who sell to re-enactors nor movie studios because of the price. These helmets are released in drips and drabs in Europe. Only made in size 71 shell. Three vendors; Gmax, At The Front and Edelweiss Militaria get shells from China and make their own liners and straps. These helmets are designed and priced for the re-enactor market. They sell for about $300 with liner and straps or $150 as a shell. They are not size marked, but are a size 71. NO ONE, including the Czechs, are making a size 68 or 66 shell. Producing several shell sizes is very expensive and the re-enactor market needs only big shells. Ebay and places like Manions are flooded with the Czech repros......they sell all the time. Since the Chinese-made helmets do not have convincing liners nor size stamps, these are not really being moved as original. As a FJ helmet collector who is also a re-enactor I get to see the best repros on the market and get to inspect them....and as I know the owners of the vendors I have mentioned, I know what they sell and have helped them...and convinced them to not make their products too perfectly. Though the Chinese-made shells are very good in shape, they are too thin and too soft.......the rims are not rolled properly...and the shells are not stamped. I hear many say that they are afraid of size 71 shells.........a real shell still has the look, the feel, the weight, the worksmanship that these repros do not have.

Here is a picture of a Chinese-made shell that someone camoed and added bailing wire. It cost me $200. This shows you what some are capable of doing today.



My point is to focus on the shell to dismiss a repro...not the paint work. I know a very advanced collector who has owned several dozen choice FJ helmets. Yet he bought a snow camo FJ helmet which turned out to be a Czech repro. He focused on the camo without really studying the shell.

Willi Zahn

[Frentebro]

Thanks for the clarification, Willy. I had it from another helmet site that there are also size 70 & 69 shells being made, but in any case the collector has to look at more than one diagnostic. As with other fakes, these may improve with time!

[Willi Z.]

I know that other site......and the one who passes the very bad information. FJ shells came in sizes 66, 68 or 71.......liners came in 53, 54 and 55 for the size 66 shell......56, 57 and 58 for the size 68 shell.....59, 60 and 61 for the size 71 shell. Rumors of original shells in other sizes such as 72 or 73 are just that.......rumors...so far. Repos are being made in size 71 because that covers the most common sizes of most re-enactors..why bother making a size 70 shell when all you have to do is add a smaller liner to a size 71?? Some of the Czech size 71 shells are being made with size 58 liners.......an easy way to tell there is a problem.

WZ