This M42 Helmet, Repaint or Repro???

[spacey]

This baby just came in the mail today. The website describes it as an authentic shell (size 62) industrial paint, repainted M42 helmet with reproduction liner and reproduction M31 chinstrap.

What do you think? Is this an authentic shell?

I know you guys don't like repaints in general, but it was in my price-range, and I'll probably throw some decals on it and fake-age them. Sometime in the future I'll be able to get a non-repaint.

[DougB]

What did this cost if you don't mind me asking?

[spacey]

Don't mind the asking...

It was $175 for the whole thing. Shell, liner, chinstrap, all assembled.

I was looking for separate authentic M42 shells with no liner (in my price range).

But then when you try to combine a real shell with a repro aluminum liner, and chinstrap, it adds $150 to $200, and even then they didn't have my liner size available on any site I found after looking for one month (I guess my head is smaller than the average Heer soldaten?) LOL.

I would just like to know if the shell is a reproduction, or is it an original shell that has been repainted.

I'm keeping it either way.

Danke

[DennyB]

Can you post pics of the stampings?
I have to wonder if this is a total reproduction like they sell in Shotgun News ads for $49.95
If the shell is original, they go for around $125 or so.

[KradSPam]

Looks like a good shell to me. M42's are not often reproduced, that crappy one that looks like a duck on ebay springs to mind. I think even with a real shell it was expensive though, you could pick up something all original for not very much more.

[spacey]

Didn't know it was there, but found a marking. Looks like it says cKL62 5500. Had to get it wet for it to show up in a photo. The repaint had covered up the stamp. Would a fake shell bother with making a fake stamp?

[Paul G]

Its a good original shell

PG-

[blau250]

Good one.

[KradSPam]

Fake shells usually are marked with a fake factory stamp too, but this one is good

[cobra-2001]

Helmet

Nice helmet .

[RodneyO]

That's a nice restored helmet plus it's my favorite... "ckl" !! The liner looks nice and does it fit properly? I've seen some reproduction ones with bad fitting liners but the helmets had improved a lot from when they first came out on the market.

[spacey]

The liner is reproduction and so is the chinstrap. Actually, the liner is just slightly smaller than I thought it was going to be. Well, it's not really the liner that's the wrong size, I think the aluminum ring in the shell is just slightly too small.

Checked my hat size using a measuring tape before I ordered. I am 0.5 cm under the liner size, but it's tight. I wonder how tight they were supposed to be...Hmmm. Not a problem though, I don't plan on wearing it to work 8 hours a day lol.

What a relief that it is a real shell. Someday I'll get a non-repaint one. But with the photos I've seen a fake aging the decals, how do you know you're not getting a repaint with new fake-aged decals anyway? Some of them look perfect!

I'm going to try to fake age this baby just a little bit. (Not to sell naturlich)

I think the sandpaper was a bad idea, maybe steel wool? Tried to soot the decals, but it didn't work very well. Used rustoleum enamel to seal the decals.

[spacey]

[DennyB]

You might want to scrape off the tri-color, M-42 helmets never had them.