M35 ex-DD Heer Shell Q62 1860

**PotatoDigger** · 10-12-2019, 10:50 PM

Got back from a school trip to Morocco today and received this nice M35 shell.
I mostly bought it because it was really cheap, 25€ for an original M35 shell so I obviously didn't spend any time waiting or thinking.
I expected it to have no paint at all, just a blank shell good for a restoration..
Well, turns out there was more to this than I thought.
When I looked at the helmet and the spots where the black paint had chipped off I thought it sure can't be original paint, can it?
But it was, so I took my trusty parade bayonet which I found near the Führerhauptquartier "Felsennest" and went scraping away because my paint thinner seems to attack the early paint, not late war paint though, which is interesting.
The Heer decal has been denazified post war before being repainted and the tricolor I am rather sure was period removed as per 1940 regulations because it was obviously scratched away completely, just a few small spots remaining.
Overall this helmet seems to have seen a lot of action because the paint isn't sanded or anything, it is just extremely worn.
Frank's lotnr database also has a Q62 1860 which is also a DD Heer.
I still need to remove the paint in the dome of the shell and overall remove small bits of paint all over the helmet.

I'm curious to hear what you all think of this helmet!
Luis

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-12-2019 10:50 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**PotatoDigger** · 10-12-2019, 10:52 PM

more photos..
P.S. I will post better pictures tomorrow!

**FALLSCHIRMJAGER** · 10-12-2019, 11:24 PM

Well done, bringing a little bit of history back to reality!! Leon

**AndyM35** · 10-13-2019, 02:45 AM

Nice score and nice progress so far Luis. It looks so tiny

Andy

**TWS** · 10-13-2019, 04:04 AM

That turned out well!

**Bavarian** · 10-13-2019, 08:44 AM

A very Good helmet i think
The complete applegreen paint is in good shape
What all be can found under a black overpaint

And for that price a real tresure
Best regards
Bavarian

**PotatoDigger** · 10-13-2019, 10:37 AM

Thank you for all your comments, all very much appreciated.
I just had breakfast and decided to go and snap a few pictures outside, sorry for the glare, there was a white wall on which the sun was shining not far from where I took the photos.
I will continue the work on removing the small bits of paint and the paint in the dome today (presumably

)
Luis

**Kateri** · 10-15-2019, 11:23 PM

What a great purchase,hope you had a good trip also.
Maybe you can buy some split pins from Bavarian !

**PotatoDigger** · 10-16-2019, 12:00 AM

by Kateri

What a great purchase,hope you had a good trip also.
Maybe you can buy some split pins from Bavarian !

Thank you, yes it was a very nice trip indeed.
That's a good idea actually, especially since I saw that some were 1939 dated and on the lotnr database the DD Heer helmet with the same lot no. had a 1939 dated liner.
Luis