I thought the same but as they are back loading now all the Mine warfare PPE sets now we are told this is the replacement
I thought the same but as they are back loading now all the Mine warfare PPE sets now we are told this is the replacement
Thanks Kradders, ‘always interesting........
So, are we going to leave it for 20 years before we all start running around and flippin' our Virtussss....Virtuses.....Virtus's's's...... Virti to find the dates...or shall we try to close that door now like responsible Helmeteers?
I've "seen" one dated 21/8/15...that's my Top Trump card played....
....now we wait for 50 years for George Jetson to return from the National Archives, using his hover board, to tell us what the official start date was....oh, but wait a minute, in 50 years time we'll STILL BE TALKING ABOUT CHAMPAGNE DECALLED DROOP TAILED RE-RIVETTED ZIMMERITTED NORMANDY M35!!!!!!!!!! aaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhh!!!!
....why oh why do I collect the wrong stuff??????
Well, the only Virtus I have seen in the plastic is someone else's, and that was probably dated 21/8/15. And the way things are going it's going to stay like that for a long time. Mind you I can reasonably affirm that the plural should be simply 'Virtus', as in sheep.
The TR thing is a constant amazement - they have actually several shelf-metres of books detailing everything even down to the chemical composition of the rust-spots and yet it's still a hot topic. Inexplicable, and *we* don't even know if the HPLW is made of ballistic plastic, GRP, or Airfix-grade polystyrene. Aggravating.
Mind you if you want to talk about collecting the 'wrong thing' may I suggest Swiss, particularly Swiss M48/62. They don't draw much of a crowd.
So not only is there a new 2nd pattern MTP helmet cover already for the Virtus but there's bolt-ons too....an exciting new Nape Pad....now if this doesn't give the ol' Champagne Droop Tail Poacher Round Bottoms a run for their money I don't know what will....
It goes where the black kidney-shaped strip is...the strip comes off (hook'n'pile...or "Velcro" to us oldies) and the new pad simply replaces it.
....it's MTP on one side and "Old Man Beige"...sorta Pantone 7562C (check it if you like!) on the inside....
...isn't that interesting.......eight....EIGHT..... photos just for this?!!!....I only posted it in a desperate attempt to get something....ANYTHING interesting onto the "New Posts" list...even if it's just there for a few minutes....I 'spose I should've called it "Neckundownyflappyhouzer"...or mentioned "Hitler"......or perhaps even "Malta" would keep it up there for longer....but no....I've already started the stop-watch....this baby will sink quicker than a T34 on Kurland's thin Spring ice.....but I guess there's no need to worry if you miss it sinking down into the thick dark sediment as someone's bound to post theirs in a totally new Thread in a couple of months...probably photographed smothered in a camo net....with a cat....or Aardvark or similar........and then, a bit later, someone else will post their first contribution here asking "what is this and what's it worth?"..and instead of follow-up posts along the lines of "you've obviously got access to the Internet you moron ..USE IT TO RESEARCH YOU LAZY LIL' *%&£!!!" there'll be a load of "ooh pick-me, pick-me" replies telling them the fabric content, the Issue dates, the camo period......and then they'll all agree later than manners are slipping and that we're all simply being cheapened to the level of Knowledge Geeks who are expected to perform at the demand of rude complete strangers who add no value here themselves and simply milk the time and knowledge of the great people here for no thanks whatsoever....but hey........it's a Nape Pad...it goes on a modern "plastic" Brit helmet...so, with a tear in my eye...my finger hovers over the "Submit Reply" button and I prepare for that sad moment, much akin to those proud sailors who push their wreaths away into the mist covered still waters, never to be seen again...but, perhaps in the knowledge that it will sink down...and rest proudly and defiantly.....until some disrespectful grave-robbing trophy-hunter dives down and helps themselves ...yet still, no-one says anything except tuts and sighs...as if a small clicking of the tongue or a semi aggressive exhalation makes any difference whatsoever....and then they have the balls to say something like "someone should do something....I WAS going to put it on Facebook....but I thought it might offend"...so they don't....and nothing gets better..in fact..everyone just stands around as this get worse by a tiny bit every day....and the best these Reality-TV-obsessed people can say is "have you seen so-and so's new eyebrows?".....or let's vote for someone else this time because "I'd like a change" and having relied entirely on what some old bloke (or women) has said on Instatwitter-o'gram-book AND believed EVERY WORD of it like it was Dave from down the pub (well, everyone believes Dave)......anyway, the Stop Watch is ticking......
is that the new neckenflappyprotektorpadthingy?
Regards,
Jerry
Whateverits just an opinion.
its been brought to my attention (thank you son) that the pics of the Paras taking part in the 75th D-Day events have taped-up their nobbly bits (oooooh-errrr) on their Virtus lids......the short side rails are Sniper-taped-up (that IS a verb)....
Initially there were questions whether the Paras would jump with the Virtus..presumably because it didn't look different enough....errrr....sorry, that should've said because some reason or other.....but it looks like a bit of tape has saved the day!
I could've started a whole new thread for this.......and called it something helpful like "Look what I've seen!".....but....
I recently had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some more Virtuses....Virti......Virt?.....you know what I mean and, as any Compo fan would do (well, those who've known Mr Pickersgill for a long time) I looked for a screwdriver! A car key (and one broken shed padlock key later...we can always lever that door off anyway) helped us get a snap of a cover-less Virtus. Now, buckle up as this is one hell of a ride!
...but it turned out that one of them wasn't quite the same as the other.....one had the "old" (now) style cover whilst another had the later model. There were also slight differences re the helmets, well the front bracket too.......how exciting was that?!...it was like finding a champagne round bottomed droop tail in a pile of old M34 Feuerschutz! ('see, I can play that pretending-to-be-German-in-an-attempt-to-make-us-sound-special/elite thing too!)
The trouble with the old / first cover was that it came built-in...literally. It couldn't be slipped off at the untie of a string....you needed a screwdriver to undo the 5 bolts to get the cover off!
Well, this new cover is excitingly different ('s'funny cos I'm not FEELING that excitement coming back from you, the readers....)....
Firstly, the back....
Mk1 on the left...bolted on like a....errrr....thing that's bolted on to something else.....but the MkII (by the way, I've given them these exciting and highly descriptive product names) slips OVER all the nobbly bits, including the delicate hard-to-see brow bracket and there's even holes for the bolts at the back...although I'd argue that they've played it a little too safe with "room to grow" either side.....
Moving around to the front, which, incidentally is ALWAYS the best bit....
....note how the new cover (right) positively cascades over the top of that near-invisible brow bracket, securing as it does under the helmet rim via a sophisticated array of....errr....elastic edging.... Oh, and whats that?!....no black metal back-plate in the NVG mount nowadays....this just gets interestinger and interestinger.... (sorry for those for whom English isn't a first language...that should probably read "more interesting"). But that's not the biggest thing...here's the kicker at the side....
...theres a bloomin' great hole.....this exposes the slot-in bracket top and the side mini-rail (if it was fitted)....but what's that strange triangular piece of MTP which seems to be inside the top of the hole.....wait, surely not.....it gets even better?
...inside the new cover (removable) are little flaps which expose or cover the top corner of the new and exciting triangular hole! Now these flaps, when closed cover that HUGE expanse of what would be a totally exposed helmet...must be getting on to a square inch (that's probably about half a square litre to you youngsters) of plain, uncovered helmet....a Dragunuv-users dream!
But wait...there's more....they've only gone and changed the Velcro (or should that be Hook'n'Pile nowadays....LGBGQTBT gone mad!) patches AND repositioned the elasticated foliage straps too....just look at how that masterpiece of elasticity now snakes its way up diagonally across the side of the helmet, almost parallel with those little white words....oh....mmmmm...sorry about that......
Phew, what do you think of that?....and they say that TR stuff is interesting....covered brow bracket, exposed bolts, hidden flaps, migrating Velcro.... what we're witnessing here is a cataclysmic shift in the Helmet world...this is the equivalent of when they discovered that "SS" actually stood for "Secret Squirrel"......you will ALL remember where you were when you read this.......
...now I come to think of it, I should've offered them a few quid for it (although I'm sure bribing a Squaddie is illegal)......but they'll be in a box at War and Peace in 2 years time, three for a fiver.......
Someone make a note for when some idiot asks in 10 years time "when did the Removable Cover come in?" (oh and they'll ask in a totally new thread too......)
...another in-the-field update from Bovington.....
As usual, the "Jackal" was out on duty (still green this year...which pretty much confirms that our next conflict will be.....errrr...in sand
So, what's wrong with these pics?
well, for starters there's two different mandible piece styles - I questioned a Jackal crew a couple of years ago about this and was told one's "a prototype" (first pic, helmet on left)...the mandible piece is smooth with no defined angles and the side iron-work is covered by a tan coloured plastic....errrr....cover. I guess this could be the same helmet I saw some years ago when the Virtus was just being released....same role?..same vehicle type?........unlikely but who knows......I'm writing this down as "old stock-still in use". When I first noticed it I think we worked out that it was the then Viper mandible on a Cobra helmet...or vice versa....
...also, neither has the newer "Cover - Removable" fitted.....'just saying...
..but here's the kicker.....just look at that mandible paint job in Pic 2! bearing in mind this kit was issued during Afghan.....and then almost immediately went to the Baltics the need to avoid sticking out like a....errrr.....desert-camo'd bloke in the trees was key so this guy's taken appropriate action.
'really really interesting eh?
....I'll get my coat................
Very cool. Looking like something from a Star Wars movie.
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