How to wreck a Vietnam gunners helmet

[Danmark]

I just finished watching an episode of 'American Restoration' where Rick took a beat and battered Vietnam era helicopter gunners helmet complete with period graffiti and completely ruined it by stripping and repainting it.

Yes, I know this is an old episode but we are behind the times ( or I am ) over in Australia with this series and I feel sick watching what they did. The owner was doing it for his 84 yr old grandfather whose helmet it was in 'nam - that's cool but granddad's gonna twig that it's really not his helmet anymore, surely?

To cap it off he charged the customer $1800 to do this to it and to put the 'missing parts' back on it, therefore making it into a new item and destroying any mojo or history it once had. I mean, he even got a sign writer to trace the original soldier graffiti before sandblasting it off and then repainting it .........what the??? Thats just obscene!

Sorry, rant over - just had to vent!
Dan

[VolksJager]

I agree with what your saying Dan, I mean something like that has a history and a story to the Grandfather, which is now lost for ever. They do nice restorations but there are times they need to step back and not do anything.

Is that tonight's episode? in WA its not on yet of course so I will watch it if it is.

Jason

[Danmark]

I agree with what your saying Dan, I mean something like that has a history and a story to the Grandfather, which is now lost for ever. They do nice restorations but there are times they need to step back and not do anything.

Is that tonight's episode? in WA its not on yet of course so I will watch it if it is.

Jason

Yep, tonights show - watch if you dare ........

[VolksJager]

I will get the Kleenex out ready.....

Jason

[Spitace41]

I cringed when I first saw that episode. It was a great looking helmet before it was messed with. In its current condition, as a collector I would not care what story went with it, it would just look like a messed with helmet, thats all. I really do not understand the obsession on that show with having to have great antique items made to look brand new again. 99% of the time the things look fine just as they are anyway.

I wonder how long it will be before an episode is broadcast where someone is like: "Hey, yeah I've got this old mortar but unfortunatley its had a hole drilled in the barrel but I really want to fire it. How about you just weld a new barrel on there so that only the breech end is original?" OH WAIT, Sons of Guns already did that episode!!!

Mortar Swap | Sons of Guns - YouTube

[jonobo]

I saw that episode! that really grinded the gears when he sandblasted off the original paint! I mean, What's the point of having ERA decals and ERA handwritten names and such when it is just sandblasted off some 40 odd years later by some guy in a workshop that remade it! That helmet had character and I think it also had some personalizations on it as well, that is no more...

[jonobo]

They actually restored a civil war canon in an episode of american restoration, When they test fired it, everyone crowded around it to test it out and i just thought wow, if that cannon malfunctioned... they'd all have no legs...or worse.

[RZM]

I agree with all the above comments. It seems that most "restoration experts" have absolutely no sense of respect for the history that an item represents. I once bought an m16 German helmet that had some severe shrapnel damage. The guy I bought it from had gotten it from a veteran who brought it back. Sometime after he got it, he took a hammer and pounded all the steel back where it was supposed to be, welded the seems, put Bondo over all the lines, then painted the helmet in an atrocious camo pattern and then added a couple of decals. I asked him why he did that and he said "It was just an old beat up helmet." I cringe to think about how many pieces like this have been lost to "restoration."