Opex M 42 Restoration project

[Opex]

great work bud, inspiring me to do another.

No worries and thanks for the compliments buddy

[Opex]

this lid imho would be ideal as a bgs helmet as they were initially issued old stocks of m40's and 42's but repainted in the textured moosegreen it might also not upset the third reich purists on here, but then again gary its comming on well so far mate and we have some superb weather for painted right now

Hi James, a BGS helmet would indeed be completely different and to my knowledge is not a common resto for these helmets. Regarding the Moosegreen I will have to check that out, from memory it's more of a bluey-green,either way I will look into this.

And your quite right the weather is perfect at the moment for outside spraying

[Opex]

Well here she is fella's. As I fully intended on embarking on this project on a budget, as a result it has a repro liner and chinstrap. The paint cost me £3.98 including primer and top coat so that saved me quite a bit. I must say getting the liner rivets in was a major pain and I have not decided on decals yet so for the meantime this will be left as it it is.
I appreciate the colour is probably nowhere near authentic this is due to budgetary constraints and that for some collectors re-spraying these helmets is a contentious issue, but I feel it is more displayable now than it's previous incarnation, Hope you like the results Gary

[James C]

looks great gary and a very quick turn around too ,im sure your step by step guide will help and motivate others to do the same as for decals being a late war model 42 you cant have the tri colour/heer eagle double decals but could have just the eagle heer decal or even no decal at all as found after 1943 its totally up to you and you budget allowance for this very economical restoration project ,i look forward to seeing more restorations in the future ,im not shy of resto work myself and recently did some major needlework i say major for a bloke anyway on my bund border guard tunic https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/bunde...ead-121910-10/ bye james

[Opex]

looks great gary and a very quick turn around too ,im sure your step by step guide will help and motivate others to do the same as for decals being a late war model 42 you cant have the tri colour/heer eagle double decals but could have just the eagle heer decal or even no decal at all as found after 1943 its totally up to you and you budget allowance for this very economical restoration project ,i look forward to seeing more restorations in the future ,im not shy of resto work myself and recently did some major needlework i say major for a bloke anyway on my bund border guard tunic https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/bunde...ead-121910-10/ bye james

Hi James, many thanks for the compliments. I did not intend on doing it so quick, and possibly this may have affected the overall outcome of the paint finish, but it will have to do...... LOL.

Excellent information regarding the use of decals, I was not aware of the significance of decals during the latter end of the 40's so this is very good to know, I being a skinflint that I am it is heartening to know I could do without decals.

I will of course check out your handiwork too, I quite enjoy making repairs to old uniforms and have sewn up the odd rip or two in my time.

Thanks buddy,your support is most appreciated as ever

[severin]

Top banana,
I think it looks the bees-knees.
You must be very pleased with your handy work.
Yes, those rivets are a laugh a minute to get in!
Jonathan.

[Opex]

Top banana,
I think it looks the bees-knees.
You must be very pleased with your handy work.
Yes, those rivets are a laugh a minute to get in!
Jonathan.

Many thanks Jonathan, your compliment's make these projects worth while, and yes I nearly lost a finger or two and I still could not get them to be a flush fit against the outside of the shell. I might have another go one day trying to sort them out

[greatwhite]

Super work bud , great results and very quick too, those rivets sound a real pain but you made a great job of it.

[Opex]

Super work bud , great results and very quick too, those rivets sound a real pain but you made a great job of it.

Thank you very much buddy, and yes taking into consideration all the prep and expense that went in the rivets were the most frustrating aspect of this project

[Opex]

Guy's I made this German helmet Tarnnetz today and placed in onto the helmet, again due to my desire to recreate the "look" as cheaply as possible I made the net from garden string so this probably cost me about two pounds to make ( not including labour ...LOL). The rubber band is an off-cut and ensures the net stays on the shell nice and snug and covers the poorly fitted rivets.