Singapore M1 clone

[austromunga]

Hi all

here's my latest addition to my collection..

This time its an M1 clone made for the Singapore Armed Forces in un-issued condition..

This Helmet set exhibits many unique features...
externally this is identical to the M1 with a sand textured olive paint job....
with a makers sticker inside .... Johsen Equipment Co Pte LTD in 1989 for S.A.F. Singapore. Armed. Forces. Tender Number PT 900049...
and a note about the Quality of the whole thing!!?? ... id have to say!!! pretty poor!!!
The shell itself has stress fracturing that occurred during manufacture, and the rim bead join obviously had a gap too.. this has just been filled in with a small fragment of beading and fill welded.....now instead of rejecting the flawed pressing... it has been completed and then just sprayed over all the faults!!!!!

the liner is made from a strange fibreglass materiel . which looks to have been finished by an angle grinder!!! (see pics)
a label inside...
S.A.F. 8470-320010896 J
SAF-SP-L-0013
Liner Ground Troops Helmet
D.A.C.
P T 000547

The chinstrap arrangement is a three point affair.. similar to the west German M60-62/85 - M-1A1 "modifiziert, Bodentruppenhelm", French Para and Israeli para helmets with an adjustment slider for each front bail... however I would say there is a manufacture fault with this too... as the Velcro fixture for the chin cup has been made so that the metal terminal sits against the chin in wear!!!! which would have been extremely uncomfortable to use!!! ..
the sweatband is an over wide leather cloth stitched on a matrix of corse weave Nylon.... the metal clips to affix to the riddle type Nylon matrix are unusually mounted through a slit in the headband (see pic)
the nape strap is also made from the same Nylon material and features a wide central "nape piece"(see pic)
this helmet set exhibits the same bad fitting liner to shell traits as the Bundesheer M75!!......in that the liner is free to wobble about all over the place... and it seems that the attempted "FIX" for this was a copious coating of adhesive applied on the liner!!!! (as shown of the pic of the liner with the shiny adhesive residue)

so there you have it.. my Singapore M1

I'm now on the hunt for a camo cover for it (there are a couple of patterns.. my favourite being the "tiger stripe" type.....)

your opinions please gents......

[James C]

An unusual M1 variation that I've never seen before so thanks for sharing Paul ,Do you have any referance pictures of It's issued use at all
Happy new year to you and your family

[austromunga]

Hi James
yes I agree!! and its unusual nature was the reason for picking this example up!!
I found this one very interesting pic exhibiting S.A.F. uniform (and helmets) through three time periods!! the M1 is in the middle (unfortunately with scrim cover obscuring the paint finish) but clearly showing the chinstrap detail as mine!!
and on the left the current issue composite helmet!!
but ...now the question is!!!!....
WHATS THAT helmet on the right with the leather chinstrap!! !!!!!!

[Greg Pickersgill]

Not so certain. I think the middle helmet is a composite - zoom in on it in closeup, it seems to me to have the line of a PASGT type helmet, and helmets of this general shape have been used by the SAF for some time. The plastic chincup worries me a bit though as this isn't a feature of any Sporean helmet I have, or have seen***. I believe the M1 is actually the one on the right, but with some kind of airborne A-type chinstrap. OK, a very unusual chinstrap, altogether.

I have - somewhere , I genuinely cannot find it - a Singaporean M1. Unlike austro's observation I don't remember it as being a poor quality product. If anything I remember it as being a tidy job. Must make more of an effort to locate it.


*** This is utter nonsense. Why did I write it. The ALL DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY refurbishment of the INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PASGT model has a chincup, and so does the RABINTEX RBH 303, both of which I believe are current issue helmets. I have examples of both and both are featured on CompoSite. Sometimes I do not know what I am talking about. Or at least fail to use the easily available references. Or just make it all up on my own little head. I dunno.

[Greg Pickersgill]

Right then, I found my Singaporean-made M1; it was indeed on the bottom, as misplaced things invariably are.

I've taken a good look at it and I can find none of the manufacturing faults Austro reports with his shell. The first photo is of the rear joint of the rim, and as you can see it is a decent spot-welded joint.

The liner does appear to be a very light plastic, but not especially different in quality to say the Dansk Kunststoffindustri liners used in various European M1s. The actual assembly of the liner may be a little more haphazard - the front rivet of the liner band is most definately off-centre! That being said though I can't see any real defects. The edging of the liner is a simply finished trim, and looks entirely serviceable.

Maybe Austro's is an early production example, or a Friday Helmet. Mine is also from the Johsen concern, and similarly dated 1989.








One other observation on the comparative pic austro posted of the three Singaporean soldiers in 'period' kit. Soldiers 1 and 2 (from the left) are carrying the Singaporean-made SAR-21 assault rifle, and Soldier 3, on the right, a version of the US M16. The SAR came into service in 1999-2000, while the SAF had in service a variety of composite helmets from the early 1990s. It's reasonable to suppose that a soldier kitted out for a publicity pic with that modern weapon would also have a modern helmet, not the much older M1-type.

[James C]

Interesting to see both Paul's and Greg's liner shares the same half glazed appearance are these as near identical apart from the chin strap colouration

[austromunga]

Hi all
Nice to see your Example Greg for comparison!!
everything about yours seems identical.. so I guess mine may have been a reject thrown in to make up shortfalls in production?? or..just like you say a "Friday" made example!!!!..
no worries about the mix up either Greg!!! I find myself doing the exact same thing!! ill write what at 3Am seems absolutely right.. only to find out when I read it back at 5Pm its complete bunk!!
I have to admit I didn't really study the pic of the three Singaporean soldiers too carefully... I was just really happy to manage to find a picture which seemed to show what I wanted to see as pictures of this subject are really few and far between!!!!..also i blame the holiday time late nights ...and eyes like the proverbial... holes in the snow!!!!

ps..is that the original Singaporean issue woodland cover I see hiding in your pics Greg!!??...

[James C]

Here is an interesting link Singapore M1 - Brendon's Helmets

[austromunga]

Thanks James!!..... yes that's the one that started me salivating over the tiger stripe helmet cover!!!

[37Webbing]

Very interesting M1 helmet!
How much does the shell shape differ, if at all, from US M1 helmets?

The company has an... "interesting" webpage: http://www.johsen.com
However, they don't make steel helmets any longer. Only ballistic helmets (one model?), and a lot of other "tat".

The liner is an abomination - albeit very interesting.
It is definitely not the thermoplastic used in Europe.