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......
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