Helmet choice

Hi, bit of a lazy post this but I searched and looked through many of the 171 posts returned but nothing answered the question.

Specifically from a PBI point of view, what is the best helmet type to get to use as Air Landing and also commando and general British troops for non PBI loadouts?

PBI choice would be para helmet or beret, this thread covers most of the options:

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=3874&start=45&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

if you don't want to go to the expense of a pegasus repro, or the hassle of a RAC conversion, then you can always tie your scrim scarf over your beret as a bandana, which works well and was done in the field.

Yup, airborne forces often wore the beret on the assault, the scrim option is what the scrim scarf is actually intended for - to cover the head.

We'll do airlanding at least 50 per cent of the time (with a guess at 40 per cent commando and 10 per cent hallamshires)

Airborne lid = £100 for a repro / £400 for a real one (about £50 all in and a load of hassle to convert a DR lid)

MKII or MKIII infantry helmet - from £10.

If you can get a cheap infantry lid then its worth picking up - however i've used mine *once* in the last 2 years off WWII battles.

speaking of RAC conversions,, can someone send me a few pics of a para helmet from different angles so i drill the holes in the right places, cheers .

speaking of RAC conversions,, can someone send me a few pics of a para helmet from different angles so i drill the holes in the right places, cheers .

You know these are immune to tungsten drills, right?

Apparently you need to heat the metal with a gas torch to even get them soft enough to drill. Most people have been fitting the chinstrap to the liner, rather than the lid itself, from what i've read.

Added bonus is you don't destroy an increasingly rare RAC lid, just modding the liner.

dont worry mate , i have access to oxy-acyt torch. but i have been toying with the idea of gluing the chinstrap onto the steel with araldite, i will see how it goes when i get the liner/chinstrap.

dont worry mate , i have access to oxy-acyt torch. but i have been toying with the idea of gluing the chinstrap onto the steel with araldite, i will see how it goes when i get the liner/chinstrap.

I've actually got some thin brass strip knocking around, so i was thinking of creating an internal frame between the liner and the lid, centred on the internal pin at the top, to attach the chinstrap to.

Then again, i have lots of stupid ideas, doesn't mean i'll ever get round to it!

dont worry mate , i have access to oxy-acyt torch. but i have been toying with the idea of gluing the chinstrap onto the steel with araldite, i will see how it goes when i get the liner/chinstrap.

I've actually got some thin brass strip knocking around, so i was thinking of creating an internal frame between the liner and the lid, centred on the internal pin at the top, to attach the chinstrap to.

Then again, i have lots of stupid ideas, doesn't mean i'll ever get round to it!

My solution was to attach the straps to the liner using nuts and bolts, it's worked ok so far

cheers pete, its looking like thats the way to go.

Hi ta for the feedback. Does the standard lid look stupid on airlanding and what about commando?

airborne/airlanding didnt wear the brodie pattern helmet, commandoes did but only when deployed en-mas as infantry or an assault force, not used during covert raids and such.

As above.

The airborne helmet was streamlined so the rim wouldnt snag or shear the rigging lines in a jump.

Basically MKII or MKIII for airborne just doesnt happen. There were four patterns of airborne lid and all of them were brimless.

(Initial pattern with a 'ducks bill' at the back, whats known as first pattern with leather chinstraps and fibre strip on rim, second pattern wiht steel riminstead of fibre and third pattern with web chinstraps instead of leather... if you want to be really anal about it there was also a sorbo rubber training helmet).

Ok ta. So basically I am back to where I started, beret on with scrim tied around and cap conforter as an option, especially for commando.

I was just looking to improve the protection a bit but a second scrim will do that.

German for the next one so I have time to get the scrim.

dont worry mate , i have access to oxy-acyt torch. but i have been toying with the idea of gluing the chinstrap onto the steel with araldite, i will see how it goes when i get the liner/chinstrap.

I used araldite to glue some threaded bar to the inside of the helmet (on to bare metal of course) and that has lasted well for several games. I also glued screw heads to the outside just so it looked right.

I found loads of pics of helmets on google pic search - that helped me find the right points.

I might be selling it soon, I have a pegasus helmet (with rim removed) on its way to me, but I was wondering if anyone knew the best way to make a "fibre rim" to fit it.

Ranj

Do you really want a fibre rim? The second production of the airborne helmet had a stainless rim and no fibre like tha RAC helmet but still with the leather chin strap. Or is it that removal of fibre rim reveals how the shell was converted?

not exactly what you asked ranj, but when i was a soldier we used to put a bit of cut up car innertube round our helmets , over the cam cover. this might give the effect of a fibre rim,,,,, and i have loads of car tire innertube if you want to try it.

There are wartime pictures of the Oxf. & Bucks using inner tube bands around the helmet. I am not aware of any other units having picture evidence of doing this.

Ranj

Do you really want a fibre rim? The second production of the airborne helmet had a stainless rim and no fibre like tha RAC helmet but still with the leather chin strap. Or is it that removal of fibre rim reveals how the shell was converted?

I just quite fancy one where I could use a removable rim to hold down the net, you don't see it very often. (well not in airsoft anyway) I think it looks good. There is a paint rim where the fibre rim was removed and I suppose I could just re-cork & paint it (was it cork or sand on bitish helmets?) and it would look like a good 2nd issue helmet,

Re rubber rims, I know that the rubber rim on the first Mk 1 helmets was moulded and shaped to fit around the base of the helmet, it looked a bit like inner tube but was more than that. I didn't realise actual innertube innertube was used on later airborne helmets, but it makes sense. I might end up taking you up on that offer, Nige.

used on modern kevlar GS and airborne helmets ranj, try a google search for a few good pics.( added bonus of holding net on if you want, or you can put net over it)