Ideas for German helmet realism

Dark green base coat overspray with dunkelgelb.

Looks the business

.......How does one get that grainy effect, for example?

Paint it, Dip it in or sprinkle some sand on it, and if required paint it again, Repeat to taste.

Urgh. HUGE subject this. Id have a good look at http://www.german-helmets.com/

Urgh. HUGE subject this. Id have a good look at http://www.german-helmets.com/

Das ist ein Uberlink!

Pointless info: The guy who runs that site is also the same bloke who wrote "Wehrmacht Combat Helmets 1933-45" published by Osprey.

Pointless info: The guy who runs that site is also the same bloke who wrote "Wehrmacht Combat Helmets 1933-45" published by Osprey.

Kermit, I love your pointless info - don't ever change!

I suffer from Homer Simpsonitis. Everytime i learn something useless, it pushes something useful out of my head LOL....

So you just learned about german helmets, so you'v forgotten your name and where you work?

I've forgotten my name before now due to a vast quantity of Cider one night (not sure WHAT i was that night, let alone WHO i was, and buggered if I knew WHERE I was)

Work, oh shit, yeah, i *wish* i could forget where I worked lol

I always liked the bread brag strap helemt wrap look:

Another favoured method was to use a strip of rubber cut from an innertube to secure foliage to the helmet.

I just watched Cross of Iron again last night, and I spent most of the film scrutinising uniforms and headgear! I was very impressed by what I saw. Steiner does indeed have the gold combat clasp (as discussed with Ste D). I've ordered a splinter helmet cover, but I'm wondering what to use as a strap to secure it. Here are some variants from CoI.

for a bit of a combat veteran look, get it absolutly ringing wet and then rub dirt in it. That'l make it look like you'v been at the front a while.

I found playing football with it at work out on the concrete is a good way of adding a few dings to it as well.

**tip** Never, EVER, toe punt a jerry lid

I was thinking of ripping off my shoulder boards, dumping my tuninc & m43 ski cap in the garden till the event, then they should look like I have been in combat for months! notice "Steiner" has no shoulder boards in the first sequence of the film & minimal webbing, just a belt with early Prussian brass buckle with no swastika, luger & holster, mag pouch & 8x30 Zeiss binoculars, its not till Cross Of Iron 2 do you see the "Steiner" character with a helmet on with splinta cover

I have just done the inner tube idea and have plenty left, so i will bring a good hand full to Arnhem should anyone want one.

Few ideas for this one esp is a new repro helmet

Drop it several times as stated, take a hammer to it gently if you dare.
Run 200 wet and dry over it all , takes off the shine , and remove paint down to the metal on the rims and rivets.
Rub dirt and crud into the chinstrap , and also over the helmet .
For the "ostfront" look drybrush or colourwash with good old household matt white emulsion , and then wash most of it off. It'll help with the shine and make the helmet age a bit .
Not bothered too much with camo covers personally .

Camo covers can be useful if you do several impressions. EG, an M35 lid painted up in Lufty blue with a Lufty eagle can become an SS lid with the addition of a Plane Tree (the most commonly used SS cover) camo cover...

Cheaper than buying two lids!

Rewind a little please - cross of iron 2 ???

Don't go there - I mean it!

*sigh* OK, it was an appalling sequel, starring only one of the original cast (Kruger), although half the characters were still in it, all looking completely and utterly different. Keppler had turned evil, and Steiner was played (awfully) by Richard Burton. He did not much more than march about the place, shooting more of his own (bad) Germans than he did Americans. It was so bad that it was overdubbed in German and never released with the original English sound.

Apart from that..... it was OK...!