Hi there, I'm recently new in this all WWII kit stuff, I already got a airborne 506th kit in about 80% complete, but what I notice more is that it looks a bit odd and fake, I can see it's new! You know what I mean!
I play with my gear with no "fear" I go on the ground and get dirty but it doesn't look good yet!
What you guys do to "age" your stuff? canteens, rigger pouches, M42/M43 etc etc...
Thanks!
It depends what look you're going for - some people mistakenly try and make their kit look 70 years old - e.g. helmets.
Leave your kit in the garden for a few weeks, and don't ever wash it.
You've got nothing to ein, zwei, drei, vier
Well I don't want it to look like 70years old and falling a part lol, I'm looking for something like 90 days after D-day..
that's a good ideia, any other tips?
90 days after D-Day most would be re-fitted with the M43 kit having returned to the UK 33 days after D-Day? Kit would be cleaned, repaired and replaced as needed.
Just over 100days after D-Day they would jump into Holland as a part of Market Garden.
The best way to get it looking used is to use it.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
I do it by only buying original equipment, that way I dont have to age it 
try waiting until it rains, get some mud, and wiping it over the equipment.
90 days after D-Day most would be re-fitted with the M43 kit having returned to the UK 33 days after D-Day? Kit would be cleaned, repaired and replaced as needed.
Just over 100days after D-Day they would jump into Holland as a part of Market Garden.
The best way to get it looking used is to use it.
Got that right! lol
Well yes I use it...but would like to get it dirty in the early time! lol
Also Joss buying original is very expensive to be using it in games, but will use it in the rain! It's autumn almost winter here in Portugal but....rain...it's rare! lol I will leave it in my backyard for a while!
I have actually saved money on buying originals, it takes longer to put together (i'm still trying to source an m41 jacket), but it is of such better quality, and will not break if looked at the wrong way.
use use use and use again. Remember that all the kit would have been issued at somepoint and looked "new", so try not to worry about it and use it all year round (mud, dust etc)
mud and soot, 2 things in abundance in a battlefield, roll your stuff up into a ball, and play football with it.
Dont wash it, hand it up to try out, and when it's dry, hit it with a stick to get all the debris off it... the grimey look comes from all the dirt stuck into the fibres. However this isnt a perminant look, but playing at games certainly tops it up... my 82nd jump suit looks relatively fresh and ive been wearing it for 4 years and have never washed it.
Ageing kit.... please no-one discuss ageing kit! Trying to make something look 70 years old to look authentic is pure horse-sh1t, if you are doing a war time impression, then the kit would have just been issued, and would likely to have been pristine! Like Poacher says, only once the paras got back to England did they get given fresh stuff.
Don't forget oil too. Everything mechanical seemed to be coated in oil....
Well I tried ageing it..at least look like it was in the mud and used in battle! Here are some pics (I only did it with my mussete bag)
nice start, it'll take a few times of lying on your back in a swamp to dull it down a bit! hehe
Ya can't beat using it for getting the right look, spilling stuff on it helps as well. If you cut yourself dash for your kit, if you've got oil on your hands anything like that...I just go straight to the kit. Ofcourse I then wash my hands afterwards.
Like Webby said, kit was brand new when they jumped so it wouldn't look that old just a bit grubby...you don't want to look like you've just jumped in to a dung heap, just that you've been in the field for a few days...
Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight!
General James M. Gavin
CRY HAVOC AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
Are we absolutely certain their kit was pristine and brand new when they jumped?
They had been training hard for quite some time, doing practice jumps and exercises. Even though it's not combat, the gear gets dirty and worn.
Was a fresh set of webbing issued to every trooper before they jumped?
It might be clean but not pristine and new.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
No, kit was issued in training! It would definitely have been used. Christ, just look at the pictures. I'd say 'ageing' is the wrong term, 'breaking in' is better. Just use it, and it'll look used!
By pristine I don't mean 65 years old looking, which is sometimes what people confuse with the term "ageing kit"
Was a fresh set of webbing issued to every trooper before they jumped?
It might be clean but not pristine and new.
No, kit was issued in training!
I'm fairly sure they were issued new M42's just before they jumped, I'll do a bit of research but I've definitely read that somewhere. Not sure about webbing and other equipment...
Show me a man who will jump out of an airplane, and I'll show you a man who will fight!
General James M. Gavin
CRY HAVOC AND LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR
exactly right Choc
