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Budget Brodie

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askhati
(@askhati)
Posts: 264
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I found these plastic Brodie shells on ebay a while back, for something like 3 quid, and decided to acquire a couple for rental kits (war-time Brodies are a bit scarce here in SA, and we mostly only get the SA variant anyway: different brim shape, and with the three holes at the back for the neck curtain/veil):


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-ARMY-PLAS ... 337c3e2923

However, the shells do not come with a liner, so I attempted a liner transplant from a regular safety helmet:

As can be seen from the first photo, the 6-point liner fits in quite snugly inside the Brodie dome, with the two 3- and 6 o'clock legs positioned over the ears respectively. I then used a 3.2mm drill to go straight through the liner leg and outer shell (drilling from inside to out), and then inserted a 3.2mm x 8mm rivet from the outside.

Some notes:
- While the 8mm rivet is holding the liner in place, it is actually JUST too short; instead of the head mushrooming out on the outside of the liner leg, it actually pulls into the liner leg before expanding. Field tests will need to determine whether this is acceptable or not.
- If the above fails, V2 will use a longer 3.2mm x 10/12mm rivet, with a metal washer on the inside to prevent the head from mushrooming into the soft plastic of the liner leg.
- I have only used two rivets for now, one over each ear (easy to align, as they correspond to the slots where the chin strap attaches on either side). If needs be, this can be increased to six rivets, one per liner leg.

Results:
A cheap and simple Brodie helmet, which - when covered with scrim netting - will be almost indistinguishable from the real deal. Has anyone else done anything similar?

 
Posted : 09/04/2013 11:19 pm
dadio
(@dadio)
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i have a couple of those and just glued foam inside,works well and quite comfy, nothing on the inside is going to be seen and with a net on the outside even the colour is ok

armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well





 
Posted : 10/04/2013 5:15 am
askhati
(@askhati)
Posts: 264
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Topic starter
 

Glue does not work very well in the heat here. Just an example: at our February (summer) game, the one German got blisters on the tops of his ears from where his stahlhelm had been touching them, just from the heat of the sun...

 
Posted : 10/04/2013 6:11 am
dadio
(@dadio)
Posts: 3523
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fair point, the other thing i try'd was sticky backed foam draft excluder strip, still a glue of sorts but may work.i wonder if the plastic helmet will melt in that heat :rofl:

armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well





 
Posted : 10/04/2013 3:54 pm
askhati
(@askhati)
Posts: 264
Reputable Member
Topic starter
 

fair point, the other thing i try'd was sticky backed foam draft excluder strip, still a glue of sorts but may work.i wonder if the plastic helmet will melt in that heat :rofl:

Not sure, but a short-range BB hit might - might - just deform it and leave a little dimple. Will have to test and report back. I fully understand now why the SA version of the Brodie came with a neck veil! The stahlhelm (M35) is better at keeping the sun of your neck, but you still feel it at the end of the day.

 
Posted : 11/04/2013 12:34 am
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