Are repro helmet liners reasonably easy to get hold of and reasonably priced for German, British and American helmets?
I ask because I am thinking about making repro helmets in fibreglass. I used to work in the fibreglass trade, so making moulds would be no problem and materials are cheap as well. They would be a cheap, lightweight alternative to their steel equivalents and, hopefully, make WW2 airsoft even more accessible to new players. I'd need a bit of help with master mould making, ie, para helmets (German & British), in that I'd need a helmet to take a mould from. I'd only charge for the materials, so they'd be much cheaper than repro or original steel ones. I'm thinking of offering bare shells and complete helmets.
I'd appreciate your help and opinions.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Post war US M1 helmets are so cheap anyway it might not be worth your while.
How much would it cost to make one?
To make a shell? For a bare (ie, uncoloured) one, no more than a five or ten quid.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
if your looking for liners, i've bought some bits and pieces from:-
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/CONTINENTALMILITARIA-dot-COM
he's got liners for £25 - not sure if thats expensive or what their quality is like?
perhaps one of the re-enactment members or traders may be able to shed more light
German steel rimmed liners can be got from Barry linden in Singapore, I think they're about £15 each, plus postage and possible HMC tax. Not a bad idea and would probably be OK under a helmet cover. But for a tenner you could buy a cheapo German fireman's helmet, a copy of the M42 and put a cover on it.
Our British helmet liners came from SoF for about £20 each, i.e. more than we paid for the helmet shells which were £15 from Sabre.
Adding all that up for a Brit Para helmet without proper chin strap and it's already £35 a time so a fibreglass alternative would be a good option.
To keep costs down how about a budget version with just a cruciform of foam padding stuck inside and around the rim. Money saved on the liner could then go on a leather strap.
We have a spare para helmet shell for you to borrow for mould making purposes - just give us a shout.
Daft isn't it? The price of liners. The beauty of fibreglass helmets is that they provide good protection and are very light and you can paint them whatever coulour you see fit without the fear of balls-ing up an original, so you can experiment with different finishes, like cork and sand, or just chuck a cover over them. It'd be great if everyone had a helmet to wear and I know that they aren't within everyones' priority budget.
Barrie and Anne, thanks for the offer and I'll probably take you up on the offer. I like the idea of a "budget" version, using some sort of foam lining, that would be really cheap!
As a quick edit, I could also mould items like mines to use as props. Anyone got a tellermine? Lol.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
I have an original brit para helmet that is broken down ready for a refinish. It's the later type without the rubber band.
Liners for the airborne helmet are a problem. There is a guy in CZ who repros them but he wants £65 each. It's only £100 for a whole helmet from pegasus.
You are welcome to have the helmet for moulding. Anyone want to see the liner stripped down for a repro attempt? It's aluminium, leather, webb, string, foam and a whole world of hurt.
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. "
if you're reproing the helmet, really the only bit of the liner you'll see is the strap. Why not get repro straps and make the rest of the liner? maybe even use the internals from hard hats, which are dirt cheap.
just a thought?
That's a brilliant idea DM.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Straps for all British helmets are readily available (repros for airborne, originals for the others)
Pegasus make a superb liner for the tommy helmet for £25, which comes with a chinstrap. Shells are available for as little as £5.
On Tommy helmets, you can see the liner, so to repro one without it would be naff.
US M1 helmets (actually skandiavian ones that are the same) are available for as little as £5 if you look around.
I can't see a fibreglass helmet standing up to a bb being shot at it at close range.
There is maybe a market for repro British airborne helmets, but not Tommy ones. And with airborne I'd probably just wear a beret if I didn't have a helmet anyway.
I can't see a fibreglass helmet standing up to a bb being shot at it at close range.
I don't want to sound condescending, but I know the properties of fibreglass, and with the correct mat and resin, it's every bit as tough as steel but much lighter and forgive me if I'm wrong (and I know I'm not!) but most motorbike helmets are made from fibreglass too. Try shooting at the side of a caravan or a boat with your aeg and see what happens. I think they can take a little plastic ball hitting it at no matter what range. Don't confuse the kind of fibreglass I've used with pvc or that cushman shite.
I didn't intend to turn it into a commercial, profit making venture. I was just trying to offer help to those on more limited budgets who can't afford to stitch count on everything they buy. I think I'll stick to my own projects.
Thanks for the inpuit folks.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
I can't see a fibreglass helmet standing up to a bb being shot at it at close range.
Yeah, should easily be strong enough. Reliant Scimitars can withstand BBs 
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
I have shot the caravan at F&O with my rifle and it has a dint in it... that was from about 15 ft.
I don't think you know too much about fibreglass Yith. I've got dints in steel things which have been shot at, it doesn't mean they couldn't take the hit. A "dint" is far from being broken or penetrated by a strike. Also, I can't speak for the quality of someone elses' work (ie, the caravan at F&O), only my own and I'd take the pepsi challenge against anyones steel helmet with a helmet I had made myself.
I can't see a fibreglass helmet standing up to a bb being shot at it at close range.
Yeah, should easily be strong enough. Reliant Scimitars can withstand BBs
Not to mention TVR's, Noble, Caterham, etc.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Not to mention TVR's, Noble, Caterham, etc.
You've shot a TVR and a Caterham? Sacralage!
A Proud Member Of 'Team Spleen!' who play mainly at Gunman Airsoft, Tuddenham, Suffolk.
Not to mention TVR's, Noble, Caterham, etc.
You've shot a TVR and a Caterham? Sacralage!
Lol, I used to repair TVR's and the factory build quality ain't great. What I mean is, they are built of fibreglass almost entirely and have to pass crash testing the same as any other car, ie, they are strong, ie, fibreglass is strong! My head hurts!
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!
Whatever you say... I'm sure its possible to do better fibreglass than that caravan... I'm not trying to be nasty... just saying what I've experienced.
However I just don't think its worth it for tommy helmets... airborne maybe... but to be honest they're not as important...
So do you want this airborne shell or what? 
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. "
Yep. I'll have a go. I think I'll just knock out a few shells for starters and go from there.
When I want your opinion - I'll tell you what it is!