I'm trying to get back in to offering up new made reproductions for reenacting, living history, or just to have as a place-holder before you get a super expensive original. I like to keep in tradition of only offering items I would feel comfortable having in my impression or on display, and that's why I have this guy available for purchase.
In 1915, the French became the first modern military to standardize helmets as part of the combat uniform. Early M15 helmets were painted a bright horizon blue that was highly visible, so soldiers began using mud to dull the finish, and even fashioned some covers for the same purpose. By mid 1916 through the end, a darker shade overall was standardized, and that's what I have chosen to replicate on these particular helmets. That being said, there were literally dozens of different shades of helmets in the first World War, as with any standardized color at the time.
I used an original late war Adrian in my collection and had the paint digitally matched to be almost identical to it. I applied these with a paint sprayer and the finish isn't super smooth, but it is extremely close in appearance to original examples. As you can see in the photos, it looks like a different shade in different lighting from different angles, much like the originals. These have a decent weight (albeit slightly heavier than originals), decent liner, and correct shape overall, which is a big deal. Overall I'd give these a solid 8/10. Maybe a new liner if you so choose, but even these liners aren't much different than a lot of the mid-late war ones.
Liners come standard ready to fit about a size 61Cm head, but you can place foam or aluminum spacers like they had originally for this purpose behind the leather to make it smaller, or just replace the liner with one that fits you. Aluminum spacers not present on these.
