Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Share #1 Posted December 30, 2011 I finally completed my Rakkasans' ACH display piece when I received my USGI ESS goggles last week (thanks Bill!) Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share #2 Posted December 30, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted December 30, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rakkasan187 Posted December 30, 2011 Share #4 Posted December 30, 2011 Nice one Ian, Rakkasan!!! and Happy New Year... Leigh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted December 30, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share #6 Posted December 30, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted December 30, 2011 Nice one Ian, Rakkasan!!! and Happy New Year... Leigh... Thank you Leigh...and reciprocal greetings to you and yours too! :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.A.T. Posted December 30, 2011 Share #8 Posted December 30, 2011 Ian, nice set up! :thumbsup: I can't believe the changes of the helmets today, and the old piss bucket I used to wear! Didn't know you collected current militaria, thought you were just a ww-2 man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share #9 Posted December 30, 2011 Thanks Pat. No... WW2 > current. If it's GI, I collect it! I like your "salty" old M1. Was it common practice in your old armored unit to sew the BOS insignia to the front of the camo cover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.A.T. Posted December 30, 2011 Share #10 Posted December 30, 2011 Thanks Pat. No... WW2 > current. If it's GI, I collect it! I like your "salty" old M1. Was it common practice in your old armored unit to sew the BOS insignia to the front of the camo cover? Ian, no way were we allowed to sew anything on our helmets. I just had it sewn on because I thought it looked good. That's not my original helmet, and I got the cover in the States years ago. If I remember right, I wrote "Right on Washington" on the side of my helmet with a magic marker, never got hassled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack's Son Posted December 31, 2011 Share #11 Posted December 31, 2011 Ian, You know that I'm not into the "New Stuff", but if Leigh says it's nice, it must be!! :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack's Son Posted December 31, 2011 Share #12 Posted December 31, 2011 Please delete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack's Son Posted December 31, 2011 Share #13 Posted December 31, 2011 Please delete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted December 31, 2011 Ian,You know that I'm not into the "New Stuff", but if Leigh says it's nice, it must be!! :thumbsup: Leigh is obviously a very discerning collector JS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted December 31, 2011 Share #15 Posted December 31, 2011 Nice one Ian, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolcav20 Posted December 31, 2011 Share #16 Posted December 31, 2011 Thats a nice setup. I'd like to get an ACH Helmet but right now they are to expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted December 31, 2011 Thats a nice setup. I'd like to get an ACH Helmet but right now they are to expensive Thanks Guys. @ Coolcav...I picked up mine here in the UK at a show last summer. It's an unissued Gentex example. Shortly after, a bunch of similar ones, same manufacturer/date appeared on eBay, as if a job lot had been released for sale at that time. As I recall, they sold out pretty quickly but it's worth checking from time to time. They also show up on the forum too. There's an all singing/all dancing "been there" one currently listed by Hawkdriver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbranch Posted January 1, 2012 Share #18 Posted January 1, 2012 ACHs aren't expensive... I've picked them up for as little as $60. That makes them cheaper than an original WWII sweatband for an M1 helmet liner.... Or a leather liner chinstrap... or an original WWII M1 swivel bail shell... with a few dents... Marine LWHs can sometimes be found for $50-$60 as well. Just keep your eyes open and be a bit patient. There's gonna be a LOT of these sitting around in the next 5 years or so. The hard part is finding one that is completely untouched, exactly like it was last used in Iraq/Afghanistan. Ian... just a quick critique of your helmet. It's cool and "correct". Usually, though, the patch is sewn a little farther forward, basically directly above where the earcup of the helmet is. It's fine as is however (and I'm sure you'll find pics showing patches in a similar spot). A set of NVG profile ESS goggles and a NVG mount would really hit the spot too. Other than that, it's just too darn new looking! I'm used to ACHs being covered in dust/sand with faded/torn/greasy covers. The vibrant camo pattern and perfect cleanliness of your example seems strange! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harlan Posted January 1, 2012 Share #19 Posted January 1, 2012 VERY nice Ian! (Great minds think alike) I put this one together over a couple of months of bargain shopping on ebay and gave it to my son for a Christmas gift and he really likes it. I like the face on yours much better. I used a $3.00 Styrofoam head meant to hold wigs as a base and glued the scarf on it. I may have to upgrade the head now after seeing yours, but my Christmas budget was tight. I'm glad to see you found a pair of ESS goggles with the 'stealth sleeve'. Did you get them locally? The prices for these modern ACH helmets are all over the place and they aren't always terribly expensive. I bought this one on Ebay with a Buy It Now of $99.00 with the cover included. I added the rhino arm for $20.00 and the ESS goggles for $15.00. Prices for these are all over the place too. Some people ask ridiculously high prices, and others seem to want to unload them quickly. I suspect that some might be 'bring backs' but this helmet came from what looked to be a Military Surplus outfit. They had three of these on auction and all were $99. I also collect all eras of U.S. helmets Ian. I like the way the different eras look in time lines, and the line-up mix can be endless. My son's helmet is on the lower right in the photo below but it's in his room now sitting on top of his Xbox game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share #20 Posted January 1, 2012 Ian... just a quick critique of your helmet. It's cool and "correct". Usually, though, the patch is sewn a little farther forward, basically directly above where the earcup of the helmet is. It's fine as is however (and I'm sure you'll find pics showing patches in a similar spot). A set of NVG profile ESS goggles and a NVG mount would really hit the spot too. Other than that, it's just too darn new looking! I'm used to ACHs being covered in dust/sand with faded/torn/greasy covers. The vibrant camo pattern and perfect cleanliness of your example seems strange! @ Longbranch: Thanks for your comments. It's just a display piece. With the exception of the goggles (which came direct from a vet/forum member) everything is brand-new/mint USGI. It's not a "been there" helmet...I never claimed it was...but it is a near perfect example of the type and I'm happy with that. As for the patch placement, they were pre-sewn to the cover. I have three used patched USGI ACH covers. The placement of the patches differs slightly on each one though they are all approximately similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share #21 Posted January 1, 2012 VERY nice Ian! (Great minds think alike) I put this one together over a couple of months of bargain shopping on ebay and gave it to my son for a Christmas gift and he really likes it. I like the face on yours much better. I used a $3.00 Styrofoam head meant to hold wigs as a base and glued the scarf on it. I may have to upgrade the head now after seeing yours, but my Christmas budget was tight. I'm glad to see you found a pair of ESS goggles with the 'stealth sleeve'. Did you get them locally? The prices for these modern ACH helmets are all over the place and they aren't always terribly expensive. I bought this one on Ebay with a Buy It Now of $99.00 with the cover included. I added the rhino arm for $20.00 and the ESS goggles for $15.00. Prices for these are all over the place too. Some people ask ridiculously high prices, and others seem to want to unload them quickly. I suspect that some might be 'bring backs' but this helmet came from what looked to be a Military Surplus outfit. They had three of these on auction and all were $99. I also collect all eras of U.S. helmets Ian. I like the way the different eras look in time lines, and the line-up mix can be endless. My son's helmet is on the lower right in the photo below but it's in his room now sitting on top of his Xbox game. Thanks Harlan. It's just a regular styrofoam head which I painted myself. Looks a bit more interesting than just plain white, which most of my others are! What can you tell me about the mount you've attached to the NVG bracket? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longbranch Posted January 1, 2012 Share #22 Posted January 1, 2012 Thanks Harlan. It's just a regular styrofoam head which I painted myself. Looks a bit more interesting than just plain white, which most of my others are! What can you tell me about the mount you've attached to the NVG bracket? Ian That's the standard issue NVG mount I referenced above. It's very common to see these mounted on the helmet in the folded up position Harlan shows, and is folded down when in use. When folded up, it also holds the goggles securely out of the way. You'll often see this called a Rhino mount or "swing-arm". Patch placement is all over the place, that's for sure. As I said, it's fine the way it is, but usually they are bit further forward. Also, I knew you weren't passing this off as a used helmet... I was referencing the fact I don't have one that nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted January 1, 2012 Author Share #23 Posted January 1, 2012 That's the standard issue NVG mount I referenced above. It's very common to see these mounted on the helmet in the folded up position Harlan shows, and is folded down when in use. When folded up, it also holds the goggles securely out of the way. You'll often see this called a Rhino mount or "swing-arm". Patch placement is all over the place, that's for sure. As I said, it's fine the way it is, but usually they are bit further forward. Also, I knew you weren't passing this off as a used helmet... I was referencing the fact I don't have one that nice! So that's the "Rhino" mount...ok, gotcha, thanks. A helmet collector friend of mine here in the UK recently told me he had problems in acquiring one for his ACH. Some sort of export restriction I think? I'll check with him (and I'll check eBay too!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman_one Posted January 1, 2012 Share #24 Posted January 1, 2012 Youre right..I tried to buy a NVG mount of U.S. ebay and couldnt because of a restricted goods notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickD Posted January 1, 2012 Share #25 Posted January 1, 2012 So that's the "Rhino" mount...ok, gotcha, thanks. A helmet collector friend of mine here in the UK recently told me he had problems in acquiring one for his ACH. Some sort of export restriction I think? I'll check with him (and I'll check eBay too!) i have been told that its illegal to import/export these items & you'll not find any sellers on US ebay that will do this so Ive gone for this option http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170703265565?ssP...me=STRK:null:IT which is a Chinese copy i haven't got mine yet but im hoping its good enough for display purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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