Redoing an Adrian helmet?

[talontree14]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been considering renovating an old M26 Adrian helmet to look like one possibly used by American Forces during the First World War. The helmet would be for my own personal collection. I was wondering if anyone had attempted a restoration project like this before? How criminal is it to redo a beat up helmet?

 

 

 

-Thanks

Christian

[BOLO]

the M26 Adrian would be the wrong model, they would have used the M1915

 

it wouldnt look historically correct with the M26 shell

[patches]

Which do you actually have ? The one on the right, or the one on the left ? you will see slight diffances.

[talontree14]

Which do you actually have ? The one on the right, or the one on the left ? you will see slight diffances.

 

Technically it is not mine yet, I have a chance to pick it up pretty cheap. It is a M26 shell comparing the photos. Still the same, it looks like a decent project to work on and restore.

[BOLO]

you could add a metal band that goes around the edge to simulate the 3 piece M1915 shell, then paint over it

 

sometimes it's easier to make a repro or prop when the originals are rare or hard to get

 

it would be like a Hollywood prop helmet, looks OK from a distance for use in a movie or soldier in the back ground scenes

[Glenn_Janssens]

Why would you do all the effort when these helmets are not scarce?

[Third Herd]

I restored an early French M26 almost 40-years ago, with the WWI type insignia. It was cheap and looked like it was hit several times with a baseball bat. I did it as a filler but have never found another. I've got about 200 helmets and I have only repainted one other helmet, a Dutch with the lion somebody repainted and decalled for a German Luftschultz.

[patches]

Technically it is not mine yet, I have a chance to pick it up pretty cheap. It is a M26 shell comparing the photos. Still the same, it looks like a decent project to work on and restore.

 

You see the problem with that is, is that Les casques Adrian modèle 1926 was, as you can tell by the date, not worn in the Great War. My feelings will be that any attempt to remodel this helmet to resemble a model 1916 would be disingenuine, I would say however, by all means get it, and if it needs renovation just do it to represent what it truly is, there no problem in doing that.

 

These original helmets even if its a just the shell will one day be gone, no more, gone like the caps of differant types worn by soldiers of the 18th century, the Napoleonic Wars, what ever happened to those Mitre caps, those Bearskins, the Shakos ? one can still see them to be sure, but only in museums or in the hands of a very few collectors mostly weathy ones at that, and that all. I had a M1926 Adrian, I bought it in all places a Army/Navy store in Hamburg West Germany in late September 1986( Army/Navy store? If thats what there called there) I was lucky to see something like this, it was in excellent condidtion.

[patches]

I restored an early French M26 almost 40-years ago, with the WWI type insignia. It was cheap and looked like it was hit several times with a baseball bat. I did it as a filler but have never found another. I've got about 200 helmets and I have only repainted one other helmet, a Dutch with the lion somebody repainted and decalled for a German Luftschultz.

 

There are photos taken in 1939-40 that you do see the M1916 Badges on M1926 helmets.

[Third Herd]

Thanks, patches.

[Bugme]

Since this is a discussion about creating a "reproduction", I'm moving this one out of the legitimate combat helmet section into reactors. Frankly, since we're not even talking about a helmet that was used by the AFS or other such US units in WWI but, about what French helmet that could "possibly" be used, I think we're close to the wire with this discussion even being about US militaria.