Is this a genuine HGU 2A vf1 Wolfpack helmet on eBay?

[Kyle80s]

282570947446. Here is the item number on eBay here over in the uk/ Europe, the seller says the person he bought it from said it was from an ex navy pilot, but I am not convinced.

[Kyle80s]

282570947446. Here is the item number on eBay here over in the uk/ Europe, the seller says the person he bought it from said it was from an ex navy pilot, but I am not convinced.

[TLeo]

Just my opinion but I don't believe it is authentic. No sign of the Velcro patch being on the visor cover and edge roll looks wrong as well. Is it thin rubber? Never knew them to put that f-14 on the back or the numbers on the side like that either.

[hink441]

I have the same feelings about this and the VF-111 Sundowner helmet. I feel this one never was used in the fleet.

 

I do however think it is a nicely done restored helmet helmet.

 

Chris

[Kyle80s]

 

Here is a picture with the f14 on the back of the helmet. This is 100% authentic, because I have been in contact with the pilot who flew f14s, and he still owns the helmet to this day, he also has a vf124 helmet, I did ask if wanted to sell them but he said no,they are to stay with his family.

 

Did this eBay helmet start life as a hgu 2a? There are holes for the stings to hold earcups, now taped over,

Did the us navy use the Hgu 2? And later still use it without the strings?

[Sgt. BARney]

Kyle80s - Not to be a nit-picker, but did the owner/pilot say he actually used THIS very helmet while flying F-14's, thereby making it an item with numerous hours of flight time inside the cockpit of an F-14 on the head of the pilot at the controls of the aircraft? One way to interpret your statement above is that, even tho the guy flew F-14's, the helmet could be one he made up years later to look "just like the one he wore back in the day". One obvious question is, why sell this one and not the others, if they are all legit?

 

Please accept my apology if this offends you - it is not intended to. There are just too many people out there cranking out fantasy militaria of all kinds and attaching a real sexy story to it for the sole purpose of bilking collectors out of lots of money. Those stories must tread a thin line between making the item sound legit, while not telling an outright lie in order to sell bogus goods. The bottom line is "... the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Experienced collectors will always warn "never buy the story".

 

Again, I do not mean to offend you. However, I see that you are relatively new member, so hopefully my comments will help you understand why some members might sound skeptical about the authenticity of the helmet. The Forum has actually proven situations where sellers of fantasy militaria will join the Forum and comment on the authenticity of a particular item in order to drum up interest and the price. The skillful ones will tip-toe around telling an outright lie about their item, since that would be illegal. Some even comment as a third-party person who knows the seller, and they can say "It is 100% authentic", whatever that means....

 

Again, no offense intended.

[Kyle80s]

This last picture I uploaded is not the helmet for sale, this is a picture of the f14 pilots helmet, i only posted it here as reference that a Tomcat aircraft can be found on an original helmet....now the other helmet I started the thread with is for sale from Italy, a private seller and not a pilot.

I just needed some input of people's opinions on it, as I suspected it being a retape job.

I understand there are many retaped helmets out there, but for some reason this one caught my attention, I am particularly looking for a hgu 33 style helmet in original form, it's frustrating how many reproduction s I come across, I am based in the uk and over here there's not much to choose from, do you know of a seller who regularly has flight helmets for sale? In the U.S?

[HUD69]

Hi Kyle,

 

Why would a pilot get an HGU-2 and have that made in to an HGU-33 type helmet?

If in doubt don't buy, this one gives some alarm bells for me.

Besides that, there is an Italian seller who is known for his replica's. I have seen some very nicely made examples.

 

There are tons of fakes out there... best you can do is get it in a yard sale directly from the pilot.

Or from a trusted collector who can provide you also with the history and proof.
But even then, for most pilots it is "just a brain bucket" and say yes to any similar looking helmet as "being flown by them"

 

Cheers,

Ron

[horridohutch]

It is a NAVAIR regulation that the Velcro patch for attaching the strobe be on the visor... that in itself makes me wonder. Also the white visor knob. The bumpers on the visor cover are different then what I am used to seeing.