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Chinese repro TWB M8A1 Scabbards


Slufstuff
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Just a quick FYI, Lately I have noticed a lot of Chinese made reproduction TWB US M8A1 scabbards on ebay being advertised as original USGI, both as single scabbards and as a supposedly original scabbard with a real USGI bayonet. Of particular note, unlike earlier Chinese M8A1 copies, these have actual fiber glass scabbard bodies that are pretty hard to distinguish from an original (earlier copies used injection molded plastic bodies which are very easy to tell apart). All I have seen to date are TWB (The Working Blind) marked on the throat. The throat is also very well done, looks very close to an original. The biggest giveaway is the webbing/snaps portion. The repros use a black shiny finished wire hanger instead of the correct parkerized finish. The snaps are actually black finished steel rather than blackened brass. I have seen two different stitch variations on the canvas, one variant looks close to the correct sewing. Also, the rivets holding the webbing on the steel throat are slightly larger.

Below is a picture of the hangers of two of the repros, next to two original USGI scabbards. Repros on the left. notice the wire hanger finish, two stitching patterns, and rivet size. Hate to see any member here get taken paying original money for a repro.

Also, here is a picture showing the webbing/snaps along with the throats. Again notice the wire hangers, snap construction and the pretty accurate markings/finish of the throat. These Chinese repros are getting better and better.
 

twbm8a1.JPG

twbm8a12.JPG

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Slufstuff- Good information, thanks for posting.  I doubt I'd have paid any attention to those details, especially if the scabbards were a good price. SKIP

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10 hours ago, Misfit 45 said:

Thanks for the heads up.  Do they all have pinched tip covers like this one?

Marv

FAKE TWB.jpg

Yes, they have the metal tips. These new generation repro scabbard bodies and throats are very close to an original in appearance. If they get better webbing and snap details, they will be very hard to tell from an original. It is hard to believe they try so hard to fake these still common scabbards.

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  • 2 months later...

Seen some simular new scabbards in a military shop here down under late last year, they looked ok but there was no way that you could force an M7 blade into them, not sure if they were TWB but a usless item for sure.

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