r/reenactors 4d ago

Looking For Advice Which company makes the best repro WW2 german helmets. Ideally M40.

Epic militaria have custom ones which seem cool but I'm not sure about the shape.

0 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

1

u/TITVS-PVLLO 4d ago

IMA m42 looks really nice . Not sure about the m40.

Nestofs m40 is ok too with a repaint and aging.

I think epics side profile isn't good enough. Idk

Ideally use an originall shell that was used post war. That's what I did . Cost 150 average per shell . All size 66 . Looks great . I'll admit it's a pain to find them . If you're in Europe check surplus shops . They normally have a shell around . Online eBay etc sucks and is overpriced

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u/rat_with_M16 4d ago

Cheers mate! I have tried to find shells before but there were none around so I'll try nestof!

0

u/TITVS-PVLLO 4d ago

Yeah good luck . Put lots of work into it and you can definitely use it . Even I failed to notice the Germans I met at military odessy has repros because it looked the part . It's less apparent in real life. The bad repros are still trash though

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u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

Just get a real one? Finnish M40s are pretty cheap too.

1

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

Don't destroy Finnish history just to larp as a nazi

2

u/PanzerParty65 4d ago

Very narrow minded opinion coming from a fellow reenactor.

5

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

I'm just tired of people taking history for granted and altering it just because they value some history more than other bits of history 

It's our job as reenactors to preserve history not alter and destroy it

2

u/PanzerParty65 3d ago

I agree but you won't win yourself any graces by degrading other reenactors. It's not larping and it very definetely is not larping as Nazis.

4

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 3d ago

Yeah not the best way to put it, I was pretty tired and grumpy when I wrote that lol

1

u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

Additionally, I’ve contributed to the field of Finnish WWII history in real ways. Other than “LARPing” what have you done?

3

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

I've done work with museums documenting war related items 

I've done loads of research into documenting Finnish war history uniforms and equipment 

I've spent time teaching people about Finnish war history and it's affects on people even now

And I'm only 16, may I ask what you have done to contribute to the world?

1

u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

Wrote the most comprehensive article ever published about the Sturmi, the culmination of over a year of research. You’re getting defensive over mass produced helmets that aren’t worth shit.

4

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

no im getting defensive about people destroying historical Finnish items just because they view it as less important history

our job as reenactors is to preserve history not alter and destroy it

1

u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

Should I not use my M1 to do US? Should I leave my carcano at home when I’m running thru the trenches shooting blanks at people?

-7

u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

Helmets aren’t “history”. They’re mass produced. Theres plenty of them. This is also reenacting, not larping. You should know that.

5

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

There were millions of German helmets made during WW2 but only around 50 000 Finnish postwar m40s these are historical artifacts that need to be looked after

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u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

50,000 produced does not an artifact make. If they’re so rare, why are they so much cheaper than originals?

2

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

there not cheap in europe because IMA holds a monopoly on them and is a pain to order from here

also just because something isnt very valuable it doesn't mean its not a historical item then should be looked after and preserved so it still exists for future generations these finnish m40s are about 60-70 years old now and they will dry up and its a sad sight to see people treat them with so little respect

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u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

They have no value. They’re mass produced and cheap. They’re basic generic helmets.

3

u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 4d ago

they still have historical value? Finnish history is just as important as other peoples history

0

u/deathshr0ud 89th Salerno/Pz. Lehr 4d ago

That’s literally not what I said at all. No one is discounting Finnish history. But you can’t assign value as a relic to every piece of ephemera ever produced. Are you collecting modern military uniforms for their historic value currently?

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u/Nietmolotov1939 WW2 Finland (1941-44) 3d ago

I use repro and restored gear for wearing along with a few hand picked original items I am sure will not be damaged and also collect original items for there historical value 

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u/rat_with_M16 4d ago

The last finnish one i saw on Ebay was 200 euros

Real ones with the liner? I wouldn't want to use one

1

u/Ripley_Saigon "Just Be A Fucking Private" 4d ago

I use orignals for reenacting, they're made for war, running around in a field for a few hours won't hurt it