M45
Well-known member
A SNOW CAMO helmet on germanhelmetsinc.com website. http://www.germanhelmetsinc.com/helmetssale.htm
The ad:
I know what you are thinking. Ken has gone crazy with the camera; making this many shots of a single helmet. There is method to my madness. I want to show you all the aspects of what an original snow camo looks like. I have strayed from my usual practice of taking photo under photographic lighting and here; I simply used a flash. I feel that this is the best method for capturing images of a helmet which is very difficult to photograph accurately. I think the photos show the helmet very well. Even if you don't want to buy this helmet; study the pics. In my humble opinion; the helmet is a real one. It is a Ckl66 M42 no-decal of late 1943 production. It was brush painted over in semi-gloss white paint which; it appears was slightly diluted. The paint is not whitewash (whitewash is a chalky water based paint which had a very limited survivability; I have never seen a whitewash painted helmet which had more than 50% of the paint left)
It is unclear as to which type of paint the Germans most likely used for camouflaging their vehicles and equipment during exposure to snowy weather/terrain. One would guess that the vehicle paint most widely used would be flatter in matte appearance; the same as the tan/brown/greens used during summer weather. I have seen original snow camo helmets in both matte finish and semi gloss. I theorize that a lot of paint was of local origin; that is, requisitioned from commercial sources wherever the Germans found themselves. Hence; the appearance of helmets which have been painted over with what we might call "house-paint". The paint on this helmet has the same consistency as the one which appears in my book on page 248. I owned that particular helmet for almost 20 years.
Please keep in mind that white painted helmets are among the most controversial of all. The signs we look for in determining originality of the paint are completely different between white paint and other types of camouflage. Quite frankly, I believe that most people do not know what to look for or how to judge them. Hence; opinions will vary widely. This helmet is the real thing in my opinion. It has what I consider to be "one looker" quality. The paint was roughly applied and has spilt onto both the liner rim and both sides of the chinstrap; verifying that the strap is original to the helmet. Overall a striking example of a super rare helmet which has a real "Battle of the Bulge" aura about it. If you have been looking for an authentic one; here is an example that I will guarantee. ON HOLD
ASSESSMENT: The camo itself looks new, like it was applied yesterday (no ageing). There are areas of the camo that are in pristine condition (no wear). Much of the wear looks repetitive and contrived (tooling marks). I see alot of red rust, indicative of recent oxidation (as opposed to very old black/dark rust).
Well distributed minor wear with no significant wear to the crown (unnatural wear patterns)
The ad:
I know what you are thinking. Ken has gone crazy with the camera; making this many shots of a single helmet. There is method to my madness. I want to show you all the aspects of what an original snow camo looks like. I have strayed from my usual practice of taking photo under photographic lighting and here; I simply used a flash. I feel that this is the best method for capturing images of a helmet which is very difficult to photograph accurately. I think the photos show the helmet very well. Even if you don't want to buy this helmet; study the pics. In my humble opinion; the helmet is a real one. It is a Ckl66 M42 no-decal of late 1943 production. It was brush painted over in semi-gloss white paint which; it appears was slightly diluted. The paint is not whitewash (whitewash is a chalky water based paint which had a very limited survivability; I have never seen a whitewash painted helmet which had more than 50% of the paint left)
It is unclear as to which type of paint the Germans most likely used for camouflaging their vehicles and equipment during exposure to snowy weather/terrain. One would guess that the vehicle paint most widely used would be flatter in matte appearance; the same as the tan/brown/greens used during summer weather. I have seen original snow camo helmets in both matte finish and semi gloss. I theorize that a lot of paint was of local origin; that is, requisitioned from commercial sources wherever the Germans found themselves. Hence; the appearance of helmets which have been painted over with what we might call "house-paint". The paint on this helmet has the same consistency as the one which appears in my book on page 248. I owned that particular helmet for almost 20 years.
Please keep in mind that white painted helmets are among the most controversial of all. The signs we look for in determining originality of the paint are completely different between white paint and other types of camouflage. Quite frankly, I believe that most people do not know what to look for or how to judge them. Hence; opinions will vary widely. This helmet is the real thing in my opinion. It has what I consider to be "one looker" quality. The paint was roughly applied and has spilt onto both the liner rim and both sides of the chinstrap; verifying that the strap is original to the helmet. Overall a striking example of a super rare helmet which has a real "Battle of the Bulge" aura about it. If you have been looking for an authentic one; here is an example that I will guarantee. ON HOLD
ASSESSMENT: The camo itself looks new, like it was applied yesterday (no ageing). There are areas of the camo that are in pristine condition (no wear). Much of the wear looks repetitive and contrived (tooling marks). I see alot of red rust, indicative of recent oxidation (as opposed to very old black/dark rust).
Well distributed minor wear with no significant wear to the crown (unnatural wear patterns)
Attachments
Last edited:
