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Reproduction helmet liners come in a
variety of different sizes and quality ranges. The
majority are manufactured in Eastern Europe in small factories
that can produce a reasonable quality product using industrial
manufacturing equipment. These are sold in the US through
wholesale outlets as well as private individuals who specialize
in the restoration of German helmets.
Some reproduction liners are made a
bit more crudely using hand tools that shape and bend the inner
and outer liner bands. Suffice to say that the quality of
these liner band replacements has been increasing over the last
few years. At least three different makers have produced
good quality replicas that have now entered the market.
These include those produced in China, Czechoslovakia, and
Poland. These liners are designed to fit combat M1935,
M1940, and M1942 helmets a variety of shell sizes.
A number of reproduction firms have
also specialized in helmet liners made specifically for German
paratrooper helmets. These too have been produced with
high quality including some which are so close to the originals
that they are extremely hard to detect as being reproduction.
These liners come complete with zinc or aluminum metal band,
properly sewn leather, and foam caps and pads similar to
originals.
Whether the liner is intended for a
combat or paratrooper helmet, the makers of these replacements
have gone to great lengths to replicate all the materials that
were used in the originals. These include the proper ink
and steel stamp marks that make them appear original.
Despite these efforts, most if not all of the reproduction
liners currently in the market place can be detected as
"counterfeit" if being sold as "original." This due
largely to the fact that any reproduction made today will often
fall short of the quality found in originals. This is
simply due to the great monetary expense necessary to invest in
a factory that can replicate an original down to every last
detail.
In most cases, the markings, metal,
leather, drawstrings, and construction fall short of what is
found on an actual wartime example. However, many
reproduction liners are now being pre-aged to appear as
originals. The most convincing of all reproduction liners
are those found in paratrooper helmets marketed in Europe and
the US as being "original" despite the fact that they were
actually manufactured in Czechoslovakia by industrialists
seeking to defraud the collector market with high end forgeries.
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