Firefighter's Helmet (1/35)

When I finished my Land Rover fire tender I wanted to display a typical period fire fighter's helmet in the car. I didn't know where to find them in 1:35 scale, though. A few days ago it dawned on me that I had my grandad's helmet in the shed. Examining it, I thought I could make a model of it using a World War 1 French helmet - the M15 Adrian. I had such a helmet from a Scale Link white metal kit and it only took half an hour to turn it into a model resembling my grandad's helmet with the help of files, sand paper, AC-glue and thin plasticcard. It is not an accurate scale model but a resonably approximation.

My grandad's helmet from when he was a volunteer fire fighter in rural Butterup. The helmet is made from a sort of fiberglass and I doubt it would stand up to much heat.

The tiny 1:35 helmet in front of the real thing. I filed the French helmet flat on the underside and glued a piece of thin plasticcard on. The plasticcard was filed to shape, making the rim wider.

I painted the finished helmet 'Pale Sand' and gave it a covering of gloss varnish. The insignia on the helmet's front was given a drop of copper paint. The helmet is now fitted on the middle seat of the Land Rover.

A cruel enlargement of my little Danish firefighter's helmet in 1:35.

The helmet resting in the Land Rover.