Special Hobby Luftschutz Helmets x 2 (P35004) 1:35

[Mike]

Luftschutz Helmets x 2 (P35004)

1:35 Special Hobby 3D Print

 

 

During WWII, firefighters and rescue workers often laboured while the bombs were still falling in order to save people and buildings from total destruction, or at least to minimise the ravaging fires and reduce the effects on collapsing buildings.  Many of these brave folks were volunteers that were either over fighting age or had been invalided out for one reason or another.  Nazi Germany too had these people braving death and destruction, and many of them wore a helmet to protect their heads called the Luftschutz.  It bore a passing resemblance to the military Stahlhelm, but had extended brims front and rear, with cut-outs over the ears to reduce any effect on hearing that the brims would otherwise have.  They were often painted a dark blue and had a winged Swastika on the front, and a leather interior structure to protect the wearer’s head from abrasion and impacts.  A leather strap held the helmet on the wearer’s head with a friction buckle keeping it on their head during activity.

 

 

This set is another direct 3D printed offering from Special Hobby, printed in their pale orange resin using SLA printers for ultimate detail.  Inside the standard blister pack are two helmet parts, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) and a decal sheet for use once the model is painted.  The helmets have already been removed from their printing base, with just a single support mark on the flat top that can be sanded off with little effort.  The four rivets are present, as are the small perforated ventilation holes on the sides, although you can only just see them because they are small at full-scale, so reduce that by 35 times, and they are utterly minute.  Thick paint may obliterate them completely, so take it easy when applying it.  The instructions show the location of the straps, which are in two parts like the real thing, and also shows the location of the decals for Luftschutz use as well as other times they were seen during the Prague and Warsaw uprisings.  If you’re wondering which is the front, look at it from the side and you will see the brim at the front is shorter than at the rear, in much the same way as a modern firefighter’s helmet.  No-one wants hot debris down the back of their jackets, especially when their mind is on other more dangerous things.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of