Guest DannyVM Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Hi there fellow's, a couple of weeks ago i had the chance to buy a long time favorite i wanted to have in my collection. A HGU-26/P helmet with MBU-5/P oxygen mask. This helmet and oxygen mask was the standard gear equipment of the 60's and 70's Western jet pilot. There where lot's of different types of helmets worn, but the HGU-26/P was far more standardized then it's successors. Now, i wanted a Belgian decorated helmet, from 31 or 23 Squadron. But these are very rare to find, so i decided to search for an all white example. A few years ago i discovered that a good friend of mine had an original HGU-26/P with MBU-5/P mask in a almost new state. It belonged to a American pilot who served in Germany. I knew that this was the change i had to obtain the item i wanted for so long, but, there was a problem. My friend couldn't get a distance from it, in other word's, the helmet was not for sale. Ok, every item has it's price, and yes, i gave him a more then fair financial offer which in my mind he couldn't resist......but it was a no go, he still wasn't ready to sell his helmet, and i understood him very well, but again for me...... So two weeks ago i was very surprised when i got an text message from him which stated he was ready to take a distance from it, and so i contacted him to give him a more then fair price, i jumped in my car with the money and drove straight to his house. I couldn't get the risk for changing his mind, so i took the short cut. Today, i am the proud owner of this helmet and i have plans with it. Some of you guy's still remember my Starfighter project which stalled due to some problems. And everyone still remember this little guy. My goal is to paint my HGU-26/P helmet into a 23 'Devil' Squadron helmet, worn by the Pilot's who flew the Starfighter. I got some help of some guy's regarding the design of the visor cover, but especially i got some help from a person who's father was a Belgian F-104G pilot within the 23e Squadron that was based at Kleine Brogel airbase. His story intrigued me so much that i decided to pull my Starfighter project back into active, starting with the painting of the helmet. The pilot was Cdt. Guy Depypere, a instructor on the F-104G Starfighter. His son Kris, Provided me with lot's of photo's from his father service years, which helped me to get the job done. Image provided by Kris Depypere So fisrt thing to do was removal of the sticker, which was not so easy. Second, sanding the visor cover with 1200 , 1500 and 2000 grid wet sandpaper. Masking the red color. And paint them. And today i painted the devil's head. Stay tuned for more. Greetz Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted June 12, 2017 Administrators Share Posted June 12, 2017 Tight masking! Pretty cool item to pose next to your models.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Quote Tight masking! Pretty cool item to pose next to your models.. Thank's Jeroen. Indeed, i hope i can Finnish the cover this week so i can assemble the helmet back to full status. This week my mannequin heads will also be delivered for displaying the two Helmet set's in an appropriate way. Greetz Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Nicely done Danny, that will look very cool on display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted June 13, 2017 Share Posted June 13, 2017 Quote Nicely done Danny, that will look very cool on display. Thank's mate, hopefully i can display them by the weekend. Greetz Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Today i finished my HGU-26/P helmet in the color of the 23e 'Devil' Squadron, based at Kleine Brogel AB. And together with my HGU-55/P Greetz Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Very cool, indeed. Cheers Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DannyVM Posted June 16, 2017 Share Posted June 16, 2017 Quote Very cool, indeed. Cheers Rob Thank's Rob, they are a great addition to my display case Greetz Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 Lovely Danny, they are a great looking pair. Been at a local beer festival the last couple of evenings and tried some lovely Belgian beers, just can't remember the names! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted June 22, 2017 Share Posted June 22, 2017 Hi Danny, Found my list so a couple I tried were de Ryck Arend Blond, Westmalle Dubbel and Slaapmutske Blonde. Very nice they were too! Cheers, Gus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now