05-11-2004, 06:45 PM
Avete, comilitones!<br>
<br>
Well, my his is new Deepeeka Montefortino helmet just arrived from La Wren's Nest. This is the new, improved Montefortino, which I ordered (along with a couple others in my unit) to complete my Marian-Caesarian legionary impression.<br>
<br>
My first impression is... wow, it's BIG. It fits my king-size noggin with room to spare. La Wren's was nice enough to throw in a nice, removable padded helmet liner for the $275 price tag, which helps fill the gap.<br>
<br>
On my head, it doesn't seem to look over-large. In size, it looks somewhere between the one Dan Peterson is wearing on page 13 of "Roman Legions in Full Color Photographs" when he's portraying a Punic Wars-era hastatus or princips, which fits close to the head, and the overlarge one he (or someone else-- hard to tell) is wearing as a Marian-Caesarian legionary a page later.<br>
<br>
The overall shape is good. The rope-like brass border around the bottom edge is a little, um, sketchy, although it's better than nothing. The crest knob looks correct, but it is held in place with a screw and it was rather wobbly when it first arrived (I've since tightened it). However, the biggest problem with this is that the "crest knob" has no hole to take a horsehair or feather plume. Presumably, if you drilled a hole, you'd run into the screw mount.<br>
<br>
The cheek pieces are the correct shape, but the Deepeeka people seem a little confused as to how the cheek pieces are positioned-- are they flush with the sides of the helmet, or on the outside, or inside? Mine are all three, with the trailing edge starting on the inside of the helmet rim and the leading edge on the outside (the cheek pieces are flat at the top and don't follow the curve of the helmet). I suppose with a little shifting and repositioning, they could be made to look right, but it's a little disappointing that a brand-new helmet has such a flaw. Worse, on my helmet the bracket holding the right cheek piece in place looks to be cracked halfway through, and it looks like it could break with one stiff yank. Again, it can probably be fixed fairly easily, but it shouldn't be this way to begin with.<br>
<br>
On the whole, I'd say it's acceptable and an improvement over the old Deepeeka Montefortino model, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed. I'm trying to figure out if I should send it back and ask for another one without the cracked cheek piece bracket, or just keep it and repair it.<br>
<br>
Honos et virtus,<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis<br>
California, USA<br>
<p></p><i></i>
<br>
Well, my his is new Deepeeka Montefortino helmet just arrived from La Wren's Nest. This is the new, improved Montefortino, which I ordered (along with a couple others in my unit) to complete my Marian-Caesarian legionary impression.<br>
<br>
My first impression is... wow, it's BIG. It fits my king-size noggin with room to spare. La Wren's was nice enough to throw in a nice, removable padded helmet liner for the $275 price tag, which helps fill the gap.<br>
<br>
On my head, it doesn't seem to look over-large. In size, it looks somewhere between the one Dan Peterson is wearing on page 13 of "Roman Legions in Full Color Photographs" when he's portraying a Punic Wars-era hastatus or princips, which fits close to the head, and the overlarge one he (or someone else-- hard to tell) is wearing as a Marian-Caesarian legionary a page later.<br>
<br>
The overall shape is good. The rope-like brass border around the bottom edge is a little, um, sketchy, although it's better than nothing. The crest knob looks correct, but it is held in place with a screw and it was rather wobbly when it first arrived (I've since tightened it). However, the biggest problem with this is that the "crest knob" has no hole to take a horsehair or feather plume. Presumably, if you drilled a hole, you'd run into the screw mount.<br>
<br>
The cheek pieces are the correct shape, but the Deepeeka people seem a little confused as to how the cheek pieces are positioned-- are they flush with the sides of the helmet, or on the outside, or inside? Mine are all three, with the trailing edge starting on the inside of the helmet rim and the leading edge on the outside (the cheek pieces are flat at the top and don't follow the curve of the helmet). I suppose with a little shifting and repositioning, they could be made to look right, but it's a little disappointing that a brand-new helmet has such a flaw. Worse, on my helmet the bracket holding the right cheek piece in place looks to be cracked halfway through, and it looks like it could break with one stiff yank. Again, it can probably be fixed fairly easily, but it shouldn't be this way to begin with.<br>
<br>
On the whole, I'd say it's acceptable and an improvement over the old Deepeeka Montefortino model, but I can't help feeling a little disappointed. I'm trying to figure out if I should send it back and ask for another one without the cracked cheek piece bracket, or just keep it and repair it.<br>
<br>
Honos et virtus,<br>
<br>
T. Flavius Crispus<br>
Legio VI Victrix Pia Fidelis<br>
California, USA<br>
<p></p><i></i>
T. Flavius Crispus / David S. Michaels
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
Centurio Pilus Prior,
Legio VI VPF
CA, USA
"Oderint dum probent."
Tiberius
mall;"><span style="text-decoration:underline">www.legionsix.org</span></span> <p></p><i></i>
