Thursday 24 May 2012

Soviet SCHMS Respirator

The SCHMS supposedly was designed by the East Germans to be a more effective mask that the military GP5 variant the M41, the lenses are designed so that a sniper or a soldier needing to use optics can raise them to the mask more easily. Adopted throughout the Warsaw Pact. The mask is also referred to as the "Deaths Head" mask due to it's skeletal appearance.

Soviet PDF-D Childs Respirator

The PDF series of Respirators were designed for children who were to young to wear the GP5, it's a latex mask with straps and a hose that cannot be removed.

Soviet PBF Respirator

Soviet/Russian PBF respirator, An interesting M17 clone, it uses a different filter shape than the standard clones and is generally lighter, rather than using straps it has a hood design similar to other latex Soviet masks.
It is still used by many Eastern European police forces as a riot control mask.

Soviet PMG respirator

The PMG was developed by the Soviets to utilize a lightweight combat effective mask, similar to the Nato masks. It has a skull faced design and was used by Valve in HL2 as the basis for the Metrocop mask.

Soviet MM1 Respirator

A mask designed in the 1950s for Tank Crews, it uses two front lenses a voice diaphragm and takes a filter using the GP5 intake/outtake valve at the bottom of the mask.

Soviet/Russian GP5 Respirator

The Soviet GP5 Civilian respirator is the most common mask on the surplus market and perhaps also the most famous gas mask ever made, it's a simple latex hood with two lenses and a filter intake and outlet valve at the bottom. Chances are if you see a TV show or film using cheap gas masks, they'll use the GP5.




Tuesday 22 May 2012

Polish MP4 Respirator

Polish MP4 Respirator nicknamed the "Bulldog".
It's a basic clone of the US M17 mask similar to other Warsaw PACT clones such as the OM10, M10M and the PDE-1 respirators. The most interesting variant of the M17 clones was the PBF mask which took circular internal filters and was smaller than the other clones.

Czech Model Z/Polish MC1 Respirator

The Czech Model Z and Polish MC1 are identical masks. I'm unsure which I own but I think it may be the Polish model, it's quite similar to the French M51 in design.
It takes 40mm filters.

French M51 Respirator

French M51 Respirator by ANP, this is the Belgian export model.
The M51 was an early Cold War respirator that took 40mm filters and had a basic voice diaphragm built in the exhale valve.

British CT12 Respirator

British CT12 Respirator made by Avon and based on the S10 design, exported to many European countries. The CT12 has a removable filter plug that acts as a voice diaphragm so the filter can be installed on either side of the mask.

British S10 respirator

The S10 replaced the SR6 in service in the late 80s in the British army.
The mask is made by Avon and takes 40mm filters, a radio can be attached to the secondary voice diaphragm on the right cheek of the mask.

Canadian C3 Respirator

The Canadian C3 Respirator was first issued in the early 60s, it is still one of the best gas mask designs available. The mask was based on the British Light-Anti-Gas Mark 3 respirator.
The mask was widely mass produced and sold, and was built under license by the Dutch.

Soviet GP4 Respirator

The Soviet GP4 respirator was issued to civilians from the 50s to the 70s. It was later replaced by the GP5 respirator which was to become the most mass produced respirator in World history.
The GP4 has appeared in much of the Artwork for the STALKER series.
The GP4 has a hose that can not be detached from the main body of the mask, it takes a 40mm filter at the bottom of the hose.

West German M65 Respirator

West German Drager M65 Respirator/Gas Mask.
The design was used by Israel to make the M15 gas mask.

Russian/Soviet PMK Respirator

The most modern Respirator in the Russian army, it replaced nearly all of the earlier PACT models and variants of it are still used today. This model is the first issued model and is dated 1989.
The mask is more similar to many of the modern NATO masks and features a voice box, a drinking tube, and a inner face piece.

Czech/East German M10M respirator

The M10 design was cloned from the American M17 and is visually very similar, many countries inside the Warsaw Pact adopted the design but the M10 was the only mask to be used by more than one Pact member.
Both East Germany and Czechoslovakia used two variants of this mask, the OM10 which was the basic mask with a voice diaphragm, and the M10 or M10M which also included a drinking tube.

Finnish M61 Respirators

One of the most common masks on the surplus market, the M61 came in 3 variants. The first being near identical to the American M9.All of the masks were manufactured by Nokia the mobile phone manufacturer.

The second having a slightly modified outlet valve, that could be removed or twisted.
The third featured a plastic voice box and outlet valve and was generally issued to higher ranking soldiers in the Finnish military, the mask was replaced in the late 90s by the M95 respirator.

World War 2 Nazi Germany DM40 Civillian respirator

One of the first masks to take a 40mm filter. The DM40 was issued to the civilian population in Nazi Germany during world war 2 in case of chemical weapon attacks.
The mask features a Reich Eagle stamp and is made of a surprisingly good quality rubber for the time.

Monday 21 May 2012

British SR6 Respirator

The SR6 or S6 respirator replaced the Mark 2 & 3 Light-Anti-Gas Respirators in service with the British army. The S6 takes the Nato 40mm filter and has curved lenses to improve the peripheral vision of the wearer. The mask has a tap inside that can be adjusted to inflate the inside of the mask to create a tighter seal with the wearers face.
The SR6 was worn by the SAS during the Iranian Embassy hostage crisis labelled Operation Nimrod
The S6 was eventually replaced by the S10 during the 1980s.

British Light-Anti-Gas Respirator Mark 2

The first mass issued British gas mask to use replaceable filters.
It takes 60mm filters on the left cheek of the mask.
This mask was developed from the prototype Mark 1 LAG respirator, and the Mark 3 LAG design was used by Canada to create the C3 Gas mask.

British Mark 5 Respirator

Very similar to the Mark 4 but with a rubber tab that a microphone could be inserted into.
No canvas lining on this mask.
The Mark 5 was used in the 1973 Romero film "The Crazies"

British Mark 4 Respirator

British World War 2 Mark 4 respirator.
Features a box filter and a canvas lining on the rubber.