Yes, this WWI era M1917 helmet looked awful. It was a forlorn, abused project that a friend was unable to even think about completing any time soon. For $20 to start out with, this project came out remarkably well. Total cost was around $150-160 after supplies and the reproduction, 1930's to WW2 era, M1917A1 liner.
Eventually, I plan on doing a review of the helmet, as completed and to compare it to the M1 helmet that succeeded it from ones in my collection. This was a fun and rewarding project that helped fill a gap in my collection.