The problem with the crack theory, which has also been argued at length, is that there would have to be chunks missing in between the cracks for the helmet to collapse in on itself in those areas to alter the shape dramatically
If you can imagine an earthquake fault line for a moment. Once it separates in an earthquake, there is a gap left between and soil in between is lost. In the case of the helmet, if this happened one side of the crack could pull in and rest against the other, if material was lost in between. "If". Therefore, making this theory sound.
However, in the case of the helmet, there was no material lost in between. That's not the nature of fiberglass.
Being that I am somewhat of an expert in fiberglass (I've only been at it for about 15 years now) I can reasonably say with confidence, that the cracks in the hero helmet are merely "surface gel coat layer cracks". And I can assure you, without a shadow of a doubt that gel coat stress cracks like that do NOT alter the shape of a glass casting. Because, the lamination layer underneath it is still reasonably
sound, no matter how thin it is. It
Would have to go clean through, and as stated before, lose material in between to alter shape. Otherwise, even a body filler repair would put it back into it's original shape within a thousandth because each side is resting back on itself without loss in between.
But, convolution aside, gel coat layer cracks do not affect a thing. One board member comes mind.
Deadland. He dropped a helmet of mine on a ceramic tile floor from about 3 ft or so, and it suffered a number of cracks JUST like the hero.
All surface cracks in the gel coat. And in all the same places. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "wow, doesn't get any more authentic than THAT "! lol
In 2003, my mannequin took a face plant in my living room and completely cracked off one whole mandible of an original MSH. Just like a puzzle piece, it went right back together and never lost a thing.
There's a thread active right now of a gel coat layer crack in another second hand FP helmet. Hasn't lost a thing. As with 99% of all cracks like this, you grind out the crack I'm the gel coat a little, apply new gel coat, sand and finish. This is a typical fiberglass repair, most often seen on boat hulls. Still, the laminated back remains intact, and supports the structure.
An egg is a poor analogy. It will certainly lose shape when fractured.
It only has a very light membrane backing holding it together
All of this may be moot to you. considering that the next point will likely be, "how do you know that they were just surface gel coat cracks"?
We do know. Nothing was ever severed through on the hero helmet. Nor the Pre-Pro 2, which suffers from similar neglect
Chris