| BUYERS GUIDE TO THE A-2 REPLICA MARKET: |
| The original spec sheet for the United States Air Corps Type A-2 stated that the jacket was to use a horsehide shell and the panels should be a one piece back, two one piece zip closing fronts with epaulettes, the left front folding over the right front and closing by metal zipper and small throat hook at the neck. The jacket should have a low square(ish) pocket with a blind stud down flap on each front. The collar should have a two piece backing and one piece top collar with blind studs to snap onto the fronts at the neck. The sleeves are formed from two full length panels. Waistband must be pure wool and the original lining specified was 100% spun silk, although certain WWII contracts used cotton no doubt as raw materials became more scarce. BODYSHELL: Any worthwhile A-2 replica maker should offer a choice of horsehide, steerhide and goatskin, all of which were used at some point in contract A-2's. With a typical spray finish used by the USAAF, the vegetable tanned hides give slightly better wear and natural ageing qualities. Horsehide, the original spec material, is obviously the best choice, but getting horsehide, a naturally thin hide, stiff enough is not easy and much of the body can be lost by excessive drumming. It?s also very difficult to get the right amount of fat liqueurs into the hide, not enough and the leather creaks badly, too much and it tends to flop. Beware soft and over-drummed horsehides-- original A-2?s we not soft, floppy garments--substantial ones suited the very heavy wear likely to be encountered during military use. It?s noticeable when handling original A-2?s today, that those that have been softened, often by too much oiling, feel very fragile, while those that have been left to the elements are firm and strong with many, many years still left in them. Firms typically using the more historically correct stiffer horsehide include Aero, Buzz Rickson, Lost Worlds and some models from Real McCoy. LINING: As spun silk was the original specification for the A-2 we suggest that only a substantial price difference is an acceptable reason for choosing cotton. Practically every repro maker offers cotton, some to hold the price down and some to replicate a particular WWII contract which can be identified as using cotton, ie. WWII Aero Leather Clothing, Beacon NY WWII jackets. Any maker not offering both options, at least in what is laughingly referred to a ?house? style, is not giving the customer the best options. Anyone suggesting satin or rayon is having a laugh! Proper spun silk linings are available from Aero and Real McCoys. Knits: 100% pure wool, the original spec, is essential. Certain manufacturers use cotton blend, which will soon suffer from excessive stretching and will "hole" in a fraction of the time of wool. Beware any top stitching onto the knit waistband at the bottom of the zipper. A leather needle used for the zip topstitch will cut jersey to shreds if the stitching triangle extends through the knit. Anyone who has ever looked at that triangle of stitch on the left hand side of an original A-2 will know to expect torn jersey--replicas stitched thus will tear in exactly the same way. There is also a tendency in the repro market to use loose knitted double tension cuffing. This type of cuffing is notorious stretching out beyond the sleeve circumference where it?s subject to excessive wear from the leather rubbing away on the inside and is easily snagged. Although most WWII knitted cuffs had a double weave--it was much tighter than that used today, yet also suffered badly with wear. Aero use a single tightness cuffing that soon forms the profile of two weave, but without the inherent problems. They offer pre-stretched cuffing on their "Anniversary" Jacket. Real McCoys and Eastman cuffing seems prone to overstretch at the join to the leather. ZIPPER There is a wide range of zipper choice, Deadstock WWII zippers, Currently manufactured zippers by original military suppliers include Conmar and Talon, there are also "pirate" Talon alloy zippers made in the Far East and favored by some replica makers. For strength its probably best to go for a genuine brand new WWII Style zipper made buy an original AAF supplier. Talon make a very good zipper in a choice of brass, aged brass and nickel, all with the typical WWII bell shaped puller. The Conmar zipper is also good, but uses a strange black synthetic tape on the bottom of the cloth that is very prone to fraying. Anyone considering using original "deadstock" WWII zippers should check how these have been stored, when the AAF became aware of the problems with alloy zippers in the mid 40?s many were stored with the teeth sealed in wax. Once these are dry cleaned and if they are properly tested before use, these make a very appealing alternative. While these are undoubtedly more fragile than a brand new zipper used carefully they will give many years of wear. Considering the fact that genuine alloy zippers were considered to be suspect during WWII, it's worth considering just how good these Asian pirate Talon jobs are likely to be? The current genuine Talon zippers are used by Aero, Lost Worlds, and Sefton amongst others. Real McCoys use their own zipper, while Buzz Rickson and Eastman use the "pirate" Talon. Original deadstock WWII zippers are available from Aero and Eastman, and Lost Worlds offer genuine original Crown ullers fitted on Talon zippers as an option. LABEL: Very few replica makers fail on the label, but if in doubt ask for a jpeg and compare to a real label. A maker that gets anything as basic as the label wrong will undoubtedly get other details wrong too. Several firms use original WWII Makers names on their jackets without taking any steps to acquire the rights to the name. The following original brand names are owned by the company in brackets after the original name, Roughwear (Eastman, England). J.A. Dubow (Lost Worlds, NY City) Aero Leather Clothing Co (Aero, Scotland, part of the Transatlantic Clothing Group. PATTERN: Don?t accept any A-2 with a modern cut--the character of an A-2 is dependant on the 1940?s shape of the jacket. Modern cuts fall of the shoulder and are too blousey, and obviously a ?4 pocket? A-2 is NOT an A-2 whatever the maker says. Certain original jackets had pattern defects. Dubow?s neck for instance is far too small on most contracts, especially for the shape of the human body in year 2000. Check the fit before ordering one of these ?stitch-for-stitch? replicas. Original Star Sportswear used a very poor out of proportion pattern with extra long sleeves fitted on some jackets but not all, but worse, they are fitted in a manner different to every other A-2 maker, and in a way totally unsuited to the front and back panel shape?.do you really want an exact copy of that? Although the quality of some of their stitching was very suspect, no one doubts that Aero Leather Clothing of Beacon NY had the best cut of all the WWII makers. The problem with getting an accurate pattern of any original contract jackets is the need to take patterns from two (or better three) jackets in every size as some of the sewing was so bad there's great variation in turning sizes, especially on collars and pocket flaps. On jersey too, there can be 1/2" difference in the size of the turning where the knit is fitted on the same size and contract. To do accurate patterns from any finished garment , a minimum of two patterns from three different sizes of the item are essential, two of each size to compare sewing irregularities, three separate sizes to form a proper grading nest....technical term for a full set of size patterns showing the size and position of the increments, it's impossible to recreate an accurate copy and an authentic fit with any less than six original jackets for reference as the increment lines must cross through a specific position on a minimum of separate reference points. From this all missing sizes can be redrawn with 100% precision. The alternative of course is to have an original pattern in every size, then variation on one size or another will show immediately the full grading nest is drawn out. Ask questions, very few makers have access to this many vintage jackets so the chances are that only one size is truly accurate to the original makers patterns. Anyone using one single jacket to base a full range of patterns is very unlikely to get an authentic fit in any size bar one, as every pattern cutter has his or her own way of grading sizes. Proper replicas must fit as the originals, this is one point where NO compromise can be made. There is quite a bit of variation in patterns from one original contract maker to another, especially in the shoulder line and angle, and in the curve of the collar. Too many companies ?modernize? the fit--this may feel OK but will not look convincing. Companies with extensive archives of original A2s include, Flight Suits, Lost Worlds, Aero Leather Clothing, Eastman, Real McCoys, and Buzz Rickson. STITCHING: Original A-2?s were stitched in 100% pure cotton thread which turned out in the long run to be a weak spot as the cotton rotted with age, many years of age admittedly. Some companies use a poly-cotton thread which tests well past the strength of similar weight cotton, and is rot proof but less authentic. Others use only cotton which, when strong enough, should give many years of service. Check if there is a choice when ordering. Original jackets used a variety of different colour thread, olive drab probably being the most common. OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER... How much experience has the company had in dealing in original A-2?s , do they have a few originals in the factory to compare against replicas? Do they offer a good range of correctly made insignia, always a good guide as to the company?s philosophy regarding replicating vintage militaria? Good insignia of all types is available from Aero, Buzz Rickson, Flight Suits and McCoys, while Eastman produces good hand embroidered unit patches, while most offer hand painted patches which are not correct for all units. REPLICA A-2 MAKERS in something like the order recommended, but be your own judge!): All aspects of the makers below has been taken into consideration while producing this guide--quality of materials, authenticity, range of options, honesty, customer returns policy, after sales service, length of delivery time, knowledge, flexibility, attention to customer feedback. Aero Leather Clothing Co.: Offers a full range of Horse, Steer and Goatskin A-2 , all types of zipper, silk and cotton linings and have the back up of long term dealing in original vintage jackets. They use original WWII Aero Leather Clothing Co patterns. Recommended by General Robert Scott (God Is My Co-Pilot) probably America?s greatest fighter pilot. Buzz Rickson: Superb jackets, the BEST Japanese replicas by far! Great range but not available outside Japan. Buzz Rickson?s ?stitch-for-stitch? are very true to the original shape, a factor lost on some repro makers who claim to produce such jackets. Lost Worlds: Generally considered to be the most "tank tough" of all modern repros. Thick chrome-tanned horsehide, beautiful details and workmanship--definitely a "buy-for-life" jacket! From the positive feedback of those who own Lost Worlds jackets they are unquestionably in the top five. Stuart Clurman is very knowledgeable, Lost Worlds is easy to deal with although they won?t suffer fools gladly!. Real McCoys:Very good detail, but some of their leather is unimpressive, their horsehide in particular. Their A-2?s just don?t "look right"--nothing specific, it's more in the aura of the jackets--they just look like repros. The detailing is very good, the range extensive, Real McCoy Japan jackets are quite a bit more expensive than those from Real McCoy, New Zealand. All reports suggest they are very helpful and easy to deal with. Eastman Leather Clothing: Although the detailing is generally very good, the hides tend to be a bit soft. The jersey parts can be considered somewhat loose and not of highest quality, especially the cuffing. Much emphasis is placed on label details, yet not enough on getting the leather the right weight and stiffness without the creak, and not always getting the correct shape and fit for the contracts they attempting to replicate. Eastman does make a very good "Irvin" jacket. Sefton Leather Clothing: Sefton makes a pretty good A-2 using American 3oz. steerhide. Whether they make other models is not known , but a used Sefton does have the "right look". Apparently they are not currently offering horsehide A-2's. Flight Suits Ltd.: A very customer friendly outfit with a great after sales policy. Flight Suits is a large company who makes a wide range of military products including a big range of insignia, but the Flight Suits A-2 shape is too modern. That apart the make a good Jacket, but the shape is possibly the most important factor after the hide. If authenticity is not a major factor, their fit might suit the fuller physique better than an original pattern A-2. Their website is regularly updated. Morgan Productions: Good budget A-2 made in China by the former ?Memphis Belle? pilot, Capt. Robert Morgan. US Authentic: US? Yes, Authentic? Hardly! Avirex made wonderful A-2?s back in 1978 but have completely lost the plot recently. Grab one of their 1978 horsehide jackets if the chance ever arises! Willis & Geiger: Now extinct. Aviation Leathercraft: Poor quality, un-authentic steerhide A-2 jackets. Better known for holding the ?Irvin? brand name, they also make very average sheepskin flight jackets. Cooper: Current issue USAF maker. L.L. Bean: Chain store, make a joke A-2. Cirrus: Take a look at their horsehide A-2 if you want a good laugh. |