Recent content by Banzai

Fixed.

Dry storage in the mountains of MT for 80 years will do that.

Didn’t mean for those pictures to duplicate display like that. I’ll have to fix it when I get to a proper computer.

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I just acquired a dead stock, unissued, “new” WW2 peacoat. Yes, it’s the real thing. Pictures to follow later. it’s stunning. I feel guilty even putting it on…it was still “crisp”, if that makes sense. Felt like I was the first to ever try it on. Pockets were still sealed on the inside!

According to the folks at Schott, the 618 originally had stars, and only the lower collar snaps. In time the stars were removed at the request of retailers, and snaps were added to the upper collar tabs. In 1992 the 613 was introduced, which was a throwback to the original form of the 618.

Holy cow, E-bay prices have gone crazy. I bought mine a couple years back for $270, and it was in near-perfect used condition. Now, Perfectos in the same condition are selling for at least $500. They're pretty rough in the under $300 range. I guess if I wanted to sell mine I'd do pretty well on it.

My 618 is definitely the "beefiest" jacket I own. Sturdy, heavy, stiff. I didn't know the 613 was thinner, I just thought it was decorated differently.

I recently ordered a Five Star "Crusader", which is their take on an Indy-style jacket. Not a repro, I don't think it's trying to be a screen repro. Those are dark waters to tread into... It's just a jacket that hits all the high points of the features of the Indy's jacket. Should arrive any...

A-2s and cowboy boots always go together, if worn with jeans. With pants, any good leather shoe or boot works. No white sneakers.

How it started: a few years ago I decided that my collection needed a classic moto jacket. It struck me as one of those essential staple-pieces. And, knowing nothing else, I automatically gravitated to the grand-daddy of them all (yes, I know there are debates. Let’s just leave that statement...

I was class 03-03, and didn't get mine until '05. (I think?) But I can't recall anyone flying in it. Not saying you're wrong...obviously you flew in it. But by the time I actually cared about the reg itself when I became a Life Support Officer, it was verboten by reg.

I have a “house” A2, which I wear in my normal size of 38. It’s trim, but not too tight, and the nice high armholes make the difference. Many of their contract repro A2s run trimmer. The HPA website has actual garment measurements, and you can see by the numbers exactly how much smaller some run.

I don’t ride a motorcycle, but I’ve read that bikers do find it to be a real hazard to the paint on their fuel tanks. If I did have a bike, I’d be pretty steamed if a scratched up my tank with that buckle.

One last note on the current issue A2: when it returned to service in the 1980s, the pockets were much smaller, there weren’t side-entry hand warmer pockets, and there weren’t interior pockets. A lot of aircrew were taking theirs to one of two shops: one in S Korea, and one in Turkey, and...