Technonut2112
Well-Known Member
As posted in my repro Star Sportswear A-2 thread, I am also waiting for Steve S to complete an An-J-3 remake for me in seal Indian goat / red (brick) cotton liner, and rib-racks to match. Here's a pic showing the contrast:
I have had a 'thing' for the AN-J-3 for quite a few years now, and actually had Gibson & Barnes customize one of their M422-A's for me back when they still did that sort of thing. Basically, they just made the jacket with a leather collar, and epaulets. Here's a pic:
I had the good fortune of seeing Steve S's work some months back, and had him construct one of his AN-J-3's
for me. It was a VERY nice jacket, but there were some issues with the fit, and other small nitpicks. To his credit, Steve attempted to fix the issues, but after a couple of tries, the jacket just wasn't right. Here's a pic of the AN when it was new:
Instead of tearing into the jacket again, it just made sense to request a total remake, which Steve agreed to. Should be quite nice with the seal Indian goat and brick colored liner and rib-racks for certain.
Anyhow, like I'm sure many of you do, I scout eBay for jackets which interest me on a fairly regular basis. I happened to run into a new jacket today, which is constructed much like the Navy version of the AN-J-3. After checking around other sites, the jacket had very good reviews, with the majority of folks who purchased them happy. In one of the reviews on Amazon I read, it even has the inner wind-flap like the Navy version.
I just went back to eBay, and pulled the trigger on one for the sale price of around $80.00 shipped. That's correct.... Only 80 bucks. Here's a link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/38113855891...49&var=650450809617&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Apparently, this is being marketed as a motorcycle jacket. Folks who purchased them commented on how heavy, yet supple the leather is. NO split / seam down the middle of the back panel, high armholes, and nice looking, narrow sleeves. No hand-warmers either. Definitely worth a toss of the dice for me to see for myself. At worse, I will just return it, but I'm thinking it will be alright going by the good reviews. I did read that they run a bit small, and should be sized-up one or two sizes above what one wears. I'm between a 42 and 44R, so, I ordered a size 46 (only 3 of those left now)..
I'll update this thread after I receive the jacket. I know that 'lower-end' stuff isn't the norm here, but it just may make one helluva a knock-around AN-J-3 look-a-like for some folks on a tight budget, and can fit into the sizes left. I'm pretty sure that the manufacturer (Mossi), has discontinued these, so whatever's left won't be around long.
Here's a pic I found of a used one in a large size 50 that recently sold on eBay, which shows the color and some grain better than the pics from the stores selling them (It even looks to have the correct larger collar as found on originals):
I have had a 'thing' for the AN-J-3 for quite a few years now, and actually had Gibson & Barnes customize one of their M422-A's for me back when they still did that sort of thing. Basically, they just made the jacket with a leather collar, and epaulets. Here's a pic:
I had the good fortune of seeing Steve S's work some months back, and had him construct one of his AN-J-3's
for me. It was a VERY nice jacket, but there were some issues with the fit, and other small nitpicks. To his credit, Steve attempted to fix the issues, but after a couple of tries, the jacket just wasn't right. Here's a pic of the AN when it was new:
Instead of tearing into the jacket again, it just made sense to request a total remake, which Steve agreed to. Should be quite nice with the seal Indian goat and brick colored liner and rib-racks for certain.
Anyhow, like I'm sure many of you do, I scout eBay for jackets which interest me on a fairly regular basis. I happened to run into a new jacket today, which is constructed much like the Navy version of the AN-J-3. After checking around other sites, the jacket had very good reviews, with the majority of folks who purchased them happy. In one of the reviews on Amazon I read, it even has the inner wind-flap like the Navy version.
I just went back to eBay, and pulled the trigger on one for the sale price of around $80.00 shipped. That's correct.... Only 80 bucks.
Here's a link:http://www.ebay.com/itm/38113855891...49&var=650450809617&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
Apparently, this is being marketed as a motorcycle jacket. Folks who purchased them commented on how heavy, yet supple the leather is. NO split / seam down the middle of the back panel, high armholes, and nice looking, narrow sleeves. No hand-warmers either.
Definitely worth a toss of the dice for me to see for myself. At worse, I will just return it, but I'm thinking it will be alright going by the good reviews. I did read that they run a bit small, and should be sized-up one or two sizes above what one wears. I'm between a 42 and 44R, so, I ordered a size 46 (only 3 of those left now)..I'll update this thread after I receive the jacket. I know that 'lower-end' stuff isn't the norm here, but it just may make one helluva a knock-around AN-J-3 look-a-like for some folks on a tight budget, and can fit into the sizes left. I'm pretty sure that the manufacturer (Mossi), has discontinued these, so whatever's left won't be around long.
Here's a pic I found of a used one in a large size 50 that recently sold on eBay, which shows the color and some grain better than the pics from the stores selling them (It even looks to have the correct larger collar as found on originals):
