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B10 repro on French website

Obscurator

Active Member
While looking for something else, I came upon this French website https://www.paratrooper.fr , which seems to have a number of interesting things.

This B10 caught my attention:- https://www.paratrooper.fr/en/reproduction/2822-jacket-flight-b-10-usaaf.html. It looks to be of reasonable quality, and the third paragraph of the description, if accurate, seems to confirm it. Combined with a good range of sizes (although only 46 and 48 seem to be in stock now), and a competitive price, it appears a decent article.

As usual, I can't make out the label, but it looks to me a lot like a Chinese-made one (of which I have a Bronson). If it is, and it's in the EU, then for those of us in the UK (pro tem, perhaps) it looks to be a good buy, at the price and without the tax and import hassle of non-EU items.


Any comments/experience/advice welcome.

Thanks.
 

Obscurator

Active Member
I noticed that jacket awhile back, and I'm pretty sure it's sourced from QMI:

https://qmi.be/uniforms-and-equipment/us/us-jackets/usaaf-type-b-10-jacket-2016.html

Thanks. Apart from the colour, it does indeed look much the same. If so, there's some recent discussion here: https:https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/best-buy-in-a-b-10-above-size-44.21754/#post-219524

The thing which always fazes me is that the descriptions look promising but incomplete, or perhaps not exactly in sync. If it's QMI, then the French item description, which speaks of, and I quote "custom-made alpaca wool lining, genuine plush mouton fur collar in dark brown, custom-made knit cuffs and waistband", is a bit more fulsome than the QMI listing. I have a few jackets with real mouton collars (RMC, BR etc.), and their collars don't look much like the ones on these. I suppose the only answer is empiricism i.e. buy one, but the possible shortness is a bit off-putting. All of them are "bum freezers", but I jib at frozen kidneys.
 

Technonut2112

Well-Known Member
I remember now... I read the same description and emailed QMI to inquire about the lining material, and if it was alpaca. I was told in the reply 'no, not at our low price', and it's acrylic. I replied, and mentioned that a company in France is misrepresenting their jackets in the description, and provided a link to them..... QMI didn't respond.
 

Obscurator

Active Member
I remember now... I read the same description and emailed QMI to inquire about the lining material, and if it was alpaca. I was told in the reply 'no, not at our low price', and it's acrylic. I replied, and mentioned that a company in France is misrepresenting their jackets in the description, and provided a link to them..... QMI didn't respond.
Thanks for the update. More "Sow's Ear" than "Silk Purse", in that case. At least the Bronson lining is 75% wool/25% polyester, and no secret about it.

I had a notion it was a bit too good to be true.
 
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