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Buzz Rickson's L-2 Commercial, imaginary jacket or not?

Cobblers161

Well-Known Member
After the recent discussion regarding the Buzz Rickson's Superior Togs B-10 and the red knits I started to think about the L-2 Commercial and as to whether anything of this nature actually existed. as the label has Buzz Rickson MFG Co written on it I'm guessing not.

Does anyone have any ideas? It was always my impression that Buzz jackets were generally authentic, after the non-existence of red knits on a B-10 and the misleading info on their website regarding this I'm starting to think differently.

Here's link to Hinoya in Japan:

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/hinoya/br11505/
 

deeb7

Gone, but not forgotten.
The cotton L-2, sure, there's all variety of commercial versions of pretty much any military design.

Go for it ......

And the red knits .... I was one of the unbelievers, but I'd be happy to buy the jacket because I like it. Buzz may have copied an existing jacket, I just don't believe it was ever issued that way.

The green knit L-2A would be another example .... so it wasn't born like that, the example they copied probably had faded knits.

I don't care, I'd buy that one too.
 

Cobblers161

Well-Known Member
Even with the USAF decal on the upper left shoulder?

The jackets been in my grubby hands for some time, I'm just deciding whether I should let it go as I need to make room for something else. I'm figuring that the least historically accurate jackets should go first.

With the B-10, I love the knits, I think they give an already aesthetically perfect jacket a little something extra, I'm just not sure I'd be happy wearing it if it's not authentic, but then that's the nerd in me talking.. :D
 

Terry le Pirat

New Member
Regarding the red knits B-10, i found something in Osprey Elite Series no46, "Us Army Air Force:1" by Gordon Rottman, regarding the B-10: "The wristlets and waist band were made of dark brown nitted wool, dark OD on later versions."

There is a colourplate showing this, but no picture.

I got a Buzz Superior Togs B-10 last week from Japan, with the red knits of the 2008 production batch, and it has the redder knits, not the brownish as per BR homepage.

It looks very good, i love it, but it would be nice to know some more about the history.

/Jerry
 

Tim P

Well-Known Member
I think A-2 knits would serve just as well on a B-10 as any other type and stocks must have been plentiful. if a jacket can have a white collar it can have red brown knits. that said, never saw or heard of a tanker in such configuration.

If you want a cotton L-2 I have an extra large vintage commercial OD tanker jacket (essentially a cotton L-2) which I can dig out and sell to you for a hundred bucks plus post. ;) it wiont have the USAF stamp (easily done) or the tab on the front but it is real and right and provenance of their use (mostly by Armor branch) abounds..

Copies of mil spec jackets abound and blue cotton L-2a's were especially popular at one time, often custom direct embroidered with rank and qualification.
 

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
Cobblers161 said:
I'm just not sure I'd be happy wearing it if it's not authentic, but then that's the nerd in me talking.. :D
It's OK, I'm a nerd too. Ii's a lovely looking jacket but I reckon it's imaginary. The knits are definately not of a military type. Sell it on and put the money towards an original B-10 or something similar. I know that's what you really want ! ;)
 

asiamiles

Well-Known Member
Cobblers161 said:
Even with the USAF decal on the upper left shoulder?
Apparently the white decal was often applied to commercial copies of flight jackets, but I'm not sure about the full colour ones.

Buzz have done two different cloth L-2's, a Test Sample and the commercial version, which I would think it more likely a copy of an original they obtained than a Buzz invention...after all, they've gone to the trouble of doing those new knits. But who knows.

As has been stated, commerical copies of flight jackets such as the A-2 and B-15 were plentiful after the war and into the 50's. Some of those comemrcial B-15's were of lesser quality while others were actually superior to the issued jackets, and some of the latter have been repro'd by the likes of Toys McCoy, Real McCoy's and Buzz. I don't know how Buzz's commercial L-2 compares to their cloth Test Sample quality-wise, but I have a TS and it is one nice jacket, and a very practical everyday wearer to boot. Buzz or RM (or both) also repro'd a cloth L-2A Test Sample, similar or the same as one worn by Chuck Yeager.
 

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
asiamiles said:
Apparently the white decal was often applied to commercial copies of flight jackets, but I'm not sure about the full colour ones.
They were. I was once suckered into buying an inferior B-15 copy because of the full colour decal. Never again. I can spot a B-15 copy a mile off now !
 
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