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Good Wear Tanker Detailed Pics

CBI

Well-Known Member
Last pic in direct sun for actual color:

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johnwayne

Well-Known Member
Looks nice and well made as we've come to expect from John but why is he going down the cloth route? Given the size of his order book I'm surprised he doesn't attempt to reduce that or is he personally making these? I've got a BR and love it, superbly made and as nice as this one is, it doesn't look any better, IMO from what I see poss inferior.
 

CBI

Well-Known Member
Fit pics in another post "New Jackets for Me"

John has many jacket styles he makes outside of the usual suspects and does a great job with cloth. This jacket was in the cue for a long time. John has been making cloth for years now just not officially offering it. BR makes nice Tankers but I like this one more than the BR I used to own. The color is spot on and the jacket is heavy like real Tankers. My BR exterior felt smooth and contemporary, not 1940's. BR tends to be not as hefty..............a complaint of some reenactors. That said, a lighter weight jacket can be easier/more comfortable to wear (Like ATF's fleece lined Tankers). Practically speaking, there are great Tanker options like BR, SMW and WW2 Impressions w/o the wait. My pics don't show the subtleties I guess. Agreed, BR makes really nice ones!
 

Dr H

Well-Known Member
I've ordered a cloth 37J1 from John (the test jacket looked really impressive even using the wrong grade of jungle cloth - John now has cloth that is indistinguishable from vintage cloth).
I'm deciding whether to go 37J1 or 37J1B at the moment.
 

SuinBruin

Well-Known Member
I've ordered a cloth 37J1 from John (the test jacket looked really impressive even using the wrong grade of jungle cloth - John now has cloth that is indistinguishable from vintage cloth).
I'm deciding whether to go 37J1 or 37J1B at the moment.
No luck finding the right Real McCoy's iteration, Ian?
 

Dr H

Well-Known Member
I thought that I had a Zielinski in a sensible size, but it didn't happen. Then John mentioned that he had one in the works and I decided that bespoke was the way to go.
 

SuinBruin

Well-Known Member
Funny how a few years ago those of us who loved the 37J1 had so few options, and now copies are all over the place. The RMJ version is pretty good but my bet is the Good Wear iteration will be special. I'm guessing it will also be based on the original Zielinski John owned? In that case a direct comparison would be of some interest.
 

ausreenactor

Well-Known Member
I've moved around half a dozen BR 37J1s in 42 and 44 over the years and one RM 46. Thought I could always replace them.... Haven't seen a decent sized second hand BR or RM in years...
 

Dr H

Well-Known Member
Funny how a few years ago those of us who loved the 37J1 had so few options, and now copies are all over the place. The RMJ version is pretty good but my bet is the Good Wear iteration will be special. I'm guessing it will also be based on the original Zielinski John owned? In that case a direct comparison would be of some interest.

He's possibly going to offer more than one option, Matt.
I believe that his pattern would generally be based on the Zielinski (with the tall pockets and slightly less angular flaps), with tan cloth and olive knits but labelled Good Wear Leather Coat Co.
I've become less keen on the 37J1B, as the upright collar and button loop doesn't sit down that well (because of the length of the zipper) as I've mentioned in connection with the tanker jacket.
The 37J1(A) works a little better for me (with the elongated collar knit and two buttons), but it's less smart. Intriguingly, there was a third design (below). I don't know whether it's a cotton collar or knitted, nor how it was fastened (the resolution of the image is too poor to see), but it folds and lays like a conventional collar, which I prefer.
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Test jacket of GW 37J1B using inferior jungle cloth:

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CBI

Well-Known Member
Ian - you know I love those upright collars!!!!!!! I think John still needs some materials before he does a real jungle cloth version.
 

SuinBruin

Well-Known Member
Yeah, the Zielinski collar isn't meant to lie down. It took me awhile to get used to it but now it doesn't bother me. I'll be very, very interested to see what John cooks up for you. (You could always have him install a conventional collar and consider it a rigger [or the USMC/USN equivalent] mod.)
 

Dr H

Well-Known Member
Yeah, the Zielinski collar isn't meant to lie down. It took me awhile to get used to it but now it doesn't bother me. I'll be very, very interested to see what John cooks up for you. (You could always have him install a conventional collar and consider it a rigger [or the USMC/USN equivalent] mod.)

Those period jackets on the right have exactly the collar that I’m looking for...

John: I thougt that the cloth was arriving during June.
 

zoomer

Well-Known Member
Those lie-down collars, I imagine, are the first iteration, not the third. The zipper stops at the neckline, and the knits overlap and close with 2 buttons, A-1 style (except with cut/stitched buttonholes instead of loops).

Below is an example with a double button collar (which I call 37J1A, rightly or not!). Supposedly the jacket dates to 1932, tho there's no label or knowledge of maker.
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Dr H

Well-Known Member
Those lie-down collars, I imagine, are the first iteration, not the third. The zipper stops at the neckline, and the knits overlap and close with 2 buttons, A-1 style (except with cut/stitched buttonholes instead of loops)
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Thanks for the info, Paul. By stating ’a third version’, I meant numerically yet another example, not commenting specifically on the chronology.
I have no information about this one (John C might be able to elaborate as the image was originally posted on his site), but it is the first image that I have seen of a cloth 37J1 with a collar of this type.
I had always assumed that the 37J1 followed the Type A-1 (1927) and so the knitted tube collar with a button type fastening would have been the most logical copy for open cockpit flying (as the aircraft in the photo suggests). I’d have thought that a more conventional collar (if that is what this is - I don’t know how it’s fastened, perhaps even a tab collar like the Goldsmith, although I can’t see any evidence of it in this blurry image) would have come later when closed cockpits would be more common (like the transition from A-1 to A-2)?
 
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