269sqnhudson
Active Member
I just received my two WWII Imp Tankers and I am very impressed. Better colour and weight of twill than the last lot, definitely, and it now has bartacked pockets (small thing I know but drove me nuts about the older ones not having bartacks).
Also perhaps the biggest single plus for me is the quality of the stitching; heavy gauge cotton thread and really good tight stitches.
I have had Buzz Ricksons and ATF Tankers and the previous run of WWII Imp and these are better than all of them both from a practical point of view and, I believe, an accuracy point of view. Better than a Buzz? I hear you ask...Well yes actually, here's why:
I'm 6'0 and a Buzz in a 44 is an inch and a half too short which seems a bit odd.
Also, despite HPA's site blurb the Buzz tanker does NOT have a WWII Conmar zip but a modern repro on synthetic zip tape marked 'conmatic'. The WII Imp also has a modern repro, a Talon, but it is a much cheaper jacket!
The twill on the Buzz jackets is, on close inspection, quite loosely woven and tends to fray very easily. The weave on the WWII Imp seams tighter but it's still a similar weight fabric, not as heavy as their last run and tends to sit better if you know what I mean.
Lastly the knits on the WWII Imp are a lot tighter and the cuffs are the proper length (quite long) unlike the Buzz and its short baggy knits.
All in all 9.5/10 for the WWII Impressions 2012 tanker. The half point is lost as the zip, while decent and very good quality, isn't a great WWII repro. Also there's too much junk sewn in the pocket (see pic)
Also perhaps the biggest single plus for me is the quality of the stitching; heavy gauge cotton thread and really good tight stitches.
I have had Buzz Ricksons and ATF Tankers and the previous run of WWII Imp and these are better than all of them both from a practical point of view and, I believe, an accuracy point of view. Better than a Buzz? I hear you ask...Well yes actually, here's why:
I'm 6'0 and a Buzz in a 44 is an inch and a half too short which seems a bit odd.
Also, despite HPA's site blurb the Buzz tanker does NOT have a WWII Conmar zip but a modern repro on synthetic zip tape marked 'conmatic'. The WII Imp also has a modern repro, a Talon, but it is a much cheaper jacket!
The twill on the Buzz jackets is, on close inspection, quite loosely woven and tends to fray very easily. The weave on the WWII Imp seams tighter but it's still a similar weight fabric, not as heavy as their last run and tends to sit better if you know what I mean.
Lastly the knits on the WWII Imp are a lot tighter and the cuffs are the proper length (quite long) unlike the Buzz and its short baggy knits.
All in all 9.5/10 for the WWII Impressions 2012 tanker. The half point is lost as the zip, while decent and very good quality, isn't a great WWII repro. Also there's too much junk sewn in the pocket (see pic)
)
