Top Gun Patch

[shedonwanna]

Here's my version of a Top Gun Patch...

 

[dujardin]

wow splendid,

i know painted leather, also incised leather but this one have ''relief'' ; is it just a visual effect or is your patch something like ''embossed'' ???
byeeeeeeeeeeee marcel

i hope i use the correct terms

 

[CBI]

nice job! In the old days folks would add those tabs under the round patch "Adversary", "Instructor" or "Topscope" (if you were a radar operator). I would post a pic of may patch with all 3 tabs on it but I am staying off Photobucket while they fix the virus issue. As the popularity of Top Gun increased with collectors (this is still pre-movie) they decided they wanted another patch that could be sold/given to the general public as the design you have duplicated was to be for actual students and instructors. I designed a simple F-5 over a red star with United States Navy Fighter Weapns School around it. They used that as the other official patch for a few years and later made more changes before the unit was disbanded/changed. I used to do artwork for Top Gun in the early 80's and have a plaque as "Honorary Top Gun Bro" from May of 82. Once the movie came out I stopped mentioning I had woked there because no one believed me!

 

[shedonwanna]

Yes, this patch design is debossed (pressed) into the leather. I've been making squadron patches and name tags for several Navy VP and VF squadrons for years using this technique. These were my first Top Gun patches made for some graduates. Their cloth patches were used as a template.

CBI, sure would like to see some history of the Top Gun patches. I've seen several versions including the "public" one you designed with the F-5 over the star.

 

[CBI]

Ok, I will get to this. I was also around when Top Gun pilots had to get rid of thier cool dark blue flight suits. Another squadron at Miramar NAS (when it was a Navy base) decided to go with the same blue suits so the base commander shut the idea down and told everyone to wear the standard green. The F-5 patch was used by most of the pilots as well since it was a larger breast patch and they had nothing else ready when they went green. About the time I first visited Top Gun, they had their own art department and there was all sorts of terrific artwork, patch designs floating around. They actually had a few very creative civilian graphic arts people working full time on training materials. Many drawings were great cartoon renditions of pilots and air combat.

At one point, there was also a Top Scope patch which had a Russian bomber in the gunsight.

 

[sixties.nut]

So one of you guys is Jester? Git up over that hard deck and quit messing around ! :lol: