Hey, little late but my wife’s Motolita developed those little micro cracks. You could keep it moisturized with Pecards, Vasoline, or even furniture polish.
But I don’t think it will negatively affect the jacket.
It’s a good looking jacket and I’d agree genuinely from the ‘50s.
The lack of USN ID, either on the collar or the windflap makes me wonder if this was one of those jackets, mil in design, but made and sold to the civil market.
I’d imagine the size and shape of the collar tag, even if missing...
Entirely my opinion and I’m sure it depends on the leather, but I generally don’t find that creases really “come out” of jackets. The leather develops a memory and, once bent a certain way, tends to return to that preference.
I’ve tried to “reinfluence” several of my jackets. It never seems to...
Wasn’t Brill Bros the early ‘70s cowhide/Dynel collar jacket that tended towards the squeaky side?
I had one that was a bit small on me. Decently made though as I recall.
Little late, but you should search for my review now a few years past.
I’m 6’1 and 215. I’m not at home but I believe the jacket is a 48, fits like a 47.
Little short in the torso as are all their G-1s. Not baggy but broad enough to fit my 54yr old frame.
Oh, G+B has kind of fallen off the radar these days as they dialed back their jacket sales a bit.
Indeed last I heard G+B had resized their jackets to accommodate a more, ahem, full bodied customer base.
If you don’t like them baggy, you probably don’t want a G+B from the last several years.
Though I have kind of fallen off the G-1 hunt, I think you have some good options for a reasonable price these days.
5 Star leather seems to have a great following and for the price is hard to beat.
AVI leathers is another great choice and the one or two examples posted on here look to be...
Sometimes the newer G-1s, even the wool ones, tend to fade to a greenish grey, kind of unappealing.
I guess you could daub the collar with dye on a sponge. I’d test it on the most inconspicuous spot first though.
Looks great! Wear it in good health.
I believe that the Forrestal is basically the same cut and leather as the 100 Mission jacket, one of which I still have.
And I couldn’t agree more. That jacket is a winner!
That’s a great looking jacket!
I tend to agree that, historical bragging rights aside, the ANJ really is the best of both flight jacket worlds.
As we’ve discussed, it’s really difficult to say for certain whether the “collarless G-1” was a thing. But I’d gently advise a certain amount of...
I have both an ELC G-1 and an Aero A-1.
As Edward has said, I’m not certain about the patterns that Aero uses and I agree that perfect accuracy is more than a bit of Unobtainium, but the ELC is a beautiful and convincingly accurate jacket. Be aware that ELCs are (or at least were) thinner...
It might be worth asking over at the VLJ. Some of the guys over there have really dug into the source documents and might have some insight into naming conventions.
It’s an interesting subject and you can see the evolution of the American military logistical system reflected in it.
I have an ELC pre-war Irvin. It has the same issues with wear around the sleeves. However, it hasn’t progressed farther around the perimeter than the bottom and I’ve had the jacket for years.
I also have a B-6 with a good bit of matting and sleeve wear. Just like my Irvin the wear happened...
Sending measurements is of course a good idea, but a fit jacket would be nice if you could try one.
Here’s mine. Generally, I found the pattern to be tight in the chest and shoulders for me even sized up. It’s just not meant to be a generous jacket.
Good luck!
Others will have to sanity check me in this, but I don’t believe that is entirely correct.
From what I’ve seen, WWII jackets typically had something stenciled on the collar. I assume that is what you mean by “stamped” in the context of the collar at least. It was always USN in the case of the...
That’s a very kind wife!
Will be interested to see how it turns out. Sometimes, when working on a project like this, I think the journey is half the fun.
Since I’ve already said too much, I’ll say some more! LOL!
I don’t really have a hosting service, so links will have to do unfortunately.
This is the VMFA-314 Viet Nam page.
http://vmfa-314.com/
There’s a very nice version of the 314 VN patch there. Note the wide helmet, the sharpness of...
Hey guys,
Just saw this so I apologize for the late reply.
As far as patches go, truly it is regulation to only wear a name tag on the left chest and a squadron patch on the right. It is not unheard of however to also wear your aircraft patch on the right sleeve, though many prefer to wear a...
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