Buzz Rickson B-15 - pic heavy

[Blackadder]

Ah, the elusive RM B-15C. I've only seen a handful of pics of them but they do look good. So do they have the high shine finish like original Cs then?

I'd heard that their sizing is even smaller only going up to a size 40 or 42. Are they still making them?

I'd personally never pay that much, rather pay the extra and have an original - which is my plan.

It was a general comparison of Buzz's nylon with RM and I have never seen an original B-15c, so I can't tell.
It goes up to size 44 but they no longer sell it. In the past, they have made an Albert Turner repro and an A. PRITZKER & SONS repro. I think the last model was sold in 2011.

 

[devilish]

Ah, the elusive question of the correct nylon 'sheen'. Like most things in life the truth lays somewhere in the middle. Of the original nylons I've held or owned none are as shiny as Alpha's newer versions. Most are in the ball park of BR or RMC. I have two BR B-15c Mods, the olive version and the blue with olive knits. A friend owns the RMC early MA-1 repro. We've compared them and there is scant little difference in the outer shell. The RMC liner is shinier, more like that of a G-1. Granted neither is a straight up blue B-15 but I still feel it's a fair comparison.
On a different tack, the reason I prefer the Modded version without the fur collar is because in the U.S. that style of jacket is worn by Mall Cops and has lost almost all it's association with the Military or early jet pilot heroics. This is shame because they are really quite practical jackets for colder weather.

 

[Blackadder]

Ah, the elusive question of the correct nylon 'sheen'. Like most things in life the truth lays somewhere in the middle. Of the original nylons I've held or owned none are as shiny as Alpha's newer versions. Most are in the ball park of BR or RMC. I have two BR B-15c Mods, the olive version and the blue with olive knits. A friend owns the RMC early MA-1 repro. We've compared them and there is scant little difference in the outer shell. The RMC liner is shinier, more like that of a G-1. Granted neither is a straight up blue B-15 but I still feel it's a fair comparison.
On a different tack, the reason I prefer the Modded version without the fur collar is because in the U.S. that style of jacket is worn by Mall Cops and has lost almost all it's association with the Military or early jet pilot heroics. This is shame because they are really quite practical jackets for colder weather.

Mall cop, lol now that you have mentioned it, they do look very much alike.

 

[Smithy]

Ah, the elusive question of the correct nylon 'sheen'. Like most things in life the truth lays somewhere in the middle. Of the original nylons I've held or owned none are as shiny as Alpha's newer versions. Most are in the ball park of BR or RMC. I have two BR B-15c Mods, the olive version and the blue with olive knits. A friend owns the RMC early MA-1 repro. We've compared them and there is scant little difference in the outer shell. The RMC liner is shinier, more like that of a G-1. Granted neither is a straight up blue B-15 but I still feel it's a fair comparison.
On a different tack, the reason I prefer the Modded version without the fur collar is because in the U.S. that style of jacket is worn by Mall Cops and has lost almost all it's association with the Military or early jet pilot heroics. This is shame because they are really quite practical jackets for colder weather.

Original B-15Cs do have quite a distinct sheen. The Albert Turner I handled last year was nowhere near a matt finish, if anything it was the shiniest nylon flight jacket I have seen. It was in excellent condition and had experienced no fading. I think that there's the possibility that original B-15Cs had a different waterproofing treatment applied which may account for the sheen than perhaps other nylons had. Here's a couple more photos of other Cs which show the same pronounced sheen:

 

[bn1966]

I would love for Buzz to make the B-15C in a size 46

 

[Superfluous]

 

[bn1966]

He's got the look Must be a 46!

 

[mihai]

For the Cop type of look, no need for BR, a current generic MA-1 would do. With the saved money an investment in doughnuts is required instead.

 

[bn1966]

Mall Cop??????

 

[mihai]

I thought the initial post was referring to the movie with same name (last pic belongs to it I guess). Is the reality any different?

 

[devilish]

I wasn't referring to it exactly but that's the idea. Rental cops, small town security, hired doormen and the like. All have a fondness for the B-15/MA-1 look depending on the climate where they reside.

Back to the sheen of BR or original nylon. A lot depends on the photograph conditions but here is my BR B-15C Mod taken in slightly different conditions than the originals above but you can see it still shows a shine to the shell.

 

[Sloan1874]

Why would someone who works in a temperature-controlled mall wear a jacket with a furry collar? Black MA-1s tend to be associated with security guards over here, though I doubt they're packing BRs or RMs. The less said about the cultural associations with the green ones, the better, but they're still cool.

 

[bn1966]

Chippenham market had some MA1 doorman specials for sale this week, thin nylon & cotton wool interlining...just right for patrolling the pubs and clubs of Wiltshire

 

[bn1966]

I wear the green ones (not Chippenham Market) with a cropped haircut (necessary unfortunately) but thankfully these days there isn't generally in south western England the cultural associations that used to be associated with a green MA1 type Tends to go with Lonsdale sportswear around here.

One thing I love about the B-15 is that as well as being warm around the neck, it softens the overall look.

 

[Sloan1874]

I used to have a cord version of a B-15, which I wore until it started to fall to pieces, but it was no where near as warm as the Buzz one.

 

[Edward]

On the matter of the nylon colour, there's currently an original L2A on eBay which in the photo at least looks as light coloured as my Alpha Vintage(!). Might be flash photo... Doubt it is fading. Too uniform, and not the faded purple UV patches you see on the original N2As and some B15s on sale. (First original L2A I've seen, so don't have a handle on that.)

 

[Big J]

Maybe someone's mentioned this, but the Buzz Rickson's sizing system seems a little strange to me.

I'd always looked at the sizing numbers they give, and thought that they equated directly to chest size in inches, just like Aero A-2's or something, then when I saw them in a shop in Japan, I was surprised by how big they looked for the label sizes (still too small for me though). That's when I nosed around on the internet in Japanese, and realized that a lot of Japanese stockists give BR jacket sizes in cm measurements across the chest, and down the backs and sleeves. A quick check of a BR MA-1 in label size 46 was the same as my Aero size 50 A-2.

Admittedly, the MA-1 is squeezing a woolen liner in as well, but seemed great for someone taking a size 48.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Personally, I trust the colours and appearance of jackets in old photos taken on film, like the Korean War photos posted earlier. You can confirm the colours by finding a colour in the photo you know to be correct or are familiar with, and gauge how accurate or 'off' the other colours are (such as the pilot's pants or cap). I have found from experience that much of the shine or gloss in jackets today is due to some aspect of how digital cameras take photos (outdoor natural lighting really helps to eliminate digital/optical effects and show a more accurate depiction). I suspect the gloss on jackets seen in old film-based photos is more accurate, and as someone already said, the nylon used would have varied from contract to contract so there's no single 'correct' nylon appearance.

As for Buzz and others doing reproductions of different contract MA-1 or B15 jackets, I have to wonder if they've actually changed anything other than the labels and zipper pulls. Call me cynical if you wish, but unless those companies have a warehouse full of original jackets in brand new condition and in all sizes for all contracts, then I don't see how they can really claim meaningful differences between contracts.

 

[Big J]

As for Buzz and others doing reproductions of different contract MA-1 or B15 jackets, I have to wonder if they've actually changed anything other than the labels and zipper pulls. Call me cynical if you wish, but unless those companies have a warehouse full of original jackets in brand new condition and in all sizes for all contracts, then I don't see how they can really claim meaningful differences between contracts.

Yeah, I agree with that. Over here Buzz has some repros of MA-1 contracts that were a 'skinny' fit. I find it extremely hard to believe that either the USAF or contractors had the foresight to make a hipster version 50 years ago.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Oh, it takes a bit of something to commit to splashing out on a B.R. jacket, I know - but when it appears, the money is the last thing you think about.

It certainly does take some commitment, at least to Canada, since the jackets aren't made in the USA.

CAD $528 jacket price (USD $485 jacket price for Lion MA-1)
CAD $164 taxes & duty (31% because not made in USA)
CAD $20 Canada Post handling fee
CAD $49 shipping (estimated USD $45 shipping via USPS)
total = CAD $761

...and if it went via UPS to Canada you can add more $$ for their brokerage fees (although you remove the Canada Post handling fee).