My 50th birthday present

[Heavyduti]

Although not a premium jacket, I love this Avirex with my own design painted on by a local artist. I wasn't going for authenticity, just a nose-art painted jacket for my birthday present to me some years back.

The Mustang is one of my favourites and I took some liberties by adding my initials and nickname to the jacket. The patches are from here and there.

 

[andy richards]

Nice jacket and great nose art!
Congrats!
Andy

 

[Heavyduti]

Thanks

Thanks Andy, BTW, I do know that strictly speaking it's not nose art but I didn't think that I would wear the traditional scantily clad woman around much.

 

[too much coffee]

Very nice Heavyduti! I bet your weather is turning to the point you can get some serious "stick time" with the Mustang.

Congratulations and enjoy.
Regards, coffee

 

[Heavyduti]

You're right coffee, can't wait but I will miss this past summer-it was a great one and almost as good as your winter weather.

 

[dep126]

Looks awesome!! Gotta love the P-51. Although scantily clad women aren't too bad either

 

[Corky]

I hate to play the Devil's Advocate, but...

I hate to play the Devil's Advocate, but if that was my jacket I would take it back to the artist and show him some illustrations of a P-51 Mustang.

Check out the nose and tail details and general silhouette of the Mustang and compare them to the painting on your jacket.

It appears to me that he has somehow morphed some of the characteristics of a P-39 Aracobra

Sorry to rain on your parade, but if an artist is going to stick a label like "INIMITATABLE" on a piece of aircraft art, it ought to at least have a reasonable resemblance to the aircraft it is supposed to depict.

 

[Silver Dollar]

I don't know about anyone else but I'd never identify that jacket bird as anything but a P51D. That painting as far as I'm concerned is very period and very representative of the average jacket you'd see on any airfield. Many original jackets were no where near the quality shown on that jacket. The average nose artist was just another member of the squadron and not an expert. I've been building and studying WWII USAAF aircraft and nose art for 33 years. I'm also a pretty good nose artist myself and I think I know what was out there at the time. I'd be happy to wear that jacket. What a great birthday gift. :eusa_clap

 

[Stearmen]

B-17

I don't know about anyone else but I'd never identify that jacket bird as anything but a P51D. That painting as far as I'm concerned is very period and very representative of the average jacket you'd see on any airfield. Many original jackets were no where near the quality shown on that jacket. The average nose artist was just another member of the squadron and not an expert. I've been building and studying WWII USAAF aircraft and nose art for 33 years. I'm also a pretty good nose artist myself and I think I know what was out there at the time. I'd be happy to wear that jacket. What a great birthday gift. :eusa_clap

I have to agree, I knew an artist from the 8th Air Force, and his B-17 that he painted on his own jacket had a similar look to your jacket! If the paint was flaking off, it would look a lot like a jacket he did. Whish I would have let him do one of my jackets, sadly, he was the type that never even had a cold in his life, so he went real fast when he finally did get sick! And yes, I have seen a lot of nose art both original and modern while restoring vintage aircraft. Your jacket would fit right in with the originals. You can spend a life time looking for perfection, but you will never obtain it!

 

[Silver Dollar]

I have to agree, I knew an artist from the 8th Air Force, and his B-17 that he painted on his own jacket had a similar look to your jacket! If the paint was flaking off, it would look a lot like a jacket he did. Whish I would have let him do one of my jackets, sadly, he was the type that never even had a cold in his life, so he went real fast when he finally did get sick! And yes, I have seen a lot of nose art both original and modern while restoring vintage aircraft. Your jacket would fit right in with the originals. You can spend a life time looking for perfection, but you will never obtain it!

Exactly! If you go to the Air Force Museum which has some of the best original jackets out there, you'd be surprised what's there. A couple are incredibly good while most of them are just like Inimitable. You've got yourself a real winner here, Heavyduti.

 

[Heavyduti]

Thanks guys

The artist used a large poster with a photo of the 'd' model and I was very impressed by her faithful depiction of the aircraft on leather, something she had never attempted before.

I have owned several factory-done jackets so this was a real treat for me. I enjoy wearing it every single time.

Thanks for all of your comments. I am very new to this site, enjoying every thread that I have read.

My only worry is that Fedora is going to cost me a lot of money as I learn more about the jackets by manufacturers of which l was blissfully unaware.

I am also a hat guy with about a dozen Akubra models which are my daily wear. The rain today is a boon since I am less obvious when the umbrella crowd is out.

 

[Navin323i]

The artist used a large poster with a photo of the 'd' model and I was very impressed by her faithful depiction of the aircraft on leather, something she had never attempted before.

I have owned several factory-done jackets so this was a real treat for me. I enjoy wearing it every single time.

Thanks for all of your comments. I am very new to this site, enjoying every thread that I have read.

My only worry is that Fedora is going to cost me a lot of money as I learn more about the jackets by manufacturers of which l was blissfully unaware.

I am also a hat guy with about a dozen Akubra models which are my daily wear. The rain today is a boon since I am less obvious when the umbrella crowd is out.

Love the jacket and the cool artwork! Welcome to the site here. You are so correct about how the site is going to cost you a lot of money as you learn about jackets by manufacturers you hadn't heard of before... I definitely fall into that category and got swept in to the Aero leather jacket fanbase here.

Happy 50th birthday to you... congrats!

 

[442RCT]

As an accumulator of painted jackets, I've seen many pics of them, modern as well as original, I agree 100% with Silver Dollar and Stearman about A2 jacket art. Most of the jacket art where planes look really good (i.e.-Jerome Urbaniak http://www.picturetrail.com/jrome) have been done by modern day professional artists. As for your 'stang not looking right, heck it depends on the angle...

I have owned several factory-done jackets so this was a real treat for me. I enjoy wearing it every single time.

When I first started, Avirex mass produced jackets were pretty much the only game in town and I've acquired quite a few of them over the years and posted pics of many of them in this thread:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=48438&highlight=avirex

Even though I own over 50 leather flight jackets, a dozen of them with custom paint jobs, I still unabashedly enjoy my old mass produced Avirex mall jackets [huh]

ps- you can add your jacket to this thread too
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=48540

The Mustang is one of my favourites and I took some liberties by adding my initials and nickname to the jacket.

If you look at this P-51 on my jacket, I named it "Go For Broke".

 

[Stearmen]

Vargas

I like your Go For Broke, but, Big Beautiful Doll has to be my favorite Vargas girl of all times, the perfect pose, with or with out clothes! I would post my one and only jacket I painted, but photobucket deleted it, absolutely no nudity, not even hand painted art!

 

[442RCT]

...but photobucket deleted it, absolutely no nudity, not even hand painted art!

Have you tried PictureTrail to post the

 

[Mike in Seattle]

It looks great - :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

What better gift to one's self than getting what you REALLY want, right?

 

[Silver Dollar]

I know exactly what you mean about the Big Beautiful Doll Varga girl. I don't remember painting anything with her on it but she's also one of my favorite. I'd really love to see that hand painted jacket, Stearman. Hopefully you can find a host that will allow you to show her.

 

[kampkatz]

Heavy, as long as you like the jacket and the artwork, nothing else matters. Happy birthday!

 

[Heavyduti]

Okay, so far I want Navin's Aero and the Big Beautiful Doll on 442's jacket...

Anyone want to contribute to my jacket fund?

I had to try.

 

[Jingo Mastapone]

442RCT, what in the hell is going on with Go For Broke's left leg?? Are my eyes being crazy or is there some perspective issue or is it actually diminutive and atrophied?