My Modified A-2; how's the fit?

[Fanch]

Hmmm, that looks like what G&B is marketing as the F-82 jacket?

No, G&B used to carry an ANJ-3 but their production manager told me it was dropped due to lack of sales. I do like Aero's ANJ-3 though.

 

[Banzai]

"it looks like he has leather vaginas under his arms...")

I've always wanted to be sandwiched between two...can I say that on here?

P.S., I like the way your girlfriend thinks. Hold on to her!

 

[Banzai]

Hi Banzai

what is your height and weight??
I have 5'10 and now 165Lbs ( before 190 lbs) and 44" chest . My A2 us auth it size 44. Now i decided send back to Shaul reduce the size( waist circumference and sleeve )of 2-3 '' Sleeves of these jackets are very long I do not know why Shaul doing so long.
I Understand YOURS The problem as lay in the narrow sleeves.

I'm 5'6", 140lbs. My chest is 37", and I wear a 36 or a 38, depending on the cut of the jacket. Shaul recommended a custom 36 Short, which is what mine is. A year later I contacted him about the mobility issues. At first I thought that the horsehide just needed to break in, but over time decided that the leather wasn't the issue.

I really like his product, overall. I like the feel and construction. And he's been responsive and easy to work with. The thing that stinks is, at my height, if I ever order from him again it will have to be custom as well, because all of his stuff runs long. So if I did decide to try a different size, even if I sold this jacket on E-bay I'd still be out a lot of money.

 

[Banzai]

It does look a bit odd, now that it's been mentioned and... Well, I simply cannot understand what is it that prevents the football gussets from folding 'in'? They look well made, albeit perhaps too large, but it looks like they should function. If the gussets were good, I'm positive nobody would notice any of it. Schott's really great at making these football underarms, what they call 'em, as they quickly become unnoticeable on their jackets once they blend in with the creases.

Yeah, I wish I had the answer. I don't know what the issue is.

 

[Banzai]

No, G&B used to carry an ANJ-3 but their production manager told me it was dropped due to lack of sales. I do like Aero's ANJ-3 though.

Not to be dense, but you described the ANJ-3 as an A-2 front, G-1 back...which is exactly how G&B describe that F-82 jacket. I'm not seeing the difference.

 

[thor]

There's also Pop's Leather. He makes all sorts of airline and military pilot flight jackets with all conceivable options including an A-2 with G-1 gussets, zip-out linings, detachable fur collars, thinsulate lining, gun pockets, Velcro name tags, etc, etc. I've heard that many USAF guys got customized A-2 jackets from Pop's.

 

[Fanch]

Not to be dense, but you described the ANJ-3 as an A-2 front, G-1 back...which is exactly how G&B describe that F-82 jacket. I'm not seeing the difference.

The F-82 is a civilian jacket whereas the ANJ-3 is a reproduction of a previously issued military jacket. The F-82 has hand warmer side pockets which is not found in US military issued leather jackets.

 

[Ralph_Phillips]

If horsehide is too tough for the gussets, having gussets made out of seal brown soft goatskin might do it and would allow a close match to the seal brown horsehide.

If having another one made, a custom size might be in order to both allow movement and be as trim a fit as possible near the waist. IE, custom size A2 could be designed to fit a bit more like a CWU 45P, and that would allow plenty of upper body movement while maintaining a trim waist.

 

[Sloan1874]

Combining different types of leather is just a non-starter. No matter how close you get the goat to the horse, it will age completely differently and you'll end up with a weird patchwork effect. It's precisely this sort of thing that Will got up to at Aero with the storse debacle: mixing offcuts of horse and steer to make a single jacket which looked fine initially, but the moment they start to crease, even though they're close in weight, they diverge visibly.

 

[Edward]

The ANJ-3 was designed for ASAF and USN aviators. It's a shame the ANJ-3 developed so little traction as the design brought out the best features of the A-2 and G-1.

In terms of catching on with the military I suppose it simply just came too late in the day, when cheaper, warmer synthetic jackets were replacing leather... As far as the repro market is concerned, I imagine it's much like anything else military: unless there's been a big Hollywood movie featuring it, or it panders to the WW2 fetish, there won't be much call for it.

The F-82 is a civilian jacket whereas the ANJ-3 is a reproduction of a previously issued military jacket. The F-82 has hand warmer side pockets which is not found in US military issued leather jackets.

I thought I remembered that the ANJ3 was tested but never issued - was it actually the case that it was issued in small numbers, prior to the B10 and then B15 taking over?

 

[Carlos840]

I've always wanted to be sandwiched between two...can I say that on here?

P.S., I like the way your girlfriend thinks. Hold on to her!

She's a nutter! And she's about to join our ranks!

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...-Leathers-Super-Monza-no-445L-(ladies)-review

 

[Doctor Damage]

The protruding leather vagina effect is sort of unavoidable with heavy leathers since it's got nowhere to go. For example the steerhide coat below:

I have found that layers of leather or wool in my armpit is uncomfortable enough to drive me crazy, so I prefer the A-2 non-gusset style. But everyone's different. As to appearance, most G1 jackets which I've seen in photos have huge gussets that run up the front and back and are highly visible, so Banzai's jacket is normal in that respect.

 

[Carlos840]

Not sure i agree, i have gussets on my Schott 644 and they are pretty much invisible unless i lift my arms above my head.
I just had a look at my jacket and the gusset design is very different, they don't go as high up on the sleeve and are significantly smaller than the ones on this A2.
I think it's more a design flaw than a problem with leather thickness.

 

[Banzai]

When I explained the problem I was having to Shaul, he said that the solution was to just put G-1 gussets in the jacket.

That's why they look like G-1 gussets, running as high up the front and back as they do. It's because they are G-1 gussets.

 

[Ralph_Phillips]

When I explained the problem I was having to Shaul, he said that the solution was to just put G-1 gussets in the jacket.

That's why they look like G-1 gussets, running as high up the front and back as they do. It's because they are G-1 gussets.

I think you also said you did some interior pockets, if out of the ordinary, how many and what location?

I'm curious because I'm trying to decide the best interior pocket combination for a custom order.

 

[Seb Lucas]

When I explained the problem I was having to Shaul, he said that the solution was to just put G-1 gussets in the jacket.

That's why they look like G-1 gussets, running as high up the front and back as they do. It's because they are G-1 gussets.

I'm not sure I follow this. The solution is G-1 gussets but the problem is G-1 gussets?

 

[Banzai]

Apparently.

No, the solution was to get one size bigger on the jacket.

Unfortunately, when I first tried the 36 for size, I thought the tightness was completely due to the stiff new horsehide. I was wrong.

The measurements I sent to Shaul were done according to his directions, but we're from my favorite suit coat, which is very trim.

Shaul got the length just right. And technically he got the width too, but I think our communication was not good.

He doesn't take exchanges on custom orders, so suggested adding G-1 gussets. It's alleviated some of the issues, but not all, and has thrown the look. So now it's really off.

I sent him an email asking if he will exchange for some kind of exchange fee. We'll see what the answer is.

The problem is that I can't order a standard size from him. I'm 5'6", and his standard is like everyone else's long fit.

Maybe I should have just gone with G&B? I think US Authentic jackets have more character, but G&B stocks my size as a standard option.

 

[kowalski]

Apparently.

I think US Authentic jackets have more character,

it true

I modified my usAuth A2 with size 44 on 42 (sleeve , abdominal circumference and long ) . I will have it for one week I put pictures for comparison

i am 5''10 and size 44 It turned out to be a little too big for me .Modified it no problem