Wested Memphis Belle A2

[BKLYN]

Hello.
I'm brand new here but I really appreciate all I've learned from you guys about A2 flight jackets!
Can anyone provide any info on the Wested Leather Memphis Belle A2. They say that they were responsible for the ones in the movie "The Memphis Belle". I pulled out my old VHS and tried my best to examine the jackets and they appeared to look pretty good. Does anyone have one[huh] or know anything about the company?

Thanks!

 

[greyhound68]

Re-looked at the movie and can't tell for sure based on their web site. I do know that Eastman made the jackets for Pearl Harbor and Real McCoys New Zealand made the A2s for the Band of Brothers series. Both make really nice jackets.

This is a good website to get smart on both reproduction and original A2s.

http://www.acmedepot.com/

 

[JRaptor]

I thought Avirex did the jacket's for that movie. As far as Wested goe's....the price tells me that they are very low end as far as A-2 reproduction's go!

 

[Better Duck]

The Memphis Belle movie is not known for its accuracy as far as flying jackets are concerned. The sheepskin jackets only superficially resemble original B3, the A2's have a modern, "roomy" cut, no throathook, the squadron patches are on the right chest, instead of on the left, underneath the nametag (if there was one) to name a few eye-catching things.
Of course this only bothers, c.q. is of interest to a limited number of afficionados, while the greater public doesn't spot the difference and couldn't care less.
On pro's and con's of repro jackets vs originals I can point you to another site, a forum, called VLJ, short for Vintage Leather Jacket forum. As I do not now have the actual link available, just type the above words, including "forum" in Google, and you'll find it!

Cheers

Peter

 

[BKLYN]

Thanks!

You guys are really on the ball!
I didn't expect so many replys in so short a time!
That "roomy" cut may be just what I need with my constantly growing girth. Wested does say they use horsehide and I'm not looking for any patches etc. But theuy don't tell you anything else at their site.
The jacket comes to $330.00 (including shipping) so I guess it is "low end" compared to some of the other brands you've recommended and that I've looked into. Still wondering if anyone has actually dealt with the company or seen their jackets first hand?
http://www.ekmpowershop4.com/ekmps/shops/westedcom/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=26
They also say they designed the Indiana Jones jacket for the three films and show the differences in the jackets from one film to the other. You can even order the model you desire!
http://www.indyjacket.com/

 

[Doctor Strange]

Several of us here have Wested's Indiana Jones jackets and love them. It's a great value, very comfortable (it is custom made to your size specs), and nicely made in a variety of styles and hides. Wested is great to deal with and they have excellent customer service... (I recently sent them my Raiders jacket for repair [the back panel tore - yes, lambskin IS fragile] and after quoting me a fair price, they ended up doing the repair for FREE and paying the return freight themselves!) If you search past threads here, and at Vintage Leather Jackets and Club Obi-Wan (the dedicated Indiana Jones gear forum), you will find lots of high praise for their Indy jacket.

You won't find much on their A-2 jacket, though. Not a lot of people have them or seem interested in checking them out. In any case, it's not something that they sell hundreds (thousands?) of every year, like their Indy jackets.

My own recommendation for a reasonably inexpensive and reasonably accurate A-2 jacket are the ones from US Authentic (flightjacket.com). Or, at a step up from them in price, Flight Suits/Gibson & Barnes. Again, this has been discussed a lot - scan past threads and judge for yourself.

 

[greyhound68]

Heck for a little more you can get a real nice horsehide A-2 from Flight Suits. Excellent product you can return it for a refund or another size if it doesn't fit. I highly recommend them. US Authetic is another source and the price if I recall isn't too much more than the 330 on the Wested jacket. Better product great service. It really depends on what you want to spend the higher end jackets go for lots more than that. Of course there is ebay and plenty of jackets available on that market.

 

[BKLYN]

Thanks again!

My own recommendation for a reasonably inexpensive and reasonably accurate A-2 jacket are the ones from US Authentic (flightjacket.com). Or, at a step up from them in price, Flight Suits/Gibson & Barnes. Again, this has been discussed a lot - scan past threads and judge for yourself.[/QUOTE]

That's how I've learn what I have thus far. You guys are a wealth of knowledge! I have a cheapo A2 (civil) that I've worn a number of years. It feels like I'm not even wearing it, it's so comfortable! Now the windflap is worn out and holey, the pockets are coming off, and there are a couple of small tears in the unknown leather that it's made from (probably pig). I bought a Goat Civil A2 from US Wings and in the estimation of me and my wife, it was worse than my cheapo, so I returned it
My wife told me to break down and get something more durable and that's when I came accross you. I've been reading your threads for a couple of months now and have learned quite a bit. Is anyone familiar with BRANDED LEATHER in LIC, NY? I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks so much!

 

[Kt Templar]

Wested are not that well know for accurate A-2 replicas. However they have made arguably THE most famous jacket in film history - The Indiana Jones Jacket. They also have a history going back over thirty years including many Bond movies, Pirates of the Carribean, Star Wars, Aliens (Ripleys A-2), Das Boot, Hannover Street (Ford's A-2), and of course Memphis Belle, etc...

The A-2 they canl do do for you will be well made, reasonably priced and made from horsehide and made to measure. But you have many other makers to choose from so do your research and take your time.

Aero do a steaehide for just under $300. and there are many others.

 

[BKLYN]

Very much appreciated!

QUOTE=Kt Templar]The A-2 they canl do do for you will be well made, reasonably priced and made from horsehide and made to measure. But you have many other makers to choose from so do your research and take your time.

Aero do a steaehide for just under $300. and there are many others.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! This has been very helpful!!

 

[BKLYN]

Have any seen this A2 site?

I was hunting around and came accross this site of interest on A2's. You guys are already very knowledgeable but, as the Proverb says: . . .A wise person will listen and take in more instruction. . .(Proverbs 1:5) So, I know you'll want to check it out.

http://www.geocities.com/ronin4hire2000/A2.html
Thanks again for all the help!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

BKLYN
I've never seen that Buyers Guide before...but I sure agee with much of his opinions!
HD

 

[Doctor Strange]

I recognize that buyer's guide - I believe that it's by Aero's Ken Calder, and it used to be up on the Aero site a few years back. While some of the info there is good, keep in mind that it was written by a jacket vendor and shows a bit of prejudice.

For somewhat more balanced info (especially regarding the original A-2s - there is some minor bias in the reproduction reviews), try Marc W's Acme Depot pages.

 

[BKLYN]

THANKS!

All of you have been a wealth of knowledge and I truely appreciate it!
All I initially wanted to do was aquire a nice A2 and now I may have become a fanatic. I do own an Avirex 440 (G8) that I aquired from their outlet store in LIC N.Y. back in the late 70's or early 80's when I lived in NY. Unfortunately, I've outgrown it (about a size 42). I've had it relined and replaced the zipper about 2 years ago. All the buttons are long gone but the shell is like armor! I probably ruined it's value by adding snaps to the cuffs and side entry pockets but that's what I thought it needed at the time in my younger days. Every now and then I sqeeze into it. I love that jacket! It's just a little too heavy for my daily needs and, as I mentioned, somewhat tight fitting around the middle.
Again I want to thank you for all your help! I'm really happy that I came across this forum.

 

[Kt Templar]

QUOTE=Kt Templar]The A-2 they canl do do for you will be well made, reasonably priced and made from horsehide and made to measure. But you have many other makers to choose from so do your research and take your time.

Aero do a steerhide for just under $300. and there are many others.

Thanks! This has been very helpful!!

Trying to help. (Would be better if actually I read the post before hitting submit!!)

Aero's steerhide is £200 so it's actually about $400 not $300 .

 

[BKLYN]

No problem!

Trying to help. (Would be better if actually I read the post before hitting submit!!)

Aero's steerhide is £200 so it's actually about $400 not $300 .

Thanks again!
I actually appreciated what you brought to my attention about Wested Leather. I feel alot more comfortable about doing business with them.

 

[Better Duck]

Every now and then I sqeeze into it. I love that jacket! It's just a little too heavy for my daily needs and, as I mentioned, somewhat tight fitting around the middle.

In this age of healthy living, why not get your girth back in shape and stick to your original size? You will benefit in may ways. On VLJ there's a thread discussing a suggestion by a forummember to reward yourself by setting a goal of losing so many kilo's / pounds and rewarding yourself with a new jacket only after you've reached your goal. He got many enthousiastic reactions to his idea, including mine. I was planning to order ELC's new Werber 1933 jacket, but now I have made a weight loss of 10 kilo's a pre-condition before allowing myself the pleasure of this jacket. This way we have something to look forward too, and, more important, our health will benefit; most importantly, we will have re-acquired "the look" of a trim guy in a great trim jacket, that shows the sculpted body to advantage... Oh, well you can take your dreams to far , but essentially, you get my drift!

Peter

 

[BKLYN]

Can't get in.

I registered for the VLJ site 2 times now and still haven't been able to gain access. Any suggestions? I'm not too much bigger (perhaps went from the size 42 to a 44. I'm close to 60 years old now and, I guess to some extent, that's to be expected. The fact that I usually wear a hooded sweatshirt under my jacket only adds to the problem and, as mentioned, that 440 (G-8) is kinda heavy. Is is a very nice jacket. Looks kinda like an "Indy" with far more details. (i.e. behind the zipper wind flap like a G-1, Diamond patches on the sleves, heavy duty zipper, zippered cuffs, etc.)
Thanks again!

 

[BKLYN]

The Memphis Belle movie is not known for its accuracy as far as flying jackets are concerned. The sheepskin jackets only superficially resemble original B3, the A2's have a modern, "roomy" cut, no throathook, the squadron patches are on the right chest, instead of on the left, underneath the nametag (if there was one) to name a few eye-catching things...
Cheers

Peter

You had me re-visit the movie once again. The jackets are cut relatively roomy for the era. And, it does appear as though the pilot's jacket lacks a throathook. However, if you look at the scene just after take off when they almost rear end one of their fellow bombers, you'll notice that the throathook on the co-pilot's A-2 is quite pronounce (the jacket also appears to have a "collar stand"). Then, immediately following, you'll notice that the throathook on Val's jacket is also quite visible as it is from then on in the film.
I did enjoy watching it again!
Thanks!

 

[Better Duck]

I registered for the VLJ site 2 times now and still haven't been able to gain access. Any suggestions?

I'll check with the site administrator and get back to you!

peter