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WWII Crusher and Garrison Caps

The Wingnut

One Too Many
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I'll post this here, if anyone sees fit that this should have a separate thread with a link, I'll move it.

Customer service: 11 out of 10.
Stock: 9 out of 10 - if they don't have it, you probably don't need it, or can wait a while 'til they do.
Quality of items: 7 out of 10. Mixed bag. I've got some awesome stuff, at other times, marginal because I didn't know what to expect and it was in a bit more beat up shape than I was expecting. I've kept all but one item from them, which was the virst crusher I got, which was too small and had a felt top. I wanted gabardine, and ended up with their repro, which leads me to:

The Garcia Crusher:

garcia_crusher.jpg


INCREDIBLE CONSTRUCTION. Hands down, it's bulletproof. You can wad this baby up in a ball, toss it on a flat surface and never tell it had been wadded. Stuff it in a suitcase, pull it out 5 days later and it'll sit perfect on your head. It might be more durable than the vintage eagle you'll put on it, because those can bend or break!

The liner is the perfect color and pattern, a yellow gold rayon with a sewn-in gold paper swatch that - recalling from memory - states, 'Custom Made for James E. Garcia Aviation Catalog' There is a card holder pocket in the plastic overliner, which is true to the original designs, allowing the officer to place his calling card in the liner.

The leather bill is a soft, thick leather which bends quite easily. The only nitpick here is that the bill is not constructed like most vintage 'lightweight' crushers. It s is a solid, vat-dyed 3/32" thick piece of leather with a line of stitching around the edge. Most original lightweight crushers had a bill that was a very thin glossy aniline suface-dyed bill, with a leather welt on the edge for a rolled look, and a suede lined underside. The repro bill is also a bit darker brown than the russet tone of vintage crushers. Both of these points in my mind can be overlooked, as the style of a 'crusher' cap was so varied across different specs and manufacturers that it was quite posible during the war to have produced a crusher in this manner.

This is, in fact, a medium-weight crusher, has some heft and stiffness, has a metal brace for the eagle (which can easily be bent back for the 'flat-hat' look), and a plastic mesh stiffener behind the perforated sweatband running the circumference of the headband that 'pops' the crusher back into shape when it's left to its own. I consider this a plus!

The top is an excellent chocolate green elastique that can be steamed to take a good crushed shape, or if you're the West Point type, you can stick a stiffener in the crown and be very dressy.

It has the cavalry-style backstrap, with a correct roller buckle and loop in case you're mounted on a horse and need to cinch it down! This is easily removed for the hot-rock pilot look by pulling the true-to-vintage wire-fastened side buttons out, then replacing them and leaving just the front chinstrap across the bill.

It's not a Bancroft Flighter, and it's not Eastman's overpriced Flighter repro that's not even available stateside, but it's a knockout, and far better than some other repros. (What Price Glory and WWII Impressions just don't match up!) I owned mine for close to 5 years, loved it to death and probably would have ran back into a burning building to get it. It took a hell of a lot of coaxing myself to give it up, but the gentleman who has it now deserved it, and he gave me an incredible price on a vintage original that is missing some of the features that I liked so much in my Garcia.

GET ONE. Tell them A.J. sent you.
 

Wild Root

Gone Home
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5,532
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Monrovia California.
That is a good repop! Crushers are swell. I wouldn't try and put my original to any tests, but I'm sure it might of been the same when new.

Any way, you seem to have a nice collection, do you have lots of civilian duds? Ooops, off the subject.

Regards,

Root.
 

Bogie1943

Practically Family
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672
Location
Proctorville, Ohio
Thanks AJ, you sold me man, I just ordered a OD and a Tan from Garcia, I love it, they are the best I have ever seen and I don't even have mine yet, but soon, they just look the best and from what you wrote I can tell I am going to be blown away when that box arrives from Garcia Aviation Co. WOW
 

Bogie1943

Practically Family
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672
Location
Proctorville, Ohio
Sadlt AJ, they are out of the tan until this coming October so I said, just send me the OD and the collar brass I ordered with the two crushers, I told them I would wait till then to get the tan but to go ahead and send me the OD, cause I want it bad! Bummer, but I tell you the customer service during the process was wonderful. You know how some internet companies take like two days to respond to emails, well I emailed after I ordered to check on something, and maybe a minute later there was a reply and and email conversation took off for the next 20 mins about them being out of the tan, which bummed me a little but they were so helpful it made it just fine and like I said I would just wait till Oct. to get my tan. WOW RUN ON SENTENCE THERE! But I look forward to getting the cap and comparing it to my original, which is in the pictures above.
 

Wild Root

Gone Home
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5,532
Location
Monrovia California.
Say Josh, those are some good photos! I really like the art on your A-2! Very well done and authentic! One thing though, on your tunic, you should think of getting some props and wings to go on your lapels under the US's.

A.A.F Officer's would have these little props with wings under the U.S. devices.

Take care,

Root.
 

The Wingnut

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Wow! Bogie, you are one SHARP lookin' dude. Great work on the jacket. I assume the collar brass you spoke of is what Wild Root just referred to.

Like I said with Garcia, they often are out of items and you just have to wait, because it's worth the wait. Maybe by October I'll be out of debt and have enough cash to kick around and get a tan crusher for myself, too.

Get some photos to us when the OD crusher arrives, especially of the liner and inner construction...
 

Bogie1943

Practically Family
Messages
672
Location
Proctorville, Ohio
I was waiting for someone to notice the missing prop/wing insignia on the tunic. Well, we all know that a mint condition prop/wing pin goes for like $20 these days, well thanks to Garcia I have two sets of their replica prop/wing's on the way, finally a place that has them for not a total fortune, you were right Wingnut, and expect pics asap.
 

Wild Root

Gone Home
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5,532
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Monrovia California.
Cool. You got some on the way eh? Right on! Pop those on and then you are set! Yes, a really good pair of vintage props and wings aren't cheep. But, to me they were worth the cash.

Keep up the good work Josh,

Root.

PS, what kind of paint did you use on your A-2? I have a friend that wants me to paint on one of his A-2s and I don't know what kind of paint would work the best.
 

Bogie1943

Practically Family
Messages
672
Location
Proctorville, Ohio
Well, I used acrylic and some enamel paint markers from Testors, for the outlines of the letters and doing my name. Acrylic was used for mostly everything. There is some cracking and honestly I don't know if there is a paint out there that wont crack at some point, it's just the nature of the leather. Here is an example, this a custom made WWII replica A-2 I own, the original jacket is pictured in one of two books, either Hell Bent For Leather or Art of the Flight Jacket. This was custom made by Avirex for the Japanese market only, the Japanese demand accuracy on items like this, so this Avirex is like none other, it has a true WWII pattern and cut, not a modern cut, much like a Star Sportwear. But as you can see, the professional art work has pealed over the past ten years, even spending most of that time in storage, it has pealed very little since I got a hold of it, I would like to have it re-painted one of these days.
 

Wild Root

Gone Home
Messages
5,532
Location
Monrovia California.
Yeah, it would be cool to get that repainted. Funny thing is, I have seen original A-2's with the original painted art that are in better shape. I wonder if it was the lead in the paint they used. Or, the type of paint... Oh, I don't know. I'm going to bed.LOL

Root.

PS. That A-2 really looks like a real one! A very good copy.
 

PADDY

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
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7,425
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METROPOLIS OF EUROPA
Loved the Garcia Crusher and the A-2 with Art!

Personally, I feel the peeling just makes the jacket art look more authentic! I have seen enough originals now to know that many of them did fade and peeled off in bits. They used whatever paint came to hand in those days. Nice jacket, by the way!! And the repro crusher is looking the dog's B***ocks as we say in Ireland!

The crusher in my pic is a Bancroft Flighter. Still bargains to be had on originals if you wait your time :)

Cheers!
 

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