asiamiles
Well-Known Member
I already owned a Buzz Rickson 37J1 in a 38; it's one of my favourite jackets, though I do find it just a tad tight around the top of the arms, possibly as much due to the pre-war cut as the size, and would probably struggle to wear anything more than a t-shirt or thin shirt beneath it. I'd since tried on a RM 37J1a in a 40 but that was too big and was also cut differently...it didn't seem to have that extra length that makes the 37J1 more wearable than many other flight jackets. So when I spotted a Buzz a size up (ie. a 40) on Yahoo.jp, I decided to go for it.
When it arrived I was little surprised. While it's a reproduction of the same Aero original (they even have the same name tag) it is from a different production run and I noticed 3 differences right off the bat. One, the zipper is a (pre-war, I think) Talon rather than a Hookless. Two, the arms are cut much wider. Three, the colour looks much closer to the original pictured in the "vintage flight jacket pictorial" in the 2003 BR catalogue; my 38 is the same colour as my N-1 deck jacket, but I'm wondering if Buzz concluded that the colour of their Aero had actually changed from how it originally was when new and so decided to go with the green? That said, I'm only guessing that the 38 is the later model (it's model number is BR10395 and is listed in their 2003 catalogue as being available in both Non Wash and One Wash; the model number of the 40 is M13199) because of the Hookless zipper. A couple of other minor differences: the labels read the same but are different, and the hanger of the 38 is sewn over rather than above the label...on the original it's above the label.
When it arrived I was little surprised. While it's a reproduction of the same Aero original (they even have the same name tag) it is from a different production run and I noticed 3 differences right off the bat. One, the zipper is a (pre-war, I think) Talon rather than a Hookless. Two, the arms are cut much wider. Three, the colour looks much closer to the original pictured in the "vintage flight jacket pictorial" in the 2003 BR catalogue; my 38 is the same colour as my N-1 deck jacket, but I'm wondering if Buzz concluded that the colour of their Aero had actually changed from how it originally was when new and so decided to go with the green? That said, I'm only guessing that the 38 is the later model (it's model number is BR10395 and is listed in their 2003 catalogue as being available in both Non Wash and One Wash; the model number of the 40 is M13199) because of the Hookless zipper. A couple of other minor differences: the labels read the same but are different, and the hanger of the 38 is sewn over rather than above the label...on the original it's above the label.