deand
Active Member
Just received this HBT A-3 Cap reproduction from http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/aircorp.html and wanted to give a brief review of it. I have owned a genuine A-3 cap, too large to wear satisfactorily so I sent it to a new home, and have owned a Spearhead repro, and one other that had no maker indicated, which was just too small so it too was moved along. Right off the bat I can say that the $35 price for this cap plus shipping was money well spent. The weight of HBT, the herringbone pattern, color shade, and and construction details are, on the whole, spot on. The feel of the cap is definitely vintage. The genuine cap I owned, and the picture at the WWII Impressions website, present 14 rows of stitching in the visor, yet my cap has 12, not a major divergence, and the original had its stitching row closest to where the visor meets the body of the cap a bit closer leaving almost no half moon shape of HBT at the center back of the visor. In comparison, the Spearhead repro is a sorry attempt which you can see and read about in this thread http://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=9376&hilit=comprehensive+cap. The AAF stamp looks printed, but I suppose an ink stamp more faithful to the often smeared, or incomplete, or distorted kind would not be acceptable to the consumer. I wouldn't mind, but that's me. Size and maker tag is absent from the cap, with size stamped inside, and "WWII Impressions" stamped behind the sweatband.All sewing and finishing is precise. The cap is a joy to own and will serve as a great companion to the jackets I own, or simply by itself. I believe that this cap is a real bargain for the money and one I will enjoy for years. Way to go WWII Impressions! 
dean
dean
