WPG A2?

[herk115]

Arguing against the existence of high cost, high authenticity reproduction flight jackets on a forum dedicated to them seems just a tad pointless and a little 'trollish' to me. Do you really think we are all going to throw up our hands and surrender to your opinion. Having said that I'm pretty sure we all know the prices are steep and few of us can afford to buy them over and over. It is however, our choice what we spend our hard earned money on and I for one have chosen to buy the best I can afford.

Technically, since the name of this forum is "Vintage Leather Jackets," that would exclude commenting on all jackets except those that are "leather" and are "vintage," and would render the entire sections on "repros," "cloth," and "nylon" inappropriate. Yet such discussion is tolerated and in fact encouraged by most list members. Nowhere have I seen any rule or policy that discussion of high-end very expensive jackets is the only topic allowed here.

So...as another member who is limited to buying the "best I can afford," I am grateful to any member who may have located an inexpensive but reasonably accurate reproduction jacket and chose to share that information with us. I wish it would happen more often. And please...what he said was just that: an opinion. No one has to surrender to it; we merely have to respect it and then exercise our right to express our own opinions if we see fit. If such discussion is truly a problem, perhaps the moderators could create a section on "Inexpensive Repros."

 

[herk115]

Actually correction, the first A2 I ever bought was a cooper A2 at goodwill when I was 10 and turned a profit on it almost over night. LoL

A guy like my Dad would be ecstatic getting a WPG from me all decked out unless it fell apart in a few weeks. So I guess that's the only real question, is it junk? It's safe to assume that the tiny details would fail any inspection here but that doesn't mean it's not a decent jacket.

An excellent point. My father, who served with the 97th BG in WWII and was issued two or three A-2s during that time, found in the late 1980s that a Flight Apparel was a repro perfectly up to his standards. He noticed absolutely no difference between the FA and his vintage jackets. A year before he died, when he had gotten so thin that the FA hung like a tent on him, I gave him a Cooper and he was absolutely jazzed about it. So I guess it's just one more example that 100% accuracy or having the absolute highest-quality materials just aren't as important to some guys (especially those who were "there") as just having the jacket itself.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Well back then, they were jamming these jackets out quicker than **** through a tin horn as my Dad would say, much in the same way the econo-jackets are done today. High end jacket makers are true artists. It takes a good eye and skill to adapt the same look and feel of a specific contract to the modern body and sizes. Do the pockets get bigger when the torso does? positioning of components? I believe the jacket artists are getting what they deserve considering their ability to convert what used to be into what it is now. They get paid at a perfectly justifiable artists rate. Econo-jackets are being produced accurately as well in their own right. Just like back in the day when the QM tossed a garment at you, it fit the way it fit and He didn't take your measurements.

 

[herk115]

Well back then, they were jamming these jackets out quicker than **** through a tin horn as my Dad would say, much in the same way the econo-jackets are done today. High end jacket makers are true artists. It takes a good eye and skill to adapt the same look and feel of a specific contract to the modern body and sizes. Do the pockets get bigger when the torso does? positioning of components? I believe the jacket artists are getting what they deserve considering their ability to convert what used to be into what it is now. They get paid at a perfectly justifiable artists rate. Econo-jackets are being produced accurately as well in their own right. Just like back in the day when the QM tossed a garment at you, it fit the way it fit and He didn't take your measurements.

That's what I'm saying. There's nothing wrong with the high-end, superior product (i.e., piece of art), and neither is there with a low-end jacket that meets one's standards. I was just pointing out that the cheaper end of the line met my father's standards and to him, anyway, looked just like what he'd worn in the war years. If one can afford the more expensive jackets, great, and I sure wish I could, but I can't. So I'm holding out hope that someone will discover a low-end jacket that looks reasonably authentic. Not to take anything away from JC and ELC, but I think there's a market out there for an inexpensive jacket that looks reasonably like the "real thing." It would have the added advantage of looking like the jacket the quartermaster tossed at you when you were an air cadet receiving your flight gear.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Copy that

 

[MikeyB-17]

I still think they're doing themselves no favours with that single photo. Some detail shots and shots from other angles would help. My first reaction was 'I don't like the colour of that leather' but we've all seen how different lighting conditions can affect how leather colour is perceived. It would also help if the model wore one that fitted him i.e. with arms the right length, although I guess at that price custom tailoring isn't an option, but as they're trying to sell it, would it not be a good idea to show one being worn by someone whom it fitted? They do seem to have the right idea, and I imagine most folks who don't give a monkey's about the stuff we weirdos obsess about would be well pleased with it. It does look comfortable, and if it's decent goat I expect it would last you a good long time, which I guess are two pretty important features of a leather jacket to most people. I still don't want one myself, but I expect a lot of chaps will, and I don't blame them.

 

[herk115]

I still think they're doing themselves no favours with that single photo. Some detail shots and shots from other angles would help. My first reaction was 'I don't like the colour of that leather' but we've all seen how different lighting conditions can affect how leather colour is perceived. It would also help if the model wore one that fitted him i.e. with arms the right length, although I guess at that price custom tailoring isn't an option, but as they're trying to sell it, would it not be a good idea to show one being worn by someone whom it fitted? They do seem to have the right idea, and I imagine most folks who don't give a monkey's about the stuff we weirdos obsess about would be well pleased with it. It does look comfortable, and if it's decent goat I expect it would last you a good long time, which I guess are two pretty important features of a leather jacket to most people. I still don't want one myself, but I expect a lot of chaps will, and I don't blame them.

I just sent them an e-mail asking for additional photos. We'll see what happens.

 

[a2jacketpatches]

They are lacking in the presentation dept.

 

[herk115]

They are lacking in the presentation dept.

Hmm. My education is in photography with a communications minor. Perhaps I can give them some help. If some free samples are provided, of course...

 

[herk115]

I still think they're doing themselves no favours with that single photo. Some detail shots and shots from other angles would help. My first reaction was 'I don't like the colour of that leather' but we've all seen how different lighting conditions can affect how leather colour is perceived. It would also help if the model wore one that fitted him i.e. with arms the right length, although I guess at that price custom tailoring isn't an option, but as they're trying to sell it, would it not be a good idea to show one being worn by someone whom it fitted? They do seem to have the right idea, and I imagine most folks who don't give a monkey's about the stuff we weirdos obsess about would be well pleased with it. It does look comfortable, and if it's decent goat I expect it would last you a good long time, which I guess are two pretty important features of a leather jacket to most people. I still don't want one myself, but I expect a lot of chaps will, and I don't blame them.

I just sent them an e-mail asking for additional photos. We'll see what happens.

I sent them the e-mail and received this reply tonight:

"We agree with your comments and we will upload more detailed pictures of jacket on website by this weekend.


Regards,
W Malik
Sales Manager
WPG International FZE
Tel: +971 5050 52501
Fax: +971 6 5578591"

 

[Andrew]

Same polite fella who wrote to me when I had a problem with a B-1 cap i'd bought from WPG- interesting that their material is produced in and all these issues are dealt with by the same guy based in UAE.

 

[navairfan]

I'm late to the party, but I thought I'd give my thoughts on the What Price Glory A-2. I bought one in early 2016, for $125 plus shipping. (The price has since gone up to $150). I was my third A-2: The first was a civilianized A-2 copy by Avirex: two pice back, side handwarmer pickets, and made of very soft calfskin. Bought in the early '80's and still have it, and it's very comfortable. My second A-2 was an orange label Cooper, purchased in the late '80's-early '90's, right after the Air Force resumed issuing the jackets. It's made of fine goatskin, but I never really liked the look of the collar - it's too long and 'pointy' for my taste. Also, the cotton lining makes it difficult to put on - my shirt sleeves almost always ride up my arms. The WPG jacket has all the features I wanted in an A-2. It's made of goatskin, with a smoother cotton lining that makes it as easy to put on as my satin-lined G-1's. The cuffs and waistband are very tightly woven wool blend. The epaulets have the exact same stitching pattern and placement as my Air Force issue Cooper. The pocket flaps are sculpted, similar to those found on an Aero 38-1711-P Type A-2. This jacket will not pass muster in comparison to Eastman, Aero, Gibson & Barnes, or other high-end makers, but you won't pay a high-end price, either. But you will get a well-made, attractive jacket for a very reasonable price All in all, I'm extremely pleased with my WPG A-2.