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Five Star A-2 Epaulette Placement and General Quality

L

Larsj

New Member
Hello All, Newbie Here...

After much research and deliberation, I decided to try Five Star Leather's Bronco A-2 in the semi-veg tanned russet goatskin. I just received it today and I have mixed feelings. The materials and workmanship are excellent for the price. The color is ok, but not the same as it appears on the website. My biggest concern is that I think the epaulettes sit on the front of my shoulder instead of on top, where they should on a WWII contract A-2. Before ordering the jacket I'd looked at several pictures of other folks wearing Five Star A-2s, checking for epaulette position because so many repros get it wrong. The epaulettes seemed correct in all the pictures I saw, which is why I'm pretty frustrated. I've attached photos...tell me if you see the same thing I do.
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Enigma1938

Enigma1938

Well-Known Member
The shoulder / collar seam was placed on the top center of the shoulder instead of more placed to the back like with originals and because the Bronco epaulettes are usually placed in front of this seam it happened this way. That's clearly a pattern issue with 5*
 
Blackboxr1200S

Blackboxr1200S

Well-Known Member
Not sure if I would use the word "extreme"
Looked at some originals and indeed they tend to be placed a bit forward.
The difference is what ... 50mm.
Would not bother me.

That jacket is fresh out of the box, the virginity is strong with this one.
Needs some serious wear first.


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L

Larsj

New Member
Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but you've given me some good information to run with.
 
Chandler

Chandler

Well-Known Member
Blackboxr1200S said:
View attachment 125721
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FWIW -- this jacket's epaulettes do not look like that 5 Star -- Jan is right, those epps are far off.

The seams on most A-2s sit back further so the epps can sit square. On the few contracts where the seam is directly on top of the shoulders the epps are centered over them to be square on the shoulders.

I've never seen a 5 Star so off like this, maybe a new stitcher practicing? Maybe a mis-read/mis-cut of the pattern? I'd guess Sean would fix this problem.
 
mulceber

mulceber

Moderator
FWIW, it might also be worth getting a different contract from Five Star: Broncos were prone to having the epaulets a bit forward to begin with, and Shawn got his start making Bronco repros, so it's possible they used a less up-to-date pattern on your jacket. Also, Bronco is one of the contracts where Five Star was NOT able to examine an original, so there are just better contracts to choose from in Five Star's line-up: Star, Rough Wear, Dubow, Poughkeepsie.
 
B-Man2

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
They’re definitely not aligned properly. Look at photos of originals and you’ll see them a little forward of the seem but not that much.
You might talk to Shawn about fixing the problem or sending it back for another contract .
 
L

Larsj

New Member
That's good to know. What's strange is that if you look closely at the photos of the Bronco on Five Star's website, the eps are clearly further back (and the leather is a darker, richer color too). I checked all that stuff before I ordered because like most of the folks here, I'm a little nuts when it comes to the details on an A-2. I'd post the photo here, but I don't think I'm allowed to use pics from a website without permission. I've sent Shawn/Fargham an email, waiting for a response.
 
ZuZu

ZuZu

Well-Known Member
I don't quite get the 5 Star Avi thing. What would you ever expect to get from a $300 repro? Is it just the thrill of the chase? Maybe THIS time the stars will align and the leather will look good; the sewing won't look generic and awful; the pattern won't suck! I'll buy 5 jackets at $300 trying to get one that looks presentable! If money's the issue a used quality repro from eBay or a US Authentic or Gibson and Barnes which are at least made in USA and of high quality.

Kudos to the companies for trying- but everything they make at this point is a work in progress- they are always ïmproving". Do you really want to buy a repro which is going to be improved on in a few weeks? Their A-2 jackets look cartoonish and wrong- exaggerated and to be honest the sewing just isn't right.
 
L

Larsj

New Member
ZuZu said:
I don't quite get the 5 Star Avi thing. What would you ever expect to get from a $300 repro? Is it just the thrill of the chase? Maybe THIS time the stars will align and the leather will look good; the sewing won't look generic and awful; the pattern won't suck! I'll buy 5 jackets at $300 trying to get one that looks presentable! If money's the issue a used quality repro from eBay or a US Authentic or Gibson and Barnes which are at least made in USA and of high quality.

Kudos to the companies for trying- but everything they make at this point is a work in progress- they are always ïmproving". Do you really want to buy a repro which is going to be improved on in a few weeks? Their A-2 jackets look cartoonish and wrong- exaggerated and to be honest the sewing just isn't right.
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I totally get your point, I'm just on a budget right now. I certainly don't expect perfection, but I'd like the basic details of an A-2 to be correct, like the epaulette placement which doesn't cost any extra time or material to do right. It seems like Five Star has gotten it right before, just not in this case. I'm just checking here to make sure I'm not just seeing things or being too picky. I also want to make it clear that I'm not Five Star-bashing. The rest of the jacket is an excellent value for the money; the stitching is straight and strong, the leather is reasonably soft and will probably break in nicely, the hardware is solid quality. I also get the whole "improving" thing, but I guess I'm willing to take that risk. I've tried looking on ebay for exactly what you suggest, it just takes forever to find the right one that will fit my long-torso body (which is tough for an A-2).
 
ZuZu

ZuZu

Well-Known Member
Larsj said:
I totally get your point, I'm just on a budget right now. I certainly don't expect perfection, but I'd like the basic details of an A-2 to be correct, like the epaulette placement which doesn't cost any extra time or material to do right. It seems like Five Star has gotten it right before, just not in this case. I'm just checking here to make sure I'm not just seeing things or being too picky. I also want to make it clear that I'm not Five Star-bashing. The rest of the jacket is an excellent value for the money; the stitching is straight and strong, the leather is reasonably soft and will probably break in nicely, the hardware is solid quality. I also get the whole "improving" thing, but I guess I'm willing to take that risk. I've tried looking on ebay for exactly what you suggest, it just takes forever to find the right one that will fit my long-torso body (which is tough for an A-2).
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You're right about the eps. Send it back- it'll drive you crazy.
 
T

texas_aggie

Member
This. This is the issue that I've tried to explain in two different posts but haven't been able to do so. I've got the exact same issue with my Five Star Werber A2. I like the jacket but the epaulettes drive me crazy. What's frustrating is that when I first ordered the jacket in size 32 I was told that it could be exchanged if there was anything wrong with it. So a couple of months ago the jacket arrives and I immediately noticed the issue with the epaulettes. I email Five Star and they call me "sorry, this is a custom jacket and we cannot accept returns. But we can offer you a 50% discount on another."

I've kept the jacket and done my best to break it in but honestly, it's tough to wear because the epaulettes are so far forward.

So many posts here talk about "what do you expect for a $400 dollar jacket?" Let me be clear: I'm not expecting the jacket to look like a $1500 Aero Leather or GoodWear. But that's not the point.

I'm frustrated because I've bought (and sold at a loss) a US Wings a2 as well as a Cockpit USA. Then I bought the Five Star and again, while I like the jacket, there's this issue with the epaulettes. And now I'm stuck with it.
 
B-Man2

B-Man2

Well-Known Member
texas_aggie said:
This. This is the issue that I've tried to explain in two different posts but haven't been able to do so. I've got the exact same issue with my Five Star Werber A2. I like the jacket but the epaulettes drive me crazy. What's frustrating is that when I first ordered the jacket in size 32 I was told that it could be exchanged if there was anything wrong with it. So a couple of months ago the jacket arrives and I immediately noticed the issue with the epaulettes. I email Five Star and they call me "sorry, this is a custom jacket and we cannot accept returns. But we can offer you a 50% discount on another."

I've kept the jacket and done my best to break it in but honestly, it's tough to wear because the epaulettes are so far forward.

So many posts here talk about "what do you expect for a $400 dollar jacket?" Let me be clear: I'm not expecting the jacket to look like a $1500 Aero Leather or GoodWear. But that's not the point.

I'm frustrated because I've bought (and sold at a loss) a US Wings a2 as well as a Cockpit USA. Then I bought the Five Star and again, while I like the jacket, there's this issue with the epaulettes. And now I'm stuck with it.
Click to expand...
I know you’re probably not going to like this option but … it is a solution to your problem that doesn’t require you buying another jacket . Send the jacket to Steve Sellers on this forum. Have him move the epaulettes to where you think they should be. You’ll have to pay shipping both ways and for the repair and there may be a couple of stitch holes where the epaulettes were moved from but you wouldn’t have to buy a new jacket and you can now wear this one daily .
Like I said you may not like the option but it beats paying for another jacket and you can get a lot of wear out of this one .
 
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