Showing Eastman Some Love

[B-Man2]

It's a size 40 in walnut brown.

Thanks

 

[Chandler]

My ELC Star sleeve with very pebbly hide. Looks very goat, but I would tag this as Steer -- any opinions?

 

[B-Man2]

Is it just the sleeve or does the entire jacket have that type of grain ? Sure looks like goat .

 

[Chandler]

Is it just the sleeve or does the entire jacket have that type of grain ? Sure looks like goat .

No, it's very different all over. I'll snap a shot of the whole thing soon.

It's a very soft, pliable hide. I remember seeing that pebbling when I first got it -- second-hand off eBay back in the early 00s. (note the olive stitching, not the usual red on the ELC Stars)

 

[mulceber]

I could buy it as being goat, cow, or even horse. Kinda looks like some Italian HH that gets that pebbly, goat-y quality. I've seen some cow like that as well, so I don't doubt it.

 

[Chandler]

I could buy it as being goat, cow, or even horse. Kinda looks like some Italian HH that gets that pebbly, goat-y quality. I've seen some cow like that as well, so I don't doubt it.

So basically, who knows?

Honestly, it doesn't look like goat all over like any of my other goat jackets. And all of my other horse jackets feel more robust.

Then again, there's the Schott that I'm pretty sure is steer and feels like the whole cow.

 

[mulceber]

Basically, if Eastman said it was cow, I believe them.

 

[Chandler]

Basically, if Eastman said it was cow, I believe them.

Well, no one has identified the hide. See above, I purchased this second-hand off eBay back in the early oughts.

I always figured ELC would make the Star in horse, but who knows?

What's Gary say about Star hides in his book?

 

[mulceber]

Cowhide, based on a DNA test. Although there was probably some horse in there as well. But from what you said, it sounds like that jacket was made before anyone had confirmed that.

 

[ZuZu]

Well, no one has identified the hide. See above, I purchased this second-hand off eBay back in the early oughts.

I always figured ELC would make the Star in horse, but who knows?

What's Gary say about Star hides in his book?

I may have sold you the jacket. I bought it off The Maestro back in the early oughts. It's definitely not goat. I think most Eastman stuff back then was steer. It was kind of a cool jacket in its way.

 

[Lord Flashheart]

Good thread idea Jan.

For all the nitpicking here Eastman do offer pretty accurate, wearable, products that people can get hold of without too much fuss. I visited their pop-up shop in London in 2019 and bought my first A-2 repro, an RW27752, there.

I've a few ELC jackets now but I really enjoy wearing their Star Sportswear A-2. It amuses me that the stitch detailing on their pocket is different to that of my GW Star and both seem to be historically accurate. Here at a local airshow a couple of years ago.

I'll have to give a bit of thought about what I'd really like but it might be their Perry mixed batch B-3.

Taken in the round I bet Eastman is part of the story of how a lot of people have got into flying jackets and you can't deny Gary's book is a good reference.

 

[Otter]

Had excellent service from them when I had to swap a cap. One size small, swapped without a quibble.

 

[CBI]

although I have some reservations I would consider a 50.cal A-1 as its just so darn cool looking. If I thought I would actually wear a B-3 (which I never did when I owned one - same for an Irvin) I would go for their B-3 50 Cal version. Some of their painted jackets look terrific but that's where it gets beyond any sort of justification for me at least in re price. Again, thats just IMO.

 

[mulceber]

Poughkeepsie AN-J-4 - Yes, I know capeskin reinforcements are stupid and inaccurate. The pocket flaps look nothing like the originals. And I don't think I've ever seen an original AN-J-4 with nickel talon M-42 zipper. And I know it costs about as much as two months' rent where I live. But damn it, it's just too damn cool! The drape of the collar, the buttons at the bottom of the zip, the shearling-lined cuffs:

Just as a (self-)correction, @767fo pointed out to me that, if you look at the pocket flaps on the original that served as the model for ELC's Poughkeepsie AN-J-4, it's actually spot on. So, comment retracted! I still have questions about the capeskin facing and nickel M-42 Talon, but the pattern ELC uses is very nice.

 

[John Lever]

I like a nice deep scallop on my pocket flaps

 

[Grant]

I'm more than happy with all my Eastman jackets purchased new and used over the years. Also their level of service is unparalleled.

 

[ZuZu]

I'm more than happy with all my Eastman jackets purchased new and used over the years. Also their level of service is unparalleled.

All this has been very nice, but I'm of course in complete disagreement about this company- except of course the customer service part which in my limited experience was excellent. Too many flaws in all their contracts for me to get past; way too pricey; and always the same Eastman characteristics: sleeve ends way too tight, pockets too high and collars that just don't sit right.

 

[ZuZu]

If forced to buy one I'd get the Monarch- with this contract some of the Eastman problems are advantages- the high pockets are correct, the collar is so weird on Monarchs that it doesn't look like an Eastman collar (as do all their other contracts) and the sleeve ends at least on the internet look pretty good.

 

[bn1966]

I’ve got the Monarch & love the features and cut….very light weight hide on mine which is a plus for me

 

[Smithy]

I got into replica wartime jackets a bit over 2 decades ago.This is just me so with that caveat in place but I have found that over that 20 something years, ultimate accuracy means far less to me than it did a few years back. Yes I want something to be close to an original jacket but now being an absolute facsimile to the original isn't of absolute concern to me anymore. Firstly because all repros are just that. They are repros and will never be the same as an original. Secondly, I'm not a WWII RAF, USAAF, or USN airmen, so if the jacket isn't 100% accurate, that's not really a problem.

I wear these things as a love to the men who flew and fought. If a collar is slightly misshaped compared to an original, stitching slightly out of whack compared to the original, pockets not quite right, then so be it. I couldn't give a shit anymore but I was never an absolute perfection Nazi.

If you want ultimate accuracy in a repro get a GW. At the same time all repros are repros and even a GW is just that.

There's room for everyone in this silly, old hobby. I'm one of those, who now couldn't give a shit about ultimate accuracy with a repro because it's an endless and fruitless pursuit - you want ultimate accuracy, buy an original.

I'm personally happy now with repros which are a great evocation of the original because at the end of the day a repro will always be a copy and never the same as an original.

That's just me though.