ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Looking forward to your feedback and pics...
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Who the heck is Platon? Any good pics of his jackets?
- Thread starter ZuZu
- Start date
Looking forward to your feedback and pics...
Grant
Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting the before pic - forgot I posted that! Can't believe how smooth the hides look.
Yeah, I stuff my pockets with whatever and then forget to snap them closed, so the flaps flop around. Also, cycling in all kind of weather has added to the break in - that and sleeping in it on long flights.
Yeah, I stuff my pockets with whatever and then forget to snap them closed, so the flaps flop around. Also, cycling in all kind of weather has added to the break in - that and sleeping in it on long flights.
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Amazed that someone could not know of Bill Kelso and their jackets over the last six or so years? Between the VLJ, TFL, eBay and Facebook it did be hard to have dodged their work...
Skanstull
Member
Of course the original poster knows (at least about) Platon and Bill Kelso - did anyone really think the subject of this thread was just an innocent, curious question?
Southoftheborder
Well-Known Member
The pics are just crappy one taken just there ,,the jackets are completely unmarked.frightened to show the rest ,,I’m hiding them about the house
I think I said I'd take your Air Comfort off your hands if you lost interest in it a while ago when you posted about it. Serious offer if you're interested.
Technonut2112
Well-Known Member
The OP didn't post about not knowing who Bill Kelso was. The question was regarding Platon. " Who The Heck Is Platon".... I would assume since there is a good bit posted around the forum about his jackets. To a person who may not have posted much when they were here, and have been away for a number of years, I can see that as being possible.
EDIT: Actually, the OP's first post in this thread is pretty self-explanatory:
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Technonut2112
Well-Known Member
Given the nature and composition of the OP's first post in this thread, I see no reason not to extend the benefit of doubt. Unless someone can provide evidence of some sinister deceptive motive, why question someone who has admittedly stopped posting here around 2009 or so in another thread? Especially someone who appears quite knowledgeable in our hobby regarding original A-2's, after VLJ has lost quite a few of the 'old-guard' members who provided their knowledge freely to us in the past.
This kind of baseless innuendo can only serve to potentially drive someone else off who can prove to be an asset to this forum IMO. Unless the OP blatantly shows otherwise, I see no reason not to take things at face value.
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that. As the OP I got exactly what I wanted from this thread and saw many good photos. Figured out Platon's website and found another person who uses their son as a model! The Platon jackets look excellent IMO- especially Grant's which looks a lot more relaxed now with wear. It was basically an innocent curious question. I've been out of the posting business for a long time- my main jackets have been original G-1s for a long time. BTW- what would my not-so-innocent motives be? Was this Platon character a pain on the forum? He's Greek for God's sake- they LOVE to argue! Ironically this is a forum but nobody wants to argue- just sip tea and look at the flowers like a bunch of old ladies!Silver Surfer
Well-Known Member
prices for original a-2s are all over the place. a good base line would be $750-$1500 for a clean wearable plain jane. militaria sites are usually %10-%20 more. i currently have a cbi rw [size 40] that i am asking $1450 for.
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Was this Platon character a pain on the forum? He's Greek for God's sake- they LOVE to argue! Ironically this is a forum but nobody wants to argue- just sip tea and look at the flowers like a bunch of old ladies!
Was never as argumentative as you were and he provided a wealth of information and took on board the feedback and modified his jackets.
If he could reinvent himself he could possibly make a return too?
Kennyz
Well-Known Member
herk115
Active Member
Back to the issue of owning an original vs. a Repro...
I've owned five originals and will not own another one. Here are the reasons: a) I found that even the originals displayed some of the so-called inaccuracies found in repros. The best I can figure is that were used to looking mostly at group photos of guys wearing A-2s, and the artist in me says it's our brain averaging all the A-2s in the picture into a single jacket that tends to look perfect. If we'd study the individual jackets a bit closer and ignore all the others, I'll be we'd find some of the same so-called flaws seen in repros; b) If I wear an A-2, I want to wear it authentically, which means I'd sew on a name strip or, heaven forbid, and squadron patch. I know I'd get lynched around here for doing that, and it certainly reduces the resale value of the jacket, but that's what I've tended to do in the past; c) I'm 62 years old, and while I have a physique that's pretty good for a 62 year old man, no matter what I wear or who I buy from or how much I spend and how custom made it is, I'm never going to look 21 again. So repro or authentic, I just have to live with the flaws. Personally, I own a repro or two, mainly an ELC Star, that to me, look just as an A-2 ought to look and I can't find a thing wrong with it. Now, lastly, here is a major reason why I stay away from original jackets, and I think I may have mentioned it years before and some guys said they felt the same way: when I wear an original, I can't escape the feeling that someone somewhere is very upset with me. It's as if I'm being told by its original owner, "Dammit, that's my jacket! You have your own history so get your own damned jacket!" I can never shake the feeling. Maybe I'm looney, and I certainly don't believe in the supernatural, but the feeling is very real nonetheless. I never get that feeling with a repro.
And finally we get back to "patching" the jacket. I can't bear to wear a bare A-2. I have to make it historically authentic or to me it's just another jacket. So I patch them. Name strip, rank, squadron patch, etc. So if I've spent $1500 and waited two years to get a custom made repro, I can't bear to stick a needle in it, so right from the git-go I'm unhappy with the jacket. I'd much rather buy a more moderately priced jacket, sew the patches on with a clear conscience, and wear it happily. I have noted that the moderately priced manufacturers have really gotten their acts together. One that sticks out in my mind is Gibson & Barnes. I last owned one in 2000, and thought it was awful. Just Delta Sierra. I ended up giving it away. But I bought one two years ago and they seem to have gotten much, much better, so I ended up buy two more, and they look great. Yes, they still have flaws, but they're close enough and I'm very happy with them. My closet is now a mix of a couple of GWs, ELCs, LW, G&B, and -- heaven forbid -- one Avirex from the 70s with the Perry collar and it actually looks pretty darned good!
I've owned five originals and will not own another one. Here are the reasons: a) I found that even the originals displayed some of the so-called inaccuracies found in repros. The best I can figure is that were used to looking mostly at group photos of guys wearing A-2s, and the artist in me says it's our brain averaging all the A-2s in the picture into a single jacket that tends to look perfect. If we'd study the individual jackets a bit closer and ignore all the others, I'll be we'd find some of the same so-called flaws seen in repros; b) If I wear an A-2, I want to wear it authentically, which means I'd sew on a name strip or, heaven forbid, and squadron patch. I know I'd get lynched around here for doing that, and it certainly reduces the resale value of the jacket, but that's what I've tended to do in the past; c) I'm 62 years old, and while I have a physique that's pretty good for a 62 year old man, no matter what I wear or who I buy from or how much I spend and how custom made it is, I'm never going to look 21 again. So repro or authentic, I just have to live with the flaws. Personally, I own a repro or two, mainly an ELC Star, that to me, look just as an A-2 ought to look and I can't find a thing wrong with it. Now, lastly, here is a major reason why I stay away from original jackets, and I think I may have mentioned it years before and some guys said they felt the same way: when I wear an original, I can't escape the feeling that someone somewhere is very upset with me. It's as if I'm being told by its original owner, "Dammit, that's my jacket! You have your own history so get your own damned jacket!" I can never shake the feeling. Maybe I'm looney, and I certainly don't believe in the supernatural, but the feeling is very real nonetheless. I never get that feeling with a repro.
And finally we get back to "patching" the jacket. I can't bear to wear a bare A-2. I have to make it historically authentic or to me it's just another jacket. So I patch them. Name strip, rank, squadron patch, etc. So if I've spent $1500 and waited two years to get a custom made repro, I can't bear to stick a needle in it, so right from the git-go I'm unhappy with the jacket. I'd much rather buy a more moderately priced jacket, sew the patches on with a clear conscience, and wear it happily. I have noted that the moderately priced manufacturers have really gotten their acts together. One that sticks out in my mind is Gibson & Barnes. I last owned one in 2000, and thought it was awful. Just Delta Sierra. I ended up giving it away. But I bought one two years ago and they seem to have gotten much, much better, so I ended up buy two more, and they look great. Yes, they still have flaws, but they're close enough and I'm very happy with them. My closet is now a mix of a couple of GWs, ELCs, LW, G&B, and -- heaven forbid -- one Avirex from the 70s with the Perry collar and it actually looks pretty darned good!
asiamiles
Well-Known Member
And total coincidence that the OP, as he later posted in the thread, just happened to "have much experience with Greek people".
But hey, it's been a fun and interesting thread where the original question has been for the most part forgotten.
B-Man2
Well-Known Member
That's the first time I've ever heard anyone say that they felt like they were being chastised by the original owner(s) of a WWII A2 that they were wearing. However, I'm not going to disrespect the idea that someone could feel that phenomenon. My problem is that I have a tough time wearing my originals because I always feel like I'm contributing to the destruction of a very limited historical WWII artifact with a limited life span, which can never be replaced once its damaged and gone. So ..like most of us here, I opt for a repro and beat the shit out of it without caring about the outcome or the jacket. Hey.....works for me and the jacket looks good too.
Technonut2112
Well-Known Member
And total coincidence that the OP, as he later posted in the thread, just happened to "have much experience with Greek people".
But hey, it's been a fun and interesting thread where the original question has been for the most part forgotten.
It's already been pretty much established in another thread who he is, and what he was banned for some years back, and he is not Platon, or anyone associated with BK...
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
And total coincidence that the OP, as he later posted in the thread, just happened to "have much experience with Greek people".
But hey, it's been a fun and interesting thread where the original question has been for the most part forgotten.
I'm married to a Greek woman... 34 years...
MikeyB-17
Well-Known Member
We have become somewhat paranoid. Every new member who turns up and is at all contentious is suspected of being associated with BK or Platon. I had a fair idea Jeff wasn’t of Greek origin, he didn’t have the po-faced, Mr. Logic style of Ole/Julius etc. I’m also glad he’s back, he calls a spade a spade but he knows his stuff. As long as he behaves himself he’s welcome as far as I’m concerned.
he’s welcome as far as I’m concerned.
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Saint-ex
Well-Known Member
Is your wife Platon ?
So, there is an atmosphere of mistrust and paranoia now. I'm not so surprised somebody do not know Platon's jackets. A confidential website, no FaceBook or instagram.
It must be admitted that this is a rather confidential address.
