Alpha MA-1, made in Knoxville, arrived today...are you ready for this?

[bn1966]

Very pleased for you FlyGuy, jacket looks great..that's a 'Go To' jacket!!! alsendk I hope you will be very pleased with yours....I own 3 'Vintage' Series B15s because they are a great 'Go To'. I love the MA1 but wouldn't wear one to work, the B15 IMHO is slightly softened by the collar & can be a 'Throw On' work jacket.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Just bought a Rowenta hand held steamer. With the help of my wife, we managed to soften up the wrinkles quite a bit. In a month or two of hanging, the rest of the wrinkles should gradually fade away. The jacket really is nice, and in the photos, looks almost as nice as a Buzz.

I am honestly surprised as the Alpha MA-1 that was purchased (and returned) was of such poor quality. I expected less, and got more!

 

[alsendk]

I am very..very pleased with this jacket. The nylon is thick, and deep black, in spite of my pictures, where it appears to be dark blue. I ordered it in Large, and I am not a tall chap, but would have wished for an X large though. It sits tight to my body, and I do prefer clothes - in general to be roomy, but this is just a matter of personal taste. The zipper works real fine, and seems to be of excellent quality. Just out of the box, with a lot of wrinkles, but they will go away, in time I guess.....can only praise this jacket, and say; BUY!

And furthermore: it came in a box with the label, telling ,- preowned, so it didn`t caught any attention in the custom, so no tax paid. and the jacket, of course is brand new

 

[Edward]

Early 90s Vintage Series? Nice jacket.

 

[alsendk]

Early 90s Vintage Series? Nice jacket.

Thanks Edward
I believe TXFlyGuy to know more about from which series it is, if any

 

[bn1966]

Love that 'Vintage' series, just waiting for someone to sell me the L2B. Quite a few XL B15s turn up on E-Bay if you want a bigger fit....some very cheaply.

 

[alsendk]

Actually I tried it on, still wearing a Tshirt, a shirt, and a very thick sou west chunkies sweater from Cornwall, so no wonder it became a little tight. We are heading for springtime soon, and it will be a nice fit with only a shirt inside ;O)

 

[Sloan1874]

I compared my current N-3 with my 80s MA-1 today and found that N-3's green was a full shade lighter than the MA-1's! Knits on the N-3 much better quality, though, but apart from that, little difference in terms of quality and construction .

 

[Smithy]

Actually I tried it on, still wearing a Tshirt, a shirt, and a very thick sou west chunkies sweater from Cornwall, so no wonder it became a little tight. We are heading for springtime soon, and it will be a nice fit with only a shirt inside ;O)

Well done Alan. I have a Vintage series B-15C which is very nice. Good jackets, you'll get a lot of use out of that.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

alsendk...so glad to hear the jacket meets your expectations! I bought a steamer to help get the wrinkles out. Yes, they do fit just a bit on the small side. Even though it is a Large, fits more like a Medium. Great jacket. In pictures, it always looks dark blue, instead of black...go figure.

Other than being "Vintage", can't tell much more about the jacket. One thing of interest, the new MA-1's I saw recently had twice as much padding, were twice as heavy, and were VERY warm. And, they were much larger in size. A Medium MA-1 was larger than my Large B-15.

 

[bn1966]

I wonder if those were the Chinese made Alphas. My Chinese L2B in XL is considerably bigger than any other Alpha in XL that I own (and that's an ever increasing number).

 

[alsendk]

Could this happy jacket, covering Marilyns beautiful body possibly be a B15 jacket

 

[Smithy]

Could this happy jacket, covering Marilyns beautiful body possibly be a B15 jacket
View attachment 11507

Alan, it is probably the most famous individual B-15 jacket there is

Marilyn is wearing a B-15C - arguably the nylon jacket most associated with the Korean War. Originals fetch BIG money these days.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

Could this happy jacket, covering Marilyns beautiful body possibly be a B15 jacket
View attachment 11507

Wonder what it was like to have Marilyn hanging onto your arm...that smile goes from ear to ear!

 

[Edward]

Alan, it is probably the most famous individual B-15 jacket there is

Marilyn is wearing a B-15C - arguably the nylon jacket most associated with the Korean War. Originals fetch BIG money these days.

Definitely. A larger size, good condition original seems to be able to fetch as much as or more than an original A2. I do wonder where that jacket went. I know it was borrowed, but from where, or whom? Where is it now?

 

[alsendk]

Quite sad this USAF ALPHA vintage JACKET FLYING B-15C / B-15D only is to be found in size medium. I really like the colour

 

[TXFlyGuy]

View attachment 11585
View attachment 11586
Quite sad this USAF ALPHA vintage JACKET FLYING B-15C / B-15D only is to be found in size medium. I really like the colour

And Medium in this case really translates to a size Small.

 

[Justhandguns]

And Medium in this case really translates to a size Small.

I have this one. It is essentially the exact same measurement of a genuine B-15D mod size 38. The back is really short as well, you will feel the cold if you wear it on top of a pair of low rise jeans.

 

[TXFlyGuy]

I have this one. It is essentially the exact same measurement of a genuine B-15D mod size 38. The back is really short as well, you will feel the cold if you wear it on top of a pair of low rise jeans.

Oh no! I had just bought an entire new wardrobe of "low risers"! Ha!

 

[bn1966]

Just managed to track down & successfully bid on a 'Vintage' Series Alpha L2B in XL, it's only taken me 3 years to find one....hope it fits . The B-15 C/D do turn up fairly regularly in the larger sizes, sometimes second hand, I picked up a nearly mint one for $35.00, some can be very cheap. Found a Blue one in XL for $60.00.