Cockpit 1942 Reproduction B-3

[Army Doc]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and wanted to say hello. Also wondering what ya'll think of the Cockpit 1942 Reproduction B-3 on the market. I'm new to this but to my novice eye it appears to be pretty accurate. Have any of you seen any originals with the AAF insignia of the left sleeve, or any other insignia (pilot's wings, name patches, etc) for that matter?

Cheers!

Brendan

 

[John Lever]

Brendan, I also like this jacket. I called Jacky Clurman to ask for some more photos but unfortunately nothing ever happened. I challenged her on the very high price compared to other manufacturers eg. Lost Worlds, but she was friendly but unwilling to compromise. I like the 100 mission version. But not the price considering shipping at $100 to the UK plus import duty.

 

[aswatland]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here and wanted to say hello. Also wondering what ya'll think of the Cockpit 1942 Reproduction B-3 on the market. I'm new to this but to my novice eye it appears to be pretty accurate. Have any of you seen any originals with the AAF insignia of the left sleeve, or any other insignia (pilot's wings, name patches, etc) for that matter?

Cheers!

Brendan

Brendan, I have had a quick look at the 1942 B3. It is fairly accurate. Yes I have owned originals with the USAAF decal on the left sleeve and officers insignia on the shoulder tabs, so this is ok. The main weakness of this repro is zip pull, which is similar to those found on some G1s from the late 1950s. Even with the the sale price it is still over priced IMO.

 

[Fletch]

How does it compare, say, to the US Authentic B-3, priced at $650? I've never seen or talked to anyone with a US-A sheepskin, but they have a good rep for "close 'nuff" wearables at a good quality/price point.

(BTW John, I think Jacky is a Clyman, not a Clurman. )

 

[John Lever]

How does it compare, say, to the US Authentic B-3, priced at $650? I've never seen or talked to anyone with a US-A sheepskin, but they have a good rep for "close 'nuff" wearables at a good quality/price point.

(BTW John, I think Jacky is a Clyman, not a Clurman. )

That would be a real Freudian slip on my part !
I used to own an Avirex Museum Quality B3 that was reddish aniline sheepskin with amazing character. I sold it to John Chapman and he was similarly impressed.
If he reads this perhaps he might post some pics if he still has them.

 

[Fletch]

There's an Avirex B-6 at auction (OFAS-US) that's pulling some attention. I suspect this might be one of the Far East-only line, as a B-6 is somewhat of a specialist item. (Search [ avirex b-6 ] in Google and see the Kanji all over you screen.)

 

[FLATHEAD]

Have you looked at the What Price Glory website?

Jerry has a Duo-tone B-3 for $350.00 that several people over on the
VLJ forum have bought, and they like it.

Its almost 1/3 the price of the "Museum Quality" one sold by Avirex, and
its also about 1/2 less in weight.

The WPG version does not have the acrylic coating on the outside of the
jacket so its alot lighter in weight, and you can move around in it alot easier too.

It's a very good, low cost alternative to the higher priced repro's, and it
has all the details of a real B-3.

Check it out.

Jim

 

[Army Doc]

The "What Price Glory" B-3 does look very nice, especially for the $350 price tag.

As far as the more expensive sellers, I the Aero B-3 ($875) and US Authentic ($650) both look to be very accurate and well made. I wonder how much better the Lost Worlds, Eastman, and Real McCoy's could be considering the price jump.

Thanks for all of the replies...