MA-1 Flight jacket

[bn1966]

I love that replica blue version....wish they were for sale around here the sage USA replica Alpha (50's) type I own is one of my favourite jackets. Thanks for posting Doc.

 

[Edward]

Some people are never happy. But maybe this will cheer up a few folks...

Alpha apparently offers (in Japan) a 1950s style MA-1 with 50% wool 45% cotton 5% nylon insulation. It's clearly not a high-end repro, but if they sold them here I'd get one for sure and probably live happily ever after. The jacket's code is TA1054, in grey or blue. If nothing else it demonstrates that Alpha could do a mid-range repro if they wanted to.

Those look really nice. I'd love an early-spec MA1 (pre-orange liner) as that's really the last of the issue jackets that interests me. I have a Buzz B15C Mod and an Alpha Replica Series B15C. The Buzz is definitely superior, but if Alpha were making their 90s Replica Series again and selling them for £150-£200, I'd consider it the better buy than the Buzz when you take into account the latter are £500 and up. I'd also especially like to see Alpha do an N2A, L2A and N2B to this level - then I could complete my blue nylon set.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Valley Apparel, which has government contracts, is now in the nylon business:
http://valleyapparel.net/product-category/commercial-2/
US Wings is selling their MA-1 and nylon CWU. Although these are clearly civilian jackets, it's nice that they're made in the USA.

 

[bn1966]

Valley Apparel, which has government contracts, is now in the nylon business:
http://valleyapparel.net/product-category/commercial-2/
US Wings is selling their MA-1 and nylon CWU. Although these are clearly civilian jackets, it's nice that they're made in the USA.

Interesting Doc, wonder what the sizing & prices are like.

 

[stu48]

Hi all

I'm thinking of buying the Alpha MA1 flight jacket but am a little bit confussed.

I have seen a couple of different versions on the site I'm thinking of using one is the standard sage green version and the other is a 2015 model that is lighter shade of green.

my question is apart from the colours which model is more accurate to the original MA1? and why change colours for one year?

also are these good copies and worth the £100 price tag

cheers stu

 

[Doctor Damage]

Hi all

I'm thinking of buying the Alpha MA1 flight jacket but am a little bit confussed.

I have seen a couple of different versions on the site I'm thinking of using one is the standard sage green version and the other is a 2015 model that is lighter shade of green.

my question is apart from the colours which model is more accurate to the original MA1? and why change colours for one year?

also are these good copies and worth the £100 price tag

cheers stu

Are you looking at the German website? They have completely different models on the German website than the U.S. website. Please specify.

As for the green colour, I believe they only make one colour, which is a medium green colour.

 

[stu48]

Hi Doc

It was on the SOF1944 site here is the link mate

the 2015 MA1 http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/alpha-industries-ma1-flight-jacket-2015-green-product,16334

the standard sage green version http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/alpha-industries-ma1-flight-jacket-sage-product,14030

cheers stu

 

[Doctor Damage]

Some of these surplus and army/navy stores are bad at updating their websites. The first link is the most accurate in terms of photos. The second link is "old" Alpha photos from a few years back. Same jacket, different photos.

 

[Atticus Finch]

Interested persons can download the mil-spec document for MA-1 jackets, G contract, from the link below. Press the big orange button and it downloads a PDF. I've done this and the download is kosher. Amazingly, the document is dated 1979 with an update in 1988!

http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-J/MIL-J-8279G_9439/

Interesting. I'm not sure I realized there really was a G series MA-1. I was under the impression that the F-series "ground crew" version was the last of the military MA-1s. But I'm guessing it was a short run. I googled around for a minute and could only find original tags from 1988...and, by then, nomex CWUs had been around for a decade. That old 1950s jacket died hard, didn't it?

AF

 

[stu48]

Some of these surplus and army/navy stores are bad at updating their websites. The first link is the most accurate in terms of photos. The second link is "old" Alpha photos from a few years back. Same jacket, different photos.

cheers mate some of these sites do confuse the buyers don't they lol

 

[Doctor Damage]

Interesting. I'm not sure I realized there really was a G series MA-1. I was under the impression that the F-series "ground crew" version was the last of the military MA-1s. But I'm guessing it was a short run. I googled around for a minute and could only find original tags from 1988...and, by then, nomex CWUs had been around for a decade. That old 1950s jacket died hard, didn't it?

AF

I'm also surprised that they kept updating the specs for these jackets at such a late date. If you look earlier in this thread and others you'll see a mil-spec document for L2B jackets dated 1979 and N2B jackets dated 1983. Again, why such late dates? Surely the nomex CWU jackets were being regularly issued that point and I doubt that ground crew were being issued those jackets in any numbers, especially in the 1980s. Perhaps it was just bureaucratic inertia that kept updating specs, even though in practice there was no point.

Anyways, jacket nuts should download and read those documents. Boring? Yes, they're boring technical documents. But you can learn a lot.

Maybe someday I'll run across copies of older spec documents, which certainly existed. Assuming they're not in the hands of collectors who are sitting on them and not sharing, ha ha

 

[bn1966]

I've got both an Alpha service issue L-2B ('79 Ground Crew) and Alpha '93
Service issue N-2B.

I did own a late Ground Crew MA-1 ('90's I think) but moved it on due to poor fit.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I've got both an Alpha service issue L-2B ('79 Ground Crew) and Alpha '93
Service issue N-2B.

I did own a late Ground Crew MA-1 ('90's I think) but moved it on due to poor fit.

It's astonishing (to me) that they were still making jackets at those dates, since they were obsolete by a long time. I can see keeping the N3B around since there would always be a need for a heavy parka. Weird. I've seen no photographic evidence, but nobody takes photos of ground crew, ha ha

 

[Doctor Damage]

Looks like some company in Japan did a copy of the McQueen MA-1 from "The Hunter". It looks like they got the details right, including grey knits. Sold out, of course. It looks like an Alpha, which makes me think they could do one cheap if they wanted to.
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/klax-on/item/tmj1520/

 

[bn1966]

My real one

 

[Blackadder]

Looks like some company in Japan did a copy of the McQueen MA-1 from "The Hunter". It looks like they got the details right, including grey knits. Sold out, of course. It looks like an Alpha, which makes me think they could do one cheap if they wanted to.
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/klax-on/item/tmj1520/

Toys McCoy
http://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/TOYS+McCOY+TMJ1520/
Also a figure
http://members.shaw.ca/toysmccoy/toysmccoyfigs.html

 

[Doctor Damage]

here's more pics of McQueen in The Hunter wearing that late 70s MA-1:



It's one of my favourite films, I don't know why it always gets a bad rap in reviews. It's a 'quiet' movie which I watch when I'm in a bad mood and want something to put me in a good mood. It has that effect. Weird. Great jacket, too.

 

[bn1966]

Great film, great jacket

 

[Monsoon]

http://thefedoralounge.com/threads/wts-skyline-ma-1-size-large.85966/

Just pimping the sale of my MA-1 in case anyone might be interested.

Now back to your regular scheduled MA-1 porn.

 

[Edward]

That Macqueen one looks nice.

I imagine the reason Alpha don't do a more accurate repro range is that they're not inot the niche markets that Buzz, RMC, Toys et al are: for Alpha to consider it worth it, they'd need to be shifting 'em by the thousand.... and thre's just not so much interest in accurate nylons these days. Shame; I'd love a more affordable L2A, N2A, green-lined MA1....