Midnight Blue Highwayman yes? no?

[Sloan1874]

Stunning! Seriously, it was 25C and above for the duration, fantstic stuff. I visited the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, so I've got loads of pics of beautifully painted A-2s, a good nine, from the 309th Squadron, along with B-17flying fortress pics and a rather nice B-3 outfit. Shall post when I get a moment.

 

[Edward]

Well, it appears this jacket is quite interesting. The AN (Army-Navy) 6552 was only issued in 1943. Found it in a hobby shop! Wtf!

Yes, a relatively rare birdy, as far as I know. From that same period as the ANJ3 and ANJ4, before the AAF went off in its own direction with the textile jackets.

 

[nick123]

If you guys want a confession, I didn't even realize it was an AN until I got home. I assumed it was an M-422a. The excitement of the moment got me. It's a very serene feeling seeing an original in person. Maybe the collectors of original WWII jackets have gotten used to it, but my brain seriously went into shut-down mode when I saw it. And the thing (though snug, maybe could use an extra inch in the sleeves) fit!

I never spent much time researching the AN series jackets, but they're quite fascinating. Now I'm trying to figure out if the lining and label are just in really good condition or are replacements. I think the knits are original and there is no doubt the black coated Talon is original. That was another cool thing to learn about-the generic"U.S" (because it was destined for multiple services in addition to the U.SN. rather than the "U.S.N" label behind the collar). Just a very cool jacket.

I hope someone can give me a value! I think it might be the first "score" I've ever found. It's in good hands for the time being at least.

 

[Grayland]

Not really my cup of tea, but a blue Shinki jacket on Style Forum:

http://www.styleforum.net/t/512347/niuhans-navy-horsehide-bomber-jacket-48-50

 

[Bunyip]

The leather looks interesting, not big on the design though.

 

[Edward]

Bascially a leather MA1. Not to my tastes either, but it is thed sort of modern approach that Style Forum seems to be keen on- all the better for being Japanese and very hard to get hold of elsewhere. Looks like a nice hide.

 

[nick123]

Right Edward, when I was hoping this thread would disappear into the back pages...

 

[Superfluous]

I was hoping this thread would disappear into the back pages...

Bump

 

[kronos77]

Help for the color blind needed. Would the very very subtle blue tones in the Aero midnight blue help it match--or go better-- with more colors or less than the warmer standard black? Yes, black is said to go with everything but people say it can be a little difficult compared to another neutral: Navy.

 

[Edward]

I'd treat it more or less as a black jacket for outfit-matching purposes, given that you really do need to see it in direct daylight to see the difference.

 

[nick123]

I think I'm glad I skipped this leather. I think I'd prefer more blue. It's a very beautiful leather, and quite classy. I guess we'd have to see how it ages. But the more I think about it, if I was going blue, it would have to be BLUE. My ideal jacket would have onlookers remark "hey, isn't that guy supposed to be in the looney bin?"...

However, earlier in the post or somewhere m I said that I preferred it for its conservative look and wasn't after the wild look.

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