My Aero ANJ-3

[Stand By]

Friggin' hilarious "Sears pose" (you may just have coined a new phrase in the FL lexicon, my friend!).
Very curious about the painted bomb mission markings. I'm a bit of an artist myself and would love to know your secret.
Thanks in advance.

Just to show you, here's my ELC C3 with a copy of a K.O.Munsen pin up I did a few years ago- and I added my own title.
It's just copying - and finding a nice 1940s font you like (and there are lots on the web for free) - and committing that first dab of paint ...!

 

[Smithy]

What a cracking ANJ-3, well done!

I'm still to join the "A-2 family" family of jacket wearers but the ANJ-3 has always appealed to me.

Good looking jacket so enjoy it

 

[Stand By]

Disclaimer

I have received a note from Roberto who made my patches - and he wished to clarify that he made the patches for the A2 jackets that the principal cast wore in Red Tails.
He wished to credit the other artists who also created patches for the peripheral actors' jackets.
He just wished for me to acknowledge them here and not have it inferred that he did all of the patches for the movie - as I mistakenly said he did. The mistake was solely mine and I apologise for that.

 

[thor]

Very nice work Stand By! And good to see a jacket that's not an A-2 on FL. That AN-J-3 is a winner!

 

[Bunyip]

I really dig that jacket. I also like the story behind it. It actually means something, and I rate that....good job. Now Im looking at this range like never before....

 

[Bunyip]

Just to show you, here's my ELC C3 with a copy of a K.O.Munsen pin up I did a few years ago- and I added my own title.
It's just copying - and finding a nice 1940s font you like (and there are lots on the web for free) - and committing that first dab of paint ...!

That, is very impressive....you did the art yourself? How do you prep, seal etc? Thats really impressive

 

[bn1966]

Love the AnJ-3 & your story. It's great to see a C3 on here (especially with such good nose art, I've got an ELC M422A @ the 'paint shop', just waiting to see how it turns out ), thinking of buying an ELC C3 for the warmer months, do you find yourself wearing it much?

 

[Stand By]

Love the AnJ-3 & your story. It's great to see a C3 on here (especially with such good nose art, I've got an ELC M422A @ the 'paint shop', just waiting to see how it turns out ), thinking of buying an ELC C3 for the warmer months, do you find yourself wearing it much?

I love my ELC C3 - and use it often under my ELC B3 and Irvin. I find that I wear it more with my B3 as that jacket has a more "boxy" cut, so the waist is a bit draughty ... no longer a problem with the C3.
I live up here in Canada and the winters are loooong and frigid, so all my gear (B3, Irvin, ELC Luftwaffe, B6, C3s, B2 hats, A10 gloves etc etc) is walking around by itself come Spring ! And I'm out on pre-dawn dog walks no matter what - and I found that, even with the C3 and a bunch of quality wool sweaters, I could still be a tad cool on the occasions when it gets to dealing with wind-chills of -25C and -35C ... and I wanted something more !
So I got a large size (I'm usually a medium) redskin C3 from Aero and that one goes OVER my ELC Rough Wear B3 - and they look great together ! And then Old Man Winter can do his worst as nothing gets through that - and on those days, it feels like the next best thing to still being in bed! But that C3 doesn't get used much as it's seldom that cold for that long before it gets mild again to -10 to -20C, so it's the item of last resort. But I wouldn't be without it out here.
I'd say that my ELC C3 gets plenty of use though.
Be careful when ordering as they do tend to be cut on the large size - I had mine altered and taken in and it's now a nice, snug fit against my back and it feels sooo good on my back on a cold day.
I will say though that if I ever need another C3, I'd definitely go for one by Real McCoys. When you look it up online and you see it, you'll see what I mean. It'd look great over my ANJ-3 and that's what I'd want it to do (my Aero doesn't as its a redskin and is too big. It suits the B3 perfectly - but not the ANJ-3. And the ELC C3 is tailored to fit against my back over a light sweater, so it's too small).

 

[Stand By]

That, is very impressive....you did the art yourself? How do you prep, seal etc? Thats really impressive

Yes, that work's all mine. As a medical artist I make and paint facial prosthetics for patients, so it's not a million miles from what I do here at the hospital.
As I said, I'm thinking about doing a proper thread on this, but as I type here, I'm actually at work - supposed to be working ! I don't have a home PC either so putting it together will take a little time ....
So in the meantime, I can tell you that it's just about getting the best materials you can afford and being methodical and patient - and enjoying the process.
So yes, some prep is needed and all I do is to use some light soap and water in the area to be painted - and dry it off. Then use a TINY amount of alcohol or acetone and DAB the area to be painted - don't wipe as you'll remove the tanned colour of the jacket. Err on the side of caution and it's better to go light than too heavy.
Then you'll need to put down a white background to paint on (like making a blank white canvas) as otherwise your paints (especially the darker ones) will disappear into something like seal brown. So I paint down my background using white acrylic paint. I tried using Gesso one time as that is used for canvas too - and it works in the same way as being a primer and is supposedly flexible - but I found it to be a bit thick and I didn't like the finish as it hid the grain of the leather - which I didn't want. Maybe I could have thinned it ... but I just decided to not mess with it and stick with white acrylic in the end. It works, so why change now?
If you're using acrylics, you'll need to incorporate a Tension Breaker - this will help the paint flow better and it helps it flex with the leather and so it won't crack and flake - and it helps the bond of the paint to the leather too. You can also use a dedicated Flow Improver for the detailed areas when a very fine brush is needed.
The manufacturers create various lines of paint that vary in quality - aiming at the student market demographic .V. the professional artists. These entry level paints, whilst working well, have more fillers and, as we're talking about an expensive jacket here, I opt for the best paints available. I'm not buying the entire range - just a dozen or so, and they do keep.
If you're using oils, then the paints take a week to dry and they can speeded up to dry in a few days with the use of Japan Drier - use near an open window though as it's a bit toxic. But depending on what you're doing for a design (like a larger area) oils will give you a better result than acrylics as the acrylics can dry too quickly and it's hard to keep the colour consistent if you're mixing various small amounts ...
I use a matt acrylic varnish when it's all done - and without the Tension Breaker - it's resilient stuff.
And then I leave it to dry for at least a week to achieve a full shell hardness before I expose anything to the elements and wear - acrylics will appear dry after 15 minutes but it's not fully there, trust me.

But remember - don't be afraid to TRY; yes, it's a challenge but one that is supposed to be enjoyable. Mess up ? Just wipe it off. Or let it dry and paint over it and try again. And again. And again - just keep going until you get it right. You learn by doing and you'll gain confidence as you go.
And if you try and it's still not the result you want, you can always send it to an artist for them to paint over - or hunt down a really great patch to put on the area and cover it.
Get a piece of leather and have a dry-run at it if you're not fully sure. But TRY. You may just surprise yourself. I know I did with my first jacket !

 

[Stand By]

And I had this shot taken this morning for you all to see the ANJ-3 zipped up and how it looks without the A2 style exterior wind-flap (I recall seeing Jan Solo posting his ANJ-3 both open and zipped up and it helped me with my decision to go this way - so thanks Jan!).

 

[bn1966]

Fantastic ANJ-3 Stand By, does look great without A2 type windflap. Very interesting article on jacket painting. I wouldn't have the nerve to take a brush to my jackets..love the results you've got though. I'm lucky enough to have a chap not too far up the road that paints jackets etc for a living...I give him the design he applies the paint and then gives it a vintage effect.

Thanks for your reply regarding the ELC C3, very taken with yours & have ordered one from ELC today. Intending to wear it mostly as a Gilet casually (length should allow this) & either over or under other leathers when out on two wheels. Will need the 46 (my chest size) to get it long enough & can always get it altered if too large in the body.

 

[bn1966]

Just a simple example of painter's work above, current M422A project will be far more ambitious, considering something small for C3 too.

 

[Stand By]

Just a simple example of painter's work above, current M422A project will be far more ambitious, considering something small for C3 too.

Thanks for the kind comments ...
And your artist looks to be really good. That's a perfect-looking AAF patch to me ! Perfect colour and designwork. Nice one!

As I always say, I don't necessarily count myself among the stitch-counting fraternity as there were always anomalies amongst the manufacturing processes of jackets and patches (there was a war on after all!) - and the quality of nose art and jacket art varied immensely as the work invariably went to those on the base who showed even a glimmer of talent with a brush - for better or worse, they got the job - and the uneven results are seen in reference books, exhibits and photos galore today.
And so, IMHO, as long as the right style and flavour is captured and serves to continue to remember the era and those who served and fell in those dark days, I say it's all good.

FYI, my first A2 was by Aviation Leathercraft - it was the late 80's and there was no online research like today - and it was steerhide and never broke in. I liked it a lot then - but I never loved it. So 5 years later, I decided to paint on it - felt there wasn't much to lose.
And I'd always loved the reverse side of the 12" single of "Stand By" by Roman Holliday (I still love their first LP)- the group all wore B3s and A2s in the video and this design was on the back of one of the A2s - and the photo of it formed the back cover of the 12" single and the 7" picture disc. I loved it - and copied it on to my A2 using oils and acrylics after I'd been to my local art shop in Sheffield and they'd led me through the process - which I related earlier today. I remember it took me 6 weeks to do one very hot summer in 1993.
So this is what I did then - and it held up beautifully after a lot of wear and was easily the best thing about the jacket. I wore it until the jacket was a bit tight across the chest around 2005 and I went online looking for a new A2 and, partly through the FL, I discovered the joys of the jackets of ELC/Aero/Lost Worlds etc and chose my A2 upgrade ...
And the Stand By design? I cut it off the A2 and had it framed (without glass) in a nice Italian-wood frame and it now lives in my bathroom!

 

[thor]

Fascinating story Stand By....and after seeing your artwork I see where the inspiration for your FL name comes from! You could make a second career out of being a professional jacket painter! Enjoy your AN-J-3!

 

[nick123]

Stand By,
Awesome.

 

[Stand By]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the wind flap, personally I have been leaning more toward the A-2 style, in part because I am comfortable with it, and also because the specimen in LAX which was issued to a USAAF flyer was clearly the A-2 flap. It does make me wonder if the ones with that style flap were made more for the Army / USAAF, and the other for the USN, or if I am just making that delineation in my own mind. It's a difficult jacket to research when pondering such questions, and I appreciate any insight from others who have made any study on the subject. Thanks!

Hmmm. Re-reading your reply Foster, I'm pondering on this again and you remind me that yes, from the research I did, the different style of wind flaps could be connected to the distribution of the ANJ-3 as you say - as some had USN painted beneath the collar and those were intended for the navy - and those intended for the USAAF were stenciled with a simple US in bold capitals or nothing at all. (I went with nothing btw)

 

[Foster]

Thanks! I had figured on getting the A-2 style flap anyway, but I also am one who likes to have the research sorted in my mind beforehand. I will also go with no stencil.

 

[Bat02]

It's a bit late but thanks for this thread, I'm considering buying an A2 or an ANJ3 and this was super helpful.