posted 02-13-2014 01:20 AM               

I don't generally (ever) recommend reading the comments on YouTube but the top response (at least as of right now) is someone asking, "Any links on how to order the jacket?" (to which Alexander Leathers is given in a reply).

I wouldn't be surprised if this video results in orders for Still the Right Stuff.

posted 02-13-2014 08:42 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
shared passion for space history...

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While Adam usually seems enthusiastic about most science related subjects, if he was truly passionate, wouldn't he know the astronauts, or at least fact checked it before making the video?

posted 02-20-2014 12:51 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Greggy_D:
I'd love to see this company offer a replica of the early 80s shuttle flight jackets.

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posted 02-27-2014 02:47 AM               

Just out of curiosity, what would you be willing to pay for a high quality reproduction such as this?

posted 02-27-2014 10:57 AM               

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Originally posted by divemaster:
Just out of curiosity, what would you be willing to pay for a high quality reproduction such as this?

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Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $2-300 MAX for something like that, and we're talking the extreme high end of anything I'd consider buying at all. Again, let me stress, that's the extreme high end. Anything around $200 would be far more plausible for me for a jacket that isn't made of leather.

Quality could take a minor hit for me with a price tag along those lines. Frankly, I'm surprised a company like Alpha hasn't tried to make something like this by now.

quote:

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Lastly, what other types of "usable" authentic reproductions would you like to see? And how much would you be willing to pay for said fantasy item?

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A copy of the light blue flight suits they wore in the Apollo era would be great, too.

posted 02-27-2014 02:05 PM               

Why not go in the direction of a line of standard sizes?

posted 02-28-2014 12:21 AM               

I'm reminded of the line of pro sports jerseys that offer two to three different versions of game jerseys for people with different sized budgets. From a replica jersey for $140 to $300 for a game authentic version (Mitchell and Ness Joe Namath jersey). NFL.com and similar sites offer $80 to $135 to $250 jersey versions based on quality and material.

posted 03-05-2014 02:02 AM            

Basically, it's perfect. Superb quality and fit. For those complaining about the price, you can see where the money went. There's no other product close to this on the market. Not Buzz Rickson's, not Gibson and Barnes.

posted 03-05-2014 10:34 AM               

Would quality take a hit for a much lower price on a production-line jacket? Sure it would, I think anyone would have to agree.

It boils down to the issue of which makes more business sense; an item that costs a great deal and is custom-made, or a lesser quality item (which, really, looks pretty much the same from a few feet away) and has a price that would sell much more, being a price far more people could afford (or more likely, could justify to themselves).

posted 03-05-2014 10:51 AM               

There is something to be said about a well tailored, well-crafted piece of clothing. Anyone who has worn a custom-tailored suit can attest that it is significantly better than the off-the-rack alternative. And while you can say both look the same from a few feet away, it is the fine details that make the difference.

posted 03-05-2014 11:18 AM            

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Originally posted by p51:
Again, I don't think anyone's taking the quality issue into question. It's the price. There's simply a limit to what most people will spend on ANY jacket, and I think $700 is beyond that for most people.

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Sure, but with all due respect so what? In other words, what's wrong with having a top quality and consequently more exclusive replica? There's already room in the flying jacket market for both. Take as only one example of many, the USAF MA-1. Alpha have produced a cheap knock off for years, and they sell them by the boat-load. Has that killed of Buzz Rickson's trade in superb limited edition replicas?

If you want more examples just look at the squillions of leather "flying jackets" on the market, all based on a small number of original designs. Again top quality replicas (and top dollar - much more expensive than these) are still profitably sold.

There's room for both, but you have to know your market, they're very different.

posted 03-05-2014 12:50 PM               

Yes, Buzz Rickson's does a good trade in the high-end copies of flight jackets. But the slightly-lesser-quality-but-way-cheaper ones outsell them by multiple orders of magnitude.

I'm not saying that they won't (or shouldn't) sell this $700 dollar jacket. I'm just saying many people wouldn't dream of spending that amount, but would for one in the 1-300 range that has according quality.

Beats me why there's even an argument on this point. It's a fact, well supported by the numbers of flight jackets of varying price ranges which are sold today.

posted 03-06-2014 12:18 AM               

Nike, Reebock, Adidas, Mitchell and Ness, etc. have done very well over the years mass producing these jerseys for those that want the look of their favorite sports team at a much more reasonable price.

posted 03-06-2014 05:50 AM            

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Originally posted by Kevmac:
Give us a less expensive alternative that's close and we'll be happy, and many will be sold.

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Then you need to contact a company like one of those you mentioned. These guys simply don't have the capacity you require. They are not that sort of operation.

As for what each customer will consider to be close enough, I'm not sure you'll get a consensus. First to go will be the outer fabric, next the color (it's not a typical sky or pale blue), then the crossover fastening etc. Maybe you'll gain some bonus features like epaulets from a re-badged "L-2".

Companies have had at least 46 years to do this. If it was such "low hanging fruit", you'd think they'd have tried. A mass market is probably there, but it would need serious thought. Apollo is remote for most people and these jackets are downright obscure. To Joe Public astronauts wear "spacesuits".

posted 05-06-2014 07:35 PM               

It was more than I probably normally would have paid for something like this, but compared to retail, I got a screaming deal!

posted 05-09-2014 03:32 PM               

I still will be worried about wearing the thing out, in that I'll be worried something will happen to it or it'll get stolen. But it won't stop me from wearing it to any space-related event, regardless of the weather at the time (where I live, the summers rarely ever get very hot).

Just curious, does anyone on this forum have one of these?

quote:

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Originally posted by Spaceguy5:
Yeah, the nameplate is velcro'd on so you can replace it — Adam Savage demonstrated that in his video.

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posted 05-11-2014 11:16 PM               

WOW.

Pardon the bad analogy, but it fits like a glove.

I lucked up by finding someone wanting to sell his on eBay and he was extremely close to my size. the jacket fits like perfectly. Best of all, I got it for a fraction of the normal cost (but to be honest, I had a lot of explaining to my wife afterward, even at the amount I spent for the great deal I got it for).

Now, addressing the quality, the ad copy is accurate. It's clearly hand-made and is made of some amazingly high-quality materials. I spilled some water on a sleeve and I found it was still beaded on the surface a few minutes later (most jackets, it'd have soaked by then). The stitching is exceptional and compares very well to other original flight jackets in my collection from that era.

Most people don't realize that 'roomy' flight jackets is a current thing; most flight jackets from WW2 to the post-Nam era were supposed be far more snug than those worn today. Knowing that, the fit is great and very comfortable. It's very thin, though, and is intended (like the originals) as a light windbreaker. I wore it in sunny 60-degree weather outside yesterday in high desert conditions and it felt great.

If you've seen the movie, "Pulp Fiction," Travolta's quote on the five dollar milkshake comes to mind, in that it's a great jacket but I'm still not sure if it's worth $750/ That said, it IS an amazing product and very well made. If you have the means (and can justify the price), I highly recommend one.

posted 05-15-2014 09:47 AM               

Really love mine, great quality. Have always wanted one of these so when they were announced I knew I would eventually hand over the cash!!!

posted 07-27-2014 02:42 PM            

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Originally posted by Panther494:
Is the type IV NASA vector still correct on this one?

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posted 10-16-2014 04:02 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by p51:
I noticed several differences, mostly the color and type of zipper, blackened snaps where Wally's had chrome and different weave on the cuffs. They did get the stitching dead-on though.

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You seem to think that they got a lot of it wrong. I'm afraid that is because you are not comparing like with like. The NASA "blue jacket" went through several iterations on fastening and lining. Wally's jacket is an early version, like that of the Apollo 8 and 11 crews (and I believe Gemini crews, though this is hard to verify). This later version first seems to appear definatively around the time of Apollo 14 (though I suspect possibly as early as Apollo 12), but some versions had white lining (batch quantities appear to have been very small with considerable variation).

The point you make about the zipper is valid. Schirra's jacket has Conmar zip pulls of different shapes. Still The Right Stuff (STRS) use Scovill bell-shaped pulls. There was variation between batches, some using Conmar and some Scovill and the two companies later merged. STRS are using genuine Scovill pulls which seems a reasonable compromise. The main zipper tape on Wally's jacket is badly faded, period photographs clearly show it's original color as being blue.

posted 10-16-2014 12:19 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by David C:
I'm afraid that is because you are not comparing like with like.

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posted 10-24-2014 11:17 AM               

When I was little, I was the kid in the boat or the kid at the hunting lodge, listening to the guys tell stories when I was supposed to be in bed. I always collected patches and whatever, and I was given quite a few flight jackets. I remember having both a blue and an orange one. They are surely in a box or drawer somewhere at my Mom's place.