:eusa_clapMust have shared a field with a meadow fed Suffolk Punch.
A ful tank of rich cream milk or grass from those green green fields produce the finest leathers for our jackets
Myself and most people would say the one that fits you best, although some might say the most expensive one or the one with the shortest torso. None of it is useful information. You're in Japan so getting something Made in the USA shipped over there might be too costly; it would probably be easier for you to get a reproduction from Buzz or McCoys or whoever, which would be superior in every respect to a mass-produced jacket intended to be mass-purchased by the USAF. However, a distinction should be made between a "current issue A-2", which are actually supposed to big, baggy, and long (which you'll see if you look at the official USAF photos which I've posted), and a "WWII issue A-2" which is almost a different jacket entirely...Big J said:
The nice thing about the modern issue jackets is that they're cheap but still made in the USA. They are supposed to come with two velcros on the chest: nametag patch (rectangle on left breast) and command patch (shield shape on right breast). I have one from Dakota Outerwear which is fine for me since I'm not a leather jacket person, although it lacks the throat latch so I guess it's only 99% accurate; it is appropriately baggy and long, though. Cockpit USA offers mil-spec jackets I think and their quality should be good (their "21st Century"). I don't think those come with the velcro, but maybe they'll put it on request. Taylors Leatherwear has some but only in "letter" sizing, although they do have longs. I'm not sure there's a huge demand for these new on the civilian market. I think they're supposed to be cheap; anything too posh would be "wrong", i.e. if Buzz did a reproduction it would be over-specced for sure! You might have luck on e-Bay - if you're a 46 or bigger I've seen Cockpit A2 with velcro regularly available in new condition in big sizes.
Here's Da Prezident in a Cockpit A-2, confirmed on Cockpit's website (click for bigger image). The fit is horrible to the eyes of the vintage WWII A-2 guys, but it's a totally different animal and not really comparable since the USAF re-introduced them after a few decades after cancelling them (unlike the G1 which has always been with us). I suspect these modern fit A-2s are more forgiving in an age when even modern day fitness nuts are fatter than fat people from the 1940s.
Anyways, I'm rambling so I'll stop. Someone around here will chime in with some source recommendations, hopefully...
