McQueen A2 jacket in Great Escape

sam in santa fe · Feb 10, 2006

Just want to know what consensus is on the best repro for the McQueen jacket in the Great Escape? I keep seeing Real McCoy and Aeroleather as the best going. Been looking a long time and want to get it right!

Need some opinions...

Sam in Santa Fe, NM

The Mad Hatter · Feb 11, 2006

I recall that, at least at one time, Real McCoys offered a Real McQueen jacket that was an exact replica of the type McQueen wore in the movie.

greyhound68 · Feb 11, 2006

Funny we just had this discussion on another forum. The jacket was made by the Roughwear company. The discussion centered on the model. Having seen close up shots of it I believe it could be a 16159 or 27752 model. That said Eastman makes the 27752 model in Seal brown and Real McCoys New Zealand makes the 16159 in Seal brown as well. I did have the Real Mcqueen jacket which was excellent. I sold it to get a Buzz Rickson Rough Wear model 23380. I would consider it an excellent copy of the Vigil Hilts jacket. Toys McCoy in Japan makes a great copy too but it is almost impossible to get outside of Japan and in any sizes over a 40. Below are photos of the three jackets of the I mentioned. Any would be a great model for the Virgil Hilts Real McQueen jacket.
Real McQueen
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c140/greyhound68/realmcq.jpg

RMNZ 16159
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c140/greyhound68/rw16149.jpg

Buzz Rickson RW 23380
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c140/greyhound68/bra2.jpg

PADDY · Feb 11, 2006

Original A-2 done up as a V.Hilts "Great Escape" jacket!

Have a look at this original on the Aero site done as a V HILTS Great Escape A-2 in a size 38"!! Some of you might be a bit 'iffy' about this being done to an 'original' A-2, but my understanding is that it needed a reline and had a name tag missing from the front anyway.
However, it's not a Roughwear 22752, which, apparently, the one used in the movie was (now in a private Japanese collection, and allegedly used as the model for the Real McQueen jacket by Real McCoys).

But remind yourself, it's all make believe when it comes to Virgil Hilts in his boondockers, drainpipe trousers, cut down sweatshirt..etc, knocking around a German POW camp with a leather baseball glove. But it's an image many of us still like!!

http://www.aeroleatherclothing.com/webapp/aeroleather/servlet/AeroViewPage?

Kolmar1945 · Feb 11, 2006

Best A-2 jackets

To my experience Aeroleather has the best hides but all its metalware (zips and studs ) are pure invetions out of the 21th centuries modern industries.
Eastman has good knits and metalware but his(horse) hides look like polished hardpaper, it never ages as the originals..(no structure no grain especially Horsehide)...just check out how they age and compare with originals..
Besides his shoulders are hanging and his chest ratio/shoulder dimension is made just too big...
The real McCoyÂ´s look OK in all aspects, even if its knits look a bit funny...but OK...
The best is Buzz RicksonÂ´s Japan...and the handworn stuff is just like the originals
Cheers
KOLMAR1945

PADDY · Feb 16, 2006

Always thought this A2 had a McQueen feel to it..

No, it's not a RoughWear 27752, it's a 1942 Aero, but, it has got that Great Escape look to it. It did have a wartime overspray of seal ontop of the original russet, so would have been darker mid-war, but over the years the russet has burnished through the seal to give a great patina.

(forgive the slight angle, but it's the camera on a fence post, not me!!)

Alan Eardley · Feb 16, 2006

Great escape jacket

Paddy,

The thing that most characterises the jacket worn by McQueen is the obvious overdye. I've seen examples of the BR and RMCJ 'tribute' jackets and IMHO neither of them really get this right. I bet an enthusiastic amateur could do a better job starting with a good RW 27752 copy.

Flitcraft · Feb 16, 2006

Questions, questions....????

But remind yourself, it's all make believe when it comes to Virgil Hilts in his boondockers, drainpipe trousers, cut down sweatshirt..etc, knocking around a German POW camp with a leather baseball glove. But it's an image many of us still like!!

What exactly is McQueen's outfit?
Are those roughouts he's wearing?
Why wouldn't he be wearing those items?
Thanks in advance!

bfrench · Feb 17, 2006

Real McQueen jacket

sam in santa fe said:
Just want to know what consensus is on the best repro for the McQueen jacket in the Great Escape? I keep seeing Real McCoy and Aeroleather as the best going. Been looking a long time and want to get it right!

Need some opinions...

Sam in Santa Fe, NM

Hi, Sam,

If you are a small size - 42 or lower - I'd look for an original and as Paddy has said put a V. Hilts name tag on it.

If the jacket has no known history then it'll be all imaginary - but it'll also be the most realistic McQueen.

And probably less expensive than some of the high end repros which still have inaccuracies.

Bill French

airfrogusmc · Feb 17, 2006

Wasn't the jacket in the movie a redyed RW 16159?

airfrogusmc · Feb 17, 2006

Actually I like McCoys knits allot. You just need to have them shortened.

They loosen up quickly but don't ballon out or get premature holes like some other makers.

PADDY · Feb 17, 2006

Putting V Hilts (McQueen) name tags on an original A2

bfrench said:
Hi, Sam,

If you are a small size - 42 or lower - I'd look for an original and as Paddy has said put a V. Hilts name tag on it.
Bill French

Mmmm. Not sure of that one Bill. My example (see pic above) of a RW A-2 that Aero had and because it needed a reline and already had the holes where a leather name tag had been, they customised it to be a Great Escape jacket (with the V Hilts stencil on the lining and the leather name tag). But, I would never advocate to doctoring an original. Firstly, the resale value would just plummet, no question.
Secondly, it just doesn't rest comfortably with me to do that with 'an orginal.' A repro, not a problem at all. But don't go out looking for an original to doctor into a fictitious Holywood movie jacket. Personally, I just wouldn't/couldn't do it.
There are plenty of second hand repros that you could while away the hours turning into your ultimate McQueen jacket!
But, each to their own.

Clyde R. · Feb 18, 2006

Flitcraft,

I think what Paddy was talking about was the narrow "drainpipe" khakis and roughout "boondockers" not being very likely to be worn by an Army Air Force officer in Europe. I personally always thought McQueen wore the Marine boondockers 'cause he was a Marine veteran and they looked really cool with the khakis and jacket and blue sweatshirt! Of course the Army had roughout field shoes, too, but I don't think they were very much used by the Air Force pilots in Europe and the toes of McQueen's shoes look rather more pointed like the Marine boondockers than the more rounded toe Army shoes. I have some reproduction boondockers from WWII Impressions that I like very much and wear often. Here's a link to a pic of them.
http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/images/boondocker.JPG
And here's the website
http://www.wwiiimpressions.com/
Perhaps Paddy could expand on the "fantasy" or un-realistic but very COOL aspects of Virgil Hilts' outfit...these were just my impressions

BellyTank · Feb 18, 2006

McQueen's Roughouts are correct- they're US Army and AAF style,
not the USMC style. The USMC boots were minus the rivet and appear narrower.

The boots and the A-2... that's the extent of the practical authenticity.

B
T

Clyde R. · Feb 18, 2006

Wow Belly Tank, good eye! I missed the rivet. Guess I need to go back and look at the movie again. I've never been able to differentiate the narrowness thing on army/marine roughouts, but the rivet should be the clincher. So I guess McQueen had correct boots and jacket, but like you said, the rest was just for looks. I still think McQueen picked the roughouts because he was a Marine and they LOOKED like boondockers, and cool, also unlike anything else being worn by the other actors! I doubt anybody even in their wardrobe department probably knew the difference between Marine boondockers and Army roughouts...though of course I could be wrong. At any rate, McQueen would almost certainly have called them "boondockers" from habit no matter the exact model

CiscoKid · Feb 19, 2006

Bad Influence?

Aaaagh!
You guys are having way too much effect on me.
...so I'm in the grocery store yesterday and as I'm heading for the check-out, there's a display full of DVDs and what do you suppose jumps out at me?
The Great Escape, of course.
I took it as a sign from God and had to buy it. And I'm enjoying the heck out of watching it again; it's probably been 30-plus years since I've seen it.
Now, of course, I'll be thinking of getting my own V. Hilts-version A-2.
As always, thanks for all your input.:cheers1:

greyhound68 · Feb 19, 2006

Just FYI MASH in Japan does sell an Eastman "Great Escape" model

here is the web site:
http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/eastman-web/flight_jacket/a-2_great-escape/index.html

Alan Eardley · Feb 19, 2006

Great escape

While BT is spotting the missing rivet, and Paddy is examining the width of an actor's trousers, is anyone going to point that the film is nothing like what really took place in Stalag Luft lll? (Source - The Great Escape, Paul Brickhill).

BellyTank · Feb 19, 2006

I doubt it Alan- we're all too superficial for that kind of thing...
:hamburger

B
T

bfrench · Feb 19, 2006

PADDY said:
Mmmm. Not sure of that one Bill. My example (see pic above) of a RW A-2 that Aero had and because it needed a reline and already had the holes where a leather name tag had been, they customised it to be a Great Escape jacket (with the V Hilts stencil on the lining and the leather name tag). But, I would never advocate to doctoring an original. Firstly, the resale value would just plummet, no question.
Secondly, it just doesn't rest comfortably with me to do that with 'an orginal.' A repro, not a problem at all. But don't go out looking for an original to doctor into a fictitious Holywood movie jacket. Personally, I just wouldn't/couldn't do it.
There are plenty of second hand repros that you could while away the hours turning into your ultimate McQueen jacket!
But, each to their own.

Hi, Paddy,

Looked at the original post and entirely missed your intent - but it's still doable with the proper RW original with a missing name tag and needing a reline.

There's probably plenty of RWs in poor shape and small size that could qualify.

Bill French

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