French Air Service Tunic On A Budget

[Dej 17]

Beautiful. You should add it to your sig.

[carrick58 23]

I am amongst the ranks of the loopy too I think. This was my skirmishing outfit, sans the Knights Cross (couldn't risk a BB on that). Everything is repro except the helmet (steel shell only is original), boots, shirt and blouse (shirt and blouse are under the smock). The trousers are repro material but I made them myself (and busted the wife's sewing-machine in the process). The lapel-tape on the blouse was from a local heberdashery. The Knights Cross is about as authentic as a repro can be, it's a silver frame on an iron core (per the real ones) and made/assembled using actual WW2 jigs recovered after the war. I was told off, for being "a big intimidating nazi, and you'll offend our jewish members" (they didn't give a hoot actually).

 

 

Well done. I almost joined a recreation group,But couldnt make up my mine. Kinda " to be or not to be " The American Civil War or WWII.

[carrick58 23]

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Thanks Stiffy, I was not aware of that company. A bit spendy but it looks like nicely made items. BTW, the Sam Browne arrived on Monday and I discoverd that, despite some heavy checking of the finish on the rear portion of the upper strap it was still quite sound, but very, very dried out. However, after carefully working in by hand numerous applications of a vinegar/mink oil mixture the leather came back and is once again supple with a great color and sheen, and the brass is very good as well. I now have it fitted to my project, along with my collection of French and Belgian medals and honours. I even happened across an original WWI-issue French wound ribbon with red enamalled star which showed up in a package of old French medals and mounting bars I had purchased a while back, (mainly for the silver ball-and-bar mounts as they are hard to come by). Here is the current status of my efforts:

 

Wow, Good going Lou

 

 

Also, the stork pin did indeed turn out to be an original from the Great War era, and it flys beautifully above all that bling. I am still sorting out the collar flashes and combat stripes, but I think it is looking quite fine. I even built my own tailor's form to display it on, but that's a story for another time.

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Many thanks for the kudos Foreigndevil, John, Dej, and Carrick. Glad to know others besides me think it looks good. When you work at something and stare at it over a long period of time you start to wonder if you're seeing it accurately after a while.

 

 

 

 

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[Olham 164]

Amazing, Lou!

Do you really want to send your marriage through that German Flieger dress test?

I'd be even more amazed, of course!

[Javito1986 14]

Damn that's pretty. Cheers Louvert

[Hasse Wind 46]

Good to see it finished, Lou. Excellent work. A typical old uniform - looks gorgeous, but is not at all practical. Oh well, I guess it's somewhat more practical than the 18th century stuff.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Many thanks Olham, Javito, and Hasse Wind, I appreciate the positive feedback. HW, absolutely right about the impracticality of the old uniforms, but as you and Javito noted, quite pretty. Olham, I will be waiting a good long time before I consider beginning another such project, not only because of the marriage stress test you alude to, but also because my coffers need replenishing...

 

Once I built a railroad, I made it run

Made it race against time

Once I built a railroad, now it's done

Brother, can you spare a dime?

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[Stiffy 1]

Now... I know I'm bumping a very old thread... but wow!  This really came together in the end then :)

 

Sadly with real life getting in the way I had to sell my RFC uniform... but maybe I'll put another one together one day ;)

[Hauksbee 103]

Now... I know I'm bumping a very old thread... but wow!  This really came together in the end then :)

Wow! This is an old thread! I think it pre-dates me at Combat Ace.

 

Howe're, I too, got the itch for a Officer/Pilot's tunic. (tho' I don't have a medals collection like RAF_Lou's) Rather than go through the painstaking craftsmanship of modifying another jacket that closely resembles the one I wanted, I went on-line and found a company in India that makes replica uniforms for just about nation on earth. I can't remember the company name now, but they were somewhere around Delhi. 'Shouldn't be too hard to track them down. I started with the visored Officer's hat, then got the soft Feldmutze, then the tunic. As I recall, the tunic was about $60.00..and fit great.

Edited October 31, 2014 by Hauksbee

[RAF_Louvert 101]

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Huaksbee, that is very neat Sir.  Love the old uniforms.

 

Stiffy, sorry you had to sell off your project.  Hope you can build another one someday.  Thanks for the kudos on my completed French outfit, it is a beauty even if I do say so myself, (which I do).  I've added a few other tunics to my collection and I will see about posting some new pics here soon.

 

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Edited November 1, 2014 by RAF_Louvert