2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
|
Post by 2nd Bat on Sept 23, 2015 22:38:05 GMT -5
I visit a cluster of local thrift shops and flea markets constantly in search of cheap items that can supplement my costume shop of psuedo WW2 impressions. Over the years I have found many satisfactory substitutes for US and German items as well as a surprising number of actual period correct items Especially US uniforms and field gear. I have also bought a bunch of preproduction items and east German or Swiss gear that suits my standards and compromises. In some cases the profitable sale of actual times has helped to fund my pickers obsession.
Lessons learned is don't give up and make your rounds consistent. Search the women's jacket section by quickly passing through. Actual items are often placed there incorrectly. By just letting a shade or shape catch your eye you can peruse a fairly large store in five minutes or less. When you see something that will work buy it! Don't plan on it being there when you return.
Anything that you don't need but you know you can sell with a strong markup bug but follow through on the promise you make yourself to sell it. I have found actual footwear, helmets field jackets wool shirts tunics and field pants. Today I found a practically new reproduction M41 and a pair of double buckle boots which I think are actual. Last week I found a nice Swedish great coat. Most visits I find nothing but that's okay. Canteens, e tools, web gear even a WW2 tanker helmet have all been past treasures.
|
|
Dracul
Master sergeant
Posts: 1,341
|
Post by Dracul on Sept 24, 2015 6:54:39 GMT -5
Pro tip. When searching through men's sports jackets/blazers and work shirts, look out for shoulder boards/epaulettes. They really stick out in a sea of other shirts and jackets and a good indicator to take a closer look at it.
|
|
2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
|
Post by 2nd Bat on Sept 24, 2015 12:17:35 GMT -5
I found the M41 field jacket and an actual Mackinaw coat in the woman's section. I have found at least three actual m43s and a Norwegian M43 in with men's jackets along with an actual tankers jacket and an actual M41. Easily a dozen GI wool shirts in assorted sizes as well as canteens and mess kits with WW2 and earlier dates. Sadly the actual uniform finds dropped off considerably about five years ago but preproduction stuff (hence larger sizes) have picked up in the last few years.
|
|
2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
|
Post by 2nd Bat on Sept 28, 2015 13:17:02 GMT -5
The sale of actual items on ebay and elsewhere when they are surplus to my needs have more than funded the things that I have kept. The sad thing about grandpas old stuff is he typically hung onto his dress uniform jacket and wore out or through out his field uniforms. If he did hang onto those items (like his combat boots a tattered field jacket) his kids through them out and took the dress uniform jacket down to Goodwill not realizing there was greater demand for the worn out field stuff. I spoke with a woman whos dad was in the 82nd and made several combat jumps. She showed me his Ike jacket with all his decorations. (she had them incased nicely in a show box). She tore my heart out when she said he had this cotton jacket and trousers that had some small tears and leather patches around the pockets and splotched on paint which she threw out with his old boots. She couldnt figure out why he kept them or why anyone might want them! Yikes,
|
|
Dracul
Master sergeant
Posts: 1,341
|
Post by Dracul on Nov 4, 2015 23:12:13 GMT -5
Pics and info from 2ndBat.
This is the result of years of thrift shop dives. All of these jackets were found on the racks and were less than $8.00. In some cases I had to remove the wrist cuffs and use them to make epaulets or in the case of the Parsons jackets which didn't have epaulets, flaps for the slash pockets. None of these were reproduction M41s and none have the proper lining. Inspite of this they look pretty good. Incidently in this treasure hunt process I also found numerous reproduction M41s and even a couple actual M41s and actual M43s! I also found a real tanker jacket and tanker bib overalls and a tanker helmet! The shade variations are actually inline with real shade variations on M41s. They look pretty darn good in my opinion! Here are a couple of my home made M42 Airborne jackets. They started out as safari jackets that I added appropriate looking pockets to. I made up eight of these at a time when an M42 reproduction suit was $250.00! Here are examples of a pseudo third pattern Mackinaw jacket and a couple of passable tanker jackets. To hide a logo on the chest of the jacket on the right I sewed on a tanker patch which were often attached to the chest. My US costumes I have to admit are much more acceptable than my German although I think smocks and web gear covering my hokey tunics will remedy that and render them equally acceptable. The forum members seem to obsess with winning over the BF crowd and the simple fact is I have had luck doing it even with the compromises. The costumes cant be embarrassingly bad and keeping the tactics and gameplay emmersive in a way that most blank fire tacticals (or airsoft games) aren,t is more key than the impressions. the stitch nazis aren't interested in airsoft under any circumstances and as I undestand it they are killing blankfire events anyway. truthfully in my book they just aren't fun to be around. There are exceptions to this of course and they are the ones that might come to an airsoft event anyway. stitch Nazis like to snipe from afar and as often as not are internet trolls. Their events usually consist of five or fewer participants doing a lot of pose pictures. I am not for a second suggesting there is anything wrong with that it just doesn't appeal to me.
|
|
|
Post by volkssturm on Nov 5, 2015 13:34:44 GMT -5
That's impressive work making the paratrooper jackets.
|
|
2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
|
Post by 2nd Bat on Nov 5, 2015 13:58:32 GMT -5
I had the pockets for the M42s sewn professionally and attached. I added the snaps.. The cost of these alterations were such that you can pick up quality reproductions used for less than my average cost on these but way back when I had them made an M42 set was really really costly. To fill the ranks of my jumpers at the Jump to Destiny events I needed at least eight of them. In addition 14 of the leg Infantry wore my costumes. A lot filled in gaps with their kit with my gear. That's 20 plus guys who wouldn't have come to these events and that made a big difference for the ambiance.
|
|