Toys McCoy Type A-2 'Tail Wind' TMJ1319, Rough Wear 23380 Reproduction, Horsehide, Cowgirl Back Art, Size 42, Unworn

An unworn Toys McCoy Type A-2, style TMJ1319, on the Rough Wear 23380 pattern, its back painted with a lasso-twirling cowgirl between two fighters under the words 'Tail Wind'.

The Type A-2, 1931 to 1943

The Type A-2 entered service test in September 1930 and became standard issue for the Army Air Corps on 9 May 1931, cut to specification 94-3040 in seal brown horsehide and to Drawing 30-1415, the number woven into every wartime label. Its vocabulary is now so familiar that it is easy to forget it was ever designed: knitted cuffs and waistband, two snap-flap patch pockets, shoulder straps, a shirt-style collar with a small hook, and a zip front made for gloved hands.

In 1942 General H. H. 'Hap' Arnold cancelled further A-2 contracts in favour of cloth flying jackets, and on 27 April 1943 the A-2 was declared limited standard. By then it had become far more than issue clothing. Squadron artists in England, Italy and the Pacific painted bombers, pin-ups and mission tallies across the backs, and the jacket became a personal record of a man's war.

Rough Wear Clothing Co. and the Japanese reproduction

Rough Wear Clothing Company of Middletown, Pennsylvania, was among the most prolific A-2 contractors of the war, and its labels, including contracts W535-ac-23380 and W535-ac-27752, are the ones collectors meet most often. That is why Japanese makers chose the name for their most faithful reproductions.

Toys McCoy was founded by the illustrator and painter Hiroshi Okamoto, who had worked with The Real McCoy's in its early years. Its A-2s are cut in vegetable-chrome combination tanned horsehide with a pigment finish and closed with reproduction wartime Talon zips, and its custom pieces carry Okamoto's own artwork rather than licensed transfers. They are reproductions, made in Japan, and are collected in their own right.

The Piece

This is a Toys McCoy reproduction, still carrying its swing tags and maintenance booklet, with an original Japanese retail of ¥273,000 printed on the tag. The woven label reproduces a Rough Wear Clothing Co. A-2, Drawing 30-1415, contract W535-ac-23380, Middletown, Pennsylvania, with 'Property Air Force U.S. Army' and size 42.

The back art is a high-spirited Western pin-up: a cowgirl in a white blouse, red skirt and boots, lariat circling overhead with two fighter aircraft caught in the loop, above the name 'Tail Wind'. On the front a leather nameplate sits above a leather-crafted squadron disc, and a round insignia is set on the left shoulder. It is a style of decoration born on American airfields, where nicknames and painted girls turned issue jackets into personal possessions.

The shell is dark seal-brown horsehide with brown knits at the cuffs and waistband, a copper-orange lining printed with the Army Air Forces emblem, and a reproduction Talon zip. The leather is firm and unbroken, as it should be on a jacket never worn, and will mould to its owner over the first winters.

Size 42 is the larger end of the Toys McCoy range and the style is no longer in production, which makes an unworn example in this size a quietly scarce thing.

Details

• Maker: Toys McCoy Product Co., Ltd., Japan
• Model / ref: TMJ1319, Type A-2 'Tail Wind'
• Label: Rough Wear Clothing Co. · Drawing 30-1415 · Contract W535-ac-23380
• Material: Horsehide; cotton lining; Talon-type zip
• Colour: Seal brown (colour code 051)
• Made in: Japan
• Tagged size: 42
• Measurements: Shoulder 47 cm · Chest (pit to pit) 56 cm · Sleeve 67 cm · Length 64 cm
• Included: Toys McCoy swing tags and maintenance booklet

Condition

• Unworn, with original tags attached
• Small ink mark on the inner care label
• Leather, art, knits and zip as new
• Minor storage creasing only

Condition grade S on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.

Authenticity & Care

The labels, materials, stitching, hardware and construction are examined together and documented in Japan before dispatch; anything that cannot be confirmed is stated plainly in the description. Every piece carries the Japonista authenticity guarantee. Hang on a broad shoulder hanger, keep from heat and direct sun, and condition the plain horsehide sparingly with a neutral cream, avoiding the painted back.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything before you buy, and see our published policy.

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