Chaqueta de vuelo A-2 Type Flying Tigers de Old Real McCoy’s, de piel de caballo pintada en la espalda, 1993, limitada a 50 unidades, talla 36

A 1993 Flying Tigers A-2 from the formative years of The Real McCoy’s, limited to 50 examples. Top-grade North American horsehide, merino knits and an ambitious sharkmouth and theater-map back painting make it a reproduction that has itself become history.

The Piece

A highly desirable early-period A-2 from The Real McCoy’s, executed as a limited-edition Flying Tigers tribute and distinguished by an ambitious painted-back design. Produced in 1993 and limited to just 50 examples, it belongs to the first mature wave of Japanese military-reproduction culture, when the finest labels pursued archival seriousness with exceptional material conviction. More than a reproduction of history, it now represents the early history of Japanese heritage reproduction itself.

Old Real McCoy’s pieces of the early 1990s matter for three reasons: they were materially overbuilt, they treated source garments with forensic devotion, and they document the first mature phase of the culture. Stitch counts, hide selection, hardware, finish chemistry, knit behavior, label language and proportion were all taken with extraordinary seriousness. The material program here reads accordingly: top-grade North American horsehide, a mixed chrome and vegetable tanning approach, an aniline-based drum-dyed base with an emulsion lacquer or aniline top finish, 100% cotton broadcloth lining and 100% merino wool knits built to 1930s-style values.

The reverse is the principal event. Under large “Flying Tigers” lettering, sharkmouth aircraft, star-and-roundel insignia language and a theater-map composition combine in a narrative-heavy, cartographic and theatrical field. The Flying Tigers remain one of the great myth engines of aviation Americana, evoking China-Burma-India maps, volunteer-warrior romance and pre-Pearl Harbor urgency. Because this is a Real McCoy’s limited piece, the painting is a deliberately staged act of reverence toward the golden age of painted aviation leather, composed with hierarchy, movement and legibility like a tribute poster translated into leather.

The hardware follows the same seriousness: RAU Fasteners snaps, a brass neck hook with chrome finish, brass twin eyelets, cotton zipper tape, a brass slider built to military-style specification and a leather zipper pull. With the leather kept supple under regular oiling and the waistband still holding tension, the jacket lives as a garment rather than a display-only relic, equally at home in a serious collection and a working wardrobe.

Details

• Maker: The Real McCoy’s (old Real McCoy’s)
• Model: Type A-2 “Flying Tigers” back-paint leather flight jacket
• Era: 1993
• Material: Top-grade North American horsehide; mixed chrome and vegetable tanning; aniline-based drum-dyed base; emulsion lacquer or aniline top finish
• Lining: 100% cotton broadcloth
• Knits: 100% merino wool, 1930s-style knit construction
• Hardware: RAU Fasteners snaps; brass neck hook with chrome finish; brass twin eyelets; cotton zipper tape; brass slider to military-style specification; leather zipper pull
• Size: 36
• Measurements: Shoulder 43 cm · Chest 49 cm · Length 56 cm · Sleeve 62 cm
• Edition: Limited to 50 pieces
• Artwork: AVG / Flying Tigers back painting: aircraft with sharkmouth, theater-map imagery, star-and-roundel insignia, large upper lettering
• Classification: Not wartime original; a high-grade heritage reproduction archive piece

Condition

• Overall condition strong for age and use.
• Minor moth repair (moth disturbance) at a sleeve rib.
• Waistband rib retains strong elasticity.
• Zipper runs smoothly with no tape breakage.
• Leather regularly oiled and described as supple.

Recommended In-Hand Checks

For a jacket of this age and type, the following points are worth confirming on examination. A stable, vivid back paint and a hide that keeps its body as well as its softness place an old Real McCoy’s limited piece in an exceptionally strong position.

• Label and serial-era consistency with 1993 old McCoy’s production
• Paint stability: cracking, any flake-prone zones at fold lines, whether the shine or topcoat is original or later treated, and how the image reads in natural light
• No hidden weakness in the zipper tape
• Whether oiling has preserved the horsehide or over-softened its structure; grain break, collar fold integrity and sleeve flex at elbow and cuff
• Finish wear around the pocket edges and zipper box
• Longevity of the repaired rib zone

Authenticity & Care

A 1993 old Real McCoy’s limited edition of 50; label and serial-era consistency with 1993 production is among the recommended in-hand checks below. Every piece is examined and documented in Japan before dispatch and is offered with the Japonista authenticity guarantee.

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. Returns follow our published policy.

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