Monday, December 14, 2009

...From the Disco To The Outer Limits...

I was looking at some of my old Famous Monsters magazines this evening, and saw this ad. Man, when I was 15 I desperately wanted one of these jackets, but there was no way in hell I could have got my hands on the money to buy one. It's interesting, though, that the advertisement nowhere mentions the television show Battlestar Galactica, despite the artwork and the fact that the design is exactly like the jackets on the show. I wonder... was this an unauthorized product, maybe?

I love how the ad copy keeps repeating that the Warrior's Battle Jacket is suitable for wear to the local disco!

Did anyone ever actually buy one of these?

20 comments:

  1. I vote for an unauthorized!

    Half of the reason to buy FAMOUS MONSTERS or any of the Warren mags was to ogle the stuff for sale on the back pages. Alas, I did not buy these Battle Jackets. Like you, I rarely had the cash. My jeans pockets usually held just enough money to buy a copy of MAD Magazine (40 cents) or maybe a DC Comics' 100 Page Super Spectacular (50 cents).

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  2. I remember seeing this in an old Starlog but there was even less of a chance of me getting it. Not only would I have needed the cash but also a means of somehow converting it into dollars and sending it overseas; completely out of the question! So, like a footlocker full of soldiers or my own nuclear submarine it would remain nothing but a distant dream.

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  3. Also wanted one badly. And in the mid-80s saw a guy still wearing his so at least one person bought it and it looked pretty snazzy.

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  4. That is one cool-ass set of parents.

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  5. I recall asking my parents for one of these jackets and their response cooled my jets:

    "The kids at school already poke fun at you for liking all of these science fiction shows, do you really want to open yourself up to more with that jacket?".

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  6. Although I coveted this jacket as a kid, I too never got one.

    From what I was able to find out years later, it seems these jacket were identical to the ones on the show, except that they were more khaki or tan colored than the brown as seen on TV.

    Also, thanks for posting this image - been looking for it for ages!

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  7. I think I still have mine. Too bad I'm not the same size I was at age 9.

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  8. I remember this ad from old Starlog's I think!

    I must admit, I never actually wanted one though...

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  9. This ad is seared into my memory. I saw this ad, clipped and saved it. For months I saved up money to buy the jacket. When I finally had enough I went looking for the ad and could not find it. My frustration only intensified when I went looking for a copy of the ad and could not find it anywhere. Aaarrrggghhh!

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  10. Missed this one. Bought patterns for a Star Trek uniform in NYC, and got my mom to sew it for me. Might even still have it.

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  11. Bullseye. That ad is a coveted touchstone for Gen-X nerds.

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  12. I too wanted one of these BAD. Man, that sure seemed like alot of money back then. I was sure from memory that these things were in the $100 range! The biggest problem with that new BSG series, lack of cool jackets.

    Please, someone post an image of what they actually looked like.

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  13. My parents bought me one back in the day. I had no intention of wearing mine to school (although a kid a grade behind me did) and had my mom order mine in a men's extra large thinking I would grow into it. The jacket was a light olive drab in color until mine met with a box of brown RIT dye. Turned out pretty good and I can still wear it to this day. The company that manufactured these was called Unlimited and based in Henderson KY of all places, only about 40 miles from where I lived in IN. Eventually Unlimited started making the jackets in a brown color, along with Battlejeans!?! and a duffel bag with the warrior patch on the side. Since I already owned one I never asked my parents to pony up that kind of money for a another already in brown. The brown type doesn't show up very much. I've been on ebay since 1997, and have only ran across a couple in all of these years.

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  14. When my dad was stationed in Germany in the mid-80s I saw one of the guys on base wearing one of these. Still kinda wish I'd mugged him for it.

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  15. I still have mine hanging in my closet. I remember begging my parents to buy it for me. I also remember getting laughed at when I wore it to school. But then, I was always getting laughed at in school.

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  16. I remember all the costume guys at the SF cons in the early 80's trading sources for the buckles. Never saw a jacket that was mass-produced.

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  17. Yeah, I begged my mom for one of these myself back in the day. Then I saw one on campus a few years later, wasn't too impressed by the colors used (TOO tan..).

    The show ones were much browner in color, so I waited until the 20th Yarhen Celebration in LA to finally see accurate ones.

    'Course my wife wouldn't let me buy one by that time either..

    Oy.

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  18. Hi. You responded to my Tweet about finding the jacket at a garage sale. I bought it in Hamilton, Ohio, during the US 127 sale last Saturday afternoon. I paid $20 for it. I don't know if that is a good or bad price since I've never seen one for sale before.
    The jacket is in near-mint condition; it doesn't even have the musty smell. It's a boy's size 14. It's made of a very soft corduroy and even has washing instructions on it. I think it is beautifully made and very warm-looking. I can't quite figure out the color. Sometimes it is a medium brown but other times it has an olive cast to it. I think it depends on the lighting.

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  19. i have one. just posted a pic on Google+ which made me think to search for it that got me here. Thought i ordered it from an ad in Starlog but it was a log time ago

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  20. UPDATE..: I've purchased two Unlimited jackets now off eBay. To chime in from the above comments.., the larger (Adult Medium-sized) jacket is actually a cool tan/OD color; in comparison, a smaller kids jacket I bought was darker chocolate brown.

    Wonder just how many color differences were made. If I see a large one, I may just have to grab that as well. I'm using the clasps off the kids one for a classic BSG arctic coat being made for me now. :)

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