gavin militaria? any hbt customers comments?

[fieldgrey]

greetings
i liked underwoods hbt m42s but the cloth wasnt linen enough,
so im thinking gavin militaria.
gavin seems to use s&m militaria style linen hbt with that very good reed green colour.
but i want to get to know if the gavin hbt tunics are any good.
does anyone know? and can they show pics of theirs here?
hows the fit?
from my experience s&m had great cloth, ok m43 keilhose but not v well made m43 hbt tunics.
thanks in advance;^)

[fieldgrey]

i now have pics.
the only inaccuracy i note is its not higher at the back but cut the same length back as front.
hbt tunic fans know these beautiful lightweight tunics were specially cut.
i hope the gents at gavin... can correct this pattern 'mistake' as the rest AND cloth seems spot on.

[Mooyman]

Gavin uses full linen hbt.

I find them pretty good for it's price.

[fieldgrey]

thanks for that, mooyman.
what did you get? good fit? any issues ?

[Mooyman]

immer good fit......tailord afcourse

the pattern itself is also good enough for our hobby...

i think for it's price a very good choice....

the man in uniform (can) be the only issue,not the uniform itself

many re-enactors/collectors claim that the hbt uniforms were a mix from
cotton-linen,but they were full linen.
70 years ago linen was much cheaper than cotton,nowe it's the other way around.

[Otto Kohl]

I bought one of his HBT M42 uniforms some time ago. In my opinion its very crappy , material is VERY thin and it eaisyly rips . Additionally, it is very shiny and nothing can be done about it . I do not recommend this product.

[Mooyman]

I bought one of his HBT M42 uniforms some time ago. In my opinion its very crappy , material is VERY thin and it eaisyly rips . Additionally, it is very shiny and nothing can be done about it . I do not recommend this product.

When did you bought it exactly?

[Stigroadie]

material is VERY thin and it eaisyly rips

Sounds like 90% of the surviving ones?

[m1steelpot]

I bought one of his HBT M42 uniforms some time ago. In my opinion its very crappy , material is VERY thin and it eaisyly rips . Additionally, it is very shiny and nothing can be done about it . I do not recommend this product.

Originals are very thin and rip easily. When issued, German HBTs had a distinct sheen to them that is still often seen on original pieces.

[Otto Kohl]

I bought one of his HBT M42 uniforms some time ago. In my opinion its very crappy , material is VERY thin and it eaisyly rips . Additionally, it is very shiny and nothing can be done about it . I do not recommend this product.

When did you bought it exactly?

It was around 2 months ago . It is REALLY CRAPPY belive me , you should better look for any Ant-Z stocks od Panther Store.

[fieldgrey]

I bought one of his HBT M42 uniforms some time ago. In my opinion its very crappy , material is VERY thin and it eaisyly rips . Additionally, it is very shiny and nothing can be done about it . I do not recommend this product.

When did you bought it exactly?

It was around 2 months ago . It is REALLY CRAPPY belive me , you should better look for any Ant-Z stocks od Panther Store.

please put it up some pics on the forum!
sheen is normal as said. yes the material is thinner than ww2 linen, but colour and texture is perfect imo. same as s&m use for drillich sets, etc...underwood had ss panzer sets last year same linen, beautiful cloth for the impression...of course, all in the tailoring and cotton thread used.

[Otto Kohl]

Unfortunetly i dont have any. It was so ugly that i sold it next day . I really dont recomend it , better order Panther Store or Ant-Z .

[m1steelpot]

I handled Gavin HBTs sold by Kelley's Militaria at 'Gap in Jan. 2012.

I found the material and even the tailoring to be on-par with originals I have handled. The "rise" in the back of the trousers was present, and the buttonholes were of the correct style. Perhaps they have gone down in quality since then? This is the biggest problem with east asian manufacturers, the QC isn't really there. One run may be completely different than the others. I'm sure some remember the "SS" lining pattern in the earliest of Chen/ANT-Z's wool Feldblusen. I emailed Chen with some photos of the linings in my original M42 and M43 Feldbluse, and then he changed them. Chens wares often came without the buttonholes for the cuffs and aid packet pouch cut, which I found to be strange.

These photos, though not the best, illustrate exactly what I handled at FIG 2012.
http://www.kelsmilitary.com/WHHBTUniforms/GUI-006.html
http://www.kelsmilitary.com/WHHBTUniforms/GUI-007.html

I found Gavin's M37 steingrau Hosen to be quite good. Little details such as the adjustment buckle pictured below picked my interest.
http://www.gavinmilitaria.com/images/M3 ... 20a_02.jpg

[fieldgrey]

thanks v much 2steelpot.
food for thought.
pics of your actual tunic perhaps...?

[Sheikh Al Stranghi]

Gavin is a fucking idiot, his service is shit and he screws people over. You're lucky if you haven't had problems.

His kit is good though. His HBT is made with a cotton/linen mixture and the sheen disappears after a few washings. If you can get his stuff without dealing with him, I'd definitely recommend it. Either that, or buy through ebay and as soon as you even smell a problem, use paypal to claim your money back. He'll play games with you until the deadline passes.