Top Gun "Goose" Costuming Guide.

fifthchamber said:

Those are damned amazing... by the way.. <applauds>


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Seconded.

Sorry for posting twice in a row here, but what’s the consensus on the 60’s G-1s? Is there a certain manufacturer or details to look out for?

"The alternative is that I go down the summer whites route from the bar scene. Maybe easier and cheaper to do, but doesn't seem easy to source Navy whites in the UK! Anyone know of a source of US Navy surplus kit?? that includes wings, rank epaulettes, medal ribbon, etc? And what's worn on their feet in that form of dress? "

The shoes are white Oxford's...I have a pair of Bates, and I assume those are "standard issue" in the USN...Nice shoes...As for where? I bought mine on evilbay...Just got the white shirt and pants as a set, and the epaulettes as well...The ribbons I ordered from an online ribbon store (there's loads) that'll make the whole thing for you and send out...Wings too, of course....

http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-fully-customizable-us-navy-white-summer-uniform-5222.aspx

If you were really in a rush, I have a white (mandarin collar) uniform that I can't fit into now, I'm a 46 inch chest, it's about a 44...So if you wanted to try the graduation uniform instead, then I could probably sell the set to you...No hat with it though, I still need that bit...Let me know though..

James Blonde said:

Nothing like leaving it to the last minute, but my previous costume idea fell through (I mean seriously, who knows who Mrs Slocombe is in the cosplay world? :lol) I'm trying to put together a Top Gun costume, most likely either Goose or Viper. I'm trying to do it without breaking the bank, but I want to be as accurate as I can be, reasonably quickly - for MCM at the end of this month. I'm in the UK, so sourcing authentic US military items locally isn't likely to be easy I suspect, and sourcing from the US may take too long (and cost more than it needs to in postage). Ultimately, I'm likely to build up a "better" costume, or costumes, over time

3d printing a helmet was suggested to me as a potential option - are there any HGU 33 style models that anyone is aware of to print from? Or would I just be wasting my money and be as well to buy a surplus flight helmet of any kind, with visors (even a uk military helmet without the visor cover), and build / paint off of that with random cheap surplus mask parts, etc? Ultimately a real HGU 33 would be the ultimate goal, but I'm looking at a shortish term option. I could theoretically go without a helmet, as per the classroom scenes, but that seems like it would be too little, and probably not obvious enough?

I have an ex RAF flight suit, which I could use as a stop gap, though some of the chest zips are clearly in the wrong place to add chest patches. If I were to look at a US style flight suit, is a modern CWU-27/P representative of the same mark flight suit that would have been worn in the 80's , or have they updated it, and it's no longer representative? (in which case I might as well use what I've got until I find a more exact match).

Patches have obviously been discussed a lot, I don't suppose anyone has any Goose (or Viper) patches they are selling / getting rid of? I'm guessing the triangular "Tactical Wings Atlantic" patch is a bit like rocking horse poo? The rest seem fairly easy to get hold of.... but does anyone know if that Japanese guy who was mentioned a few pages back still doing patches, etc?

Does anyone know what kind of top Goose is wearing underneath his flight suit? Looks like a white T-shirt, but with red sleeves / body?

At this stage I'm not so worried about accurate masks, hoses, harnesses, life preservers, buckles, etc, but is there anything that you'd say a Goose or Viper costume needs that without it it wouldn't be worth doing?

The alternative is that I go down the summer whites route from the bar scene. Maybe easier and cheaper to do, but doesn't seem easy to source Navy whites in the UK! Anyone know of a source of US Navy surplus kit?? that includes wings, rank epaulettes, medal ribbon, etc? And what's worn on their feet in that form of dress?

and on that pattern of uniform, does anyone know what Goose's medal ribbons are?

I don't recall them wearing hats (I'll have another watch tonight) but if it was you, would you go down a "summer whites" route without one?

I don't want to go down a non-uniform route (no G-1 jacket for example) but any other uniform options that would be worth considering? I don't think so, but....

I'm probably biting off more than I can chew here given the timescales, but I've got a few days to get my act together, source parts and put a costing together before I commit. So any help gratefully received!

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Here’s the spread for Goose if you use the site I linked above to sort the medals out..




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James Blonde said:

The alternative is that I go down the summer whites route from the bar scene. Maybe easier and cheaper to do, but doesn't seem easy to source Navy whites in the UK! Anyone know of a source of US Navy surplus kit?? that includes wings, rank epaulettes, medal ribbon, etc? And what's worn on their feet in that form of dress?

and on that pattern of uniform, does anyone know what Goose's medal ribbons are?

I don't recall them wearing hats (I'll have another watch tonight) but if it was you, would you go down a "summer whites" route without one?

I don't want to go down a non-uniform route (no G-1 jacket for example) but any other uniform options that would be worth considering? I don't think so, but....

I'm probably biting off more than I can chew here given the timescales, but I've got a few days to get my act together, source parts and put a costing together before I commit. So any help gratefully received!

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Another option is to go with the dress/work khakis which are set up similarly to the summer whites with the possible exception of brown shoes instead of black. Granted that we never see Goose in anything but whites and the flightsuit it wouldn't be inaccurate since that would have been a required part of his seabag. You may be able to find a set of khakis easier than whites, there seems to be plenty on eBay.

Actually Goose is in khakis in several scenes; in the intro class; after the fly-by etc.

chameloon said:

You could go for a hgu-2 helmet, and work the visor housing, add leather edgeroll to the shell...from a distance, it will be ok...
Here are 2 helmets I did recently...(but not taking any more orders...too expensive and time consuming)
View attachment 848079

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Wow, those are stunning!!! I need some advice on how to put my helmet together.... any tips???

I've managed to source an SPH-4 helicopter helmet - was the best I could find available in the UK for a reasonable price (£150...) There was nothing else that even looked like an HGU-33. I may soon regret my choice, but my logic was that the visor / visor housing would probably be the hardest thing to replicate, so might as well go for a helmet that had one! The headphone bulges are slightly bashed, the visor is scratched down the middle, the headphones have no padding (and keep falling out) and there are few shallow gouges on the helmet, but otherwise it's in good condition.

My plan was to remove all of the attachments, visor housing, mic boom, etc, use the back of the visor housing to practice on, fill the gouges and bashes headphone bulges with modelling filler, then sand down to fine wet and dry paper all over, prime (with white primer), airbrush on as many coats of red (and metallic red to give it some depth) as needed, and then airbrush on as many coats of gloss as required. I've got some "Goose" helmet stickers coming, which I'm hoping will be representative enough for MCM at the end of the month. I may try to use tape at some point in the future if that would be better? I'm assuming I should be looking for reflective white / dark blue tape if I do try to tape it? and if you do use tape... how?!! That looks so damn professional!!! I'm then assuming I should gloss over the lot again to seal it?

I will then try to detail and accessorise the helmet better - I've got a cheapish Chinese mask and hose coming, which I know isn't accurate but will be least be representative, and I can try to detail as needed. I may try to add some better padding around the neck, try to fix the earphones in and add padding to make it more comfortable, add silver screws (or at least paint the ones that are there), try to make some kind of mask clip housing, paint the visor spacer white, anything else I could consider...?

Or is this just madness? :facepalm We'll know by the end of the weekend whether this was a bad bad idea or not, but I've never done anything like this before (or even used an airbrush...) so any advice will be gratefully received!

I've sourced a CWU-27/P flight suit and it fits(!) and I've ordered patches. Ironically, it was an accurate "Goose" name patch that was the hardest to source - pretty much all of them looked black rather than blue and have stars above the wings, but Goose isn't a pilot, so doesn't (and it shouldn't be a star anyway). That, the US flag and the USS Ranger patch are coming from the States (in time I hope) The Tomcat patch was also a pain. I'd swear they were all over the airshows in the late 80's / early 90's, but the ones I could find weren't great quality and most only had 8 stars. I'm hoping the one I've got coming from Canada is right....! (and arrives on time!) Tactical Wings Atlantic, US Navy and VF-1 patches all arrived today.

I've got a watch, shades, dogtags and a white polo top to finish it all off. I probably should get a gold cross too, but... hmm... Anything else you think would be a must have?

I'm not planning to go with any life preservers, parachute or seat harnesses, etc at this point. Would be nice, but don't want to get the wrong thing, and these aren't easy to find in the UK.

I think I might actually try to source whites / khakis in slower time, as I think that would make an excellent alternative to flying Goose. I noticed they do seem to have Chip Bags / Barrack caps folded into their khaki's belts, but at no point wear them... Oh - on the unit citation ribbon, does Goose have any pips??? On some freeze frames I think I see 3, on others I'm not so sure...? Not so sure about graduation whites, as Goose never graduated, but I could put a Viper outfit together instead (or someone else with fair/blonde/greyish hair! :cool )

Thanks for the posts so far - this is an awesome resource!!!

"I think I might actually try to source whites / khakis in slower time, as I think that would make an excellent alternative to flying Goose. I noticed they do seem to have Chip Bags / Barrack caps folded into their khaki's belts, but at no point wear them... Oh - on the unit citation ribbon, does Goose have any pips??? On some freeze frames I think I see 3, on others I'm not so sure...? Not so sure about graduation whites, as Goose never graduated, but I could put a Viper outfit together instead (or someone else with fair/blonde/greyish hair! :cool )"

Yeah, they have the caps folded flat through their belts at their waist, but I wouldn't say that's essential really...I used a peak cap for the khaki and whites, and it's fine for me (I prefer the look on me anyway)...As for the medals, I'm also pretty sure I saw a couple of repeat medal pips on it in a few scenes, but in others there wasn't anything there, so I would go with none...If it's a citation, and he was given it three or four times, that's a bit of overload, so it's more likely they had meant none...Perhaps in a few scenes, they messed up? I'll recheck tonight again if I remember!

Oh! On the subject....Have you all seen the new photos of Maverick in Top Gun 2? Looks like a CWU-45P in green with four patches on it? American flag on the left arm, name patch/wings on the left chest in black leather and the VF-1 patch on the right chest, with the Top Gun combat instructor path on the right arm? I've only seen a few shots so far, and all far away, but this might be the "new jacket" for the film? Hope they're keeping the leather one, but maybe not....Patches and the numbers of them have been limited by the USN recently, so just four is more in line with that, and it might be what he uses on base instead of the leathers? What do you all think?

OK, I now seem to have a problem. The eBay seller who was selling helmet stickers hasn't sent them, and I'm suspecting even if he does send them (my guess is he wont), they won't come in time.

So I guess that means tape or sticky vinyl cut to shape. I'm sure I could just use electrical tape for the lines, but how are people making flat cut or printed decals fit a spherical helmet?? and does anyone have any templates they'd be willing to share???

Guys, I just found out something random. What I’m saying is, is that I’ve discovered a high resolution image of Maverick’s cowboy boots. While this image has been around on the internet for a few years, it turns out that they are the same exact boots Tom Cruise wore in Days of Thunder:

And here are the Days of Thunder boots:

I say they’re a perfect match.

The Searcher said:

Guys, I just found out something random. What I’m saying is, is that I’ve discovered a high resolution image of Maverick’s cowboy boots. While this image has been around on the internet for a few years, it turns out that they are the same exact boots Tom Cruise wore in Days of Thunder:
View attachment 850922View attachment 850923
And here are the Days of Thunder boots:
View attachment 850924
I say they’re a perfect match.

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I think they’ve been known about for a while? They’re sold now, and always have been, on the website here in japan..expensive though..


https://www.maxcady.com/selections/topgunboots.htm


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fifthchamber said:

I think they’ve been known about for a while? They’re sold now, and always have been, on the website here in japan..expensive though..


https://www.maxcady.com/selections/topgunboots.htm


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Oh, there’s a good pic of the back of them when they’re playing volleyball.. easy to see in the 1080p copy


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fifthchamber said:

I think they’ve been known about for a while? They’re sold now, and always have been, on the website here in japan..expensive though..


https://www.maxcady.com/selections/topgunboots.htm


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Whoops, wasn’t aware this discovery had been made. I’m not sure the Max Cady replicas are quite acccurate, though. The brown should really be the green, and I don’t see any of the curves present at the top of the boots to be anywhere on the replicas. If you look closely, the curves are visible in the screenshots too. Anyways, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled costume discussion.

The Searcher said:

Whoops, wasn’t aware this discovery had been made. I’m not sure the Max Casey replicas are quite acccurate, though. The brown should really be the green, and I don’t see any of the curves present at the top of the boots to be anywhere on the replicas. If you look closely, the curves are visible in the screenshots too. Anyways, let’s get back to our regularly scheduled costume discussion.

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Yeah, I suspect the company that makes them has changed a little over the time, but the name written on the back of the heel and front is clear in the film, so for sure it’s the same brand there.. ridiculously expensive though.. 3000 dollars for boots? Nah, thanks... lol


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fifthchamber said:

Yeah, I suspect the company that makes them has changed a little over the time, but the name written on the back of the heel and front is clear in the film, so for sure it’s the same brand there.. ridiculously expensive though.. 3000 dollars for boots? Nah, thanks... lol


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The company is still around? What’s it called? Google search is not seeming to help right now.

As far as g-1 jackets go. Pay attention to 2 key details. The color of the fur collar, should be a warm tone brown almost a burnt sienna, and the pockets on the front of the jacket should be scalloped not straight across. Ive read that some think the screen-used jacket was made by Avirex, now Cockpit USA and was intact a replica of a 50's-60's style G-1. I'm not convinced of this. I have yet to find any Avirex jacket that has all the details correct. The collar is either too wide, the pockets are shaped wrong or some other detail. If i had to guess id say its likely a really vintage jacket but i haven't been able to nail down a manufacturer. While I'm on the topic, does anyone know what company made charlie's jacket?

Goose lives! I just noticed at the end carrier scene; Maverick pulls up and Goose's name is on the cockpit and you can clearly see him in the RIO seat.

Banzai88 said:

Goose lives! I just noticed at the end carrier scene; Maverick pulls up and Goose's name is on the cockpit and you can clearly see him in the RIO seat.

View attachment 981148

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How do we know the shot wasn’t repurposed?

I'm sure it was from an earlier scene but was not used.

Banzai88 said:

I'm sure it was from an earlier scene but was not used.

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By not used, you mean in the earlier section of the film, correct?