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At the Front

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Supplying World War Two reenactors, historians, collectors, films and enthusiasts since 1992.
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Established in 1992, we offer an extensive line of top quality reproduction and original WWII militaria. Each item we sell is thoroughly researched, utilizing our large collection of original militaria, to ensure that At the Front reproductions are the best on the market. Sign up to the ATF email list here: shorturl.at/oRU38
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10/27/2026

That's a new record. Within a little over 24 hours of my rejecting the splinter test print with added splinters, they sent me corrected artwork to approve and it's good to go.
Maybe there's hope yet.

10/26/2026

At least with splinter, we have a wide range of options when it comes to available roller sizes. Originals range from 42 to 62cm in circumference. I cropped photos of 2 different shelter halves together to illustrate this- note how the pattern repeats just shy of 5 times on the right compared to 3.5 times on the left. The pattern remains the same, nothing added or subtracted. It's just re-sized to fit the rollers. This principle holds on most WW2 German patterns- the only original one I have seen where they actually removed some artwork was 44 dot in 42cm. I suspect they will work this out eventually.

10/26/2026

The first full size test of splinter is a fail- for some reason they added fake artwork. I suspect it's because the 48cm rollers had problems so they went to a larger size and added to the pattern rather than just enlarging it proportionally (which is what the German did). I'll have samples in a week or so and I'll see if they at least got the colors right. This is a cell phone pic and they appear to be in the ballpark but it's hard to be sure. Take two is already underway. The fun continues...

10/22/2026

Last night I got a short video of the test print of Lateral coming out of the conveyor dryer after water repellent treatment. They tested a few meters to see whether the heat skewed any of the colors which can happen. In this case, it did not so they're supposedly good to proceed.

Yes, hand screened, reactive dye, colors won't run because this is fully finished.

This fabric is 15cm wider than original so they repeated some artwork on the left side. The main run will be printed on WWII width poplin and the design will not repeat horizontally.

When? Someday. Maybe. (We're 14 months in and counting as of now.)

10/19/2026

On Saturday I informed the wife that there was a WWII event 40 minutes away and we should go harass the guys and do some history stuff. I knew her groans and overly dramatic eye rolls were simply feints meant to contain her excitement.

Wonders never cease. Little Ms. Idontwanna had a blast- via a ride in the Huey brought by the Columbus Indian Huey flying museum. She learned that choppers bank more steeply than expected and that flying in one with open doors does things to long hair that little else outside of a typhoon can. Now she understands why we were advised to duct tape our boot laces down when we jumped out of them. The spawn also decided I should buy a tank of some kind- preferably with a .50 cal..

I met some new guys to talk khaki with, found a few helmet liners and a nice OD3 second pattern shelter half.

10/14/2026

WWII US Army HBT's....used a variety of buttons. Originals can be found with several sizes and colors of plastic types. As for tack buttons, they used the wreath and plain cap models as well as the 13 stars that many enthusiasts believe to be the only option. The latter could be plated a gun metal color or painted flat black, gloss black or olive drab. And I'll bet I didn't get them all.
As for "what's most typical" I'll vote 13 stars on jackets and plastic on trousers- but with who knows how many millions made there's no way to really be sure.

10/07/2026

There's bolt bounce and then there's spent casing bounce...

09/24/2026

I've ended up with a sizable pile of WWII US shelter halves (1st type). Going through them has resulted in some nerding over the many variations in pattern, size, fabrics, shades, markings and makers. Here are 15 manufacturer stamps- and this isn't all of them.

06/10/2026

The US Boots have been here for a couple of weeks, but it's going to take us months to claw our way through them and get them on the shelf. These were suppose to arrive ready to stock and go. Instead, the meatheads labeled all the boxes "service shoes" making every case a literal box of chocolates- any one of 5 styles could be inside. Or a mix. The sizes on the label are likewise often incorrect.

So all boots need to be re-labeled. Then we've found enough with cosmetic issues (can't have a scuff on a jump boot) or missing laces that we need to fully re-inspect them all. After the past week, I know that completing this job will require 400-500 hours of work. Not joking. Yeah, it's a s**t show. We cannot just shut the place down and only do on these.

On the upside they look & wear great. The roughouts I grabbed probably have 30 miles on them now and they're peachy.

No, these are NOT Corcorans- they look just like them, but they're imported. (Corcoran stopped making "special make ups" after 2020.) That was one of the most common questions at Reading.

Thus, they will be stocked in dribs and drabs as we get them checked and labeled.

ZERO estimate is possible on when this or that size or style will be stocked. If this is an outrage....just try having 14 pallets of them to go through.

05/13/2026

Despite the previous 44 dot color test being a good match for the original swatch sent and approved, I prefer the darker shades...

So I had them do another color shot on HBT using the colors found on original rayon parka fabric I have a few yards of. That test came in and is dead on to my original fat HBT dot pants.

This is likely the optimal color palette as it's a good match for several HBT, sateen and rayon originals. We may print some of both shades and mix them. Maybe.

When? Fall at best, end of this year or early next more likely.

(The colors look very different in the two photos- one was taken outside in the shade and the other in fluorescent light with an iphone.)

Address

430 Rose Lane
Columbia, KY
42728

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.atthefront.com/

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