Air Jordan V retro OG - Nike Air - Fire Red/Silver tongue - May 2, 2020

[stan23]

/Warning--full nerd OCD mode here :

Another minor difference I noticed between the OG/99 and the 2020 pair is how the ankle collar is stitched.

My guess it's done this way now because it's easier. The plastic eyelets for your shoestrings are also noticeably of lower quality.

 

[rainking]

I had the 99s, and also the OG 1990 when I was a kid. I want that 1990 shape as pictured above. The toebox looks aerodynamic! The 99s were close--a better shape than the 2020, and I want to say had durabuck on the ankle collar. You can clearly see a difference in material on the ankle collar. The 99s material had pores on it, vs the crinkled finish on the 2020. The 2020s use the same faux leather on the whole shoe. The NA text on the rear of the shoe is also much better on the 99 pair. The threads almost look embossed into the shoe whereas the NA on the 2020 looks like it's hastily stitched on 'top' of the shoe.

This is my personal DS 99 pair. I've since sold this pair and my (yuck) 2013s in anticipation for this 2020 release. Prior to sale, I took high resolution pics to use for reference. Honestly if I have the time and patience, i'd get another 99 pair in DS and sole swap it with a new 2020 sole.

I won't get into the tongue as it's been discussed a bunch here.

I'm not saying i'm disappointed in the 2020 pair at all. It's close--but could have been perfect.

Even on the '99s, the collar is wrong. It was the beginning of the exaggerated molded bumps/bubbles. Would be interesting to know why they went that way and continue to do so. Sometimes I wonder if that's what they wanted to do in 1990 but couldn't quite get there for whatever reason at the time, and so they "corrected" it on the later releases. Something similar I wonder about is the shape of the midsole flames. The OG flames were more rounded at their points, not sharp like they've been ever since. Again, is that because manufacturing capability caught up to what was originally intended but wasn't achieved on the originals? I have no idea; it could all just be arbitrary change for change sake. I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Nike ever confirmed something along my line of thinking, though. I'm completely speculating, however. Might be giving them too much credit

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

Even on the '99s, the collar is wrong. It was the beginning of the exaggerated molded bumps/bubbles. Would be interesting to know why they went that way and continue to do so. Sometimes I wonder if that's what they wanted to do in 1990 but couldn't quite get there for whatever reason at the time, and so they "corrected" it on the later releases. Something similar I wonder about is the shape of the midsole flames. The OG flames were more rounded at their points, not sharp like they've been ever since. Again, is that because manufacturing capability caught up to what was originally intended but wasn't achieved on the originals? I have no idea; it could all just be arbitrary change for change sake. I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Nike ever confirmed something along my line of thinking, though. I'm completely speculating, however. Might be giving them too much credit

I think you’re giving them too much credit.

 

[stan23]

Even on the '99s, the collar is wrong. It was the beginning of the exaggerated molded bumps/bubbles. Would be interesting to know why they went that way and continue to do so. Sometimes I wonder if that's what they wanted to do in 1990 but couldn't quite get there for whatever reason at the time, and so they "corrected" it on the later releases. Something similar I wonder about is the shape of the midsole flames. The OG flames were more rounded at their points, not sharp like they've been ever since. Again, is that because manufacturing capability caught up to what was originally intended but wasn't achieved on the originals? I have no idea; it could all just be arbitrary change for change sake. I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Nike ever confirmed something along my line of thinking, though. I'm completely speculating, however. Might be giving them too much credit

My guess is ease of manufacturing and tighter tolerances with manufacturing equipment now. I know what you mean about the ankle padding. I think it's just easier to produce them with a molded line, and sharp cut foam, vs having that natural looking foam 'bump'.

I will never give credit to JB or Nike for that matter to go the extra mile and put out quality over $$. It's just not in the nature for a big company like them.

If you ever want to look at the exact opposite of how Nike treats retros, take a look at the New Balance M1300JP. Releases exactly every 5 years staying as true as possible to the OG 1985 shoe--including rounded stitching on the N logo. Manufacturing is good enough to make perfect sharp angle stitches, but NB being true to the OG, went out to re-create that hand crafted look by rounding their stitching on the logo. Sorry to go off on a tangent here..

 

[rainking]

I think you’re giving them too much credit.

Yeah, probably. But someone back in '99 had to consciously decide to make the ankles that way. It would be interesting to know the reasoning, whatever the answer. Maybe whoever made that call just personally thought it looked better, who knows. Hell, maybe it's the opposite of my previous thought: maybe the way they stamp them or whatever they do now is just much quicker and less complicated than how they did the OGs. The OGs almost looked hand formed whereas everything since is clearly punched out by a machine. Not saying the OGs WERE hand formed, but they certainly have a more organic look than all of the retro ankles.

EDIT: Was writing my post as you posted yours, stan23 . On the same page. Not sure about everything being done because it's "easier" or cheaper. Could be. Could also be that the modern equipment they use to make these things nowadays just produce them this way. Either way, while I am always about the OG form and I lament the lack of it in the Jordan retro business, this V retro (tongue aside) is a freaking masterpiece compared to at least half the stuff they put out. You really want to see an epic disaster, put a modern III next to an OG example

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

If you ever want to look at the exact opposite of how Nike treats retros, take a look at the New Balance M1300JP. Releases exactly every 5 years staying as true as possible to the OG 1985 shoe--including rounded stitching on the N logo. Manufacturing is good enough to make perfect sharp angle stitches, but NB being true to the OG, went out to re-create that hand crafted look by rounding their stitching on the logo. Sorry to go off on a tangent here..

I respect New Balance for that. Nike and JB are just cheap and play too many games. They troll way too much, even with colorways. For example, instead of giving us Chicago 1s and then giving is those Spiderman’s. They are a bunch of pr***s. They piss me off so much. Only reason I’m still around is because of MJ. Growing up watching him and the nostalgia. Otherwise, I’d be long gone by now.

 

[spoonmanofthehour]

You really want to see an epic disaster, put a modern III next to an OG example

Precisely. I had the OG Fire Red 3s. Compare that OG to the retros they put out of that colorway and the retros sucked. I passed on both and that’s my favorite 3.

 

[stan23]

I respect New Balance for that. Nike and JB are just cheap and play too many games. They troll way too much, even with colorways. For example, instead of giving us Chicago 1s and then giving is those Spiderman’s. They are a bunch of pr***s. They piss me off so much. Only reason I’m still around is because of MJ. Growing up watching him and the nostalgia. Otherwise, I’d be long gone by now.

Nike is a publicly traded company. Nike exists now to appease it's shareholders and make them money. Mass produce in the cheapest possible way is what drives them. The only credit i'll give JB is the genius in marketing and what they release and tease us with. Like you said, they troll us dangling what we really want and create this 'hype' and mystique with these retro releases. It would cost Nike next to nothing to make a million pairs of Chicago 1s and hell even upcharge them for $250/pair, but if they did that, they would lose that hand in marketing.

I like companies like NB because they are small and remain privately held. Because of that, it gives customers a nice healthy range of price point products from their low end made in Vietnam stuff, to their high end made in USA stuff.

 

[mikkoxb]

So I take out my DS pair from the last retro to compare and the black rubber sole was ashy. No other 5s from 2013 have ashy soles...anybody else's like that?

 

[HomeLe$$ Trillionaire]

Welp ‍♂

 

[engineer]

Even on the '99s, the collar is wrong. It was the beginning of the exaggerated molded bumps/bubbles. Would be interesting to know why they went that way and continue to do so. Sometimes I wonder if that's what they wanted to do in 1990 but couldn't quite get there for whatever reason at the time, and so they "corrected" it on the later releases. Something similar I wonder about is the shape of the midsole flames. The OG flames were more rounded at their points, not sharp like they've been ever since. Again, is that because manufacturing capability caught up to what was originally intended but wasn't achieved on the originals? I have no idea; it could all just be arbitrary change for change sake. I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Nike ever confirmed something along my line of thinking, though. I'm completely speculating, however. Might be giving them too much credit

I think if you look at the first retro of 1s, 3s, 4s, and 5s they definitely try to ‘improve’ upon the original, with varying success.
Look at the 94 set.The 1s were constructed a little better. They got rid of the ankle material that degrades and made the shoe a little wider and more comfortable. They made the EP on the 3s bigger (which imo is a downgrade but I truly believe they wanted it this way since they kept it like that for the next 26 years).
In 99 I think you can argue they improved the 4s (tongue shape most importantly). You mentioned the improvements they did with the 5s.
Again, whether the final result is an actual improvement is up for debate. Some will argue it’s impossible to improve upon an original. I generally agree with this but there were a few details on ogs that needed fixing (tongue on the 4 as an example). A lot of the nostalgia is tied into the fine little details and a lot of the details were influenced by manufacturing limitations at the time.

 

[Van Nostrand]

I could never bring myself to cop a 3-6 with the Jumpman on the back it just looks so wrong to me. Not just what I was used to seeing growing up but it literally looks off to me.

Yep I agree when it comes to OG colorways. Non-OG I don’t particularly care, but NA is always preferable.

But I was specifically talking about the shoe box itself. On previous NA releases in the past 7 years the box has Jumpman Air on it instead of NA. They’ve finally corrected it on this release. Now my other ones just look stupid

 

[sosa labumba]

I got the dreaded footlocker cancellation email

 

[crip]

waiting on champs and dtlr to ship has me looking to pay resell. scared of getting those same cancellation emails.

 

[steebie j]

I got the dreaded footlocker cancellation email

And they just restocked

 

[blazed4dayz619]

Restock on FTL

 

[JumpmanATL7]

Yep I agree when it comes to OG colorways. Non-OG I don’t particularly care, but NA is always preferable.

But I was specifically talking about the shoe box itself. On previous NA releases in the past 7 years the box has Jumpman Air on it instead of NA. They’ve finally corrected it on this release. Now my other ones just look stupid

Oh I know what you meant. I would feel the exact same way if I had them!

Im probably not in the majority now and certainly wasn’t 16 years ago here on NT when I say I want to see NA on all the 3-6 even retro + cw but I respect everyone’s opinion. It’s all about what you like. The return of NA and corona having me bored got me back on NT and here I am obsessing again lol

 

[Van Nostrand]

Oh I know what you meant. I would feel the exact same way if I had them!

Im probably not in the majority now and certainly wasn’t 16 years ago here on NT when I say I want to see NA on all the 3-6 even retro + cw but I respect everyone’s opinion. It’s all about what you like. The return of NA and corona having me bored got me back on NT and here I am obsessing again lol

It's a great time to be involved in it because they've been bringing back the OG colorways in OG form with NA, something I wasn't sure would ever happen again. The BC 4's were my first pair back in 1989 and the Bordeaux 7's were my last pair (I wasn't a fan of the 8's at all and with MJ retiring I lost interest in the shoes). So I missed all of the first retro's with NA back in 99 because I wasn't paying attention and I was a college student with no money anyways.

Yeah Retro+ definitely look better with NA, no doubt about that. It's just not as big of a deal to me as the OG colorways, those are required to have NA now. Can't wait to get the Fire Red 4's with NA next.

 

[Los Sneakerz]

Just uploaded my sons video with him rocking his 5s! Hope y'all enjoy!!!!!!!

 

[marskicks]

I didn’t expect to be this impressed but these are sweet in hand.

 

[DB Cooper]

My pair was rescheduled for Monday supposedly. Now it’s on a truck out for delivery today. This release got me all fkd up!

 

[rwfanatic]

I’m glad that I got two sizes to compare. If I went with my normal sizing then I would have grown to be okay with the extra spacing, but wouldn’t ever really like the shape of the pair I ended up with. The .5 down is as nice and snug yet not uncomfortable as my 2016 metallics.

 

[JumpmanATL7]

It's a great time to be involved in it because they've been bringing back the OG colorways in OG form with NA, something I wasn't sure would ever happen again. The BC 4's were my first pair back in 1989 and the Bordeaux 7's were my last pair (I wasn't a fan of the 8's at all and with MJ retiring I lost interest in the shoes). So I missed all of the first retro's with NA back in 99 because I wasn't paying attention and I was a college student with no money anyways.

Yeah Retro+ definitely look better with NA, no doubt about that. It's just not as big of a deal to me as the OG colorways, those are required to have NA now. Can't wait to get the Fire Red 4's with NA next.

ITA with everything you just said. I bet you’re happy with the bc4 they retroed finally again with NA. I love the 4 myself. My first J was the black tongue 5 and it’s never been retroed even halfway properly. Was hoping they would this year. Was happy about the grapes until I saw that they were laceless. What an abomination. Seeing how well they’ve done the og 4s the fire red 4s should be an insane release.

Yeah I stopped buying Js for a looooong time because of the garbage Gentry pulls. I can’t stand the corny ****er.

 

[you go boy]

I just wanted to say the sizing runs half a size big.... i got wide feet if that makes a difference....im going to the dollar store to get an insole or something to put on the heel to fix the sizing...

 

[Van Nostrand]

ITA with everything you just said. I bet you’re happy with the bc4 they retroed finally again with NA. I love the 4 myself. My first J was the black tongue 5 and it’s never been retroed even halfway properly. Was hoping they would this year. Was happy about the grapes until I saw that they were laceless. What an abomination. Seeing how well they’ve done the og 4s the fire red 4s should be an insane release.

Yeah I stopped buying Js for a looooong time because of the garbage Gentry pulls. I can’t stand the corny ****er.

Yeah man I bought 3 pairs of those BC4’s lol. I rarely double up and never triple up, but these recent releases have got me doing that.

Black Tongue 5’s are my favorite 5’s. I had them when I was a kid too and the 23 on the side was just something special. Once I get Fire Red 4’s and those I’ll be pretty much done. But as everyone here knows it’s hard to fully retire from this hobby.