Nike Air Jordan Retro Metallic V - 7/23/16

[rwfanatic]

I keep coming back to the thread because I keep trying to force myself to like them. I keep thinking maybe it’s something I’m missing

Why are you trying to force yourself to like them?

 

[mgreen2384]

Why are you trying to force yourself to like them?

Because people seem to love this shoe and I’m trying to figure out if there’s something wrong with my taste lol

There’s something about the shape/design that I’m not feeling.

I view the 5 as a not fully realized 6. The 5 seems more like a prototype

 

[3god]

The 5 is a stand-alone model. It stands out on its own with no comparison in overall shape and design, structure, lines... Yes, there are elements/features that are the same as those before and after - Mesh/clear sole/etc., but it stands out as an individual for sure. It’s actually sandwiched between designs which were very similar as a whole (3/4 and 6/7). To say it’s a “not fully realized” 6 is hilarious.

 

[seandon23]

Because people seem to love this shoe and I’m trying to figure out if there’s something wrong with my taste lol

There’s something about the shape/design that I’m not feeling.

I view the 5 as a not fully realized 6. The 5 seems more like a prototype

You don’t have to like something just because a majority of others do b just like what you like. Trying to find reasons to like even shoes if you ain’t feeling em is kinda weird famb

 

[crumps brother]

The fact you felt compelled enough to write this out one a metallic 5 thread is beyond me.

yea, and you don't need to put a finger on them...just leave them be!

I keep coming back to the thread because I keep trying to force myself to like them. I keep thinking maybe it’s something I’m missing

if you don't like them, you don't like them

and it's you, you must have poor taste

 

[WesleyPipes]

The metallic V holds a very special place in my heart being my first actual "Air Jordan" what I loved the most was that big reflective tongue and the clear mesh/ sole I was so obsessed even going far as looking at jumpman23 and reading about the shark teeth from ww2 fighter jet inspiration. It's amazing model and a must own in any collection but again all subjective.

 

[BigSparky1316]

disclaimer before I post: I dont like aged customs but I found these and thought that the durabuck looks alright. So he used Fabric Wax on the durabuck take a look. I'm not saying for everyone to do it but I think it looks cool.

here the OG for comparison

 

[forest hills]

Pretty cool honestly, I like it. And I as well don't really like deliberately aged sneakers.

 

[johnnyp2k12]

wtf u gotta pay somebody to age your shoes, cmon just wear them, they will age naturally

 

[headdetective]

Too many shoe releases and not enough places to go lol

 

[BigSparky1316]

Pretty cool honestly, I like it. And I as well don't really like deliberately aged sneakers.

Lol hate the aged thing too so weird. But it makes me wonder if the OGs had a top coat on this same type of material. Maybe like a PU top coat and the retros dont have it. Idk for sure tho just a thought.

 

[forest hills]

Lol hate the aged thing too so weird. But it makes me wonder if the OGs had a top coat on this same type of material. Maybe like a PU top coat and the retros dont have it. Idk for sure tho just a thought.

I think it just has to do with the way durabuck was made back then. The United States Shoe Corporation created the original durabuck that was seen on models from 1989 to 1998, the year they stopped manufacturing it and thus that specific type stopped appearing on models. Nike went on to create their own version of it and that's what we've been seeing since '99 onward though they've likely tweaked it through the years. Two different manufacturing processes I'm guessing, or maybe the materials and exact process needed to recreate the OG durabuck are no longer accessible, who knows? But, it's not like Nike doesn't know how to use what they have now and replicate the original from an aesthetic point of view. The early pairs of the Metallics featured a contrast ankle collar with a leathery sheen like the 1990 pair.

This was talked about years ago in this thread and there was mention of a collector site that was selling an actual weartest sample with the description mentioning "anodized material testing" or something along those lines but this feature was scrapped on final production pairs. So if Nike/JB wanted to, for example, give the Black Infrareds a contrast heel with a leathery sheen like '91 pairs, they very well could. They just choose not to for some reason.

 

[WesleyPipes]

The reasoning behind that leathery durabuk look on the heel was to be a contrast for a all black shoe. Same for the black infrareds heel, charcoal 7s toe box and side panels.

 

[rainking]

I think it just has to do with the way durabuck was made back then. The United States Shoe Corporation created the original durabuck that was seen on models from 1989 to 1998, the year they stopped manufacturing it and thus that specific type stopped appearing on models. Nike went on to create their own version of it and that's what we've been seeing since '99 onward though they've likely tweaked it through the years. Two different manufacturing processes I'm guessing, or maybe the materials and exact process needed to recreate the OG durabuck are no longer accessible, who knows? But, it's not like Nike doesn't know how to use what they have now and replicate the original from an aesthetic point of view. The early pairs of the Metallics featured a contrast ankle collar with a leathery sheen like the 1990 pair.

This was talked about years ago in this thread and there was mention of a collector site that was selling an actual weartest sample with the description mentioning "anodized material testing" or something along those lines but this feature was scrapped on final production pairs. So if Nike/JB wanted to, for example, give the Black Infrareds a contrast heel with a leathery sheen like '91 pairs, they very well could. They just choose not to for some reason.

Yeah, it's just a different material. The OG black durabuck had an almost oily look and feel to it, as you can always see in pics of the OGs, like the ones a few posts above. Many all black durabuck OG Nikes of the era had that look and feel to it, like the Flight Lite lows Pip wore in the '91 Finals (I had a pair of those, too). The grain on it was different as well, compared to what they use today. The modern version looks and feels dry and almost ashy compared to the original material.

I know there was a never-ending discussion about the contrast heel on the VIs and the ankle collar on the Vs in the threads when they were coming up for release. Maybe I don't remember that someone found a confirmation to the contrary, but I remain unconvinced the effect was a purposeful element of Tinker's design. Or, I at least can imagine it's just as possible the finish it ended up with was a result of the heat-molding process used for those panels at the time. It wouldn't be the only time something in the supply chain or production process produced unintended results. Didn't someone ask Tinker about the red tint in the OG black/red XI mesh and he said it wasn't something he specified or designed, or was really aware of? Likewise, the white lines we all like on the OG black durabuck models seem to be a result of that specific material and the edges it ended up with naturally when cut into panels. It doesn't seem like something Tinker, when designing the shoe and colorways, said, hey on the black ones, make sure all the exposed edges are white or gray because it looks cool.

 

[forest hills]

Yeah, it's just a different material. The OG black durabuck had an almost oily look and feel to it, as you can always see in pics of the OGs, like the ones a few posts above. Many all black durabuck OG Nikes of the era had that look and feel to it, like the Flight Lite lows Pip wore in the '91 Finals (I had a pair of those, too). The grain on it was different as well, compared to what they use today. The modern version looks and feels dry and almost ashy compared to the original material.

I know there was a never-ending discussion about the contrast heel on the VIs and the ankle collar on the Vs in the threads when they were coming up for release. Maybe I don't remember that someone found a confirmation to the contrary, but I remain unconvinced the effect was a purposeful element of Tinker's design. Or, I at least can imagine it's just as possible the finish it ended up with was a result of the heat-molding process used for those panels at the time. It wouldn't be the only time something in the supply chain or production process produced unintended results. Didn't someone ask Tinker about the red tint in the OG black/red XI mesh and he said it wasn't something he specified or designed, or was really aware of? Likewise, the white lines we all like on the OG black durabuck models seem to be a result of that specific material and the edges it ended up with naturally when cut into panels. It doesn't seem like something Tinker, when designing the shoe and colorways, said, hey on the black ones, make sure all the exposed edges are white or gray because it looks cool.

Yup I think it was O ogSlater if I remember correctly. He said he spoke to Tinker via email and that Tinker himself said the leathery sheen on the moulded ankle collar of 5s and the heel of the 6s, was not an intended design aspect but merely something that occurred as a result of the production technique/manufacturing process of the time. The Playoff XI was never meant to have a tint either which Tinker had said, and this is pretty obvious given that, if I remember correctly, only the Cordura mesh on the "made in China" pairs had the tint. Taiwan produced pairs are jet black. The sheen, contrast and tint was just an unintended consequence of the production processes at that time. Now that they've perfected it in a sense (quality check may have gotten worse though), if those aspects were to be recreated it would be solely at JB/Nikes discretion, as the details originally were never meant to exist

 

[BigSparky1316]

I think it just has to do with the way durabuck was made back then. The United States Shoe Corporation created the original durabuck that was seen on models from 1989 to 1998, the year they stopped manufacturing it and thus that specific type stopped appearing on models. Nike went on to create their own version of it and that's what we've been seeing since '99 onward though they've likely tweaked it through the years. Two different manufacturing processes I'm guessing, or maybe the materials and exact process needed to recreate the OG durabuck are no longer accessible, who knows? But, it's not like Nike doesn't know how to use what they have now and replicate the original from an aesthetic point of view. The early pairs of the Metallics featured a contrast ankle collar with a leathery sheen like the 1990 pair.

This was talked about years ago in this thread and there was mention of a collector site that was selling an actual weartest sample with the description mentioning "anodized material testing" or something along those lines but this feature was scrapped on final production pairs. So if Nike/JB wanted to, for example, give the Black Infrareds a contrast heel with a leathery sheen like '91 pairs, they very well could. They just choose not to for some reason.

I remember seeing this from the old part of this thread. I honestly think it was a pu coating that the company used or like someone said before ionizing it. It looks way more water/weather resistant in this form rather then the nubuck form it is in now. I know all durabuck is, is a mixture of synthetic leather with polyurethane I read somewhere that's what was on the Tradrmark form years ago. Hopefully I can find the article again and link it.

Edit: apologies I remembered the article wrong they said were not sure if it is pu mixed with Nubuck. I thought they said it was for sure.

 

[rainking]

I remember seeing this from the old part of this thread. I honestly think it was a pu coating that the company used or like someone said before ionizing it. It looks way more water/weather resistant in this form rather then the nubuck form it is in now. I know all durabuck is, is a mixture of synthetic leather with polyurethane I read somewhere that's what was on the Tradrmark form years ago. Hopefully I can find the article again and link it.

Edit: apologies I remembered the article wrong they said were not sure if it is pu mixed with Nubuck. I thought they said it was for sure.

Could be something like that, but I wouldn't describe it as a coating per se. It wasn't shiny, and the durabuck felt soft to the touch, not at all like there was something on top of the base material. So I don't believe it's as simple as it being like today's material but with the extra feature of something sprayed on top of it. If that's what you even really meant LOL
But I mean, for sure there was something different in the makeup of the material to what Nike produces nowadays.

 

[BigSparky1316]

Could be something like that, but I wouldn't describe it as a coating per se. It wasn't shiny, and the durabuck felt soft to the touch, not at all like there was something on top of the base material. So I don't believe it's as simple as it being like today's material but with the extra feature of something sprayed on top of it. If that's what you even really meant LOL
But I mean, for sure there was something different in the makeup of the material to what Nike produces nowadays.

Man I wish that I could have experienced the OG black durabuck so badly. I wish they'd just put the time in to replicating that material too. It is dope to OGs around like you to let us know how it really was tho for sure.

 

[RyGuy45]

here the OG for comparison

Man alive look at those toes!

 

[pwguy]

Man alive look at those toes!

That slant changes the whole damn aesthetic of the shoe; wish the would fix this on the 3, 4, 5, 6s.

 

[secretzofwar]

What I can’t understand is that the slanted toe fits today’s aesthetic significantly better. Why wouldn’t they just change it?

 

[pwguy]

Yeah, I don't get it. It's not like they can't make it happen; we've even seen it on the last last Flight '89 retros (basically the same as the AJ4).

 

[BigSparky1316]

That slant changes the whole damn aesthetic of the shoe; wish the would fix this on the 3, 4, 5, 6s.

Completely! Like no doubt hands down the toe slant changes a sneaker in such a massive way. Check out the PSG 4 and What The 4 even with the tiny change they made on the toe boxes of those makes the shoe look 100× better

 

[BigSparky1316]

Man alive look at those toes!

Almost like you need to unglue the sneaker then cut 2 inches of matieral off the toe box lol.

 

[ARK]

Man alive look at those toes!

The 2020 Fire Red 3M for comparison.