Club Obi Wan

Chewie Louie wrote:Heck yes! Tell me this doesn't look like fun.

touche. That does look like a blast!

By the way, what are some of you guys using the canvas bag for?

I honestly don't know...I'll probably use it for the jacket if I ever decide to put it in storage... Like that's every gonna happen! :junior: -M

It might have been cool if Tony oriented the canvas bag perpendicular and just a bit wider so that it would be a perfect garment bag you could use on a hanger. Right now, I have two I just might use to store some of my Indy gear, or fill up with cotton or fiberfill and use as pillows in a rec room.

Chewie Louie wrote:It might have been cool if Tony oriented the canvas bag perpendicular and just a bit wider so that it would be a perfect garment bag you could use on a hanger. Right now, I have two I just might use to store some of my Indy gear, or fill up with cotton or fiberfill and use as pillows in a rec room.

Yeah, the second I saw it, I immediately thought of a garment bag...shame it isn't designed to be used with a hanger.

Gotta love that idea of making it into a pillow - I might just do that myself! :junior: -M

Just received Tony’s CS jacket last Friday.
My wife took a call from Tony just hours before the FedEx truck pulled up. I could regale you with talk about how great this jacket is and how wonderful Tony was to deal with but I would just be repeating what others have written before me. Don’t get me wrong, this entire thread is why I decided to take the plunge and I’m oh so glad I did!
First some history to put what comes next into perspective. I’ve owned 2 Wested’s (1 lambs touch cow and 1 goat) and 3 G&b’s (1 lamb, 1 dark goat, 1 seal goat) of that crowd only one remains in the coral, the seal brown goat by G&B. All of the above jackets have this weird fit across the shoulders. It’s hard to describe, but it makes me want to settle the jacket like its resting just off center. It’s a feeling that you eventually get used to and my only real complaint. I suspect it has to do with some compromise between practicality and screen accuracy. Now, on to the Tony Nowak jacket. Out of this deceptively small FedEx box, the jacket looks and fits perfectly. I must admit to being a little nervous about spending this much on a jacket and seeing posts start appearing about folks buying second jackets from Tony with subtle alterations from their first. This usually means that some are not as happy with their purchase as their first posts may indicate. Most have shrugged off their early problems as measurement errors they made. For any who may be considering one of Tony’s offerings, advise from this thread and from Tony’s website on what to measure is immensely helpful. As an aside, Tony himself is extremely informative. Comparisons between the G&B and the TN is a little difficult because one is 3 plus years old and still looks brand new while the other is brand new while distressed to look years old. They both weigh about the same and the construction looks to be on par. I’m not an expert on the last and we’ll have to wait for _ to give a review for a more informed opinion on this subject. I understand he’s in line to pick one up. I let Tony make the jacket he wanted to with only a request to make the side straps a little longer. A request, I understand, he’s made standard. The TN, while technically part of a costume, is not a costume jacket. It is a fully functional piece of outerwear and will stand up to cold weather and any other adventuring nicely. That about wraps it up, except on a personal note that the Indy jacket is what originally got me hooked on this hobby. It’s been a long time since I’ve been really excited by a piece of gear. Thanks Tony, the wait was worth it.

Prescott

Ok I'm calling TN on Tues to order a jacket have my size down I think lol

is there any other info I should have on have when I call him?

height,,weight,,chest size, suite size any else?

I also see that people have asked for less distressing no patch/tag back of neck.

So if all who have a TN could add anything else that would be great if not wish me luck as I call him on 22/07/08

thanks

....also think about what you want for the inscription inside the jacket....gold lettering, black lettering, message, etc. Aso, keep in mind that TN's tend to run true-to-size or slightly smaller than other Indy jackets of the same size (e.g. my TN size 44 is about 1.5 sizes smaller than my size 44 Wested)......so if you plan on wearing thick shirts or sweaters underneath your TN, make sure you leave a little more room in there and be sure to tell Tony that. Good luck!

You might also want to see if a number that has any particular meaning is still available. For example, #508 (May 2008) month and year release date of CS (already taken.) My first jacket was randomly assigned #107. For my second jacket I wanted #777, but it was taken, so I went with #500. Sounded like a good power number to me.

I would stick with the tag on the leather patch on the inside of the jacket though. It looks really, really nice. I know some have posted that they feared that over time the patch might leave an imprint on the outside back of the jacket. I doubt it will ever be a problem for anyone, and if you are a slim to medium build like I am, it will definitely never be a problem.

Finally, I would probably ask to keep the inscription to a minimum. I posted my thoughts about it in this thread. For my second jacket, I had it condensed significantly.

Be sure to visit his website. Toward the bottom of the page, he has a couple of drawings indicating what measurements he wants. I'm also having him move the inscription to under the label. I definitely wanted the inscription there but I also wanted the jacket to look totally "normal" from the front.

crismans wrote:Be sure to visit his website. Toward the bottom of the page, he has a couple of drawings indicating what measurements he wants. I'm also having him move the inscription to under the label. I definitely wanted the inscription there but I also wanted the jacket to look totally "normal" from the front.

I'd like to see pics of that when you get it.

woot!!! i just recieved an message from tony stating that my jacket is headed out tomorrow!!!

When you order, have a jacket that fits well and a tape measure on hand. Tony may ask for other measurements than those on his website. He’s good at explaining what he wants, just have the jacket spread out flat on the floor. Good luck.

-P-

Just got home from a few days away to find a phone message and email from Tony to say my jacket was shipped. Should be here on tuesday, all I can say is I am so excited and I hope my measuring skills are good enough.

Prescott wrote:When you order, have a jacket that fits well and a tape measure on hand. Tony may ask for other measurements than those on his website. He’s good at explaining what he wants, just have the jacket spread out flat on the floor. Good luck.

-P-

How do you order? There are no links or anything on the website......

Disregard last...I see the website is being redesigned.

Gotta admit I love my Nowak

here is my nowak jacket, it came in via fed ex on friday...
and here are some to compare it to my wested novapelle
wested:
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7185/0000007jx0.jpg
nowak on left, wested on right, with a magnoli bag:
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/156/0000005sx5.jpg
nowak close up:
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/3536/0000003ms4.jpg
wested close up:
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5362 ... 001at3.jpg

and here is an image of the number i got.
three is my favourite number, btw...

Nice jackets, Bruce! Great to see another Chi-Town COW member! Too bad it's been so hot around here to wear these great jackets. Regarding your Nowak, did you ask for minimal distressing? My Nowak looks quite a bit lighter than yours in the photo.

i didnt as for any distressing, but i think i have some very slight distressing...

hey Bruce Wayne nice jacket, I really like how it looks without the distressing. If I get one someday I would want it without any distressing too. Looks awesome I bet it will be warm, I live near Chicago too so I know how the winters can be.

It seems like Tony Nowak is veering away from the heavy distressing that used to be the norm, and my guess is that even though that heavy distressing may be accurate to what he did on the film jackets, they just don't translate well without the further distressing that was done by the film crew, not to forget the camera filters!

This just seems to me like a good summary of Indygear-dom in general. The irony that in trying to see what you see on screen, you'll have to slowly move away from the truth!

Castor Dioscuri wrote:It seems like Tony Nowak is veering away from the heavy distressing that used to be the norm, and my guess is that even though that heavy distressing may be accurate to what he did on the film jackets, they just don't translate well without the further distressing that was done by the film crew, not to forget the camera filters!

This just seems to me like a good summary of Indygear-dom in general. The irony that in trying to see what you see on screen, you'll have to slowly move away from the truth!

with that philosophy, then you'll need to throw a fedora that you've waited a year for into a lake and then dump a bunch of dirt on it.

as for me, i'll take my CS gear how the suppliers prepared them for bernie....and then let time be my 'western costumes labour'

Rereading my post, my wording was a bit off, but in essence, what I meant was that Nowak 'heavily' distressed his jackets before sending them off to Bernie. Yet what seems to be the norm nowadays is a lightly distressed jacket, my guess is that he does this to match what we see on screen.

The further distressing that the crew did on set made the jackets darker, and perhaps even the lighting and camera filters also contributed to making the jackets look even darker than what they were.

I agree with you G that the best way of getting the gear is getting them the way the suppliers prepared them for Bernie, and anyone that follows my posts knows I hate premature distressing, but my point was that Nowak seems to be improving his technique from what he did on the jackets he supplied for the movie, to reflect what we percieve on-screen.

Its just arrived, allthough I have to wait until I get home from work to see it.

Please let my measuring skills be up to scratch.

Hopfully pics to follow

unerhij wrote:Its just arrived, allthough I have to wait until I get home from work to see it.

Please let my measuring skills be up to scratch.

Hopfully pics to follow

Any issues with customs?

None that I can see yet. My partner was at home to take delivery and she said that the guy just got her to sign for it. On the box is marked as a gift/jacket. So hopfully I wont have any customs to pay.

It only took 4 days to get here from the US aswell, Tony posted it friday and its here today on tuesday.

I am now very anxious as to the fit.

bruce wayne wrote:three is my favourite number, btw...

Three…its a magic number.


Great now I've got School House Rock running through my head.

So I think the jacket fits.. and looks good but typically there is nobody here to take a picture of me in it and the few attempts of looking in the mirror didnt work.

So here are a couple of general pics.





[/img]

Mike wrote:

bruce wayne wrote:three is my favourite number, btw...

Three! its a magic number.


Great now I've got School House Rock running through my head.

I received my Tony Nowak jacket on July 22. I was unable to post that I received it, as I have been out of town for the past nine days.

Just as another example of Tony's great customer service, Tony knew I was leaving to go out of town for a family reunion, and overnighted my jacket so I would receive it the morning of my departure. I was packed and loaded and ready to leave, as soon as FedEx delivered my jacket. It was not Tony's fault, but FedEx said they had some delays and they were 2 1/2 hours later than their guaranteed delivery time. I sat twiddling my thumbs for three hours waiting for their truck. My first stop from Washington DC, was Atlanta, Georgia, and I didn't see Atlanta getting any closer while I was sitting in my living room.

My problems with FedEx aside, the jacket is great. When it arrived, I couldn't help but take a couple of more minutes and try it on. Then, I folded it back up, and threw it in the car, and took off.

I am glad that I decided to get another Indy jacket and the Nowak jacket was a great choice. It is very screen accurate and made by the original maker of the KotCS jacket. My other jacket is a Wested, Raiders, authentic brown, lambskin jacket.

My Wested is nice and light for cool, summer evenings and late spring and early fall. The much heavier Nowak jacket is great for colder weather. I will not be wearing my Nowak jacket during warmer days or nights, as it is just too heavy of a jacket. I am not going to suffer in the heat just to wear an Indy jacket. Of course, many of those types of days will be appropriate for my Wested. If it gets arctic cold, I will just forego the Indy jacket altogether and opt for my North Face down parka.

Like everyone has said, the Nowak jacket is built like a tank. You can't ask for better workmanship.

Now, here is the weird part. I gave Tony my EXACT measurements of my Wested jacket. The only change made, was that I wanted it to be one inch longer. Tony made the jacket to the EXACT measurements that I gave him. I took both of my jackets and zipped them up and laid them on top of each other and they are identical. I have checked every single measurement and they are spot on identical.

But, when I put them on, they are totally different. The Wested fits me so tight, that when I first got it, I thought it was too small. The leather has molded to me and now it fits me like a glove. If it was any smaller, it would be too small. It is a light weight leather, and is really only good for wearing in cool weather. It is a good thing, because it fits so tight, I have trouble wearing it over a sweatshirt or heavy shirt or any kind of sweater.

If I lay the Tony Nowak jacket on top of the Wested, they are identical in every conceivable measurement except for the one inch in length. But, when I put on the Nowak, it is huge. It is a very heavyweight leather and I am almost concerned that it is too big. I don't think it is, but I have plenty of room for sweaters, sweatshirts, heavy shirts, or even a combination. You may try to say that it is the cut that is different, as they were made by different manufacturers. While that is a good theory, if you lay these jackets out and stretch out the leather of both in any direction, they match up perfectly in every spot.

The fact that they measure as identical, and the Wested fits very tight and the Novak fits very loose has me scratching my head. I just don't get it. I have not been able to find any physical differences, and yet, they fit like they are two different sized jackets. I guess it works out great, as the Wested feels like a leather windbreaker. It will never be worn when it is cold. It is just too light weight. The Nowak is so much heavier, I will never wear it when it is warm, and all the extra room is great for any kind of layers that I want to wear under it.

I am very happy with both of my Indy jackets. Together they cover a wide range of temperatures. How they can be so identical and fit so different is beyond me.

I got the typical embroidered inscription in black on black. I put a lot of thought into which number I wanted. My birthday was already taken. The release date by month and day, and by month and year for both KotCS and Raiders was already taken. My anniversary was already taken. I was running out of choices for numbers that might have some extra meaning for me. Then, I thought to check and see if Indiana Jones' birthday of July 1, was available. It was. So, I got jacket number 701. That is a pretty special Indy number for an Indy jacket. At least, I think so.

Good call on the number. I actually didn't know when Indy's birthday was. Curious about the fit. Post some pics if you get a chance.

unerhij....your jacket looks great. there's something about these jackets that when you hang em up or leave em without YOU in them....they still scream adventure.

Hey Guys...Im new here but have been reading away on all the numerous threads concerning Indy and his gear. I have always wanted an Indy Jacket and did lots of researching on this site to find out the best one to purchase. Well as you can guess, I decided to go with Tony after hearing the numerous praises from the members on here. I contacted Tony through email and told him I was considering purchasing one of his KOTCS jacktes, but I was unsure of measurements and what not since I have never really had any done. Tony called me and basically filled me in on EVERYTHING! The guy is probably one of the nicest most sincere people I have ever met. Needless to say, I was sold right there...He explained everything to me, sent me a DEMO Jacket so that I could try it on and measure it out and get the exact fit I wanted...So, long story short I placed my order with Tony and cannot wait to see the end result...I'll be sure to post pics once I get it.

A DEMO JACKET-- what a fantastic idea! I'm sure you'll love the end result, Tony is tops in customer service.

Jack

A demo jacket is a great idea. Was it in fact a demo of the Indy jacket he makes, or just a general leather jacket that he produces in the size you are looking your Indy jacket to be? If it's an actual CS demo he sent you, just goes to show how confident he will be you will order one AFTER you have seen one in person.

yes it was his KOTCS style jacket, only it was blue, Im guessing so that nobody would try to take it...I mean, who wants a blue Indy jacket? I explained to him that this was my first time getting a custom jacket made and gave him my measurements over the phone. Since he wanted to be sure, he sent me out this demo jacket and had me try it on to see how I liked it and to get any changes in measurement as need be. Needless to say, no changes will be necessary. I just think that is absolutely AMAZING customer service! He really cares about his customers and wants to deliver a top quality product designed to your exact specifications! And from what I've been told he does it in a VERY timely manner!

Okay, has anyone gotten their Nowak jacket without an email warning them ahead of time? I missed the FedEx guy Friday (he's coming back tomorrow). I ran the tracking and it's from California. I can't imagine what else it could be.

Email? He usually calls you personally!

I like the scalloped pocket flaps on Unerhij's jacket.

SD

Castor Dioscuri wrote:Email? He usually calls you personally!

Yes, and he takes it very personal if it doesn't show up in time! I got a call from him just to let me know he was shipping it the next day (a Thursday) and that I would have it on Monday. Joking around with him I told him I was so happy I thought I was going to cry. He said to me, "Don't cry yet! Wait until you get the jacket and we'll cry together!" He also emailed me the tracking number.

Well on Monday he calls me just before 9PM in the evening to see how I like the jacket. I told him that I had been following the tracking number all day on FedEx's site and it still said that it was still on the truck for delivery. Being so late I didn't expect I would see it until the next day. Well! He was pretty upset. "No, that can't be!", he says. "It should be there today!" I told him I would go outside and make sure that there were no tags on the door or anything but I made sure I worked from home that day so I would be there to receive it and didn't see them come. He tells me that he'll call me right back and he's calling FedEx to get to the bottom of it.

Three minutes later he calls me back and he sounds very angry! He apologizes repeatedly and tells me that FedEx couldn't provide any solid information for him on what happened with the delivery. I tell him it'll be fine, something probably happened to the truck that they couldn't make it that day and that it certainly wasn't his fault - I think I talked to him nearly a dozen times on the phone to make sure the jacket came out as well as it possibly could and that naturally lengthened the amount of time from when I ordered to the time he made the jacket so another day's not going to kill me I tell him. He's still upset and apologetic so I tell him again not to worry and I'll call him the next day when I get it.

The next day he calls me in the morning to tell me that it's definitely coming. He's in CA and I'm in CT so I'm used to talking to him sometime between 10PM and 1AM and not in the early morning! Right after that I get a call from FedEx to tell me that the driver has the "package" in their possession and the wanted to confirm that I was at home. I told them I wasn't going anywhere. Twenty minutes later the FedEx driver shows up at my house.

The jacket was even better than I could have imagined it would be and it fit just as awesomely as we hoped it would! A short while later I was about to call Tony to let him know the jacket arrived but the phone rang before I started to dial. It was him! The guy is just awesome! We talked about the fit, whether or not I liked it, etc before hanging up.

Personal is not the word! He is just a world-class guy. And I bet you pretty much everyone gets the same level of attention from what I've been reading on these forums and my experience. He sets the standard for customer service for me. (and in my book, and I still love my two Wested jackets, the jacket he made for me is second to none!)

St. Dumas wrote:I like the scalloped pocket flaps on Unerhij's jacket.

SD

Wanna bet they're not scalloped?

The pocket flaps may not star out scalloped, but when the press stud is inserted and the pocket snapped shut, it distorts the leather by stretching it into a curve. In essence, making the pocket flap scalloped. At least it does on mine.
Regards,
-P-

Thanks for that, Prescott. I think you might have answered this trifling issue of contention for all of us.

Ahh, minutiae.

SD

I've been loooking at this thread for a while!
I just cracked and sent an email to Tony asking about the possibility of purchasing a jacket and shipping to Australia.
Then I received an email saying something about 'MAILBOX FULL'..?
Tony must be a busy man, I'm sure...!
However, I believe in fate; perhaps this jacket was not for me.
I may try again at a later date; those TN CS jackets all look so good.

If you do decide you want to get one at a later date you might have better luck if you call him. I've corresponded with him both ways. He usually returned my calls before my emails. In some of our later correspondence , if I needed to send him an email i.e. reference photo, etc, I would call him to let him know that I sent the email usually leaving a message. Sometimes he called me back the same day and sometimes it would be a couple of days later - usually somewhere between 7PM and 11PM his time in California. What is it, about a 16-18 hour time difference between your location and his?

Done! I've just left a rather long voice message on Tony's phone... Hope he doesn't think I'm crazy! International dialing can be quite difficult to work out, but I got it. I wouldn't be suprised if shipping to Oz, is a no-go, but worth a try.
I love Wested, and almost feel bad contemplating ordering a TN, but I'm hooked now and want to gather as much Indy gear as I can! Besides, there's still several more Wested sytles/hides that I need! I'm about 42nd in line for Peter's TOD jacket if it comes about!
I'm all about service. I wasn't sure about my Westeds until I called at 1am Aust. time and spoke to Peter himself. I thought he was just someone you all spoke about but was someone I'd only ever read about.
To actually speak to him and have him discuss, at length, my order made me REALLY want a Wested jacket. A first-class bloke.
I hope Tony can do the same, but understand If I miss out; I've left it a little late after all!
I've let Tony know that the jacket worn by the long-haired fellow, user name starting with a 'C', can't remember it now, is exactly what I'm after. Nicest Indy jacket I've ver seen, by the pics.

St. Dumas wrote:Thanks for that, Prescott. I think you might have answered this trifling issue of contention for all of us.

Ahh, minutiae.

SD

Without wishing to take the thread off-topic, I thought this had been put down to being an optical illusion. My non-scalloped pockets can look scalloped, thus:-

Picture 1 - Unscalloped



Picture 2 - Scalloped

Could very well be. Then again, it could be because you're not wearing your glasses in that second pick, Connoisseur.

SD

Well..... I broke down and did it, Im going to order a Nowak. Ill admit at first I didnt see what was the big deal with these jackets but after reading reviews and seeing pics on here I now want one I called Tony earlier today and arranged to meet him at his shop on wednesday to get fitted.Hes only about 55 miles away from my house so I figured it be cooler to order in person and get fitted by the man himself. I plan on going in gear Ill try to get a pic or two while there. When I was talking to him on the phone I mentioned how many great reviews there were of his jacket and he sounded very flattered. I also mentioned IndyGear and he hadnt hear about it. Maybe I can talk him into joining our board maybe making an appearence at the QM summit in November. I want to thank all the Nowak owners for posting great reviews and pictures. I look forward to owning one of these handsome jackets.
Best Regards,
Joe

haha! nice! I wish I was close enough to his shop so I could go meet Tony and have him personally size me up! Though he went above and beyond in helping me get the right fit for my jacket. I talked to him tonight and was very happy to hear that he is going forward and making me my jacket! I cant WAIT to get it!