Club Obi Wan

i was exchanging e-mails with todd in hopes that he could take a size 40 belt and use it to make the long collar we all see and like . went something like this (i'm paraphrasing of course):

g: todd, i want a custom jacket but the collar has to be extra long

todd: no, it's an illusion. my patterns stand

g: fine. i read one of _'s posts saying that all the movie jackets had the leather prewashed before constructing. do you think you can do that for me? {indiana g snickers because he knows todd won't do this either}

todd: already did. gotta whole role of prewashed lamb ready to make a jacket out of

g: curse you todd! all right, lets see what you got

todd quoted me 4 weeks delivery. it showed up today almost at the end of the second week after i placed the order

firstly, i was expecting a mangled looking jacket, just like the film jacket. i pulled it out of the box and it looked quite new. but upon closer examination, the hide was EXTREMELY soft....it had an extra dull, matte finish...moreso than the posts that i've seen on his custom lamb. i'd say it was along the same lines as the standard offering (the standard still being more 'shiney') but the kicker was all of the nice grains of the hide has come out. i don't know if it was due to the wash or if this is what todd's lamb currently looks like. this jacket is the closest match to the screen jacket's colour and finish that i've ever seen...deadly close. the cut is an obvious raiders cut....nothing LC about it...it even has the nice barrel cuffs that aries likes {in the scene where indy says,"....i'm looking for one of the pieces your father collected....bronze medallion...about....etc"}....all these aspects make this a great SA jacket.

now, this prewashed lamb is very, very soft.....so soft that there is not enough rigidity to keep the action pleats straight up and down. they seem to buckle on themselves when in a prone position. however, they do spring to life when you move your arms. also, it seems that todd upsized his strap buckles. this along with the extra soft leather, i had to double back the strap into the buckle to lock it in. both of these i can live with for sure. the only thing that is an obvious mistake is that the inside pocket is on the right hand side......again, no biggie at all.

all in all, i love the jacket. very SA. after about 3 months of wearing a red indy jacket, it's quite refreshing to get back in the screen accurate realm

and onto the pics:



and the back:



you'll see that there is some discoloration in the hide in the panels used beneath the arms and in between the back and front panels. this is quite exaggerated by the camera as it is not that noticeable up close and personal. if you were to distress the jacket, you would never notice.

oh, and one more thing........i totally lost the arguement about the collar



if i had a slimmer chest with the same shoulders, the collar would fall quite close to where ford's did....no?

It looks really good.

I was kind curious about the weight of the custom Todd Raiders jacket compared to the standard Raiders? Are they both light or is there some difference?

Really nice jacket, G! That thing is the closest, screen-accurate jacket that I've seen so far... I'm not a big fan of the oversized barrel-cuffs on the sleeves though, but who am I to argue?

The leather itself looks downright Indy-ish, and I suppose it straddles the line perfectly, giving us both a new jacket, and an old jacket (so to speak). I wish I didn't have to save up for an authentic Indy IV jacket, or I'd be all over that!

So... I'm guessing the whole auth. brown veg. tanned leather jacket fell through for Wested, eh?

PH, big difference in the weight. you can truly see where the extra $350 went as far as the hide. i'd say she's about as light as the wested lamb, but for some reason feels thicker/poofier.....could be just me.

the whole darker veg tanned lamb kind of slipped through the cracks. kt informed me that there was some issues at the italian tannery. peter did manage to get some more novapelle in. as soon as mr. mailman gets to wested with my package, i'm gonna get a raiders in the novapelle......that hide just looks too cool to pass up....OR....maybe when my package gets to wested, there might be something new...maybe the darker brown veg tanned anything will be found by then. it's been over a month now in the mail.....kinda starting to think that my package and my buckles are lost....that's $6 i'll never see again

Nice jacket Looks good on you.

Hey Indiana G, can you show a photo with the jacket zipped and laying flat? I wanna see the pocket placement in relation with the storm flap.

Wow! That's a fantastic jacket!

you can truly see where the extra $350 went as far as the hide

Is that extra $350 what you payed to get a custom jacket compared to the standard Todd's or is that extra on the custom jacket for getting that hide?

... don't think my family will get any christmas presents from me this year!

Labbas wrote:

you can truly see where the extra $350 went as far as the hide

Is that extra $350 what you payed to get a custom jacket compared to the standard Todd's or is that extra on the custom jacket for getting that hide?

The jacket costs US$499, all things considered

http://www.toddscostumes.com/indy/india ... jacket.htm

I must notice here that the back of the collar is made of one piece of leather rather than two that is normally expected..

Just checked my Todd's jacket and my collar is one piece too.

Platon wrote :

Hey Indiana G, can you show a photo with the jacket zipped and laying flat?

ALSO Can you please post a picture of it taken in outside light, preferably with you wearing it???? Come on now, I know it's a pain..but be a pal.

It looks really good from what I can tell. I just ordered a standard yesterday, but I have a feeling I'm gonna be sending it back to get one of these, but we'll see.

Doug C

The Todd jacket does look very nice, but I have to ask (and maybe I missed the thread) but what is the deal with the reversed side straps?

Something I just noticed for the first time:
Is the collar stand 1" wide? I didn't think it was as wide as the side straps. I thought the collar stand was a little less wide at 3/4".

Of course, I won't be suprised if I am wrong on this, but, I wanted to ask. I think there is a good close-up of the collar stand width in the scene when Indy is talking with the old man in Cairo, just before he walks away and Salah keeps him from going on a "bad date". There is a close-up shot of him while listening to the old man. He is wearing his glasses and you can see the width of the collar stand. If one knows that width of the glasses, then a measurement can be made.

Anyone?

junior

Oh, fantastic jacket, G.

panama,

the side straps IMO should be woven through a centre bar buckle which means that the end of the strap still faces the direction of how it was sewed in. wested uses rectangular sliders and in order to weave your strap through it, you reverse the direction of how the side strap is sewn in.

for this jacket, it uses the center bar buckle but the buckle is quite large and the leather is too soft to hold it in. i therefore passed the strap back through the first bar (much like using rectangular sliders) so that she'll stay. this is the easy solution. if i was adament in having the straps point towards the spine, i could have stitch tacked them in place or sewn in a backing on the strap to give it more thickness.

junior, the collar stand is just under 1 1/4"

doug/platon...i'll try to get some more pics this weekend or early next week. this weekend is gonna be chopped full of office x-mas parties

Actually, I was curious as to why the Todd jacket in general has the straps facing the opposite direction of, say, the Wested Jacket. From most pics I've seen the direction of the Wested is SA. Actually G, by looping yours back through it now faces like a Wested strap being looped regularly.

Am I missing something? I always understood that the direction that the Wested straps faced was SA...

No, it has since been proven photographically that the straps have been reversed on many of the original Raiders jackets, and the strap on Todd's jacket is the correct configeration.

You can find these photos if you do a search over the past year in the jacket section and read the posts as Todd's jacket was developed. It's entirely too long a process to rehash here, but the entire 'history' is in the jacket section.

You can indeed 'change' the Wested by pushing the strap BACK through the ring to the reverse direction, if it's long enough.

It's next to impossible with a Wings jacket, as their strap is WAY to short to do so.

But long story short, the rearward direction is SA.

Regards! Michaelson

Boy, I guess you learn something new everyday...

You and me both, my friend.

Until the photos were shown in full and complete detail, I was in the same camp as you!

Regards! Michaelson

Indiana G,

I'm glad you like the jacket! The measurements you are taking (collar stand, etc) are for your size only. Your jacket is two sizes up from a 40, since you mentioned you ususally wear a 44 suit jacket, so all the pieces are scaled up, including the side buckles. I'd guess the softening of the leather keeps them from grabbing in the strap adjuster.

Unfortunately, I was away when they packed this one up, so I didn't catch the pocket and straps - I can't believe no one caught this. If you want us to fix it, we will of course. We can make the strap buckle fit tighter. Otherwise I'll have to find some other way of making it up to you.

Let me know!

Todd

puppetboy,

What is the width of the collar stand on a 40R, HF's size in Raiders? 3/4" or 1"? As I said above, I thought the stand didn't look as wide as the straps on the hero jacket, but, maybe they are. I wouldn't be suprised.

thanks, junior

Puppetboy wrote:Indiana G,

I'm glad you like the jacket! The measurements you are taking (collar stand, etc) are for your size only. Your jacket is two sizes up from a 40, since you mentioned you ususally wear a 44 suit jacket, so all the pieces are scaled up, including the side buckles. I'd guess the softening of the leather keeps them from grabbing in the strap adjuster.

Unfortunately, I was away when they packed this one up, so I didn't catch the pocket and straps - I can't believe no one caught this. If you want us to fix it, we will of course. We can make the strap buckle fit tighter. Otherwise I'll have to find some other way of making it up to you.

Let me know!

Todd

h e l l no, you can't have it back! there's nothing here that an SA nazi like myself can't get over.......however, you can make it up to me by continuing on with your great customer service todd.

much regards,



G

ps - if you really want to make it up to me, make sure that any of my projects get put in front of aeris canon's in the future

Did I just hear a shell get racked into a shotgun, coming from the direction of Phoenix, AZ?

Regards! Michaelson

IG - why does it have the bigger arms (barrel cuffs), was that a special request you made? Todd's normal pattern has tapered sleeves right? Also, what is your impression of how the jacket will distress? I'm not asking about the texture so much, but rather can you gauge wheather it's surface color will wear (away) quickly, I know it's probably too early yet. How does it compare [the leather] with the veg. tanned one you have?

Doug C

doug,

i didn't make any special requests on this other than full satin lining as that is what i see in the flying wing scene. these cuffs are alot bigger than my first todd's custom back when his patterns were still in flux. the revision of the cuffs are probably a result of the expedition's influence on this jacket as i have seen that configuration on pictures (correct me if i'm wrong _). the larger cuffs can also be felt on todd's standard offering. i believe that the more barrelly cuffs are raiders accurate and the tapered sleeves are more along the lines of what weste makes now and what is seen in LC. don't know what the pedigree of the TOD jacket was but the sleeves were pretty tight on her.

there is a small rough patch in the leather near the pleat where it the raw colour is exposed. a lighter shade of brown....remeniscent of the brown that i saw when i took the sandpaper to my first AB wested lamb. i wouldn't recommend distressing this jacket due to how soft it is, you may get some tearing of stitches or even the hide if you go that route.

the veg tanned jacket i have is a tank. the leather is heavy and thick without a trace of the usual softness that we see from lambskin. this custom raiders takes all the sofness of lambskin and then some. more softer than my TOD wested which was a DB lambskin....and i didn't think i'd find anything softer than that....yet i believe that jacket was a bit lighter in weight. i hope that helps.

cheers

Thanks IG -

i wouldn't recommend distressing this jacket due to how soft it is,

Yeh, I don't ever want to artificially distress a jacket but I do want a jacket that will naturally distress easily..this sounds like it will.

ps- you wrote : my first AB wested lamb.
I wrote that in a thread once along time ago and got razed big time - everyone sarcastically pointing out that Adventure Build doesn't make jackets - so now I get to return the favor!!!

Doug C

come on doug c.....everyone in the jacket section knows that ab = authentic brown, db = dark brown, plgopnahitb = _ let go of platon's neck as he is turning blue

here's a couple more pics that help show how great the colour and finish is and to show platon the pocket spacing:

this is my best attempt at the goofy smile indy has when he hears, "indiana jones....i always knew that someday you'd be walking back through my door.....so what brings you to nepal....."



and a shot of the back while wearing it:

The last pic really shows how soft the jacket is. The wind will for sure grab that jacket when you are chased by hovitos!

Just has need ask how it is with the so called "flying squirrel look" on that jacket. Does it suffer from that or can you move your arms without any problems?

// Labbas

This jacket has a great affect on me G
The pockets...
What a beauty

FANTASTIC jacket Indiana G... I really like the hide choice. You wear it well....

Now I can see the pics, Indiana G - I love the leather. It is my custom lamb - we just soak and dry it before making the jacket. It shrinks and puckers - the grain pops up and it gets a little thicker and softer. It's great. I can't wait to make myself one... My unwashed custom lamb is smoother and shiner. However, the finish will wear quickly giving you a great natural aged look in no time (that goes for whether it is washed first or not.

As to the cut and the sleeves, Indiana G asked for it to be extra wide, and we made it to his specs. Since we were widening the body, we used the sleeves that would normally go with it. I'm glad you like it, IG! I'll look forward to more pics as it ages and adjusts to you!

As for the collar stand, _'s "Terry Leonard" jacket had a collar stand of 3/4". The FS Expedition was 1". Looking at the jacket on film, it looks in between to me - about 7/8" is what we aim for on a 40.

I was kind curious about the weight of the custom Todd Raiders jacket compared to the standard Raiders? Are they both light or is there some difference?

The custom lamb is thicker. It measures about 2 - 2 1/2 oz thick - the "standard" jacket is 1 3/4 - 2 oz - a little lighter. They are very different hides.

Labbas wrote:The last pic really shows how soft the jacket is. The wind will for sure grab that jacket when you are chased by hovitos!

Just has need ask how it is with the so called "flying squirrel look" on that jacket. Does it suffer from that or can you move your arms without any problems?

// Labbas

the flying squirrel is alive and well in this jacket one of the side effects of upsizing the body, the armholes get adjusted as well according to how todd proportions his sizing. this whole flying squirrel effect is directly related to the size of the jacket body and its corralation to the width of the sleeve. even if the jacket body is tight and still has wide sleeves, the effect is minimized. i think todd proportioned his jacket in this manner as a wide jacket body with high armholes and thin sleeves would look kind of strange no? i needed a 44 size body and todd adjusted accordingly to his patterns.....but there is a method to his madness.....the wider sleeves still work very well in conjunction with the action pleats.....the 'flying squirrel pull' will activate the action pleats and open them up nicely to compensate, to help allow arm movement in the jacket. i wish i was a 40R to find out how SA todd's jacket can get

I dig it IG, I really dig it. That thing looks so much like the jacket in raiders, it's awesome. Thanks a ton for (always) posting the pictures!

ps- how many dog gone Indy jackets do you own now (someone was bound to ask)?

Doug C

thanks doug c! as for the count:

1 - wested ab reg cut that went to mr. sable (looks great on you buddy)
1 - wested db goat (i think this was an 80's cut)
1 - wested db lamb tod style, 80's cut
1 - todd's custom lamb (5th prototype)
1 - flightjacket/us authentic indy custom
1 - wested prewashed veg tanned lambskin
1 - todd's standard
1 - todd's prewashed custom lamb

....that'd be 8.....and it would be 9 if postal workers would do their freak'n job :evil: .....mr. botwright....any word about my package?

maybe no. 10 will be tony nowak's offer.....

I like the look of the leather but to me the jacket looks like it doesn't fit - especially the back view. Why did you want it so wide?

it's todd's size 44 jacket.....which is what i am

I don't want to detract from your fine jacket, IG, but I have to agree with whiskyman on this. You look a little lost in that jacket. Are you sure you're not closer to a 42, or even a 40? If not, you're fortunate in that your pictures have a slimming effect on you!

thanks satipo! i wish that were true....i've never been able to squeeze int a size 40 anything ..at rest, my chest measured a tad over 45".....if i 'puff' up with a deep breath, i can get over 46"....44" would be bang on and with me exhaling ......i use to be a 42 jacket size and i have a wested tod cut in a 42. it still fits ok but my shoulders fill up the entire space of the jacket....something that i didn't want in a raiders jacket.

maybe it is just the angle of that picture of the back as it is similar to the way my wested goat hangs off of me (size 44).

perhaps we are getting mixed up as we are looking at this photo and thinking...."that's not how a wested should fit your back".

to me, it's not so different than this shot....other than the fact that he's got a smaller frame and his arms are cut higher on the pattern:



or



but perhaps i'm getting blinded by all of the other SA features of the jacket.....which is why i appreciate all your comments

WooHoo!!! I just ordered one of these yesterday!! Yippee! Size 41L.

Doug C

I really love this leather. The more I look at the pictures the more I want one...