Club Obi Wan

all the talk around this jacket has everyone focused on what is screen accurate (SA). SA is dependent on who is looking at the jacket as well as what screen grab that same person is comparing it to. couple that with the perspective and angle you are viewing it at as well as said person's abilities to 'fill in the blanks' from their experience of sight....ie - if i look at this from a low angle, then it should look like this when i view it straight on.......man, this SA stitch nazi business is a tuff racket we do not all have the luxury of handling a screen used jacket so this is where we do our research and compile our findings. the majority of the people here do not know what the entire specs are of one particular hero jacket.

focussing on what is SA through my eyes vs. what is practical vs. what is durable vs. what other folks want on their jacket was being ignored by me and i am truly sorry. i got buried under the screen grabs and stills and lost what meant most to me in this hobby....what makes people happy.

let me share with you what makes me happy. i'm not saying that this jacket is dead on to any one particular jacket in the movie. i'm not going to host a thread for disputes ;-) i'll showcase what i like on my jackets......and only one gentleman in my tenure here has managed to capture everything 100%....some came very close, but as the man himself says, "there is no equal".

as many of you know, my first TN1 had some minor sizing issues....not really large enough to call for a new jacket, but i seized the opportunity to sell it to indiana williams......as it fit better on his frame than on mine.

so, armed with my knowledge of the original pattern that tony was working with, i solicited big tony to construct me a new one with some sizing adjustments and some other small tweaks

firstly, i asked for a larger/longer collar. i asked for an indy 4 collar length + 0.5"on each side and make the lapels 0.25" bigger. although in hindsight, i should of asked for just a miniscule amount more in the length, i am not complaining with the outcome. plus, pulling on the collar will lengthen it eventually.....just the nature of this leather. the collar is shown flipped up to some degree per the temple swing pics.




what is also different is that i upsized the body and chest by 2" (i needed it for the room i see in the raven bar when indy has his jacket zipped), lengthened the jacket by 1" (to make sure the hem falls on the right spot on my mkvii bag) and chopped an additional 1/2" off the sleeves eliminating the CS sleeve look.

now the little tweaks i requested are for a more SA lining (the only inscription is inside the jacket pocket stating #010/888), there is also no leather backing on the tony nowak tag:




here's my nod to TOD as well as what i believe the original hardware was on the ROLA hero jacket......this is why it took a week before he could cut the jacket as the hardware was specially ordered:



i also extended the strap by 0.75" for more dangle ;-)

i also asked him to move the back panel right to the sleeve edge. he had to test this 'stacking of leather' on a trial run before implementing it on my order......he is very meticulous that way:



my last request was for tony to beat the living bageezus out of it. i asked him to maximize his distressing on the jacket, and then when he was done doing that, to take the jacket and throw it on the floor and kick it!

as many of you know, tony will jump hoops to fulfill our crazy, stupid, neurotic requests, and god knows i put him to the test. he nailed everything that i asked for as i left nothing to chance. i have never got a jacket that is this perfect in my eyes and there was a part of me that was a little depressed knowing that there was nothing left to do, nothing left to buy.......so.........

someone get a script together for indy 5 already.......that'll guarantee that i'll be getting at least one more indy jacket i actually explained that situation to tony and his answer was "i do have different hides coming up you know.........."

a true gem of a human being. i hope to meet him in person one day.

thank you mr. nowak for the outstanding service. you scored a perfect 10 on jacket no. 10 this jacket was worth every penny

Gil,......(Speechless) That jacket is, whats the word Im looking for? Amaizing! I think you did an awesome job with the specs for #10 part deux. I like the strap buckles you chose. Enjoy that jacket ;-)
Highest Regards,
Joe

Looks fantastic. You look very happy and no wonder.

I'm glad you're happy with your jacket, G! It looks great on you, too. Yes, Tony is a true gentleman and totally worth taking the time to meet if you have the chance. Your jacket also shows how he is, indeed, willing to work with people to give them what they want, be it a carbon or a variant thereof. Wear it in good health! ;-)

I am really digging this hide! Every new photo of these jackets makes me want one even more...

Great job Tony!

Still looks great, I think it's the hide ;-)

I like the strap buckles.

(You look nothing like your avatar )

Uhh, that's very nice

CRAZY. It's stuff like this that makes me realize that we're completely in the golden era of Indy Gear. I can't believe we have such a master craftsman on our side. I really need to leave COW before my lack of Indy I jacket drives me insane, but I prefer showing the pics to my wife, I think I'm softening her up.

Well G, that number 10 version 2 is a true beauty!!!!

G, your jacket looks awesome! I so want one of these puppies now.

Looks excellent Gil. Tony really pulls out all the stops when it comes to his customer service etc.

Chris

G-the fit is PERFECT. It's so raiders to me. Something I've noticed on these Indy I jackets is how high the side openings go up. This can be seen best when viewing the jacket from the inside front-like G's second shot above. This is a very important detail to achieving the look that I haven't seen on any of my westeds. Haven't really noticed anyone else mention this but I think it's a big deal. Just an awesome jacket G. I can't war for mine.

what can I say my friend other then I love it...these jackets has convinced me saving up for one...they look so good.


give us a shot of the side and back..

Man all these TN IndyI jackets are driving me crazy - I really wish I could put up the money for one of these! They look amazing, as close as I've ever seen...but there's no way I could ever justify paying $900 for a jacket...$700 was hard enough, and I only got away with that because he was the original maker. -M

G, great write up and pics, glad you've gotten what you want (now you can lower your med dosage).........but seriously , thanks for ALL your work in helping me and everyone here get the jacket they want.......Tony is truly ONE OF A KIND, and we should all be glad he's got "the one that matters". and the craftsmanship and drive to bring it to reality...... Hatch

thanks for the kind words my friends. i truly hope that more and more people can experience buying a jacket from tony.......you can get it however you like it...with never the off chance that something will be missed..... that is the key imo.....the only problem is, when you get the perfect jacket....then that pretty much kills any more purchases from anywhere else

thanks for lowering my dosage doc....but i guess you haven't cancelled my appointments in the psyche ward though???

holt....i'll get some full gear shots when the black spidey suit becomes one with its host ;-)

Indiana G wrote:you can get it however you like it

Great! I'd like you to get it for me. Thanks, G!

;-)

Mulceber wrote:Man all these TN IndyI jackets are driving me crazy - I really wish I could put up the money for one of these! They look amazing, as close as I've ever seen...but there's no way I could ever justify paying $900 for a jacket...$700 was hard enough, and I only got away with that because he was the original maker. -M

Umm - gulp - they're like, about 100 dollars more than that - gulp - duck.

Yeah, they're very expensive. I myself have been selling off a few pieces of gear in my collection to justify the cost. But if you look at in the inverse of what many people have been saying which is, "I could buy several Wested's or G&B's for that price". But then look at the fact that quite a few of them are still buying more jackets looking for the holy grail of jackets. Change that to "I'm going to be a Tony Nowak Indy I jacket and my search for the holy grail is over....". (Some of us might actually save money!)That is and of itself a loaded statement for some as everyones taste definitely varies but this is my personal view on this. I know there's still a number of people that feel this is their holy grail jacket. But it does seem that there are some that are starting to see, if not THE light, then maybe A light.

Sentimentality and maybe seem guilt almost made me hold fast and not allow myself to get rid of my many other jackets (I'm down to three) but, really , how many jackets can I wear at a time. How many do I truly care to own in the same exact style. And would I truly want to wear something in my mind that was "not quite what I was looking for but good enough for me for now" now that I have the better. An analogy for me on that would be - I would love to own a 69 Plymouth Road Runner someday - matching numbers - fully restored - the whole nine yards. I'm not what you a call a car guy but as a Looney Tunes aficionado my whole life it has become my all time favorite car. For me it's just too cool for words. I've looked at quite a few in recent years and they're pretty pricey relative to what I can afford. But let's say I did what my friend has suggested and get a close enough version of that car - no matching numbers - maybe even has had work done on it that deviates from the original design of the car. It would look and drive pretty much like my much desired Road Runner and that would be pretty cool (it's gotta have a working signature Road Runner horn though!) . So I go and do this but then some time after I find a real Road Runner with matching number and the price is just about in the range that I can afford even though it's more than I wanted to spend. I now have my dream car. How likely would I personally be to drive and even keep the inferior version. For me it would be gone in a flash.

that is a beautiful jacket, I am so jealous and want one of these. I had jsut convinced myself that I was going to stop buying gear for awhile and now i see that jacket and it looks like what I've imagined a jacket from 1930 would look and be made like. I have to get one and figure out how, love your jacket you enjoy that and it's going to last you alife time.

That is one very nice jacket there G. Looks great on you. I don't think I could afford one myself at the moment since the price is so expensive. But it is well worth the money if people have that kind of dough to hand out. TN did a very nice job the second time around on your jacket.

IndianaChris

I doubt it will be THE LAST jacket people who are into all this will ever get. I'm sure that's been said about Wested's, G&B's, and even Tony's CS jacket in the past, and hasn't proven to be true for those either.

Raider S wrote:I doubt it will be THE LAST jacket people who are into all this will ever get. I'm sure that's been said about Wested's, G&B's, and even Tony's CS jacket in the past, and hasn't proven to be true for those either.

Valid point. But to play 's advocate, no other vendor had THE jacket in hand to replicate. At least not "the one that counts".......

okay....i can say with a high degree of confidence that this is IT.....for raiders jackets.....

because of all the dough i've been throwing out for this one, i haven't had a chance to put my name down for peter's TOD jacket which i know is going to be a huge hit with the COW-pokes (shane, i can't stop using that!!! ). TOD is ranked extremely close to raiders as my favourite of the bunch so i'm gonna keep my eye out on these guys as they pop up.....as well as the us wings offering.

very nice

NIBS

That's a terrific looking jacket, IG! Really spot on looking and the more I see of this leather, the more I like it. It's growing on me like a fungus. I've got a TN 1 on the way and, I have to admit, I've had some heart palpatations about it a few times. Seeing pics like these helps put my mind at rest.

i also extended the strap by 0.75" for more dangle

Ah, it were only that easy. ;-)

The use of those double prong buckles is nothing short of sheer brilliance! Add to the fact that Tony actually came through on all those requests that other vendors would have laughed aside makes this jacket nothing short of perfect in my book! This is the first time I've said this of ANY Indy jacket yet, but that jacket is it. Enough said.

G, now I'll just have to beat your track record once Indy V comes out...

Fantastic jacket

Congratulations on your Nowak Raiders G, it looks awesome!

The TN Indy 1 is fantastic (I’m wearing mine as I write this). Indy G’s is great and he’s ecstatic (obviously). And I’d be lying if I said that I never got rid of old gear after I updated. However, as great, and accurate, and well made as a TN Indy 1 is, it’s still just a lambskin jacket. I’ll never get rid of my more robust hided jackets. They've got a place too. I don't like them any less. Jackets are like women. If you can get away with having more than one, then why the #### not.

Rundquist wrote:The TN Indy 1 is fantastic (I’m wearing mine as I write this). Indy G’s is great and he’s ecstatic (obviously). And I’d be lying if I said that I never got rid of old gear after I updated. However, as great, and accurate, and well made as a TN Indy 1 is, it’s still just a lambskin jacket. I’ll never get rid of my more robust hided jackets. They've got a place too. I don't like them any less. Jackets are like women. If you can get away with having more than one, then why the #### not.

Sounds like it may be time for you to start thinking about the TN Raiders in the new hide cow he's got in the pipeline.......(grin).......Hatch

Rundquist wrote:The TN Indy 1 is fantastic (I’m wearing mine as I write this). Indy G’s is great and he’s ecstatic (obviously). And I’d be lying if I said that I never got rid of old gear after I updated. However, as great, and accurate, and well made as a TN Indy 1 is, it’s still just a lambskin jacket. I’ll never get rid of my more robust hided jackets. They've got a place too. I don't like them any less. Jackets are like women. If you can get away with having more than one, then why the #### not.

can't wait to see your presentation rundquist as you know the ins and outs of the leather jacket based on your expo experience!

my god.......we agreed on a jacket.......i guess there is hope for peace in the middle east ;-)

Rundquist wrote: Jackets are like women. If you can get away with having more than one, then why the #### not.

Because for me, it's like Clint Eastwood said, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Believe me, I know mine.

Very nice indeed.

I've read numerous posts about Tony as I work towards "my" perfect jacket and after just getting off the phone with him for the first time, all I can say is every word is true.

Congrats on achieving the dream of "your" perfect jacket.

May I get so lucky first time.

Swiftfoot

Edit: Just noticed this was a 2008 post not 2009... sigh. I've been reading searching the forums way too long. But it all still applies.

G,

It is great to see you on here......and the jacket is awesome...Can I have it??/

Really looks great on you and the hat is fantastic also.

Hope to see more of you buddy!

Ohio

This jacket... is epic.

Congrats man, when I order my Raiders from him - I'm using this one as the reference, for sure.

s.

KrYpToNiAn1 wrote:This jacket... is epic.

Congrats man, when I order my Raiders from him - I'm using this one as the reference, for sure.

s.

Something to keep in mind is, when it comes to the TN Raider jacket, you don't have to 'spec' anything other than for your personal size. The collar is already large, and already larger than the CS collar.
Those buckles would be a personal choice, I think 'G' sourced them.
The buckle Tony uses duplicate the buckle on the original jacket, or you could source some from 'hardware elf'. (There is a thread on them, and I know 'G' used them on one of his Raider jackets)



....and yes, I know this is an '08 thread, it's resurrection and float to the top will make it an active topic again.

RCSignals wrote:


....and yes, I know this is an '08 thread, it's resurrection and float to the top will make it an active topic again.

well, that depends.

Awesome Jacket, G.

Just like the namesake symbiote jacket, this thread has managed to piece itself back together again!

Well, if you're going to continue this discussion it would be nice if 'G' would post updated photos and information, as this discussion took place exactly on year ago, and no updates. So, technically he ISN'T 'back', but an old thread was drug back to the top of the section.

So, 'G', how's the jacket held up, and are you still happy with the 'redux'?

If not, let's let this thread die again, as it's being pursued without the participation of its originator. For all we know, he may not even OWN the jacket anymore.

Regards! Michaelson

nice, congrats
we need more pix
pix of you wearing it that is

Like Michaelson said.

if G doesnt keep us updated, then let this thread go back to sleep. its a year old.