Club Obi Wan

Ordered: 12-27-07 ~ Received: 1-19-10

After an arduous but patient 2-year wait, my Adventurebilt CS finally arrived Tuesday, right on time for my birthday. And what a perfect gift! I watched Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Blu-Ray and compared the fedora to every scene, and what can I say... it really is THE hat. 100% screen-accurate down to the finest detail. Seeing it on the screen is one thing, but it is quite another to have it in your hands. It may sound like a cliché, but pictures really can't do justice to this fur felt masterpiece.

Having only one other fedora to compare it with, I set the AB alongside my Swales-made Herbert Johnson Poet. The basic shape is very similar. The beaver felt AB is thinner, smoother, and more supple than its rabbit predecessor, but weight-wise, the HJ feels a bit heavier (but not by much). The ribbon looks identical to the HJ petersham, and both hats sport the distinctive flying V bow.

The AB crown has a fuller appearance when compared to the narrow, slightly tapered Herbert Johnson crown. Steve applied my original Swales brim specs to the Adventurebilt since the dimensional cut was so complimentary to my profile. Due to the un-flared side brims, the AB looks a bit wide on my head, but that is purely cosmetic. What amazes me the most about the AB is the attention to detail that Steve put into it. The hand-stitched sweatband is achieved with machine-made precision, and the glossy bridal satin liner with the pyramid logo is just the icing on the cake.

It goes without saying that the Adventurebilt is a far superior hat to the Herbert Johnson, but I am proud to own two completely screen-accurate Indiana Jones fedoras, both made by the original craftsmen. Not many people can boast that. Now, onto the pictures that everybody is dying to see. Here are a few pics of me goofing around with my hats. After owning only one fedora for the past 11 years, it is just surreal to have two of them sitting side by side. It sort of feels like I now have two girlfriends! )











Here's how the hat looks on me: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/429 ... 91f5b5.jpg


Adventurebilt CS:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/429 ... f475_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/429 ... 3700_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/429 ... 1237_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/429 ... ac7b_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/429 ... 3857_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/429 ... a3f9_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2751/429 ... c36c_o.jpg

Adventurebilt CS and Herbert Johnson Poet:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/429 ... 94f3_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/429 ... 11df_o.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4033/429 ... 5f9d_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2736/429 ... 7536_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2677/429 ... 6e98_o.jpg

P.S.- As before, I filmed a video of me opening the box, which will be forthcoming once I figure out my video editing software again!

Very cool! Both of your hats look TERRIFIC! I just love the look of that AB's felt! And as for the HJ? That has to be the best looking Poet I have yet seen! Maybe it's because Swales made it! Either way, it looks great!

Congrats on 2 GREAT looking hats!

Whipwarrior,

This is, of course a hat post. But.....the leather in your jacket?......What kind is it?....
Answer, quick ....maybe nobody will notice.
Great hat...by the way.

Thanks for the nice compliments. My jacket is a Wested CS in novapelle hide, which I distressed with fine steel wool. Right now I'm in the process of uploading the AB opening ceremony / fedora comparison video, but it's taking forever. I should have the links posted here sometime later today. Patience is a virtue (and I should know!).

As a fellow owner of a Swales-made HJ (June '99 I believe), I really like seeing it alongside the Adventurebilt. You're right, owning two hats made by the men who made them for the respective movies is a special thing. Enjoy them!

I know exactly what you mean. It's like owning the holy grail of hats... except there's TWO of them! I just got an e-mail from Steve about it. Here's what he said:

That HJ had held up great!!! Unbelievable! It still looks very, very good. Even after all these years. This HJ looks to have the better blockshape that was used on some of the HJs. So, you hit gold with that one Dale! As I said, I am envious of that hat. I wish I had bought one from Swales before he retired. Just the fact that he did the brim and that he was the original hatter, means a lot.

How funny is it that the new official Indy hatmaker is jealous of the old one!

Some of you might recall this quote in my April 14, 2008 post Wested CS - An old favorite - A new classic:

Look for a sequel video when I receive my Adventurebilt CS.

Well, I always keep my promises (well, most of the time!). Here is the grand opening of the Adventurebilt CS (in four parts):

Part 1 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... =102402788
Part 2 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... =102403981
Part 3 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... =102412436
Part 4 - http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... =102416865

Those are two great looking hats you got there! I especially like the AB That was a long wait, but I'm sure it was worth it! Also very nice jacket!

Thanks! I think with the AB, my gear quest is pretty much over, unless I find a really awesome screen-accurate CS-style Indy shirt.

Sincerest Congratulations, Dale.

That's a beautiful hat for a very loyal, very deserving Indy Fan.


Cheers,
Mitch

wow! nice hat. congrats my friend! and congrats to Steve who made this AWESOME hat. your work Steve blows me away.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the comments, especially after what was easily the longest waiting period for any piece of Indy gear that I ever bought. I think Samuel Gerard said it best in The Fugitive: "You know I'm glad. I need the rest."

How amazing to see the first and last Indy hats together, made by the hands that originally made the film hats. I'd keep them under lock and key because Fox and I are planning a covert op to break into casa WhipWarrior and steal us some hats!

Dave

LOL You've got quite a drive ahead of you, Ulloa, seeing that you're in Miami. You'd better hurry if you're going to make your move, because I'm packing up the show and heading for the west coast on Saturday morning.

"I had it, Marcus. I had it in my hand."
"What happened?"
"Belloq. Want to hear about it?"
"Not at all."

I'll be stopping by just before the QM summit then...

Dave

DR Ulloa wrote:...Fox and I are planning a covert op to break into casa WhipWarrior and steal us some hats!

Shhhush Dave... Don't you remember when we had that long talk about knowing when to use your "inside your head" voice and when to use your "outside your head voice"?

LOL!!! You two are hilarious!

No Fox, I don't remember that all! I have a hard time differentiating between inside head voices and outside head voices because the voices in my head sound like they are outside. But I don't remember any voices telling me that...are you sure you used your outside the head voice when we spoke about this?

Dave

(For those of you who don't know...Dave's ability to create confusing conversation that makes me feel like I've been spinning in circles is LEGEND
- wait for it, wait for it -

...

DARY)

Glad to keep you on your toes and yer head runnin' circles my friend. Anything to amuse the Great White North, that's what I always say!

Dave