Club Obi Wan

First game of the World Cup and with it, something new to talk about....

One of the small pleasures in life is to receive a brand new leather jacket in the mail!

I mean, can I get a shout out?!!

A new batch of Shrunken Lambskin recently arrived at the Barn. Possibly Wested has never been closer to matching the actual Raiders film leather, as its more recent offering of Shrunken Lamb, in terms of the tanning method, ie veg tanned in the rough.

Believe it or not, there were some specs about the Wested's of old, that were very true to film, especially the RoLA pattern in terms of the collar and pockets, and if you spec'ed it rightly and if they honored your requests, you had a heck of a repro. I sought to have them reproduce some of these details in this newest version. To me, the RoLA is a great fitting pattern, while still retaining the flavor. Here are a few pics., pre-Hero project:





*pics and review to follow when it arrives.

I received in may my Wested Hero Rola in SL and I love it. Quite different from the other hero I bought six months ago. Same jacket, but different size.

The new one is darker and it doesn't have that plastic look right out the box. And it has a great texture too.

You are going to love it

Texan Scott wrote:First game of the World Cup and with it, something new to talk about....

One of the small pleasures in life is to receive a brand new leather jacket in the mail!

I mean, can I get a shout out?!!

A new batch of Shrunken Lambskin recently arrived at the Barn. Possibly Wested has never been closer to matching the actual Raiders film leather, as its more recent offering of Shrunken Lamb, in terms of the tanning method, ie veg tanned in the rough.

Believe it or not, there were some specs about the Wested's of old, that were very true to film, especially the RoLA pattern in terms of the collar and pockets, and if you spec'ed it rightly and if they honored your requests, you had a heck of a repro. I sought to have them reproduce some of these details in this newest version. To me, the RoLA is a great fitting pattern, while still retaining the flavor. Here are a few pics., pre-Hero project:





*pics and review to follow when it arrives.

If that'S a ROLA why does it have press studs on the stormflap?

What's different about the new batch of SL compared to previous batches? Colour? Texture? weight??

I'll know soon, but the jacket in the photos was a custom RoLA that I bought pre-Hero project. I had hidden snaps added. They are invaluable, especially at the hem, to keep the flap closed. Not SA, but its functional.

Ah, I see. Definitely interested in seeing the new SL. The previous batches haven't grabbed me - mostly due to the colour - but I like the idea of it, being veg-tanned.

I'm really looking forward to your review. I have been looking for a New Indy jacket for sometime, but haven't been able to pull the trigger. Maybe something with the new SL will make my decision for me.

I'm always following the Wested threads as I am definitely purchasing a custom RotLA jacket just on the fence about the leather.

Hopefully it will arrive in the next few days and we'll have a better understanding. From the photos I was sent it looks like an outstanding leather.

I was in a slight dilemma about how to write this review, so I just kept putting it off. Here's the story.

I decided to order a new SL jacket using the RoLA pattern, because the fit is much more comfortable, and relatively close to what you see on film, minus a few tweaks, such as the "off the shoulders" effect, etc. As per the days gone by, you have to spec the major details to get what you want. I was informed that their best leather technician was on it, so I looked forward with confidence to the finished product.

As mentioned in another thread....the older batch of SL was slightly on the heavy and thicker side for lamb, and stiff, until broken in. Probably that aspect of it was much like the film jacket. Had it been a darker color, it would have been a home run.

This leather is from the newest batch and the skin was tanned darker, has more rusty undertones, and is very soft out of the box. Weight wise, its about the same, maybe slightly lighter. In terms of just the skin, and not in comparison to the film jacket, its amazing leather. Some of the best I'd ever received from the barn.

These shots will give you a better idea of the skin and its texture....











The end result is that I have a RoLA jacket made with arguably one of the best skins that has ever come out of the barn. My thinking was that, ok, we have the original maker...30 plus years of making Raiders jackets....the Hero project is more than 3-4 years old now....because I did not specify my custom dimensions on the yoke, it was made to be wider. The end result is the because it is so wide, the action pleats are always flared open....

Go figure! Well, I almost got what I wanted.

Go figure! Well, I almost got what I wanted.

I think that should be the motto of this hobby!
The hide looks nice. It'd be interesting to see the grain pop in a couple of months. Regarding the pleat flare, do they still elasticate the back at all? I found on my latest purchase from the clearance section that although it was it was actually too wide. I had to unstitch the lining and tighten it up by an inch or two, and while I had it open I put a couple more bands in to control the lower back section as well.

Texan Scott wrote:
[

Since when does Wested make the hero with the back pannel edge aligned with the shoulder seam ???

That's not a Hero jacket. It is a modified ROLA.

Texan Scott wrote:I was in a slight dilemma about how to write this review, so I just kept putting it off. Here's the story.

I decided to order a new SL jacket using the RoLA pattern, because the fit is much more comfortable, and relatively close to what you see on film, minus a few tweaks, such as the "off the shoulders" effect, etc. As per the days gone by, you have to spec the major details to get what you want. I was informed that their best leather technician was on it, so I looked forward with confidence to the finished product.

As mentioned in another thread....the older batch of SL was slightly on the heavy and thicker side for lamb, and stiff, until broken in. Probably that aspect of it was much like the film jacket. Had it been a darker color, it would have been a home run.

This leather is from the newest batch and the skin was tanned darker, has more rusty undertones, and is very soft out of the box. Weight wise, its about the same, maybe slightly lighter. In terms of just the skin, and not in comparison to the film jacket, its amazing leather. Some of the best I'd ever received from the barn.

These shots will give you a better idea of the skin and its texture....





The end result is that I have a RoLA jacket made with arguably one of the best skins that has ever come out of the barn. My thinking was that, ok, we have the original maker...30 plus years of making Raiders jackets....the Hero project is more than 3-4 years old now....because I did not specify my custom dimensions on the yoke, it was made to be wider. The end result is the because it is so wide, the action pleats are always flared open....

Go figure! Well, I almost got what I wanted.

Really like this one ... Well done Tex. If you order a replacement, keep me in mind. That said, if you hadn't told us otherwise, I would have sworn it was a really soft goatskin by the grain. And I noticed the bottom hidden snap in the wind flap. Sneaky.

Don't worry, Tibor, I'll give it to you!

Made the old school, RoLA way. Don't forget your list of specs. A few specs that have become staples in my orders are the hidden snap at the bottom of the storm flap and antique brass zip. Sometimes members (Diego) like to cry non-SA... but originally, I think Peter sourced silver colored zips, but they painted them to prevent the zips from being so shiny. The color and self lube aspects of antique brass just makes it a better choice in my opinion.

Texan Scott wrote:Don't worry, Tibor, I'll give it to you!

Made the old school, RoLA way. Don't forget your list of specs. A few specs that have become staples in my orders are the hidden snap at the bottom of the storm flap and antique brass zip. Sometimes members (Diego) like to cry non-SA... but originally, I think Peter sourced silver colored zips, but they painted them to prevent the zips from being so shiny. The color and self lube aspects of antique brass just makes it a better choice in my opinion.

Excellent!

Great looking jacket, Texan....looks good on you too. I totally love this SL of Wested. I was a little ruffled by the intense grain when you look at it up close but as I wore and distressed it, it became more and more beautiful. The brown color doesnt bother me as I feel it is right on point with the behind the scenes jacket. This baby of yours is going to look fantastic with a little wear and tear but im sure you know that as this is not your first rodeo!
keep us updated as you break it in!