Are the Wested 919/Chris King and "Hero" patterns the same?

[Arch Stanton]

Just to be preemptive, yes, I tried the search function. It's not my friend. And after reading through 40 pages I've decided to just ask.

What is the difference between the RotLA Tony Nowak "Hero" pattern and the 919/Chris King/80s pattern?

I read about a taper in the arm of the Hero, but was under the impression that the Raiders jacket was a pretty slim fit throughout, including the arms. Like a fitted shirt. That is more along the lines of what I'm looking for.

Can someone also explain why it's only available in shrunken lamb hide? Is it meant to be more of a costume piece?

[Tibor]

I think the biggest difference is the Tony Nowak captured the "fall off the shoulders" effect by moving the top shoulder seams back. So that makes it wear longer than the 80s pattern so you have to adjust the length accordingly.

As for the Hero only available in shrunken lamb... It's available in any leather they have. Look to the right and click on the other jacket. You can select other hides with the same pattern.

[Gorak]

And this current shrunken lamb from Wested is definitely not "costume" leather!

[WConly]

Ok! Now...and this is only for my clarification - what is the '919/Chris King/80s pattern' of which is mentioned here? Only, because this is one I have no recall of. Thanks. W>

[IndyBrit]

I have a hero jacket and a ROLA so called 80s cut which was an OTR purchase some years back. ( Wested no longer make the latter). The main difference is the off the shoulder look and effect.

[CM]

The King jacket was a fan's idea of right specs made by Wested. It was good. The Nowak was based on a film used jacket. Much better and the basis of Wested's hero, the Bill Kelso and I understand later Todd jackets.

[Michaelson]

Here's the oldest discussion I could find that took place here as he was developing one of his jackets with Peter.

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... Chris+King" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regard! Michaelson

[CM]

Lovely; thanks M reminds me of good old times.

[Michaelson]

[Texan Scott]

I think it should be noted that the TN acquisition (loan) was a groundbreaker, and so what spun out of it? Well, besides the TN Raiders, the BK Relic Hunter, Wested Hero and the S&J Cazadora. In terms of accuracy, the S&J is the only pattern that remains untouched. IMO the Hero is somewhat of a caricature of the (2 main) film jackets in the sense that some of the details have been slightly exaggerated, meaning the pockets/pocket flaps are wider, as is the collar. The main Hero film jacket did not have a super wide collar and the flaps were not wider either. With other repros, the film jacket flaps were not pointed. All of that to say that it just depends on what you are looking for in a jacket, one that strives for complete SA, or one that retains the flavor, but is somewhat more comfortable...avoiding vendor bias. Simply look at the stills, then what the vendors offer, then make your choice.

[Arch Stanton]

It's funny how clarification can just get me more confused.

The Hero jacket does not seem to be customizable. e.g. gussets under the arms. I feel silly asking, but if I just choose the "custom" option could I not just say that I want a Hero but with gussets? That would still be "custom", correct?

And is it safe to assume that shrunken lamb will not shrink much more?

Is there perhaps a thread that breaks down the pros and cons of each individual skin that goes beyond what Wested's site says?

And this current shrunken lamb from Wested is definitely not "costume" leather!

Now I'm sort under the impression that the shrunken lamb has the same drape as the lamb but is a bit more tougher. Not sure if this is true or false.

Sorry for the nitpicky questions, but I guess that's what this hobby is all about. I've spent so much time focusing on the hat that I'm just now, after many years, getting around to focusing on the jacket.

‘Crispe’ Lambskin: Known to many of you as the skin with bubbles, the grain and texture of this skin is very unique and of course being lambskin makes it lightweight and soft.

Authentic Lambskin: Used in our standard jackets, soft, lightweight, durable – the perfect skin for that casual jacket your wardrobe is missing.

Soft Cowhide: Otherwise known as Soft Seal Brown Cowhide, for a cowhide this is a very lightweight leather, the colouring is slightly darker than the Authentic lambskin and not as shiny.

Goatskin: Used in our standard jackets, the main beauty of Goatskin is the beautiful grain the comes with it, it sits between Lamb and Cow on the weight front of things.

Pre-Distressed Cowhide: Used in our standard jackets, the hide can vary in colour depending on which skin is in stock at the time, please don’t be afraid to ask for a picture of the current skin.
Dark Brown Lambskin: Similar to our Authentic Lambskin in everything but colour

Horse Hide: The thickest leather available for the Hero, the coloring is very rich on this hide with a lovely fine grain to it.

[Tibor]

The Hero has gussets as standard.

And yes, the shrunken lamb is a bit tougher than the regular lamb and it drapes very well, but if you were wanting nit-picky, the dark lamb and authentic lamb both drape a slight bit more.

As for shrinking, in normal wear it will not...now get it soaked, and I have no idea. It wouldn't surprise me if it shrunk more then. It is not a coated leather and will absorb water pretty readily. A lot would depend on the conditions under which it dries.

[Gorak]

I soaked my shrunken lamb and it did shrink alittle but no more than any of my other jackets that I soaked. I like to think of it as more of " shrink to fit" than actually getting tiny. It just tends to hug the body more than when you first put it on fresh outta the box.
And the shrunken lamb more closely resembles the jacket add it appears in the blue ray behind the scenes. .... More reddish than black, if you will. Under certain lighting and film and filters it will appear just as dark as the one on film did. The Dark Brown Lamb and Authentic Lamb will appear as the on screen jacket did to the naked eye on an every day basis.... If that makes any sense. And between those two, the Authentic Lamb would probly resemble the film jacket a little more closely especially after some distressing.......but the Dark Brown Lamb is still the most comfortable " you can wear it everyday , everywhere" jacket I have EVER experienced!