Club Obi Wan

Hi!

I'm super excited to say that I just received my first screen-accurate Indy jacket. A few weeks ago, I saw a listing on Ebay for a used Todd's Costumes Raiders Jacket. It was listed for 200 dollars, and looked to be in pretty good condition, so I kept my eye on it. I did some measurements to see if it would be in my size, and it seemed like it would fit. Since I'm always on the lookout for a good bargain, I asked the seller if they'd be willing to go any lower than 200. At first, they weren't willing to go much lower. But, a few days later than wrote me and said they'd thought it over and were willing to give me a deal. I ended up getting the jacket for 99 dollars!!!

Here are a few photos. It fits perfectly and I'm really happy with it. (Please pardon the inaccurate pants and boots. Those two items are the last things I need to complete my gear... It's a bit embarrassing to be using regular old pants and boots for now, but oh well )






In addition to the jacket, I'm wearing a Costume Base shirt, What Price Glory bag, strap, and gunbelt, a web belt with a vintage buckle, my Todd's Costumes holster with my HFC airsoft gun inside, gloves found at Tractor Supply which I weathered, and my own hand made Raiders hat. I've improved a lot in my skills since I made that hat and I'll be making a new Raiders hat for myself next month.

Now we come to the not so fun part... The jacket arrived with one small tear in the leather. I'm not upset about it, since I got the jacket for 99 bucks, for crying out loud. But I was wondering if anyone has an idea how I could repair this. I want to repair it myself, but I'm not sure what the best method is.

But anyways, I'm very very excited to have an accurate jacket in my Indy gear collection. I hope you all enjoy the photos!

-WNY Indy

WNY, congratulations on the jacket which looks great on you and what a bargain!

As for the tear, the only thing I can suggest is taking it to a specialist tailor to see if they can fix it. Other than that I'm at a loss, but I'm sure other members here will have an idea of what to do.

WNY, that fits you very well, I’ve owned a Todd’s and he sell a good jacket.
Fit is spot on.
Your gear, wrong pants, phhht, it all looks awesome.

The repair, find a good seamstress, some work with leather, they’ll no how to fix it.

And l ove the hat to.



Croft

Echoing what has already been said, a Todd’s jacket for $99 that looks like it was custom made is the steal of the century!

A bit ago a friend had a similar small rip in his Indy jacket. I suggested Arrow Leather Care and when he contacted them they suggested this leather glue for a DIY option.

https://a.co/d/7lX2WH8


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Awesome stuff!

As for the tear. I ahve had similiar ones. If you know your way around with sewing thread. I suggest cutting upen a small slit in the lining. once open cut a piece of cloth or leather and fix it over the tear from the inside. a backing so to speak. Use leather cement glue. Then sew the lining shut.

Good luck

OR
You could repair it DoD style.



Then you'd be screen accurate to something Indy would do.

Croft

Canyon wrote: ↑Fri Apr 04, 2025 6:54 pm WNY, congratulations on the jacket which looks great on you and what a bargain!

As for the tear, the only thing I can suggest is taking it to a specialist tailor to see if they can fix it. Other than that I'm at a loss, but I'm sure other members here will have an idea of what to do.

Thank you! I'm very happy with how it looks as well. I was scared it would be way too big or way too small, but it ended up fitting great.

-WNY Indy

Indiana Croft wrote: ↑Fri Apr 04, 2025 7:39 pm WNY, that fits you very well, I’ve owned a Todd’s and he sell a good jacket.
Fit is spot on.
Your gear, wrong pants, phhht, it all looks awesome.

The repair, find a good seamstress, some work with leather, they’ll no how to fix it.

And l ove the hat to.



Croft

Thank you! I had heard good things about Todd's Jacket and couldn't pass up the deal. I'm glad the Todd's jacket passes the Croft stamp of approval- all the pictures of your jackets were an inspiration to me while I was jacketless And as I said, I'm super happy with the fit. Glad you like all the other gear, even if the pants are wrong

Thanks for complimenting the hat it always means so much to me when people like my work. There's more where that hat came from, because now I can't stop making them

-WNY Indy

Indiana Jeff wrote: ↑Fri Apr 04, 2025 10:29 pm Echoing what has already been said, a Todd’s jacket for $99 that looks like it was custom made is the steal of the century!

A bit ago a friend had a similar small rip in his Indy jacket. I suggested Arrow Leather Care and when he contacted them they suggested this leather glue for a DIY option.

https://a.co/d/7lX2WH8


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Thanks! I thought it was a pretty great steal, too. My family was a bit confused when I said $99 was cheap for an Indy jacket... I don't think they understand that some Indy jackets go for $600 or more

The leather glue looks like a great option. I looked up a few tutorials on how to use it and I think I might go that route. Thanks for the tip

-WNY Indy

Holt wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 7:45 am Awesome stuff!

As for the tear. I ahve had similiar ones. If you know your way around with sewing thread. I suggest cutting upen a small slit in the lining. once open cut a piece of cloth or leather and fix it over the tear from the inside. a backing so to speak. Use leather cement glue. Then sew the lining shut.

Good luck

Thanks for the tip! What you described seems like it might be the best route for a DIY fix. I'm super comfortable with sewing all kinds of things after my years of historic reenacting and the last two years of hat making and combining the leather glue and a leather backing seems like a solid way to fix the hole. I found a small patch of some 3-4 oz. lambskin on Etsy for a decent price. Do you think that would work as a backing?

-WNY Indy

Indiana Croft wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 1:45 pm OR
You could repair it DoD style.

Then you'd be screen accurate to something Indy would do.

Croft

I’d thought about doing that. I really like the look of that repair in DoD. I might need to look into it and see how it’s done.

-WNY Indy

Western New York Indy wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 2:29 pm

Holt wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 7:45 am Awesome stuff!

As for the tear. I ahve had similiar ones. If you know your way around with sewing thread. I suggest cutting upen a small slit in the lining. once open cut a piece of cloth or leather and fix it over the tear from the inside. a backing so to speak. Use leather cement glue. Then sew the lining shut.

Good luck

Thanks for the tip! What you described seems like it might be the best route for a DIY fix. I'm super comfortable with sewing all kinds of things after my years of historic reenacting and the last two years of hat making and combining the leather glue and a leather backing seems like a solid way to fix the hole. I found a small patch of some 3-4 oz. lambskin on Etsy for a decent price. Do you think that would work as a backing?

-WNY Indy

I have done a similar repair on a leather bag. I pinched the cut open to expose the inner edges and either used the applicator or a toothpick to apply the glue. Then glued a small piece of flexible leather to the back of the repair worked great. Lamb will certainly be soft and pliable and should work great. My experience, the glue works very good as it binds the leather fibers together to crest a solid bond.

Looks great! You are well on your way!

Whoooa, your jacket looks awesome and it was quite a bargain! Congratulations on the find.

And you look great with your whole Indy outfit. The pants and boots fit very well, too, you chose them well.

To paraphrase Rohrshack: "Great to see you in uniform, WNY Indy!".

Also digging the whip, who's the maker?

Cheers,
Bear

Charybdis wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 10:01 pm Looks great! You are well on your way!

Thank you!

-WNY Indy

bearbeast wrote: ↑Sun Apr 06, 2025 11:08 am Whoooa, your jacket looks awesome and it was quite a bargain! Congratulations on the find.

And you look great with your whole Indy outfit. The pants and boots fit very well, too, you chose them well.

To paraphrase Rohrshack: "Great to see you in uniform, WNY Indy!".

Also digging the whip, who's the maker?

Cheers,
Bear

Thank you!

I'm glad you like the full gear shots! I'm still working on collecting the last few pieces of gear, but I'm pretty happy with how it all looks at this point. It's a lot of fun to have another piece of gear I can wear on a daily basis. I already wear my Fed IV most days, and now I will able to throw a jacket into the mix too! I will probably upgrade my boots to Westeds at some point, and I'm still undecided on what maker I'd like to use for the pants. We shall have to see...

The whip is one of those junky Amazon whips that I bought before I knew any better It's a ten footer made out of dark brown nylon and looks okay as a belt hanger, even though it doesn't crack well. Most people never know the difference, as it usually just stays on my belt when I'm in gear. But as someone who does know the difference, I need to get something that will look like Indy's whip and also crack well... So I will be replacing it with a nylon Raiders whip I'll make myself, hopefully in the next few months! I've been waiting for the right color paracord to get restocked, as I already had 100 feet of it, but I want to get more than enough so I don't run out halfway through the process.

-WNY Indy

Western New York Indy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 07, 2025 8:19 am

bearbeast wrote: ↑Sun Apr 06, 2025 11:08 am Whoooa, your jacket looks awesome and it was quite a bargain! Congratulations on the find.

And you look great with your whole Indy outfit. The pants and boots fit very well, too, you chose them well.

To paraphrase Rohrshack: "Great to see you in uniform, WNY Indy!".

Also digging the whip, who's the maker?

Cheers,
Bear

Thank you!

I'm glad you like the full gear shots! I'm still working on collecting the last few pieces of gear, but I'm pretty happy with how it all looks at this point. It's a lot of fun to have another piece of gear I can wear on a daily basis. I already wear my Fed IV most days, and now I will able to throw a jacket into the mix too! I will probably upgrade my boots to Westeds at some point, and I'm still undecided on what maker I'd like to use for the pants. We shall have to see...

The whip is one of those junky Amazon whips that I bought before I knew any better It's a ten footer made out of dark brown nylon and looks okay as a belt hanger, even though it doesn't crack well. Most people never know the difference, as it usually just stays on my belt when I'm in gear. But as someone who does know the difference, I need to get something that will look like Indy's whip and also crack well... So I will be replacing it with a nylon Raiders whip I'll make myself, hopefully in the next few months! I've been waiting for the right color paracord to get restocked, as I already had 100 feet of it, but I want to get more than enough so I don't run out halfway through the process.

-WNY Indy

Oh, the hat and jacket is a great combo, even when worn with non-indy clothes, it is just an awesome look. I really liked the KDG cotton versions. I still have them, but they are way too big. I wish Adam would do another run so I could get them in my size. Otherwise, I think most of the makers out there are putting out awesome versions, which for me are screen accurate enough. And the Wested boots are GREAT, you'll be very happy with them.

My eyes tricked me, your whip looks great on the belt. But I am really looking forward to see the one you make. And you'll love cracking it. There is something really special, cracking a whip that you made yourself, it's quite the experience.

Cheers,
Bear

Getting a great bargain makes the acquisition even sweeter. As for the damage, since you're brave enough to tackle hat-making, I have faith you'll figure out how to fix that rip. Lookin' good overall, now on with the hunt for the pants and boots you want.

Speaking of boots, if you're not eager to shell out many hundreds for Aldens, J Crew's Kenton Pacer boots are about 98% identical to Aldens and went for around $300 new. Although they're now gone from Crew's website, depending on your shoe size, you can find gently used Pacer boots on eBay, Poshmark.com and Mercari.com in $75-150 price range. Definitely worth looking for.

Good score! Your build is coming along nicely.

There's no need to apologize or add disclaimers for any piece of your build that's not 100% screen accurate. I did that too when I first joined, and I can tell you from experience that no one here is grading your costume.

You will not find a more welcoming or helpful Indy community online than the group we have here at COW. We all started somewhere, and we know the process is a gradual one. Heck, that's what makes it fun! What matters is getting your build/collection to a point where YOU are satisfied with it. It's an ongoing quest for all of us, and we're here to help each other get there. It's obvious from your recent posts that you are well on your way. Enjoy the process!

bearbeast wrote: ↑Mon Apr 07, 2025 9:01 am
Oh, the hat and jacket is a great combo, even when worn with non-indy clothes, it is just an awesome look. I really liked the KDG cotton versions. I still have them, but they are way too big. I wish Adam would do another run so I could get them in my size. Otherwise, I think most of the makers out there are putting out awesome versions, which for me are screen accurate enough. And the Wested boots are GREAT, you'll be very happy with them.

My eyes tricked me, your whip looks great on the belt. But I am really looking forward to see the one you make. And you'll love cracking it. There is something really special, cracking a whip that you made yourself, it's quite the experience.

Cheers,
Bear

Yeah, I love wearing my hats whenever I get the chance and will probably be adding the jacket once I can get it patched up and when the weather is a bit nicer. It's still snowing here in New York and much too cold for anything other than a big old winter coat. I've heard great things about KDG and I've been keeping an eye on his Classic Adventure shirt and his trouser offerings. His stuff looks super nice!

The whip looks pretty convincing on the belt, but the fact that it doesn't really crack is the real let down for me. It works nicely for when I wear gear on Halloween or something and just want a prop that I can zip tie so it doesn't come unfurled. But I'm excited to eventually have something that looks the part, cracks, and I made myself. It might take a few tries before I can get something that is really high quality, but we'll have to see.

-WNY Indy

Howard Weinstein wrote: ↑Mon Apr 07, 2025 10:06 pm Getting a great bargain makes the acquisition even sweeter. As for the damage, since you're brave enough to tackle hat-making, I have faith you'll figure out how to fix that rip. Lookin' good overall, now on with the hunt for the pants and boots you want.

Speaking of boots, if you're not eager to shell out many hundreds for Aldens, J Crew's Kenton Pacer boots are about 98% identical to Aldens and went for around $300 new. Although they're now gone from Crew's website, depending on your shoe size, you can find gently used Pacer boots on eBay, Poshmark.com and Mercari.com in $75-150 price range. Definitely worth looking for.

For sure! I love finding good deals on gear. I should be getting the repair done in the next week. Between hat making and my experience as a historical reenactor, I've done a lot of sewing and repairing, so hopefully it will go smoothly.

I've seen some used pairs of the Kenton Pacer boots kicking around .They look nice and there are definitely some great deals out there! For me, who isn't super interested in paying a ton for Aldens, it's a toss up between the Kenton Pacer boots and the Wested Boots.

-WNY Indy

Indiana Jon wrote: ↑Tue Apr 08, 2025 10:04 am Good score! Your build is coming along nicely.

There's no need to apologize or add disclaimers for any piece of your build that's not 100% screen accurate. I did that too when I first joined, and I can tell you from experience that no one here is grading your costume.

You will not find a more welcoming or helpful Indy community online than the group we have here at COW. We all started somewhere, and we know the process is a gradual one. Heck, that's what makes it fun! What matters is getting your build/collection to a point where YOU are satisfied with it. It's an ongoing quest for all of us, and we're here to help each other get there. It's obvious from your recent posts that you are well on your way. Enjoy the process!

Thanks! I'm happy with the progress I've made, and enjoyed every minute of collecting gear so far.

I see what you mean, I probably should've gone without the disclaimer. I just didn't want it to seem like I didn't know any better- I definitely do, I just haven't gotten around to those last two bits of gear yet I agree, this community is certainly the most welcoming and kind of any that I have come across online. And it is without a doubt the best resource for Indy gear info. The fact that everyone has their own idea of their favorite gear/vendors/movie look and doesn't judge anyone else for their opinions is what makes this hobby great. If there was no variety in gear, it would get boring fast

Eventually, I hope to get to the point where everything is as close to screen accurate as it can be, but that's still a work in progress. I've only been at this for about five years, and for the first two years I just went around used clothing stores collecting a "general look" (Generic safari shirt, generic leather jacket, etc.) so there is definitely a long gear collecting journey ahead. Right now, I'm happy with where I'm at. If I can get pants and boots, I think I will feel good about my Raiders gear and only think about upgrading the shirt. The Costume Base shirt is great, and certainly worth 30 bucks, but I'd like to get a KDG shirt at some point. Then on to another movie

-WNY Indy

Indiana Croft wrote: ↑Sat Apr 05, 2025 1:45 pm OR
You could repair it DoD style.



Then you'd be screen accurate to something Indy would do.

Croft

This was my thought too lol. Love that DoD jacket do you like it and the leather thickness? I pulled the trigger on one for the summer and waiting in anticipation now….