Back to the Future II: Marty's Jacket (the holy grail of BTTF props)

I am collaborating with friend and fellow RPF member "Jack Bauer" to develop the most authentic looking 'Marty Jr.' jacket replica ever produced.
I understand there has been no-such-luck with previous interested fans in reproducing this very special wardrobe piece, mainly due to the fact that the material used to make this jacket has always been irritatingly illusive, and that has always been the X factor in nailing this jacket.
As of this posting, I am knee-deep in the research phase and have already identified the red 'bumpy' material and how we will go about reproducing it. The wrist and waistband parts have also been decided on and we are planning on getting some molds made within the next few months.
I have already began developing a theory on how I plan on construcing the gray portion of the jacket, as well as adding sound FX from the movie.
I understand there will be a huge interest in this project.
Keep in mind, that initially we are making jackets for ourselves. We have already discussed the financial magnitude of the investment it will take to make JUST ONE jacket, not to mention labor.
At this time, please do NOT inquire about how much we would sell them for as selling these jackets is not the priority at this point, and when the time comes that we have completed a prototype, we may find that the cost and labor that was put into it would not be cost or time effective enough to offer a run.
I will keep this thread posted as much as I can, but things are going to move SLOWLY as I continue to generate funds to invest in the plethora of materials we are going to need to pull it off....

I don't think I've ever subscribed to a thread faster!

This sounds like it's going to be an amazing project. Can't wait to see this progress!

Good luck!

-Nick

This is one of the reasons I got into props to begin with. Good luck to you, I hope you can get further than previous efforts have.

booshman said:

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This is one of the reasons I got into props to begin with. Good luck to you, I hope you can get further than previous efforts have.

My collaborator and I both agree that the main reason why most have tried and given up on this is mainly due to the illusive nature of the red material.
Since we have identified what was used, we are confident an authentic-looking reproduction can be fabricated - we just need time, money and patience.
There is going to be a learning curve to overcome as on my end, I will be working with rubber compounds and will be overseeing the pattern design and construction phase with a seamstress that is a friendly with my family. Hopefully, I can get her to do the work for a reasonable rate

Looking forward to seeing your progress

GeneralFROSTY said:

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My collaborator and I both agree that the main reason why most have tried and given up on this is mainly due to the illusive nature of the red material.
Since we have identified what was used, we are confident an authentic-looking reproduction can be fabricated - we just need time, money and patience.
There is going to be a learning curve to overcome as on my end, I will be working with rubber compounds and will be overseeing the pattern design and construction phase with a seamstress that is a friendly with my family. Hopefully, I can get her to do the work for a reasonable rate

Good to hear you have a solid basis to start from. Most of the threads I've seen over the years have been people only getting as far as which bathmat would be a good match with the jacket material. I'll be keeping a patient eye on this thread, this is an item people have been hoping to see reproduced for over 20 years, best to take your time an do it justice.

All the best!

It's funny how in all these years, people have been looking for rubber mats and the like for the jacket - I'm pretty confident I have what we need.
I have some liquid silicone leftover from my Joker scar appliances, so I will use that tomorrow to test out the mold and see what it looks like...

GeneralFROSTY said:

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>>>>clip<<<< I am knee-deep in the research phase and have already identified the red 'bumpy' material and how we will go about reproducing it. >>>>clip<<<<

I'm not really familiar with the jacket. Is it the same kind of material that is being sought for the Goomba shirt? The shirt in blue, the jacket in red--some kind of material with rubber bumps on it??

Shylaah

No, this material is different.
I will post some pics in the next day or so....

Good for you Frosty! I can't wait to see some updates. Though I am not into this prop as I should be (since I LOVE BTTF) I have always admired the people that have researched the red-bumpy material. I hope you will reveal what it is as it is killing me to know if you really found out what they used! Good job man.

Hi GeneralFROSTY,

PM me your e-mail address, I have good close up shots of the screen used jacket. I am definately down for one & it will look great with my McFlys

GeneralFROSTY said:

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No, this material is different.
I will post some pics in the next day or so....

Look forward to seeing those.

I have often wished there was a "Library of Congress" for textiles, some monstrous archive where would be stored every class and kind of every fabric ever made........but, alas all we have is our wits and brute force research!!

Good luck with the jacket/s project. It's gonna be a smashing hit especially with the run up to the 25th anniv in Oct.

Shylaah

I have some of those up-close shots. The one that is up close on the chest pocket is quite revealing.
I'm investigating what rubber material was used for the gray areas. My original thought was that the sleeves were molded in rubber. I have since changed my opinion that everything may have been sewn together then coated with a rubber compound.
If I cannot find a suitable dublicate for the gray rubber I will be going with a gray colored neoprene, which should look great with the red material.
I'm at the shop today and pulled a small sample from the mold. Looks good, I just need to order some red pigment and take the next step...
Pictures coming tonght...

* Drools * I'll definitely be watching this project closely.. And I'll go grab my sleeping bag to start camping out in line..

Jedifyfe said:

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Good for you Frosty! I can't wait to see some updates. Though I am not into this prop as I should be (since I LOVE BTTF) I have always admired the people that have researched the red-bumpy material. I hope you will reveal what it is as it is killing me to know if you really found out what they used! Good job man.

As speculated in the previous jacket thread, we are going with the overhead light panel cover for our mold of the red material. Is this what was actually used for the real jacket? Maybe, maybe not - however, it is without a doubt the absolute closest thing I have seen in all these years of researching.
Like many before me, I had spent countless of hours in front of my computer screen scouring the internet for rubber materials - mats, synthetic rubber sheets, rubberized fabric, etc...
in all that time, nothing has come even close to the level of likeness when compared to molding the light cover.
I will try and get a photo posted later of the sample I pulled today. I only had clear silicone, so I used red enamel paint on it just to see what it looks like.
When I invest in more supplies, I am planning on doing two layers of rubber - the first will be the red silicone, fallowed by a thin layer of dark gray behind it. The bumpy material will be glued overtop the neoprene main body of the jacket.
I can't promise I can get it to look like the real thing, but I will try to get it to look as authentic as possible...

Hey Frosty...

Glad to see you still are keeping this going. Its been a while since we have talked.. I have made a tad of progress on this project Ill post some pics tonight when i get home... I think you will like what you see...

DocBrown88 said:

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Hey Frosty...

Glad to see you still are keeping this going. Its been a while since we have talked.. I have made a tad of progress on this project Ill post some pics tonight when i get home... I think you will like what you see...

The more help, the better...
Here is my test sample, made with Smooth-on 'skin-tite- leftover from my Joker scars. I painted them red just to see how it will look. The final product will be molded in the appropriate color with another layer behind it.

Looks like a promising start!

booshman said:

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Looks like a promising start!

I agree.
Can I offer a tip?

pour your silicone into the mold and use a rubber squeegee to drag and rub it all into the forms and shapes. Make sure you don't top off the mold. Once the first color is set, red/orange....then you want to mix up a dark green and apply it over the cured red base. Again, use a squeegee to to smear it all into the mold and do well to cover all the base red color. When you demold it, the dark green is in the deepest part of the recessed diamond shapes.
That's how I made my first full sheets to which I had the darndest time getting proper fabric houses to replicate in bulk using vinyl as the rubber diamond print. I had give or take 200 yrds of this stuff made up in various lots, dyes and effects. Some good, some great...but not consistent enough for me to commit to doing on a large scale.
From where I'm standing you're on the right track. Use a good platinum silicone and stay around the 30-40 shore. Body Double is not suited for this...but a lot of other Smooth-On plat silicone's are.

Get the red orange base in the mold without topping it up...and cover it with the dark green and you'll be 99% of the way there.

Trust me.........I've been there.........

Good luck bud.

David

Pretty darn close. Nice!

GeneralFROSTY said:

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So not to hijack Frosty's thread but him and i have been pm-ing back and forth and he asked me to post here instead of starting a new thread... So, I have been working on this project for about 4 years now and am in the process of assembling the very first screen accurate jacket... I hadnt been on the RPF for a long time until a friend forwarded me this link today... Im excited that there is still so much interest in this jacket... I hate to ruin a suprise but it seemed appropriate to let you guys in on what i have been working on... This jacket was sort of unofficially going to unveiled in a few promo videos to help my buddy Ken promote his BTTF event in November, but here is a sneak peek... Over the past year i have had the chance to spend several hours with one of the screen used jackets and talk to the creator of the jacket for BTTF2... He confirmed the methods i used to create this jacket and was completely flattered that people are even interested... What i can tell you is the screen used jacket was entirely crafted by hand... And you guys are right... The material was made using a flourescent light cover. Here is a quick picture before i run out the door... I threw together some left over remnants of some jacket material and sleeve material... forgive the lighting, i had to take this with my video camera...

Thank you for taking the time to post that photo - very impressive looking work.
To say I have a few questions is an understatement.
-What kind of rubber is used for the gray part,
-Was the 'bumpy' material molded in red, painted black, then the black rubbed off the raised areas? How did you achieve the dark recessed areas?
-Were the cuffs/waistband ribbing fabricated from a 'found' item, or scratch built?
If you could answer these questions - which have been knawing at me like an animal, it would relieve a huge stress from me.
I will be sending you a PM....
Thanks again for sharing! I believe I speak for all who are interested in this jacket when I express a very sincere THANK YOU!

Hi

New to this forum and new to prop building in general.

Although not a prop i am interested in producing myself anything BTTF does.

Just my thoughts but does this material not remind any one else of Grip Mat you know the stuff you put on you dash board to stop your sunglasses phone etc. sliding around. For example Imageshack - 1434383yk9.jpg - Uploaded by rutmark this does come in red aswell.

Just my thoughts any way good luck with your project.

I have seen Ed's progress on this jacket last time I was out in California and it was truly impressive!

can't wait to get the finished product on my back!

ef the whe! (inside joke)

David, I met you last year at the Fan Expo and we talked briefly about this before I started drooling over your Batman motorcycle outfit ... i was the Marty McFly that lost all composure and started getting pics of me in the Batman jacket! LOVE IT! wish you were making more, as i finally convinced wifey to thinking this was a good idea, and your orders closed up

GeneralFrosty, are you working with David to try to make these commercially available?

Wow DocBrown88, that material looks fantastic! I'm very jealous you got to see the original and quiz the creator.

The original prop looks a bit rough around the edges in close-up to me (the moulded waistband in particular). Is this due to deteriation over time, or just how it was produced?

I only mention this since the blu rays are due in October, 1080P may show up these defects, if they were there from the beginning.