Captain Jack Harkness WIP

Daze

New Member
Okay, here goes... posting my first WIP thread on the RPF...

CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS

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Ever since I first laid eyes on Captain Jack's RAF greatcoat, I knew I had to have one. When Abbyshot released their "mostly" accurate version, it was just a matter of time.

At first I just planned to buy the coat as a prop to keep in my office and wear to formal events in the winter. Gradually, I started researching the individual parts of the costume.

Finally, I just said to hell with it... I can drop the bucks for a quality wig and dye my blonde eyebrows brown -- and dammit, I'm gonna hit the gym to shed this gut! :lol

After exhaustive research, here are all the pieces I've purchased so far:


Abbyshot's Captain Jack Harkness Greatcoat:

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I'm highly aware of the two main issues with this coat: the lame rank stripes and the insane placement of the top two buttons on each side. Accurate rank braid is already on the way, so as soon as it arrives, I'll be taking this beauty to the tailor to have those replaced, the top buttons repositioned, and the sleeves shortened by about an inch. Other than that, this is an incredibly high quality coat, and worth every penny in my book ;-)

Tip: If you decide to purchase this coat, I recommend getting it from ThinkGeek... for the Geek points!

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iTailor.com Custom Dress Shirt

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Epaulets like a pilot's shirt, funky pockets, AND French cuffs. Can't find this damn thing anywhere! :facepalm

While searching, I stumbled across itailor.com (who I am not endorsing yet), and found what I hope to be the savior of Harkness costumers everywhere. Sent in my measurements and keeping my fingers crossed. Will post pics as soon as the shirt arrives. Wish us luck!

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Stafford Wool Gabardine Pleated Slacks

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Nothing too exciting here. Dark charcoal, pleated with cuffs. Caught 'em on sale at JC Penny for twenty smackaroos. Yes, I do know that John Barrowman is allergic to wool. My awesome wife is sewing in the buttons for the suspenders ;-)

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Caterpillar "Gunnison" Workboots (not steel toe)

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Since the accurate "Luke" boot is no longer available, this is the closest match... and it looks a helluva lot like the boot that Barrowman wears in "Torchwood: Miracle Day". Order being placed tomorrow.

(Trivia: John Barrowman's dad used to work for Caterpillar, hence the choice of brand)

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Bostonian Suspenders

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Again, nothing too exciting... however if you choose to go with Jack's burgandy suspenders, these are the closest match I could find. Hardware looks copperish in the pic, but it is in fact nickel plated FTW. Picked these up from bestsuspenders.com

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RAF Spitfire Cufflinks

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The screen used cufflinks belonged to Barrowman's grandfather and are the real deal. These rhodium replicas from 1stchoicecufflinks.com are a near perfect match, and won't tarnish over time like the higher priced silver versions.

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Webley Holster

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eBay is your friend... and don't be a n00b... weather this baby!

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Replica Webley Mark IV Pistol

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Real metal construction and working action (pull the trigger and the hammer fires back and the drum revolves). Dremel out the "permanently affixed" orange barrel plug. Take a small piece of very fine sandpaper and carefully knock the paint off all the high points. Great prop with a really solid weight. Incredibly pleased with this purchase.

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Vortex Manipulator

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Once they get past the coat, THIS is the one piece of the costume that people wanna see. If you're gonna do it, do it right!

Faceplate and buttons by Baltimore purchased from Shapeways.com. Accurate Samsung mobile phone button already purchased and on the way after 4+ tedious hours of searching eBay. Replica Samsung buttons available on Shapeways.
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Vortex Manipulator Wrist Strap

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Yeah, she's good... but wait'll you see the inside! ;-)

And yes, I'm checking with the craftsman to see if she's willing to do a run. Fingers crossed, time agents!
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More pics coming soon... including weathering of the Webley & holster as well as the coat mods ;-)
 
Good fact finding, will be good to see it all come together :). I'm fairly happy with my Capt Jack costume, but I am planning on making up a new Vortex Manipulator now that I know more about prop building...my current one is pretty terrible lol.
 
Definitely going down the right track! Looking forward to seeing it finished. :thumbsup

As for the coat...

The rank braid and button positions are only half of the problems with the coat, if you want to get as close to screen accurate as possible with the Abbyshot. The other major issues with it are the length of the epaulettes, the belt buckle, and the buttons themselves.

1) The epaulettes are too short, plain and simple. To fix the epaulette problem on my coat, I was able to score a spare belt from Abbyshot, so I butchered it and had a tailor extend the original ones.

Screen cap:
tw204_0788-1-1.jpg


Quick and dirty sew job before halloween last year, with original length epaulettes:
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2) The buttons are cheap copies of RAF King's Crown buttons. Original buttons are around, but are becoming harder to find in quantities. I think I won like 3 or 4 different auctions to put together the numbers and decent matches. You need 10x 23mm and 8x 17mm (+/- 1mm dimensions. Working from memory).

3) The buckle, while the right shape, was not originally a "wire" buckle. It was cast. You can replace it with a modern brass buckle from service dress blouses, as the width is about the same (although narrower than original greatcoat belts).

While still a great coat (no pun intended), it's a mish-mash or hybrid of the original series coat, and the more tailored Miracle Day coat.

EDIT: Added a couple of photos. I've been meaning to get some comparison photos of the buttsons and buckle, and will try to do it when I get home from work in the morning.
 
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Okay, here goes... posting my first WIP thread on the RPF...

CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS

the lame rank stripes and the insane placement of the top two buttons on each side. Accurate rank braid is already on the way

____________________

Vortex Manipulator

674x501_133465_219644_1338415608.jpg


674x501_133466_219645_1338415608.jpg


Once they get past the coat, THIS is the one piece of the costume that people wanna see. If you're gonna do it, do it right!

Faceplate and buttons by Baltimore purchased from Shapeways.com. Accurate Samsung mobile phone button already purchased and on the way after 4+ tedious hours of searching eBay. Replica Samsung buttons available on Shapeways.
____________________

Vortex Manipulator Wrist Strap

il_fullxfull266908120.jpg


Yeah, she's good... but wait'll you see the inside! ;-)

And yes, I'm checking with the craftsman to see if she's willing to do a run. Fingers crossed, time agents!
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What rank is his rank braid? His name's Captain Jack so I'm guessing Group Captain. Also, where do you find the accurate braids?
I'm confused about the vortex manipulator though. I see the faceplate and the buttons that go inside but what about all the other spaces in the faceplate, what are they for?
And the wrist strap, I would love to see a run of those. Thank you for asking her.
 
What rank is his rank braid? His name's Captain Jack so I'm guessing Group Captain. Also, where do you find the accurate braids?

The rank braid can be found on eBay...just search for "flying officer braid." I got all of mine from seller shiz999 for about 6 GBP per metre, plus 3 GBP shipping.

Yes, in Torchwood and later episodes of Doctor Who, he has the rank of Group Captain (4 braids). In The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, while he says he's a captain, his rank is actually that of Squadron Leader. Ooops. :rolleyes

Hope this helps.
 
I am planning on making up a new Vortex Manipulator now that I know more about prop building...my current one is pretty terrible lol.

Hey, I'll trade you a vortex for that head of hair you've got! :lol

The rank braid and button positions are only half of the problems with the coat, if you want to get as close to screen accurate as possible with the Abbyshot. The other major issues with it are the length of the epaulettes, the belt buckle, and the buttons themselves.

Thanks for the input, advice, and screencaps! :thumbsup

Switching out the buttons for authentic ones is definitely something that I plan to do down the road. Brilliant idea on getting a spare belt from Abbyshot to extend the epaulets! Do you have enough left over that you would be willing to sell? If so, please shoot me a PM.

I'm confused about the vortex manipulator though. I see the faceplate and the buttons that go inside but what about all the other spaces in the faceplate, what are they for?

The large round area is for the Samsung button. The elevated bit holds a clear plastic screen with a blue LED behind it. The round hole in the middle near the front holds a second blue LED. The opening in the lower right corner has a copper screen behind it.

Jacks_vorex_manipulator.jpg


And the wrist strap, I would love to see a run of those. Thank you for asking her.

No prob. She's said it will take 3-4 weeks from the time she receives the faceplate due to work & school. If she's unable to do a run, I've already contacted a local leatherworker in my area who seems very interested. He actually works at our local Tandy Leather store, so his access to the materials needed is solid. :cool
 
Tandy involvement isn't really a factor as Tandy doesn't carry the correct shade of lambskin for the strap. Or kip hide, since 2010.
 
Tandy involvement isn't really a factor as Tandy doesn't carry the correct shade of lambskin for the strap. Or kip hide, since 2010.

Good to know. Have you located a supplier that does? Mind sharing the info?

FYI...per forum rules, there's no selling outside the Junkyard.

Oh, I know. If either of the people I'm talking to decide to do a run, they'll need to create an account and participate in the community. Not looking to be a middle man here ;-)
 
Oh, I know. If either of the people I'm talking to decide to do a run, they'll need to create an account and participate in the community. Not looking to be a middle man here ;-)

Daze, I wasn't referring to your posts. There was a post above mine that was a blatant "check my junkyard" thread, which is against forum rules. I think your posts are fine. That post has since been removed. I've edited my post since it now makes no sense. ;)
 
I do have a source for the lamb skin, it's a local place in LA. The kip hide is just scraps that I have left from the hide I bought at Tandy in 2009. Once it's gone it's gone. They cost exponentially more at some high end web sites, we're talking a couple hundred for a hide, which isn't so bad divided up but to do a one-off is insane.

As for sharing resources, I'll respectfully decline since I'm just about to start selling my own manipulator straps.
 
2) The buttons are cheap copies of RAF King's Crown buttons. Original buttons are around, but are becoming harder to find in quantities. I think I won like 3 or 4 different auctions to put together the numbers and decent matches. You need 10x 23mm and 8x 17mm (+/- 1mm dimensions. Working from memory).

Thanks for the info regarding the correct name and size of the buttons. I came across this thread via Google and with a bit more searching found a link to goldenagebuttons.co.uk on another forum. Roger at Golden Age Buttons sells the 23mm brass buttons for £1.00 and the smaller ones for £0.50 each, both of which are much cheaper than what I was able to find on eBay. Here is a photo of my new buttons (attached).

Daze and Risu, are either one of you selling manipulator straps yet?
 
I've been so swamped I'm finding it hard to get the prototype sewn up. The pattern is finished though and I'm confident they'll look dead on. Halloween season is killer.
 
Thanks for the info regarding the correct name and size of the buttons. I came across this thread via Google and with a bit more searching found a link to goldenagebuttons.co.uk on another forum. Roger at Golden Age Buttons sells the 23mm brass buttons for £1.00 and the smaller ones for £0.50 each, both of which are much cheaper than what I was able to find on eBay. Here is a photo of my new buttons (attached).

Daze and Risu, are either one of you selling manipulator straps yet?

At the time I was putting my coat together, Roger didn't have the stock to fulfill my needs...but yeah, he was great about communication. It was a shame we couldn't do business.

Are those silver looking buttons part of your order? The eagle and crown look to be recessed in the metal. The brass buttons in your photo are spot on, though.
 
Are those silver looking buttons part of your order? The eagle and crown look to be recessed in the metal. The brass buttons in your photo are spot on, though.

Yes. I ordered 6 metallic buttons as he only had 1 of the small brass variety. I figure I'll use these 6 for the sleeves until the right ones come along. I am going for "looks good and recognizable" as opposed to screen accurate for now.
 
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