Mal Reynolds Firefly costume

I bought the suspenders (and a whole lot more of superfluous bits) here:
Israeli Khaki Harness - RDDUSA Military Surplus
Only twenty bucks

There's a couple of other places (10 dollars) but you'd need to either buy 3 to fulfill their minimum
92-83 Israeli Web Set

or pay a lot for shipping
92-83 Israeli Web Set

Sold out - maybe they'll get more?
92-83 Israeli Web Set

Also here:
Pistol Belt & Magazine Pouch Set - Israeli Military Surplus Canvas Set

And here: (expensive)
https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1279

Even via Amazon (but they won't ship to Canada)
Amazon.com: Israeli Khaki Harness: Sports & Outdoors
 
Fortuitous timing! I just had an email through this morning from Frank Bee (your 3rd link) saying that my order was being cancelled because the item has been discontinued so needed to source the suspenders from somewhere else. I grabbed them from your 5th link and got a friend in the US to buy them for me (I'm in the UK and buying from them internationally is extortionate). So thank you, you saved me some stressful hunting.
 
Well guys I have tried to summarize the concerns about finding a current vendor for Mal's Browncoat. Anyone else have something to add? So would this be an accurate view on the issue.

Now the only real source for a Browncoat now is Johnathan Logan (JL). http://stores.shopjonathanalogan.com/-s ... Detail.bok

The biggest concern if have come across is as mentioned already, his retail version appears to be different from the original "Hero" one. The main difference that keeps coming up is that he no longer makes the front portion out of one solid piece of leather but instead makes it out of two pieces like the Abbyshot one was made.

The reason this seams to really upset fans is that on JL's site it says these coats are made by the original maker and the patters are all the same as the original coat from the TV show ( i included the quote for reference)

Malcolm Reynolds' Browncoat made by the original maker of this collectors coat. The leather, the hardware, the patterns are all the same as the original coat from the TV show. This is a piece that will complete your Firefly collection.



This gives rise to the question of...If these jackets are the same as the original then why are the retail ones being made differently now... I.E. the two panels for the front of the jacket instead of the solid one.

The other concern that most people have is that if there going to spend that much money on a "Browncoat" then it should at least have the solid front panels, otherwise they would have purchased the Abbyshot one.

Personally I don't mind the logo on the fasteners since most clothing makers put there logo on the fasteners of their stuff any how, and I don't expect to receive one that looks exactly like Mal's (I.E. With the bullet hole repair on the left sleeve or the "weathering" ...). I do however agree that if I am going to pay near $800 then I want my Browncoat to at least have the front panels out of solid leather like the one pictured in the Companion book. Does anyone else have any input or advice on this?
 
I'm simply not willing to pay the J Logan price for a Browncoat so I'm looking to source one elsewhere. I'm in contact with someone who is very good and has made one in the past but I don't know if she'd be willing to do so again. I've also been given the name of someone on facebook who's made one and I'm trying to contact him. On top of that I've contacted someone who sells Grade 1 New Zealand Red Deer hides (up to ~15 sq. ft. per hide) for $6/ sq. ft. to investigate the possibility of my wife making a copy based on a similar existing pattern (I'll have to find one somewhere) and pictures of the screen used coats. In all cases the damn buckles could be an issue though.
 
Honestly the browncoat is one of the easiest things in the world to sew together. The only real challenge is finding skins large enough to cut out the pieces. I've considered just getting one large cowhide skin and making a coat out of that, but spending $150 for something from the wrong materials instead of $300 for the right materials seems like a bit of a waste.
 
Honestly the browncoat is one of the easiest things in the world to sew together. The only real challenge is finding skins large enough to cut out the pieces. I've considered just getting one large cowhide skin and making a coat out of that, but spending $150 for something from the wrong materials instead of $300 for the right materials seems like a bit of a waste.

Hence finding the place that sells the deer hide, I hope to have a sample by the end of the month to see how it looks and having sent pics of the coat the guy says that he could supply large enough hides to get the single section pieces out of them without any problems, although I don't know how many hides that would take right now. I imagine that colour matching will probably be the biggest issue.
 
Let us know how the deer hide you found turns out. That seems to be a pretty good deal, to me at least. You're probably right about the color matching being the biggest issue.

I actually have a set of buckles from Badger that he made a couple of years ago, so I'm anxious to see what I can do to make the coat itself.
 
Let us know how the deer hide you found turns out. That seems to be a pretty good deal, to me at least. You're probably right about the color matching being the biggest issue.

I actually have a set of buckles from Badger that he made a couple of years ago, so I'm anxious to see what I can do to make the coat itself.

In which case I hate you ;)

Seriously though getting accurate buckles is probably going to be one of my major issues. I'm not sure where to try right now but I figure I'll worry about that when I actually have a coat to put buckles onto.
 
Lol! Yeah, sorry, I kind of lucked out on that deal for the buckles. I'd planned to make my own coat anyway and stumbled on those so it seemed like that was the way to go. I would've actually gone for an Abbyshot, but as we all well know those don't exist really anymore.

Just out of curiousity, has anyone here attempted the coat in a suede or faux leather of some type? At least something a bit less expensive. I was just wondering if there are any challenges working with that as opposed to the actual deer hide.
 
I have run into the same issue over and over again on multiple costume endeavors over the past few years. So far I haven't found many costumers in my area, and there are EXCEPTIONALLY FEW that are going for screen accuracy. So like you guys have said already, It appears that my best bet is teach my self to sew and do leather work, or take some type of classes when available. LOL That having been said, I have gone on and made a preliminary patter for the boots, and taking the rout that Risu did with making preliminary versions out of cheaper cloth 1st then once it gets right doing the leather version.
 
I was impressed with Risu's boots. I'm actually taking a punt on getting some made by a custom boot maker. How well they'll turn out is debatable but whatever else they'll probably be a solid base to work from. My biggest concern is the sole, which I know won't be correct initially. I'm just hoping that he can match it closely enough that a paint job on my end will work.
 
There's a reddish brown fauz suede at some Jo-Ann's in the clearance section that would look alright, but the problem with using faux suede is that you have to change the pattern. A lot of the coat edges are raw leather, with fabric you'd have to add seam allowances, and then there's the issue of interfacing where the original is just glued. More trouble than it's worth. Plus, the inside of the coat is smooth leather, so that won't look right.
 
There's a reddish brown fauz suede at some Jo-Ann's in the clearance section that would look alright, but the problem with using faux suede is that you have to change the pattern. A lot of the coat edges are raw leather, with fabric you'd have to add seam allowances, and then there's the issue of interfacing where the original is just glued. More trouble than it's worth. Plus, the inside of the coat is smooth leather, so that won't look right.

Good points, Risu. I thought about some of that, but I have a very talented seamstress in the family that is willing to help out. For the coat, i'm willing (for now) to settle for less accurate and less expensive rather than the full blown deal. We'll see what I come up with, though. :rolleyes

Just curious, An Astronaught, would you mind elaborating on the custom boot maker? I've looked everywhere for a reasonable custom boot maker, but everything I turn up with is really expensive or not that great of a final product. If you want to wait to see what the bootmaker does for you, I get that too.
 
Boots aren't just expensive because of the time and difficulty of making them, but because the materials are expensive. You should really track down a good pair of shoes and see if somebody local would make the boots onto the soles provided. It really isn't hard to find close enoughs, a couple weeks searching ebay should produce decent results.
 
Boots aren't just expensive because of the time and difficulty of making them, but because the materials are expensive. You should really track down a good pair of shoes and see if somebody local would make the boots onto the soles provided. It really isn't hard to find close enoughs, a couple weeks searching ebay should produce decent results.

To be honest I was still considering your offer, good sir! I am struggling a bit to know if the couple shoes I found were okay bases. And I'm trying to come up with the funds as I found what you and I talked about to be very reasonable, but funds were more limited right now than i thought.

I'll try and post a few links to see if I'm on the right track. Might help some others in the process.
 
Well guys I know it has been a while since i posted here but I decided to bite the bullet.

I took a gamble and tried my luck with buying a Johnathan Logan Browncoat.

I called him directly and discussed my concerns about screen accuracy. He was very gracious and talked to me for about 2 hours. Aside from the weathering and other touch ups that the prop guys did for the actual show he assured me that he would able to make my coat just like the one he made for the TV show, out of and all solid pieces of leather (Deer/Elk) for the front two sides and the back panel.

After about two months of exercising my Jedi Patience and talking back and forth with JL it finally arrived in the mail this past Thursday and it is sweet If i do say so my self. LOL (No bias here is there LOL) As far as I can tell it is a VERY accurate reproduction. Personally my concerns about his quality have been put to rest. The reason it took so long to get my coat was that JL had some issues getting the correct hides from his tannery.

Again, I am not disregarding other peoples experiences with his products. I can only speak for myself.

I can put up with any inconsistencies that are present such as JL having his logo on the clasps. Actually it isn't really all that blatant any way. you actually have to get right up on top of it before you see it. LOL Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

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OK, so I was finally able to get a few pics of me actually in my browncoat so here are a few.

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And lastly, as much as I dislike "crossover costuming" I took this last one of me and my Lightsaber for a Contest. LOL

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You had better hope that I run out of bullets, cuz out here on the raggedy edge we don't care about being "Civilized"
 
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