Accurate ROTJ Luke Belt Replica

[Cantina_Dude]

I recently wrapped up this commission for an RPF member of an accurate ROTJ Luke belt replica, recreating one of the two hero belts worn by Mark Hamill in the film. Of the two hero belts, the one this is a replica of is the one not as commonly seen on display at exhibits or in books, though it did see plenty of screen time in ROTJ. The positioning of the rivets for the D-ring strap and the lightsaber hook as well as the signature weathering on the buckle and pouch are the main unique identifiers between the two belts, and I did all I could to capture those details of the selected belt in my replica. I've spent a lot of time delving in to every aspect of the belt straps, buckles, pouches, and construction methods of these particular belts, bouncing a lot of stuff off of my buddy-in-all-things-leathercraft, Uncharted Leather (thanks Paul!) so it is fun to finally see everything come together in a complete replica.

The pouch on the belt this is replicating isn't quite as beat up as the other one, though it definitely appears to have seen a bit of action!

The buckle on the other hand is way more beat up than on the other belt, so it was fun replicating every scrape and scratch as best as I could!

The lightsaber hook is riveted lower on this belt compared to the other belt while the D-ring strap rivets are spaced wider apart.

I couldn't help but throw my old "V2" lightsaber into some photos for a little context!

I'm really pleased with how this one turned out and the client loves it too. Hopefully he will post some photos once he has the rest of his costume in hand!

 

[lesternessman]

Awesome. Nice work!

 

[Psab keel]

Fantastic work. The Luke ROTJ is my absolute favorite costume in the entire series so it's great seeing a truly accurate replica made of his belt. What's the difference between this belt and the other version made for the film?

I'm still of the belief that at least one of them may have been a recycled belt from ESB only dyed to better compliment his outfit.

 

[Sn4k3]

I like it, a lot

 

[Cantina_Dude]

What's the difference between this belt and the other version made for the film?

I'm still of the belief that at least one of them may have been a recycled belt from ESB only dyed to better compliment his outfit.

If you comb through the film and reference photos a bit, you will start to see the differences and be able to pick out which is which, but here is a quick side-by-side that illustrates the main differences in their layouts. I've arbitrarily labeled them Belt 1 and Belt 2. The belt you more commonly see on display is Belt 1 while the belt I replicated above is Belt 2. This comparison obviously doesn't show the details of the pouches, but there is unique weathering on each of those that can be noted too.

And I absolutely agree that both of the hero ROTJ Luke belts are recycled ESB Luke belts, just with the extra pouches/holster removed and the whole thing dyed/painted black and weathered!

 

[Psab keel]

This is awesome. Thank you for sharing!

 

[TatooineMachine]

Epic! Great job

 

[cdyoung]

Wow, awesome job on the details and weathering, Cantina_Dude!

 

[CopperRevan]

Very well done and everything ROTJ gets extra bonus points in my book. Splendid!!

 

[marker2037]

Dude, this looks amazing. I have been thinking about putting together a Luke ROTJ outfit in the future and it's nice to find your work.

 

[minhelqueue]

This is one of the best Luke's ROTJ belts I have seen recently. You captured the weathering on the buckle and the strap perfectly.
Also I just noticed that there were 2 belts with different weathering patterns.
Are you still open for commission? Would love to have an accurate ROTJ belt.

 

[Cantina_Dude]

Are you still open for commission? Would love to have an accurate ROTJ belt.

Please feel free to send me a PM to discuss it!

 

[Psab keel]

Since this became a topic of discussion in another Luke ROTJ group I'm involved in, I thought I might add this thread as reference to this incredible build. This picture is of a screen used ROTJ belt and was provided to me by the curator of Star Wars: The Power of Costume Exhibit. He's a curator for the Smithsonian Museum, but worked with Lucasfilm to curate the exhibit as it toured the world. I was able to find his contact information and I spoke with him for over an hour over the phone. He kindly provided me this photo (among others) so that I could make my belts as accurate as I could. I thought you all might appreciate this.

Keep in mind that for anyone making a Luke ESB replica belt this is also a good scale reference because from what we know the ROTJ belt was a reconfigured ESB belt. 1 7/8" Wide confirmed by this photograph. This makes sense since the standard practice for belt making is that you typically subtract 1/8" of an inch (generally speaking) to account for the thickness of the leather doubling when the belt is folded through the buckle loop. Even with the interior of the belt skivved down there's considerable bulk where the buckle would be attached. For belts of this style you would use veg tanned leather hide measuring 8-9 oz. which averages just under 4 mm thick and that would double to almost 8 mm at the buckle loop. Given that thickness, you'd have to narrow the leather ever so slightly to fit through the metal buckle loop.

 

[Cantina_Dude]

Nice photo! Please feel free to post up any others you’ve got. It’s always nice to get some confirmation on the specs I’ve worked up !

Given that thickness, you'd have to narrow the leather ever so slightly to fit through the metal buckle loop.

Keep in mind though that the ESB and ROTJ Luke belts have a tapered section leading up to the fold back for attaching the belt buckle loop, so this wouldn’t really be an issue in this case. It is a good tip for belt making in general though!

 

[Psab keel]

I can see that taper now. Often when photographed at an angle it doesn't show too clearly, but I can see it now that you mention it.

 

[minhelqueue]

Since this became a topic of discussion in another Luke ROTJ group I'm involved in, I thought I might add this thread as reference to this incredible build. This picture is of a screen used ROTJ belt and was provided to me by the curator of Star Wars: The Power of Costume Exhibit. He's a curator for the Smithsonian Museum, but worked with Lucasfilm to curate the exhibit as it toured the world. I was able to find his contact information and I spoke with him for over an hour over the phone. He kindly provided me this photo (among others) so that I could make my belts as accurate as I could. I thought you all might appreciate this.

Appreciate the belt image. I never know that the belt is 1 7/8 inch. I always thought it was 2 inch wide.

Do you have any other picture for the full costume being displayed at Star Wars: The Power of Costume Exhibit? I'm also trying to get a better version of the ROTJ shirt and the vest. The more references the better.

Thanks

 

[Psab keel]

Technically it "is" 2 inches wide based on what I was discussing in the recent post I made, but I know what you're saying.

Honestly I have literally thousands of images of this and many other costumes. I can't post them all here. The best I could tell you is that Google Image search is where I acquired almost all of my reference archive. You just have to refine your search words to get the images you want. Descriptions like Jedi Luke are going you give you images of the action figures, Rubies brand drug store costumes, and those overpriced Hot Toys statues.

You have to search by things like: "Screen used Luke Skywalker Costume Exhibit." or "The Power of Costume Exhibit Jedi." Things like that. Just to give you a taste though here are a few shots of the actual costume. Just keep in mind that the boots they used for all of these displays are not the actual screen used boots. I don't know why they used these for the exhibits because they're very inaccurate. The screen used boots can be seen in Brandon Alinger's book.