DavidJGuyton
Jr Member
I just wrapped up build #15 a couple weeks ago (still unsold...I'll explain). I usually only start a build once I have a buyer lined up, but I'm about to lose my shop and until I line up another shop space, I won't be able to build these things, so I wanted to get one done and sit on it in case a buyer stumbled across my stuff and had to have one. Fair warning, prices have gone up a lot. Anyway, as I was finishing this build, I was trying to order the South Beach Leather harness. Over and over, it just kept saying "this store is not taking orders at this time". So I was like UGH! What do I do? I can't sell this high end item without a harness. So, I bought a couple sewing machines and learned some leatherworking skills. I have never done any real work with leather before so this was a pretty humbling experience. I was able to get some good reference photos of the original prop, and I feel like I did a pretty good job of replicating it. I also added a rigid MDF plate in the rear panel for strength, and I made the padded section a separate piece, attached with Velcro. This allows the bolts connecting the harness to the pack to be hidden. This harness is VERY robust, unlike the SBL one. I will do a few more for the serious collectors, and I will be offering a discount for previous buyers. I do not have a price lined up yet, as I will need to count the hours it takes to make the second one (this first one, while going out with jetpack #15, is sort of a prototype and took weeks to make). I learned a lot in the process.
