The "BEST" Rocketeer jacket?

D

DavidS

Sr Member
Ive seen um from Abbyshot....

Ive seen um from Wested......

and at least one other ........


whats everyones opinion? who makes the best?
 
I have an Abbyshot Jacket and LOVE IT!!! I haven't seen any other version in person, so I can't give you any reviews on those. But the Abbeyshot jacket IS a Jacket and not just a costume piece. It's made top notch and looks and feels like it will last for a LONG time! The leather is soft and excellent quality, the lining is also well done! You WON'T be disappointed!

- Jeff
 
I know I'm new here, but I think it's hilarious that Abbyshot actually replied in this thread! How expansive is this forum? Hah!

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that Abbyshot is pretty darn good.
 
well considering Im talking to Abbyshot right now, i guess that just worked out really well......

I just sorta wanted to throw out a thread to see everyones opinion.......
I know that brown color of leather is really hard to capture in a picture, but all the pictures of the Wested one seem TOO dark..
then I have seen some that look TOO weathered and "yellow"ish...

The Abbyshot is the only one that looks "Just right"
 
You won't find too many people that own more than one maker's jacket, or even seen more than one jacket in the flesh, so most of the opinions are going to be biased.

I have a mrpredicta jacket, and since he has access to the real deal... well, I guess you could say that his is going to be pretty much as close as you can get. If I'm not mistaken, no other maker can claim to have access to a production-used jacket.
 
rocketeer25 said:
You won't find too many people that own more than one maker's jacket, or even seen more than one jacket in the flesh, so most of the opinions are going to be biased.
Click to expand...

Heck, I am one of those makers and I haven't seen another commercial Rocketeer jacket in the flesh! :lol

I have a mrpredicta jacket, and since he has access to the real deal... well, I guess you could say that his is going to be pretty much as close as you can get. If I'm not mistaken, no other maker can claim to have access to a production-used jacket.
Click to expand...
Just for reference, Wested also states on their site that their version is based on a pattern taken from a screen-used jacket. As for our version, here's the process we used:

We were approached 2-3 years ago by members of the fan community who hang out at Finhead Central to make a Rocketeer Jacket. Apparently, they were dissatisfied with the availability and accuracy of other jackets available at the time (their assertion, not ours - Like I say above, I've not seen others' jackets). They supplied us with a copy of a pattern that had been made from a screen-used jacket. We were told that this is the same pattern that Wested was given. This pattern wasn't really ready for production use though. It was okay for a home sewer to follow, but required adaptation for our commercial production methods.

THEN our research brought to light that there had actually been several different versions of the jacket used in the film. So we went back to the screenshots, press photos, behind the scene photos, etc that we had and essentially ended up making our own pattern. The original pattern we were given was more of a starting point. We were trying to match the jacket's overall appearance in the film more so than any one of the actual costumes worn by Mr. Secord. It has been a common discovery for us that there is a difference between what an actor wears on the set of a film and what a person wants to wear on a daily basis. The actor's costume usually only has to look good for the length of the shooting of the movie!

Our choices in leather are also done with the appearance of the jacket in the movie, rather than what was actually worn by the actor. From what we've seen in pictures, the screen-used jacket was closer to a medium tan colour, while the lighting used in the movie gave the jacket more of a red-brown appearance. Our jacket is meant to recreate the look of what you saw on the big screen and thus is more of a red-brown colour than a tan. I've looked at Wested's photos and theirs does look to be a rather dark red-brown, certainly darker than ours. However, to be fair to them, we know from our own experience that photographing a red-brown coat and getting the colour to display exactly as you want it to is a real challenge, so it's entirely possible that Wested's jacket is the same colour as ours.

While I would obviously prefer it if the whole world only bought AbbyShot Rocketeer Jackets, I have not seen others' jackets and so a Wested or mrpredicta may be just as good. How about if I say please buy from us instead? Please!!! :love (Just kidding around!) :lol
 
We were approached 2-3 years ago by members of the fan community who hang out at Finhead Central to make a Rocketeer Jacket. Apparently, they were dissatisfied with the availability and accuracy of other jackets available at the time (their assertion, not ours - Like I say above, I've not seen others' jackets). They supplied us with a copy of a pattern that had been made from a screen-used jacket. We were told that this is the same pattern that Wested was given.
Click to expand...

This is essentially correct, as I understand it. The only correction I would make is that there were no jackets available at the time that Abbeyshot and Wested were sent the patterns. The pattern-owner was attempting to have jackets made for the fans, but couldn't get anyone to commit to offering them.

Since neither Abbeyshot or Wested had committed to making the jacket, mrpredicta took the bull by the horns and found a professional to make the jackets for the fans. IIRC, it was quite sometime after his second run of jackets (that I was involved in anyway) that Abbeyshot made their versions of the jacket available. While I know that a couple of Wested jackets exists, I didn't know that they were available to order until recently.

I have my preference and loyalties, as do others. But bottom-line, I think that after all these years, its a great thing to have 3 different vendors offering these jackets, and any finhead would do himself proud with any of them.
 
Are "mrpredicta" jackets still available? Does anyone have any pics or pricing to compare to the other two versions? Both the abbyshot and wested look great in their photographs - does the volume the two deal in account for the price difference, or is abbyshot likely using better leather or putting more time and care into each jacket? I realize no one can really compare the exact details and construction of the two...
 
I still make the Rocket jackets using the same pattern directly taken from the screen used jacket in our collection.we have a custom dye lot for the leather trying to get as close to the original as possible and casting off the original for the buttions Plus we do every jacket custom to your measurements in a top quality leather .All this comes with a price and we cannot justify cheaping the jacket out so they are $800.00 now.
we have been looking into having the Harness and gauntlets produced but so far all we have is the pattern taken off the screen used Item.
for photos go to moviejackets.com
or contact me directly at predictamike@yahoo.com.
here Matt did a great write up on the jacket I sold him so many years ago.
http://www.mattmunson.com/props/rocketeer/jacket/index.html
As far as I know all the alternative jackets were based on photos and a fair amount of guess work ,Ours is the only jacket directly patterned from the original real deal.
 
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all pissin contests asside, i think that rocketeer25 hit the nail on the head by saying that it is so freakin awesome that SOOO MANY people still love this little movie that we have at least THREE makers making the jacket!!!
how awesome is that!?!?!?
 
rocketeer25 said:
This is essentially correct, as I understand it. The only correction I would make is that there were no jackets available at the time that Abbeyshot and Wested were sent the patterns. The pattern-owner was attempting to have jackets made for the fans, but couldn't get anyone to commit to offering them.
Click to expand...

Ah. Thanks for the correction. I was going on what some fans had told us at the time. Perhaps they were referring to individual costume-makers rather than actual companies? I don't know really. It wasn't until after we had released our version that we started looking around to see other versions.

Since neither Abbeyshot or Wested had committed to making the jacket, mrpredicta took the bull by the horns and found a professional to make the jackets for the fans. IIRC, it was quite sometime after his second run of jackets (that I was involved in anyway) that Abbeyshot made their versions of the jacket available. While I know that a couple of Wested jackets exists, I didn't know that they were available to order until recently.
Click to expand...

Really? I didn't know that about mrpredicta's version. I only noticed him afterwards, but as I said, I wasn't looking beforehand either! :) Now that you mention it about Wested, I do remember now that when we had been first approached we were told that Wested had been given a pattern but weren't releasing a product from it yet. I don't recall which of us released it first, AbbyShot or Wested. Not that it matters really.

I have my preference and loyalties, as do others. But bottom-line, I think that after all these years, its a great thing to have 3 different vendors offering these jackets, and any finhead would do himself proud with any of them.
Click to expand...

I too think that's it's great. A real testament to the strength of the fan community. While there are subtle differences in each one, it's great to see each makers' approach to the same design.
 
westies 14 said:
Are "mrpredicta" jackets still available? Does anyone have any pics or pricing to compare to the other two versions? Both the abbyshot and wested look great in their photographs - does the volume the two deal in account for the price difference, or is abbyshot likely using better leather or putting more time and care into each jacket? I realize no one can really compare the exact details and construction of the two...
Click to expand...

I obviously can't speak for the other two, but our volumes in this product are very low. Those who own the AbbyShot Rocketeer Jacket love it, but there isn't exactly an army of them! :D Obviously, the smaller the quantites, the higher the per unit cost. We're always trying to bring the retail price down, while keeping the quality high. No doubt a similar dynamic is at play with mrpredicta and Wested.

P.S. is "mrpredicta" the proper brand name for this maker? I'd rather be using the proper name instead to be respectful. It feels like I'm avoiding using it as some kind of petty slight, when in reality I simply can't find a reference to it anywhere! Even Matt's review above doesn't mention a brand name! :)
 
Hi all!

Brand new to the forums and saw this thread....wanted to give my 2 cents.

I actually owned (and just recently sold) a Wested Rocketeer jacket. My opinion of it is that, while excellently crafted, it was not detailed to the point of being screen accurate. It had no wrist straps on the sleeves and the bib seemed a bit large for the overall jacket. Further, the leather that was used was extremely heavy and seemed really inappropriate for this style. I felt like I was wearing body armor, not a jacket. I also sent Wested my measurements upon ordering, and yet, when I received the jacket, it was a bit too large for me. I wear a small 36 and this was for at LEAST a 38 and above. I contacted them about it and they assured me that the jacket "was not to be form fitting". :confused :confused I wanted to send it back, but it involved more than I wanted to deal with. One other thing is that the zipper was backwards....whereas the zipper part that pulls up is on the right in a USA coat, the one on this jacket was on the left side....I understand this is how it's done in England? Anyhow, I sold it and lost a bit of money. Oh well. Soooooooo.....I recently ordered an Abbyshot jacket and am looking formward to it! It seems like a much better jacket, IMO, and looks to be more of what was used in the movie. I can't wait to get it!

I hope this info helps someone out there who may be looking for a jacket. I'd stay away from the Wested and go for Abbyshot or "mrpredicta"...spend the extra money, you'll be glad you did in the long run. I'll update when I receive my Abbyshot!

Looking forward to my stay on these forums! :)

-Johnny C
 
Just an update: I got my AbbyShot jacket and it is AWESOME!! VERY happy with it and it fits like a glove! If you have been thinking of going with AbbyShot, don't even hesitate...they are great to work with and FAST! Thought someone out there would find this useful.... :)

-Johnny C
 
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