Wested Jacket - Which one / Which leather?

[Vaders_Happy]

I understand each film jacket is slightly different but which one out there is the most favoured? I'm partial to ROTLA but what do others think?

Also, goat skin is, I believe, the correct material for tue accuracy but it is also available in cow hide which I would have thought is thicker / better wearing (especially if you wear it as a jacket in its own right). Have any of you had both at some point? Which one is better. For those with the goat skin is it 'delicate' at all? I'm aware that soft leather is often more prone to damage than 'harder' leather. Please give me the benefit of your combined wisdom.......

 

[kalkamel]

If you want the screen accurate one, go for the authentic lamb.

 

[Johnny Fever]

I have the Wested horse hide and love it. It's not the most accurate jacket but I like the look and feel. The Leather feels soft but strong. I have only had it for 5 months so time will tell how well it holds up to everyday use.

-John

You may want to check out COW for more info.

http://www.indygear.com/cow/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=185d8907832eadf20f5e56e94e2ec197

-John

 

[Apollo]

I have Wested Raiders Goat that I am very happy with!

I've had it for five years and its still going strong!

Goat traditionally is the toughest leather for jackets but now people are using Roo hide which suppossedly is now the toughest.

 

[Vaders_Happy]

I have Wested Raiders Goat that I am very happy with!

I've had it for five years and its still going strong!

Goat traditionally is the toughest leather for jackets but now people are using Roo hide which suppossedly is now the toughest.

More so than Horse Hide?

 

[synasp]

With regards to screen accuracy, can you actually tell what leather it is without touching it?

 

[Minder Thr33]

With regards to screen accuracy, can you actually tell what leather it is without touching it?

Depends how far you're standing. Lamb looks the smoothest. But the tougher skin you get, the more the grain becomes noticeable. Standing 10 feet away, you might not notice. Five feet, you'll notice the grain a bit.

 

[Apollo]

More so than Horse Hide?

Yep

 

[Kt Templar]

Yes, traditionally goat is thought to be the toughest.

Wested are currently using a finer grade (read thinner) goat to get the right drape for the jacket. This may make it less tank like than it usually is. I think weighed up the horse and goat will probably hold up about the same but the horse will be heavier. If you are used to, or prefer more heavyweight jackets I would go with the horse. If you really want heavy go with the 'new' cowhide.

However, the lamb and 'new look' goat are both beautiful light jackets, many have found themselves wearing them nearly all year round. Real second skin stuff.

There is another option: washed goat, it's semi light weight and has a semi matt surface, looks broken in right out of the box. It drapes like lamb but is as tough as the new look goat, without that 'New Jacket' shineyness.

 

[Solo4114]

Years ago (before they started offering multiple styles like the "80s style" jacket) I went with the lambskin. I've had the jacket now for about six or seven years and it's worn quite well. It looks distressed in obvious places (IE: where my wallet sits, on the zipper flap, on the edges of the jacket), but doesn't look totally beat up. The worst damage it's suffered is where a kitten decided it'd make a really keen clawing spot, so there are parts of the shoulder that are a little picked off. I just chalk that up to demonic monkeys in an ancient temple and leave it at that.

I went with the Raiders style because, to me, the Raiders outfit is THE outfit. Especially the hat, but you can go to COW for all of that.


A few tips:

1.) DO NOT GET THE SATIN INTERIOR. Or at least, if you do, get satin sleeves and cotton body. The satin body on my jacked is now TOTALLY trashed and threadbare from just regular wear and tear. It really did NOT last well, and I'm planning on sending it back to be relined.

You didn't ask about any of the following, but I figure if you're asking about the jacket you may be a little new to Indy costuming. So....

2.) The Akubra Federation is an excellent option for a hat and reasonably priced. It's also not so bloody expensive that you'll feel gut-punched if it gets damaged. Get it unbashed and bash it yourself. I found just using warm water (no steam) works fine for shaping. I didn't get as detailed as a lot of COW members get, but honestly, outside of a COW member, no one will know the difference. (P.S. if you're looking for a "good enough" hat, I have one that I can let go for $40. PM me for pics and sizes.)

3.) If you happen to have a pair of Aldens, try searching for a Solo4114 (that's me!) thread on boot cream colors. I took pics of mine. The Alden company has changed leathers multiple times over the years, and it's kind of a crapshoot as to which color you get. You can find a few threads discussing that on the COW forums.

4.) For a "good enough" gun, I went with the HFC .38 FBI revolver. Available at http://www.shortyusa.com/airsoft.ht...l?II=720&UID=1223905676-151.197.3.33&CA=&RID=. I've bought from Shortyusa before and they're reliable. Fast delivery, too. Also don't be dissuaded by the plastic thingy on the front of the grips. It's removable.


Hope that helps!

 

[kitt1]

Solo4114, Concerning the HFC .38 FBI revolver. How do you remove the finger grips at the front of the handle? Also, is this revolver copied directly from a real S&W .38? I would like to replace the grips with pearl grips for another project. Any input you could give would be appreciated.

 

[WinstonWolf359]

My Wested is dark brown lambskin, and I think it is a great jacket. I also went for the all cotton lining, as I really hate satin linings anyway, and all cotton is more screen accurate.

I really like the lamb because it is very soft, drapes well, yet doesn't feel paper thin. I've done all kinds of distressing things to this jacket and I've yet to have even one stitch come loose.

 

[Solo4114]

Solo4114, Concerning the HFC .38 FBI revolver. How do you remove the finger grips at the front of the handle? Also, is this revolver copied directly from a real S&W .38? I would like to replace the grips with pearl grips for another project. Any input you could give would be appreciated.

It's been a while since I fixed mine up, but as I recall, either I unscrewed the grips, or the plastic thing literally just pops off with the right amount of pressure. It's just clipped in place, really. I'm pretty sure I just popped it off.

As for replacing the grips, I'm not sure if that'd work. The butt of the gun is where the gas goes for airsoft purposes, so I'm not sure if they're ACTUAL grips. Remember, it's an airsoft pistol, not a full metal replica (although most of the gun is metal).

I'll check mine out when I get home and make sure.

Like I said, though, I was quite happy with how it turned out. It's not as big a frame as a .45, but for $50 it's cheaper than some of the S&W resin repros and it has moving parts.

 

[Rabittooth]

Winston! Beautiful distressing there. And I know my Raiders jacket distressing. Very well done. Just gorgeous.

-Rabittooth

 

[WinstonWolf359]

That is very high praise, coming from you, sir!

Thank you!

 

[kitt1]

Solo4114, Did you get a chance to look at your .38 revolver?

thanks,
kitt1

It's been a while since I fixed mine up, but as I recall, either I unscrewed the grips, or the plastic thing literally just pops off with the right amount of pressure. It's just clipped in place, really. I'm pretty sure I just popped it off.

As for replacing the grips, I'm not sure if that'd work. The butt of the gun is where the gas goes for airsoft purposes, so I'm not sure if they're ACTUAL grips. Remember, it's an airsoft pistol, not a full metal replica (although most of the gun is metal).

I'll check mine out when I get home and make sure.

Like I said, though, I was quite happy with how it turned out. It's not as big a frame as a .45, but for $50 it's cheaper than some of the S&W resin repros and it has moving parts.

 

[WinstonWolf359]

I used to own the airsoft FBI .38 too. It was my first Indy replica pistol, and for the money, it's pretty good.

The finger grip add-on piece does just pop off, I didn't even need to remove the grips in order remove it, just give it a tug.

This airsoft is not a 1:1 replica of a Smith and Wesson, though. The grip frame is completely different in order to accomodate the gas tank in the grip. Real S&W grips can't be used.

However, Tanaka makes several S&W replicas that are pretty much exact replicas of the originals, including full trademarks, and you can replace the plastic grips with real ones if you'd like. They're more expensive but so much more convincing and well made.

Here's my K-frame M-10 .38 Tanaka airsoft, with vintage grips installed:

And my L-frame M-29 .44 Tanaka, modified to look more like the actual Indy pistol, and with modern repro grips installed:

 

[Solo4114]

Yeah, sorry I didn't get back to you. As pointed out, the thing on the grips can be popped off.

I never priced the Tanaka stuff. I found the "Bull barrel" style of a lot of the M-29s to be too far off to my eye.

Like I said, for me, the HFC FBI revolver was "good enough." You might be able to get a little closer for a little more money. Shortyusa, though, I'd stick with if you can. Tehy're fast on delivery and seem to have pretty good prices.