Han Solo Holster - Screen Accurate Pattern

Smugglers Holster
v 1.0


Update (from the road)


Hello All,

I am typing from the iPad, so please forgive any mistakes. I just wanted to give you a quick update.


Costume Observations


I was able to see the ROTJ version of the holster, and while the zoom on my Nikon D80 isn't super amazing, I was able to snap over 150 pictures of the holster. While I haven't been able to delve into the photos yet, I was able to confirm a few things.


- Disk

I have clear photos of the disk, and am now able to share exactly how it looks. I can also 90% confirm the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the current disk offerings...at least on the ROTJ version.

- Pouches

I was able to confirm a few things on the pouches, namely the size and location. I was surprised how small they were in real life. The photos I took, along with an actual greeblie, should confirm the size 100%.

- Buckle

I was lucky enough to have the costume turned in a way that allowed me to get a gllimpse at the back of the buckle. What I noticed was that my patterns are almost perfect, except for the length of the the loop the hooks attach to. On the ROTJ version at least, the loops attach almost at the very top of the buckle, whereas I had them a attached a bit lower. I also realized the shape of one of my hooks is slightly off, so I'll adjust that when I'm home.

- Color

I was able to get a great idea of the color, and I made sure to adjust my camera to as closely represent the color as possible considering the lighting.

- Holster Detail

I was able to get some great angles of the holster, so I was able to pick out some details like wonky stitching, and such that you can choose to add into yours.


Finally, this version of the holster has a broken/misshapen back buckle. It threw me off for a bit because I couldn't figure out why the shape was so strange. After checking the screen grabs, I was able to determine where in the movie it was used. The broken buckle might be due to it being one of a few holsters, or it may have gotten broken during filming, and the shoot order in the movie is why it only shows up in some scenes.

I will double check this when I'm home to confirm if it is a broken holster, or one of a few versions made for the movie.




Greeblies



As I was typing this, I had a delivery from an Imperial shuttlecraft. I now have the DL-44 greeblies, and the carburetor greeblie in hand. The first thing I noticed is how small it is in real life. I noticed it on the costume at the exhibit as well.

I also am having a super good quality digital caliper delivered tomorrow, and so I will be able to measure the greeblie in great detail, and then using the photos I took, work outwards making sure that every measurement is as accurate as possible.



DL-44


I also had my Denix waiting for me when I arrived here. I realize Denix are not the most accurate, but as I mentioned before, as it is the only real option for many of us, it is the one I will be building this pattern off of. Not 100% I know, but unless someone is willing to lend me a real Mauser, it is the best we can do right now. The problem for me is obviously getting it back into Canada. I think the replica is legal because of its historical age, but if not, blasting my way thought the checkpoint like I'm escaping the Death Star isn't really an option, so if they confiscate it....well, that will suck.

I had hoped to have time to take proper silicone molds of it before I left (Those aren't restricted), but I just don't have the time or any of my materials. The best I can do is grab leather, and using my calipers make the best meeasurements as possible, so if things go wrong at the border, I will at least have everything worked out on paper.



Vacation


So, I'll be heading to the leather store tomorrow to pick up all the materials I need. Then, I promised my girlfriend a few days holster free to do real vacation things. :D

See ya soon
 
Smugglers Holster
v. 1.0

Hello Everyone,

Today I spent almost the entire day at the Tandy Leather store. It was pretty cool because I met a guy who is super into making Judge Dredd props/costumes.

Anyway, it was a bit of a nerve racking experience. There are so many options for choosing leather, and they're not all that cheap, so picking up the right ones was a bit daunting.

What I ended up getting was 9-10oz (9/64 - 5/32 -- 3.6mm - 4.0mm) for the holster, and 7 - 8oz ( 7/64 - 1/8 -- 2.8mm - 3.6mm) for the pouches.

I have been second guessing myself all day, but I decided to get them home and put together a bit of a mockup to see what you guys think.


Smugglers-Holster-PouchTest.jpg

Forgive the crude sewing/cutting, I just sliced off a few corners to give me enough to work with.

So, do you think this is the right thickness of leather?

Originally we were saying 8oz for the holster, and 6oz for the pouches, but as I said this is 9-10oz - 7-8oz. So visually do you think it is right....or am I going to have to get some more leather?

Correction/edit


I looked at the receipt and it says the pouch leather is 6 -7oz. The measurements I took seem to range between 6 - 8oz, but, It could just be minor fluctuations.
 
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Smugglers Holster
v 1.0

Leather
Well, this has been a bit of a frustrating and expensive experiment. I posted the image above yesterday, and unfortunately I didn't get much feedback. I sat there most of the night with the mockup on my nightstand, and while catching up on some House of Cards, I would glance over, pick it up, compare it, and ponder.

By the morning I wasn't any more sure than I was the day before, and so I headed off to two leather shops, and after a lot of debating with my girlfriend, I decided to bite the bulltet and purchase a 8-9oz () and a 4-5oz () so that I could compare.

I am now at about $500 in leather, so I should have enough variation in size to get as close as possible to the actual leather thickness.

I just finished this mockup:



Smugglers-Holster-PouchTest-2.jpg

Now, I realize this might be a difficult way to assess this based on a few different factors such as angle, the blurry photo, shadows, etc, but I hope it can at least be enough to get a good idea of the right direction.

I am hesitating saying much about the two photos because I don't want to influence what you think.

I'll leave this a few days to give you guys time to mull it over. :)
 
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8-9oz is pretty typical for a belt, and you don't want to go too thick on on the pouches, so the 4-5 is probably a good weight
 
8-9oz is pretty typical for a belt, and you don't want to go too thick on on the pouches, so the 4-5 is probably a good weight

I agree. However...

I can't assume that was the case here.

I don't know of the original was made using carefully picked leather, or was made using whatever hide was in the shop. I can't assume that when they built it, they used 8-9oz, or went heavier for esthetic reasons or to compensate for the weight of the blaster. I also have no idea if leather thickness was the same then, as it is today (look at 2 x 4 wood, and how that has grown smaller over the years).

The original holsters may have been made from a single hide and then sanded/shaved to achieve the desired custom thickness. They could have been made using a mish mash of left over hides that were in the shop. Or they could have been custom hides shaved to custom thickness.

These are some pf the reasons why I opted to approach this from a more visual perspective. If it looks correct, and then is backed up with other evidence such as measurements, then I will be much more confident that we have the correct info.
 
Judging from the picture you posted, I'd say the belt looks accurate and the pouch appears just a little bit too thick.
 
What is the origin of that picture of the original holster belt? Was it taken from an exhibition or from actual screen- or posed shots with Harisson Ford at the time of production? Somehow it seems that greeblie is sticking way to much out in that leather pouch and it's well known that during building exhibitions worldwide the set up varies depending on the person in charge of dressing the mannequins.

Chaim
 
Hey,

As far as I can tell, it is a screen used version from ESB. It is the same one I saw at the costume exhibition last week (I screwed up and said it was from ROTJ).

Smugglers-Holster-ESB.jpg


Smugglers-Holster-ESB-Pouch.jpg

The Greebie is probably different on each setup, for the reasons you mentioned. I recreated that image the best I could with my greeblie so we could see if the leather looked the same. How far out the greeblie is sticking out of the pouch shouldn't really matter at this point. What matters more is the relation between the size of the greeblie and the thickness of the leather.
 
This pouch is way closer in my opinion. The front vertical edge on the first one seemed right but in perspective as it wrapped around it was way too thick. This second version seems right in both regards. To me it looks like the inside may have been shaved down and smoothed out a bit, or maybe it's just smoother looking from repeated use taking the greeblie in and out. My brother, who is a leather worker, also bevels the edges slightly to clean up the "fuzz" on belts he makes. This process may make the leather appear thinner. Your dedication to this project is unbelievable, really excited to see how you solve these problems.

Smugglers Holster
v 1.0

Leather
Well, this has been a bit of a frustrating and expensive experiment. I posted the image above yesterday, and unfortunately I didn't get much feedback. I sat there most of the night with the mockup on my nightstand, and while catching up on some House of Cards, I would glance over, pick it up, compare it, and ponder.

By the morning I wasn't any more sure than I was the day before, and so I headed off to two leather shops, and after a lot of debating with my girlfriend, I decided to bite the bulltet and purchase a 8-9oz () and a 4-5oz () so that I could compare.

I am now at about $500 in leather, so I should have enough variation in size to get as close as possible to the actual leather thickness.

I just finished this mockup:



View attachment 453524

Now, I realize this might be a difficult way to assess this based on a few different factors such as angle, the blurry photo, shadows, etc, but I hope it can at least be enough to get a good idea of the right direction.

I am hesitating saying much about the two photos because I don't want to influence what you think.

I'll leave this a few days to give you guys time to mull it over. :)
 
Smugglers Holster
v 1.0

Episode IV - Pouch


Don't worry ANH fans, I'm not forgetting you.

Here is a quick mockup I just completed. What I did was take a 4-5oz strip of leather and shave it down using a bevel tool to about 1 - 2oz. Then, I glued one side to the inside, and one to the outside to represent the two possible connection options.

Smugglers-Holster-ANH-Pouch.jpg

Here is another angle.

Smugglers-Holster-ANH-Pouch-2.jpg


I realize it is a bit crude, but I wanted to see if the thinner leather, paired with a glue would give similar results.

I will leave it for now, so you guys can voice your opinions.
 
This is is a tough one. Based on your reference photo below I definitely think they are individual pouches that are attached to the belt, it's just not possible to get the sharp crease around the edges by moulding the leather. On your test it's clear the radius is just way to "soft", that's not a fault in your construction just a limitation in of what the leather can do. After saying all of this you did post a pick on page 3 that looks like the pouches are molded and the sharp crease is not evident. Maybe you could post these two reference pics side by side along with your test. Good work!

Smugglers Holster
v 1.0

Episode IV - Pouch


Don't worry ANH fans, I'm not forgetting you.

Here is a quick mockup I just completed. What I did was take a 4-5oz strip of leather and shave it down using a bevel tool to about 1 - 2oz. Then, I glued one side to the inside, and one to the outside to represent the two possible connection options.

View attachment 454006

Here is another angle.

View attachment 454007


I realize it is a bit crude, but I wanted to see if the thinner leather, paired with a glue would give similar results.

I will leave it for now, so you guys can voice your opinions.
 
I think you're referring to this photo.

Smugglers-Holster-Pouches-02.jpg

Specifically images (C) and (D).

Smugglers-Holster-ANH-Pouch-3.jpg

I put these two together roughly on the iPad to roughly match the angle in (D).

On these images I don't see a defined line as we see when the leather is folded under. Give me a few moments to take some new photos, and I'll update this post.

Smugglers-Holster-Pouches-02.jpg


Smugglers-Holster-ANH-Pouch-3.jpg
 
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Awww, man!!

That photo has had me pulling my hair out since you posted it.

The photo you posted yesterday prompted me to redesign the ANH "Y" buckles, and they worked perfectly. Now, with this new photo, I am really struggling to figure out how that slit on the left connector, actually works with the buckle and the leather.

If I model the connector as close as I can, the range of swing motion is drastically reduced. It also requires the connector to be slid overtop the bar that holds the leather, before you attach it to the peg. Here, perhaps a photo will make more sense.

View attachment 437289

As you can see, in order to get even a reasonable range, I had to widen the slit a bit. Of course, it is kinda hard to tell on that photo with the angles and such, and so it could be wider than it seems.

With the slit that wide, that is the maximum range of motion the connecter has. I suppose that (or less) might be perfectly reasonable considering it really doesn't need that much range.

EDIT

Something else that is really bothering me is the layer of these connectors. If you look at it from the back, the order it appears goes.

Buckle - Leather Belt - "Y" Connector

Meaning, more often then not, it appears like the "Y" connector falls closest to the body. The problem is that this design wouldn't really allow for that.

The "Y" connector has to be closest to the buckle, and then the leather on top of it to allow it to freely move around the loop. It seems to shift around in different images, making this really hard to pin down.

Hi Crazylegs have been watching this project great job I am wondering though if the holster buckle also acts as a retainer when attached it prevents the belt clips from bushing towards each other and the belt coming undone I may be way off here but thought I would put that out there
 
Hey,

I'm back home.

Everything went well with customs, so I am now back with all the supplies, blaster, and photos. I just need to get everything put away, then I will go through the photos and see if any are useful, then I'll start this thread back up with some real updates (ahh Photoshop, how I missed thee).
 
Hi Crazylegs have been watching this project great job I am wondering though if the holster buckle also acts as a retainer when attached it prevents the belt clips from bushing towards each other and the belt coming undone I may be way off here but thought I would put that out there

Welcome back Crazylegsmurphy ... is the above assesment by NumberNine assumed to be the case?

Chaim
 
Welcome back Crazylegsmurphy ... is the above assesment by NumberNine assumed to be the case?

Chaim

I'm not entirely clear on what is being described. I think NumberNine is wondering if the "Y" hook, when attached, creates a stop, that keeps the belt hooks from pressing inwards, and becoming detached from the loops.

If I'm understanding, then I think my answer is not likely. From what I have been able to see, the "Y" hook is limited in it's movement because of the notches. They have to sit in a certain spot as to not interfere with the leather/hooks. If the belt hooks hit the "Y" hook, and stop them from moving, then I think is just by coincidence. The "Y" hooks move and swing around depending on how the wearer is positioned.

I think, what is more likely is that the belt is sized so that it is fairly snug. The belt hooks may require the belt to be put on higher on the hips, then slid down. The hips of the wearer have a bit of give, but not enough to unhook the hooks. You can see in many photos that the hooks are almost always in a constant state of half way being unhooked. The weight of the blaster/holster keeps the bottom of the hook engaged, while the movements of the hips/legs let the top of the hook pivot and slide around.

Of course...this may be wrong.

Soon, we will see how they react when they're built. NumberNine may be correct.
 
Smugglers Holster
v 1.0

Updates & News



I felt I should make a quick update so you all don't think I just dropped off the planet.


Star Wars Exhibit Photos


I have finally made it through the photos from the Star Wars costume exhibit.

Sadly, but expectedly, out of about 800 photos, only about 25 were even usable. The rules of the exhibition state that no tripods, nor flash photography is allowed. The costume is also about 6-8 feet away, and you can't lean over the protective glass to get closer because they have motion alarms that screech if you try.

I thought my camera would do alright with minimal settings, but in the low lighting it meant the camera set the shutter speed slow, making all my photos look like I had been standing on a paint shaker. They look passable if you reduce the image down, but detail is key here so most are unusable for these purposes.

Smugglers-Holster-Exhibit.jpg

While on vacation I decided to read up on low light photography and my camera to see what options I had to get some better photos.

On the way back home I paid for another ticket and went back to get some more photos. I snapped other 400 or so, with a very high ISO, which gave me better results. They are of course much more grainy, but I was able to get some detail shots that I think will help a lot.

So, that took a while to get though because I had to zoom into full detail on every one and discard any with camera shake. The image above is a resized example of one of the best ones.


Leather

I thought I would give you guys a look at the leather I ended up getting. Not much to say, I just thought it might be interesting to some.

Smugglers-Holster-Leather.jpg

Two 2" test straps, and various single and double shoulders. The hopes are that I have enough variation in leather to make sure I can pinpoint the exact leather weights used on the holsters. There is also a leather in there designed for an Indy holster, and Grail Diary, but that is for another time.


Denix


After gathering all the information possible on Canadian law regarding replicas of vintage firearms, I was prepared at the border to have a debate whether they're legal (it seems they are), but luckily enough they only asked where I was, and said, "Welcome home!"

So, I have my Denix Mauser, which will make creating the holster much easier.

The reason I mention this is that there are some Canadians that were wondering about the legalities of bringing back a Denix Mauser from the USA. According to the RCMP website on firearms:

Replicas of Antique Firearms

Although replica firearms are made to look like the original, they are distinct from reproductions or antiques. Replicas look the same, but are different because they cannot discharge projectiles at all, or can discharge only harmless projectiles. (Devices that discharge projectiles that can cause serious bodily injury are not replicas).


Replicas of antiques are not considered firearms.

So, if you interpret that, it means that Denix Mausers are not considered firearms under Canadian law, meaning they should be fully legal to bring into the country.

As with most government law, it can probably be interpreted differently depending on which part of the law you read on other pages, so if you're a Canadian, you might have better luck bringing one over the border with proper documentation, than having one shipped.



Sparklets Soda Bulbs

Argh....what an annoying ordeal.

A while ago I won an Ebay bid for 20 original Sparklets Soda Bulbs from the UK. Figuring I would save on shipping, I had the seller send it to my friend in the UK so she could send them to me at a more reasonable cost.

It turns out, the UK is very fussy when it comes to compressed C02 containers and won't even entertain the idea of shipping them. She has been trying to figure out how to send them, and so I contacted UPS to find out what their policies are. They responded with:

Thank you for your inquiry.

Please note that you can ship C02 canisters, provided that the content inside must be removed, as it is considered as a dangerous goods and is not accepted within UPS.

I have asked my friend to carefully release the gas, altering the bulbs as little as possible. So, once she finds the time to do that, I'll have them shipped here from the UK.

Something to keep in mind if you bid on these and are outside of the UK.



What's Coming?

So, with all that out of the way, you're probably wondering what is coming up for updates.



Greeblies

Well, as I mentioned a few posts ago. Having the actual Greeblie in hand will allow me to use it a proper reference for pretty much the entire holster. However, before I could actually use it, I had to convert it to vector format at the proper size.

The only real way to do that has been to measure every surface with a digital calliper. :)

Smugglers-Holster-Greeblie-Carb.png

This is very close to being done. I just have to adjust some things that are inaccurate, clean it up, and import it into the main pattern.



Disk

I was luckily able to get some workable images of the disk, and have spent some time reworking the pattern to accurately reflect the screen used version. It surprised me to see how close the current disk offerings were, but also how inaccurate they are as well.

Here is a preview:

Smugglers-Holster-E5-Disk-02.jpg



Investigations

Finding information from actual sources has always been a long shot, but I have sent out emails to everyone that has access to, or possibly knows someone who has access to the holster. I have done my best to explain that we would be very appreciative of any information that will help us determine what the rest of the Greeblies are.

I am still waiting to hear back from them, but while I was at the Star Wars Exhibit, one of the staff told me that while they aren't actually allowed to touch the costumes, they are often required to get close to them to fix issues. I explained everything, and begged her to take a photo or two if she, or one of her co-workers is required to get close to the holster. So, we shall see.


Timeline


So, basically things are starting to come together and so this should start moving quite quickly from here on. I just figured some of you might be wondering why the silence, so I felt I should get this update out there.

Smugglers-Holster-Exhibit.jpg


Smugglers-Holster-Leather.jpg


Smugglers-Holster-Greeblie-Carb.png


Smugglers-Holster-E5-Disk-02.jpg
 
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