Where to get the good stuff?

[MaX]

Good eeeevening fräulein... and gentlemen.

I've wanted an Indy outfit for years, and recently decided that now has to be the time. As with my hifi-fling, I've quickly discovered that near-close-enough is not close enough. I've purchased a fedora and a whip that close enough, and a gun belt / holster / whip-holder which I can already now see I have to update. So, I discovered this thread in here, which complies pretty well with what I've read so far. Before I go buy more stuff, I'd like to run this by the experts.

What I am looking for is something that is screen-accurate to Raiders. I wouldn't say money isn't an object, because I'm not gonna spend $400 on a whip or boots right now. But I'd still like some quality stuff. So how does this look?

- Fedora: What I have now (eventually an Adventurebilt)
- Shirt: Magnoli or WPG
- Pants: Magnoli
- Bag Strap: Magnoli
- Original Mark VII: Magnoli or WPG
- Solid Brass Web Belts: Not sure, probably from somewhere I get some other stuff. I read that they're pretty much the same.
- Bullwhip: Have one which will have to do so far. Though it's a little too dark, and "only" 10 pl.
- Indy Boots: Todd's
- Holster: Adventurebilt
- Gun Belt: thewhipstudio or Magnoli
- Whip Holder: Whipartist.com (non-slip)
- Leather Jacket: Wested, Raiders of Lost Ark Jacket 'Authentic Lamb'

Any suggestions and comments are welcome. Especially on the undecided points.

:::: UPDATES ::::
Here's an updated list of what I've bought so far!
Not ordered yet
Ordered
Received

- Fedora: Adventurebilt, "The Henry" - From flee market
- Bullwhip: Nick Lang (pagey), 10ft 12 pl natural tan roohide, direct copy of a Morgan
- Leather Jacket: Wested custom ROLA, "authentic lamb"
- Shirt: Adventurebilt
- Pants: Magnoli, Adventurer, Vintage brown cotton cavalry twill
- Original Mark VII: WPG
- Bag Strap: Wade Egan, Raiders deluxe pre-distressed
- Gun Belt: Wade Egan, Raiders deluxe pre-distressed
- Whip Holder: Wade Egan, Raiders deluxe pre-distressed
- Holster: Wade Egan, Raiders (not sure if it's pre-distressed)
- Web Belts: Wade Egan - Todd's x 2
- Boots: Maybe next Alden 405 Indy-version batch, maybe Todd's, maybe Rockport Farnum - Own "spirit of Indy"s
- Gloves: Todd's "new"
- Gun: Don't know yet yet
- Temple bag: Todd's
- Staff of Ra headpiece: Todd's
- Hat ribbon: Todd's x 2, will replace on my flee market hat

[California Jones]

I would have to say every thing you listed is a great choice all are the better picks

[MaX]

Thanks for the feed-back! I'd never have been able to find this stuff without this site...!

What about the stuff where I'm not decided yet, any thoughts? I'd especially like to get the shirt right.

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Take the advice below with a pinch of salt. I have no experience with real gear whatsoever. These are based on observations I have made in the past.

You probably want Web Belts from Todd's, as they are the cheapest. With the gunbelt, Wade Egan's Raiders Gunbelt was rated the most accurate on the two "official" Indy Gear forums (COW and The Raven). It has a whipholder already attached, as did the movie gunbelt. If you're going for accuracy, go with that one. For Prop-Accuracy, you probably don't want a Wested. I've heard they're pretty accurate, but your goal is Ultimate Prop-Accuracy, so you might want to get a jacket from somebody else. You can't go wrong with the G&B. And Todd's is a great Raiders Jacket, and very affordable, too. Wested was planning a Raiders "Hero" Jacket that was a mix and match of other Indy Jackets and supposed to be 100% more accurate than anything else out there, but I don't think it ever got off the ground.

Depending on your location and budget, you'll probably want a Noel Howard Shirt. It's simply the best. AB is the close second. If you're in the heat and you have a low budget (like me), then go with the Todd's. All of these shirts are based off of the original Raiders patterns.

Oh, and Welcome to the Lounge!

Steven

[MaX]

Hey PJ,

Yeah, I think I'll get the web belt from Todd's, if I get something else there, like the boots. Otherwise postage will cause it to be too expensive. (I live in Denmark)

Is Wade Egan the one on eBay? I've just taken a look, but I was remembering the belt as dark brown, not black. And I thought I had checked that the whipholder had the same color as the belt. I'll have to double-check this, off course. But if it's screen accurate, that's what I'll get. It just strikes me as odd that all other (raiders) indy belts are brown...

Really, not a Wested? That's surprising... I thought those were the ones to get, since they were the ones who made the original. What/who is G&B. I'll have to take a better look at Todd's jacket. I've been pretty focused on the Wested.

I was under the impression that a NH shirt would be impossible to get. I had a look at the market place without any luck. I'll try to check it regularly. I read the comparison, but it mentioned neither the Magnoli nor the WPG shirt, which I've read in other threads should be very accurate. Has anyone compared AB, Magnoli and WPG? Or just two of the three?

And thanks for the warm welcome!

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Here's the Wade Egan site. There, you'll find under the gunbelt section that their Raiders Belt is indeed dark brown, and the whipholder is only a few shades lighter than the rest of the belt.

Gibson & Barnes (A.K.A. G&B, Flightsuits) makes the Expedition Jacket using an exacting pattern for the Raider's Jacket and the most high-quality, durable materials ever conceived of, like Chrome-Tanned Leather. You can get it in Lambskin (Which is very, very durable on this jacket) and Goatskin (Which is cheaper and even tougher).

Yeah, the NH is impossible to get. So we can rule that out.

You're welcome!

Steven

[Noah]

For the belt, Wade Egan would definitely be the way to go. They're very accurate. Just tell him what you want and he can do it. You can even ask him to attach the super whipholder to it, if you want it to really be functional.

Todd's Raiders jacket would be a good choice. Some say it is costumey but to me it's a good jacket. And just to let you know US Wings will be coming out with a Raiders jacket. Although I don't know if I'm allowed to say anything else about it at the moment.

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Whoa! A U.S. Wings Raiders Jacket? Like a Movie-Specific jacket?

Steven

[Mr. Fusion]

Wade Egan definitely has great quality products. I have a Last Crusade gunbelt and bag strap from him. Couldn't be happier.

I have two Wested jackets, a Raiders Special Offer Lamb OTR, and a LC goatskin. They are both fantastic jackets. There may be some slight inaccuracies, but the quality is great. If you are looking for the ultimate Indy jacket, Tony Nowak is the way to go. He passed away a few months ago, but I understand his nephew is continuing his work. His are made to specs are very expensive.

The Noel Howard shirt is indeed difficult to find. I have a Todd's shirt and it's very nice. I also love my Azuma LC shirt. It's the most accurate LC shirt available.

Personally, I don't own a nice pair of accurate Indy pants. I have heard Magnoli is the nicest (I have a couple of products from him) and made to specs. The Wested pants are known for fitting strangely on some people. They are, however, probably the best choice, price-wise. They are very nice quality and accurate color as well.

Todd's boots are great. I would also recommend the MkVII bag from Todd. I have Magnoli's, which is great, but I think Todd's is more accurate.

Graeme Roberts makes really great whips are a fantastic price. www.midlandwhips.com/

Everything else you've chosen seems about right.

-Josh

[Noah]

Aug 9, 2010 20:18:44 GMT -5 Pennsylvania Jones said:

Whoa! A U.S. Wings Raiders Jacket? Like a Movie-Specific jacket?

Steven

Yep! And it will be pretty accurate from what I know. I should probably refrain from saying anything else until I know it's alright to do so.

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Aug 9, 2010 20:26:20 GMT -5 Noah said:

Aug 9, 2010 20:18:44 GMT -5 Pennsylvania Jones said:

Whoa! A U.S. Wings Raiders Jacket? Like a Movie-Specific jacket?

Steven

Yep! And it will be completely accurate from what I know. I should probably refrain from saying anything else until I know it's alright to do so.

Shutting up.

[Noah]

Aug 9, 2010 20:20:01 GMT -5 Mr. Fusion said:

Todd's boots are great. I would also recommend the MkVII bag from Todd. I have Magnoli's, which is great, but I think Todd's is more accurate.

Todd's bag is a really good bag. They have the right Raiders color. His bag straps are good and they're Raiders designed.

Todd's shirt is really good and they're also Raiders designed. They get those nice wrinkles.

[MaX]

Hey guys! Sorry for the absence, it's been night time here in the mean time...!

Thanks for all the input! I can see there's still more to look in to. How is the quality of Todd's bag straps vs Magnoli vs Wade Egan? I'd like a good feel to the gear too, besides "just" looking good.

A Wings jacket sounds interesting. Depending how soon it'll come out, I'm not sure I can wait. I must admit I'm still on the fence about the jacket. I thought for sure it would be a Wested. But now I'll have to check out Todd's in detail.

[Noah]

I only have a Todd's bag strap, and I can tell you that it's good quality. Wade and Magnoli's bag straps are very good no doubt. Wade actually supplies Magnoli with some of his leather gear.

Todd makes good jackets. They are probably the cheapest out there, but very nice. It's a pretty light jacket so it's good for warmer weather.

[MaX]

Hi Noah,

Thanks for confirming Todd's quality. As I said, I'm not looking for just the cheapest out there, but then again, I'm in no way a millionaire...!

I'm still looking into G&B and Tony Nowak jackets.

For the shirt, I'll also check out Azuma as Mr. Fusion mentions. Does anyone have a link...?

I really appreciate all the help. Although it does kinda make me more confused. ;D

[MaX]

I think the pants are pretty much locked down to Magnoli's Adventure Pants, zipper fly. I havn't heard anything that suggests I should choose otherwise. But which color should I choose? The latest I've read is that the vintage brown cavalry twill should be pretty much a dead ringer for raiders, but which, of course, are $80 extra.

[MaX]

I had another look at the Wade Egan belt, and I find it pretty dark. It looks black to me (especially the top right picture), except a slight hint of very very dark brown in the other pictures. Also, the whip holder seems way too light brown. The closest, I find, is the bottom picture, where the belt seems correct dark brown, and the whip holder seems a darker, more fitting, dark brown. Are all these pictures the same belt? I'd really like to hear from someone who has seen this belt IRL.

In that connection I decided to take a look at the movie, which I just finished watching, closely. The gun-belt is indeed very dark brown, but not black, and the whip holder is definitely not as light brown as it seems in the most of the Egan pictures. That the whip holder is too light isn't that big a deal, I can darken it myself, however I'll have to get confirmation that the belt is not black. Does anyone know how to contact Egan? I can't find an e-mail on the site.

I also decided to look for the grooves, which seem to be present in most replications of both belts, bag straps and hoslters. It might just be because the detail does not show on the DVD, due to the resolution, but I just don't see it. This guy claims to have one of the most accurate sets available, and neither his belt nor strap has ridges. To be fair, this detail isn't a deal-breaker for me, I just find it interesting. I can go either way. Through my eyes there are no ridges in the movie.

Sorry I'm writing so many post, I just keep bumping into new stuff, and unfortunately I'm not on the same time-schedule as you guys. Guess you'll answer once I'm asleep. ;D

[Noah]

No problem

And just another heads up, Todd's will be coming out with Raiders pants, but I don't know exactly when. And of course you can't go wrong with Magnoli.

Here's an email for Wade: [e-mail]

You can ask Wade about the colors of the belt and whipholder. And you can ask him to distress your belt if you want to.

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Remember, Wade Egan can make them however you want. Whether you want a lighter belt or a darker whipholder, just ask him if he can do it. These ARE custom-made belts, after all, but remember that the monitor can screw things up when it comes to colors. You can always ask for swatches. Maybe scraps from past projects?

I know what you mean about the grooves. Is it that the Indy-Gear companies are giving in to the peer pressure of the other Indy-Gear companies that put grooves on them? Is it that those fancy 1080p TVs show grooves on the gear? I don't like seeing any grooves on Indy Leather Gear, and I don't think they're accurate either.

Steven

[MaX]

Noah, thanks for the e-mail, I'll be sure to ask him. It just puzzles me that something that doesn't (to me, at least) have the right colors can be voted most accurate. Unless, of course, it's based on the style of the belt etc., which would make sense. They do look darn good!

If Todd keeps the price down on the pants, as he has with the rest of his stuff, I just might try them out, even if I buy magnoli's...!

Pennsylvania Jones, that sounds good. Regarding swatches, I think it'l probably be to expensive and time consuming to have it sent to Denmark.

I actually HAVE one of those fancy 1080p TVs. That's partly why I'm confident I see the right colors. It's a calibrated Pioneer G8, if that tells you anything. But yeah, I'm also becoming pretty certain none of my gear should have grooves.

I have failed to find a website for Tony Novak's stuff. Does anyone have a link?
I havn't found Azuma shirts either, I'd be happy for a link to those, too.

[Noah]

Here's where you can contact Riley Barrie who now makes the jackets: nowakpadawan@aol

And here's a link to Azuma's Last Crusade shirt, if they're still in stock: polymach.myweb.hinet.net/Last_Crusade_Shirt/

I'm pretty sure that Wade's belt color is accurate, but you can ask him about it. He's very helpful

[MaX]

Thanks.

Investigation will begin shortly.

[Pennsylvania Jones]

Aug 11, 2010 1:52:33 GMT -5 MaX said:

Pennsylvania Jones, that sounds good. Regarding swatches, I think it'll probably be to expensive and time consuming to have it sent to Denmark.

I actually HAVE one of those fancy 1080p TVs. That's partly why I'm confident I see the right colors. It's a calibrated Pioneer G8, if that tells you anything. But yeah, I'm also becoming pretty certain none of my gear should have grooves.

Oh. I forgot about shipping.

LUCKY!!! Our family doesn't have anything nearly as nice. Alright, so we can cross the HD theory out. The only groove I ever saw is on Indy's Raiders Holster, when he's pulling the Stembridge out and surrenders it to Belloq.

Steven

[Noah]

Many people think that the belt (and bag strap) had grooves on them. I think so too. But then others have said that there aren't any. I'm not entirely sure which is accurate. Most vendors who make them will usually add them on. You can ask Wade about it, he'll know more information.

[MaX]

Pennsylvania Jones, it took a good deal of my savings, but I'm glad I did it, it's a really good tv.

I'll have to give the groove check another go before I order anything. Since it's a detail that's pretty easy to get right, it would be nice to have. I wrote Wade earlier today. If he has any proof, I'll be sure to post it.