MLC ESB Sidearm holster ***Final update 1/24/04****

Hey guys!

As you may have noticed in our Blaster thread, TJ was gracious enough to send me his "Nemrod" speargun holster in order to replicate it into FG for our blaster holster.

Unfortunately, when TJ came back from his vacation, it seems like he is now buried in work & thus wouldnt have time to disscuss his plans much less post in TDH. Therefore, he has requested me to spearhead this project with the help of you guys

I would like to request those knowledgable in ESB Fett's sidearm holster to contribute any ideas, pics & recommendations towards this project so I could be guided.
In short, this topic is open for disscussion

As always, the pool of talents from this forum helps us achieve a better product

Thanks!

Mardon

Figured I'd take a break from my busy schedule and post some pix and info.

tylerdurden has seen this in person and has IDed this holster as the holster used by the Bespin Guard and, by proxy, he believes it to be correct for Fett.

Here's Mardon's sidearm in the Nemrod holster:









Here are some shots for comparison originally posted by MaxPlague:



Hope that gets the ball rolling on this project.

Cheers!
TJ

Okay, I'm in for one!

Wow, I think all that needs to be done is to get rid of all the unneccesary straps and such. One question though, do you plan on keeping the symbol on the side of the holster or removing it? Keeping it may be more accurate (I can't tell from the pics if it's there) but it would look better with it gone.

I like it, put me on the list for one.

Add me on too.

Looks close enough for me, add me too the list as well.

Okay, thought you guys would pipe-in with your ideas & suggestions......not an interest thread! hahahaha!
Well, atleast not yet

Righto, let me share my thoughts:
If you noticed from the first 3 pics above, the original Nemrod holster has 3 components we dont need - namely the spear pocket (located from the top of the holster running down the entire lenght), the knife sheath and the "Nemrod" logo (I think).
The best & easiest way to eliminate this at once is if we mold the inside of the holster rather than the outside. This also makes the inside smooth so your blaster could glide smoothly & hopefully w/o scratches on your blaster paint works
The Nemrod is made out of a very rigid rubber like component which borders almost like hard plastic.....however, the straps used are pliable rubber which ofcourse we cant replicate in fiberglass. Any thoughts?

Lastly, I pressume the holster is looped around the ammo belt, correct? If so, do you want us to replicate a loop made out of FG or would you rather have this looped strap made out of rubber or maybe even leather? I dont have the knowledge on how to adhere rubber/leather to FG....so we'll take care of the FG and you guys could choose & make your own belt loop? Unless ofcourse if you want this loop replicated in FG as well.

Ideas, suggestions, recommendations......anything?

Mardon

Hiya Mardon,

While you know that I'm ROTJ all the way, here's my personal take on the holster. Hope you don't mind.

Quote:
If you noticed from the first 3 pics above, the original Nemrod holster has 3 components we dont need - namely the spear pocket (located from the top of the holster running down the entire length), the knife sheath and the "Nemrod" logo (I think).

Honestly, I would get a better front pic of the holster before 'slicing' off the spear pocket and knife sheath. After taking a quick intense look at the pics posted, it does seem to me that they were left on, mainly the spear pocket. I can't really tell with the knife sheath though.

Quote:
The Nemrod is made out of a very rigid rubber like component which borders almost like hard plastic.....however, the straps used are pliable rubber which ofcourse we cant replicate in fiberglass. Any thoughts?

Leather/rubber might work just as well, I'd suggest leather though. And to help cut cost down, you might maybe wanna go for a big leather sheet buy or maybe even hit the leather store for unwanted leather strips. That's what I'd do..

Quote:
Lastly, I pressume the holster is looped around the ammo belt, correct? If so, do you want us to replicate a loop made out of FG or would you rather have this looped strap made out of rubber or maybe even leather? I dont have the knowledge on how to adhere rubber/leather to FG....so we'll take care of the FG and you guys could choose & make your own belt loop? Unless ofcourse if you want this loop replicated in FG as well.

The loop would best be done in rubber/leather, which would allow for more flexible movement when bending and sitting.

I think that if done correctly, you could have snaps and buttons connecting the leather/rubber straps to the FG with no problem. Kinda like what most high speed military manfacturers do with their drop down holsters made of kydex.

Mardon, you could have the holes for the snaps and buttons pre-drilled to help placement and attachment.

Well, cuse me for ranting but I hope this helps somehow.

Stay safe and ROTJ all the way!!! LOL!

Tim.

I say mold it how it is, in the two pictures on the upper right you can see the knife sheath and the spear tube. I can't tell about the logo but I would leave it there and leave that up to whoever gets one.
As far as the straps, I would leave that up to the buyer as well, just make the holes where they need to be.

Oh boy.....you guys sure have sharp eyes! I think I need my glasses

Roger that, if you guys think both the spear pocket & knife sheath should be included - then that could be done. It would entail a double mold thou - molding the outside as well as the inside......so that both spear & knife sheath would have independent pockets.
Molding just the outside (thus faking the knife sheath pocket) would make the blaster rattling inside. As for the logo.....well, that could be erased from the molds.

As for using rubber/leather straps - well, you guys would have to take care of those yourselves as we'll take care of the FG only.

If this is the general concensus, then we'll go this route

Mardon

I agree with leaving the spear and knife holes. I can take care of the rubber or leather parts but dont know about the logo.

The knife sheath and spear tube are clearly on the Bespin version of the Nemrod holster. I would definitely recomend including it on Fett's for now.

I really think the only thing that needs to be removed or sanded off the replica's is the Nemrod logo.

Roger that! Thanks for the input

Mardon

Put me on the list for one of these too! Thanks!

Please add me to the interest list.
Cheers,
ST

He's not doing a list, he's looking for opinions on the holster.

Thats OK BB

Details have been covered, so I'm sure the "interest" thread would follow shortly

Mardon

OOps.

From looking at the original pics, it looks to me that the trigger guard on the holster has been cut back/off to reveal the trigger itself. This might have been done to get a better grip on the gun when pulling it out for a quick shot. Does anyone else notice this, or am I seeing things?

seventhz777z wrote:
From looking at the original pics, it looks to me that the trigger guard on the holster has been cut back/off to reveal the trigger itself. This might have been done to get a better grip on the gun when pulling it out for a quick shot. Does anyone else notice this, or am I seeing things?

I see what you are saying here. If the production team did indeed go through so much trouble - I would doubt. If left as is - the original holster really swallows the sidearm and I think it looks better cut.

Hand-Schaub wrote:

seventhz777z wrote:
From looking at the original pics, it looks to me that the trigger guard on the holster has been cut back/off to reveal the trigger itself. This might have been done to get a better grip on the gun when pulling it out for a quick shot. Does anyone else notice this, or am I seeing things?

I see what you are saying here. If the production team did indeed go through so much trouble - I would doubt. If left as is - the original holster really swallows the sidearm and I think it looks better cut.

I also see what your saying but if you look at the holster in the film pics it seems to be in its original form. It might be that the gun itself is a little small. Look at how much of the barrel comes down as well. The one thing we truly have to go on is the holster for the best reference and not the other way around. AND don't get me wrong here, I think Mardons work on this blaster is exceptional but it may have been better to have started out with the holster in hand to use for size reference as well.

Well, what if we just scaled the holster down slightly?
Wouldn't that take care of the sizing issue?


Also, what's the consensus on the holster- slightly cut out for a quicker draw, showing more of the pistol, or just having it pretty much as it is?


Me, I'm thinking of slightly altering the holster to reveal more of the pistol, etc. I just want to show off the pistol more!!!



I'm just so easy to please these days...

I would say re-do the blaster, man realy. That would be the bets bet. I would realy like to find an original holster as well someday.

The pistol is not small. I'm 5'10", 200lbs, I don't have small hands, and the grip is almost too big for me. Wait until the first batch has been received, (which should be any day now... ) and see what the reaction is.

Who knows if the holster we're using was a "dual-duty" holster? Used for a variety of spearguns, some of which may have a thicker diameter. ESB Fett's holster could very well have been modified ever so slightly. Or,perhaps the holster was modified for a quicker draw, whereas the functioning speargun holster user might not be so concerned w/ a speeddraw setup, but a more secure, underwater, don't lose it kind of setup...



It's the darn closest holster anyone's got, the best option for ESB Fett. Just wait and see what Mardon turns out w/ it...



take care all,

-Rex

I'm gonna chime in here and agree that the holster should incontrovertibly be the starting point for the reasons listed above.

I think trimming the holster and/or scaling it is detrimental to the ultimate goal of screen accuracy.

So I say leave the holster as is and revamp the sidearm if needs be.

Don't get me wrong. It's a cool sidearm for those who are putting together a costume as it is no question. I think Mardon, as usual, did a bang up job. But as nice as it is, there are still a few areas on the sidearm that, in my opinion, could be improved upon.

Also, since it was scaled up from a Marmit sidearm (ie. one which wasn't necessarily scaled down correctly in the first place and so, frankly, most likely isn't to scale) it stands to reason that what Mardon came up with isn't the correct size.

Rex: If the grip is as big as you say it is, maybe only the barrel needs to be scaled up.

Cheers!
TJ

PS. I feel bad criticizing because Mardon and his middleman Rex are two of the nicest dudes I have ever shared PMs with. Sorry guys. No hard feelings I hope!

I've got to agree with keeping the holster as is. It is the closest thing to the real holster, if not the same holster, that you can get. I still have the Nemrod spear gun that came with Jeezy's holster, and it filled the holster almost exactly like the ESB side-arm does in the film. The spear gun/holster is pretty big!

Also, it may not be a matter of size, meaning girth, but rather length.

Maybe enlongating the top half of the gun by %5...

Holding the gun in my hand as I say this, I think the gun is a perfect size. I never expected it to be this big and any bigger would not look right I dont think. I have VERY big hands and it fits in them with some room to spare. I'll try to get a good shot up of it in my hands.

Looking at the pictures some more, It still looks like the holster has been cut down. In the image of the back side of the holster there seems to be a slight lip under the trigger, and not the flat edge of the one that was found. Here is a picture of what I see, the Fett used one next to the one that was made...

I still see the same holster... I am sticking with the idea that it was not modified. Comparing it with your diagram seems to prove it even more that it was not cut. Well, in my opinion anyway...

Well it is a size/scaling issue. If the found holster is photographed in this same manor and scaled right next to each other, then match up the top and bottom and see where the gun and trigger guard line up. It would be a approximation only, but obvious differences will be noticed. Might be worth trying instead of going back to the drawing board on the blaster. IF the holster is unaltered, then the blaster would only need to be longer, not necessarily bigger.

seventhz777z wrote:
IF the holster is unaltered, then the blaster would only need to be longer, not necessarily bigger.

I have to agree with you there! I received mine and it doesn't seem to be to small at all as far as the basic shape is concerned. Its actually a pretty good size in fact and an excellent replica! I do think if it was elongated some it would fit the holster in a more accurate way. One question though... How sure are we that this is the same exact holster used?? I am sure there are a veriety holsters for different sized spear guns correct?? Or is this the real deal hands down?? Why waiste anymore time on it if we are not absolutely certain that its the found part or not?

Well Paid Killer wrote:
One question though... How sure are we that this is the same exact holster used?? I am sure there are a veriety holsters for different sized spear guns correct?? Or is this the real deal hands down?? Why waiste anymore time on it if we are not absolutely certain that its the found part or not?

That is a good point WPK, I say we do just a bit more research before we assume this is the exact holster used. I would hate to have to do all this work and end up with the wrong holster.

Just curious on the staus of these?

What a surprise....as I was about to update this.
I brought the holster out to my worker & we deliberated on what should be done....and we both ended up with molding the original holster and making a new prototype from the first pulled product.

We'll probably shave a bit here & there to make the blaster fit similar to the movie version, but we'll post pics for your approval before re-molding a new

Hope this is satisfactory to everyone concerned.

Mardon

I would like to get an unmodified one,or atleast not to modified as I am building my own blaster. Do you have an estimated price on these?

Does anyone know here I can get my hands on an ESB Fett rifle and also the pistol with holster? I can be reach at nicodemus13@webtv.net, Thanks!

TK-1776

Nice shots Tyler!!!

Hi Guys,

This is only my second post in this group. I'm looking to purchase an ESB rifle + pistol with holster. Please contact me at nicodemus13@webtv.net if you can help me. Thanks!

John Barrows, Jr.
TK-1776

John,

Use the search tool on the site...it'll be you're good friend!

Thanks Boba, I mean Bob! Why do I always do that?!! :p

John Barrows, Jr.
TK-1776
501st NEG

UPDATE**********UPDATE**********UPDATE**********UP DATE

Quote from Mardon...

Here's 2 pics of recent developments that we've made in regards to Fett's ESB
holster (I guess its high time to give the board an update on this project - its
been awhile).

The one on the left most side is the mold - since folks wanted the knife sheath
& spear hole included, then we had to do a double mold just so we could
replicate those - meaning, we had to mold the inside as well as the outside.

The one in the middle is a FG prototype pulled from the molds. The inner part
has already been assembled to the outer part. If you noticed, we also scratched
off the "Nemrod" logo. Dont worry about the beige color, as the actual products
could be gelcoated in dark brown color.

Naturally, the one on the right is TJ's (Jeezy Creezy) original Nemrod holster
(Black) which he lent to me for replication.

I'll be studying more how Fetts pistol sits on the holster & will make
guidelines on the FG prototype.....maybe a cut here & there would make it look a
bit more accurate.

Lookin' good, really good! Getting closer and closer on this!



-Rex

Lookin good!!

Lookin' GREAT!!

looking sweet!

Happy New Year everyone!

Apologies again for taking so long in updating this project - been super busy with other projects & priorities that this holster project fell on the wayside.
Nonetheless, I finally found time to complete this project & above are pics to show you of what we've accomplished so far.

Before I proceed to further explain the pics above, I first would like to thank my bud Matt(WPK) for uploading the pics - thanks bud!

Okay here we go:
After molding the original Nemrod holster in & out & pulled out the first FG prototype from the molds, I proceeded with shaving a bit some parts to make it look a bit screen accurate. Now your finger could easily reach the trigger while the gun is still in the holster & more of the front barrel is exposed just like you see in the pics.

Naturally, we cant replicate both the gun guard strap & belt loop strap thru Fg as Fg isnt as pliable as rubber - which was used in the original holster. However, we already disscussed before that these parts could be easily done by individual owners by using real rubber, leather or vinyl - your choice ofcourse.

No worries - The FG molds replicated the position of the snaps used for the straps, therefore you'll know where to position both straps. I guess you could either use real snaps, rivets or plain glue the straps to the FG holster & just adding "fake" snaps for appearance.

The final product could be gel-coated in brown color, but if anyone preffers our typical "primer grey" color, then that could be done as well. Just signify your preferrence to Rex.

If the above pics & explanations are satisfactory, then we could proceed in re-molding the holster again & start an interest thread

BTW- this doesnt take away Jango kid's excellent leather/vinyl holster which he has done for the MLC ESB pistol & which he is also offering. I consider him a friend & I dont see any conflict whatsoever in this project as we have both different materials used in our holster versions.
This project was originally spearheaded by TJ (Jeezy Creezy), so I took the responsibility of offering it as he was so kind to lend it for the project.

Again, any interest should be forwarded to Mr.Rex Adams (bounty's Hunted) for pricing & other particulars.

Thank You & may everyone have a prosperous 2004!!!

Mardon

Woooo-Hooooo!!

Finally!!



I want one!!!

Wow! That looks really good, Nice job Mardon.

Wow!!!! That looks fantastic!!! Excelent job as always Mardon!!!
Damian