Ok, I've gone back and forth with the POC. I explained the issue with th esole and its importance, and they are very cognizant of our needs and are very willing to work with us. The tan sole on the prototype is as close as they can get, for the tan boots. However, there are some other options for the black soled boots, and it may be possible to place the other sole options on the tan boots as well.
The owner, the lassiter (sp?) and the POC are all set up for a meeting with me next Friday where we will discuss what "has to be" and "what we can live with". As I said I will be taking my pair to give them a hands on, along with all the gathered reference we have for the boots and will hopefully get this sorted so that folks can rely on them for an accurate boot replica.