[zacharybroyles]

So I think i'm going to try build a pack, and I LOVE this concept art.

(I actually photoshopped that image because it was mirrored and the wand was wayyy to big)

I guess I'm going to use wood, since I have a bunch of it laying around that'll work for this project and all the tools as well.

Heres my sketch of how I think i'm going to lay her out


I may be able to make it more like the art if I shrunk the cyclotron moved some stuff around.
I'll draw up the gun later
EDIT!
The wand/gun


What do you guys think?

[Kingpin]

I think it'll be awesome. That'd be the second Wii concept art Proton Pack to be built.

Can't wait to see construction commence.

[UltimateGBfan]

Do it,and I want lots of pics of you doing it.

[zacharybroyles]

So I left my camera at my office at work, BUT this afternoon I cut out the main part of the motherboard. Since I'm building this thing with the film plans as a guide I'm kind of doing everything by imagination.

There is going to be a main board, then the whole thing will have a spacer (probably 1 1/2 to 2 inches), another board of some thinner material on top of that, I was cutting lauan for just one but that stuff is a pain...

Then on top of all that will be the gizmos and thingamajigs, since I'll have all that space I'm going to fashion some access doors for lights and what not so I can wire it up and keep batteries.

I dont know if I'll put a sound kit, but I will definitely put lights, the cheapest way possible. I'm handy with a soldering iron and should be able to make it all work pretty easy, I'm made guitar stompboxes before so i think i can solder some simple LED circuits.

I'm really happy with what little i've done, i've not made a proton pack since I was 13 for halloween...and i'll be 25 in october so it's high time I make a decent one.

I'll post pictures tomorrow, I've got to run to lowes and get some wood filler, glue, screws, etc... ahhh summer projects.

ALSO any thoughts about the thrower for the pack?

[Kingpin]

From initial observation your modification of their thrower design looks good... but I'm not sure what feedback you're looking for in particular.

Although you are going to have to design the two other elevations that aren't really seen all that well.

[JackIvyGB]

The plans are looking good!
Here's the one I built:


It was made from mainly foam board, spray painted. Custom pack frame from pvc.
It's smaller, built for my 12 year old little brother. It still needs a hose on the pack. I'd also like to revisit the thrower as well, make it a little closer to the design in the art. It still needs a proper gun hook too. Other than that, I think it came out ok. It has lights in the gun, power cell, and the cyclotron too.

Keep up the good work!

[zacharybroyles]

Awesome work man! I'm real excited about getting mine going!

[zacharybroyles]

Alright!
Mother Board is done
the spacer top is almost done just needs to be sanded and cut out a little more (I'm buying a jigsaw soon)
Cyclotron is found (bottom of a bucket) I wanted one bigger than the normal packs.
Pipes for handles and what not are found
Hoses Found
I've got a sheet of plexi for my lenses
I'm going to cut my parts for my spacer tonight after work and I'm going to try to get it clamped and glued tonight too.

I'm leaving for Syracuse NY in a couple days and when I get back I have to get this thing rolling. I've got a friend who runs a game store and is having a midnight launch for the game and would like me to be up. I've got a suit, but it needs a little tailoring (hopefully my mom can make that happen so I dont have to order a new one) We'll see if I can have this bad boy ready for the game launch after I get back from NY

I'll take some pictures tomorrow hopefully.

[zacharybroyles]

Got all the main spacer bits cut out tonight and most of the sides glued on. Pictures tomorrow!

[zacharybroyles]

The back with some sides

The top and cyclotron

This is when i realized I need a extra spacer for the cyclotron to beef the pack up. This isnt glued just held to together to see the spacer thickness

How the bottom of the spacer will be formed, I'll fill in the cracks with fiberglass or bondo then sand it all smooth, only two pieces are being glued



Should have more glued this afternoon. I love this.

[UltimateGBfan]

This gonna be heavy,I personally wouldn't have used plywood but instead I would have used MDF,this thing is gonna be sick though;

[zacharybroyles]

The top and most of the bits and boxes on the top are going to luan wood, which is a really light weight. It's ugly though...a lot of filler and sanding :/ I'm using wood because we have a ton of scrap pieces, I'd say 90% of it going to be wood...but I'll manage. It's my first pack build too...well first really earnest attempt i built a pack when i was like 13. I actually went and got it from my parents house the other day, its pretty funny and really not that bad.

Right now the back and sides are right at 10 pounds and I plan on getting a alice frame so that will help with the load. since it will definitely be a beast

[zacharybroyles]

all the sides except for the bottom glued

How big the pack is

Playing around with cardboard, just some prototyping

I can't wait to bondo this thing up and get some primer on it.

[UltimateGBfan]

Now we're talking my man!Looking good.

[zacharybroyles]

Bought some foamcore to build the boxes and stuff on the top of the pack, may layer it up to make the top motherboard, we'll see.

[zacharybroyles]

Bored last night, i dyed my uniform, not perfect but not bad. I'm wearing my pack i made when i was like 14, ha. I dont know why I was making that face, I was very tired. I'm gluing foamboard right now, pics soon.

[beany302006]

you going to work on the gun next

[zacharybroyles]

Yeah, I got almost all my measurements for the pack pieces done and alot of them cut out now, and I'm working on the gun box. Pictures this afternoon.

[beany302006]

zacharybroyles where you from

[zacharybroyles]

Ah sorry, i thought I had that showing. I'm from Middle Tennessee.

[beany302006]

your pack looks good so far keep up the good work

[zacharybroyles]

So it's coming along, i fiddled around with it at work since we were slow today and then came back after hours to glue and cut foam board, I used SUMO glue because the bottle said that the bottle had a air tight cap...hmmm any of this gorilla type glue sets up in the bottle pretty quick seems like and clogs up the nozzle, grr.

The pack looks sweet, I'll of course have to bondo everything. It's a little bit WIDER looking than I had originally intended but hey I'm doing this from imagination so oh well. I dont know if I need an extra spacer under the cyclotron or not, i'm thinking it would help beef it up, but we'll see. I used the bottom of a bucket and I'm going to sand/grind away all the letting on it, I may cut the bucket again and then layer it somehow by pushing the part I have through the new piece so it'll have a stepped look and add some height.

The bumper will probably end up being wood of somesort

I'm happy with what I've got so far.

[zacharybroyles]

So I got a crash course in working with bondo with my dad and shop guy harold.

I tested a spot on the side of the "power cell" and one I sanded it, I thought it looks pretty sweet. I just want to cover the foam where its exposed and reinforce it.

A little bit of that stuff with do, and gotta be light on the hardener, ha. I plan on getting most of my boxes covered in bondo tomorrow.

I also made a "spacer" for my cyclotron. It's just another part of the bucket but I may just go get a cake pan, i think that would look better.

Should get a lot done this weekend, a lot of sanding ahead of me.

[UltimateGBfan]

Good start man,glad that you used my suggestion for the boxes and glad to hear the SUMO glue is working fine.

[zacharybroyles]

So I jacked up my power cell and my large middle box on my pack...

I used bondo on them, sanded and got it as nice looking as I could, primed them and some of my pieces began to separate the paper from foam. So gotta start over, I need to get some thin MDF to make these boxes.

I may not get it done by the game release. Sigh...

[UltimateGBfan]

Hmm,haven't had that problem with my foamboard pack.

[Dr. Ray Stantz]

Cardboard...just saying.

[lookatthemonkeys]

If I had to do it again I would use basewood or all syrene

[zacharybroyles]

I'm re thinking a couple parts of this pack, that box next to the power cell I'm going to lay out a different way. I'm probably going to get a hold of some thin MDF type wood this week and bang out the boxes again. I can't believe I jacked it up but I like working with wood and don't care if it's heavy.

[zacharybroyles]

Had to redesign some stuff

Partially primed, still have to make "lids" for the boxes on the top of the pack should get that done today. I've got my pringles can for the n filter and the power cell box is there just had those tubes in it.

I'm going to make my gun box tonight

I ordered parts to build my light circuit, hopefully I can make it on perf board :/

Still need to make a bumper, drill some holes for lenses and hoses, but I should have it done pretty soon!

Oh and it only weighs around 13 pounds right now.