View new posts | View your posts Filandrius' Ghost Trap (my trap pedal was getting lonely)

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Hey guys! Well, my ghost trap build has officially begun. I'll be using a kit for this, which includes everything necessary to build a GB1 hero trap; the kit is mostly metal (the handle, the sides, the wheels…) but has some resin parts (the battery box, the front box, the doors…) and many genuine ones (the vector plate, some knobs, the resistor…) I won't be building the kit as is; I'll do all sorts of personal modifications (mostly to make it more accurate) and I'll try to replace as much reproduction parts as possible with real ones.

Since the trap doors are pretty much the trickiest part (what's a ghost trap without its striped doors?) I started with those. Like I said before, the trap doors are resin (with brass hinges) but the casting wasn't perfect (at least to my taste; it's a rare flaw in a pretty much perfect kit) So since the gap between the doors wasn't straight enough for me, I sanded the doors until it did. That's when I figured that the doors wouldn't fit the kit anymore. Oops… So I had to basically rebuild the resin doors. With what? Styrene, of course!



So here's the result, after a little styrene and a lot of patience. Glued some strips at the edge of the doors, then glued a new surface for the doors (that were getting thin after all that sanding ) It's my first time working with styrene, and I now fully understand why bigi71 is using the stuff to build EVERYTHING. I officially love it. It's easy to cut, easier to sand, and it's SO much better than resin, it's not even funny. So now my doors fit perfectly, and the gap is pretty much nonexistent. Exactly what I wanted!

That's it for now! Well, it's a start, isn't it?

Really looking forward to seeing how accurate your able to get this trap to be...........I know about your work.

A great start. Ill be watching this thread.

I'm totally convinced that you have been screwing with us all this time, Mike. You're not some noob, you're really a master prop builder, aren't you?

Aw shucks guys, you're making me blush. At least wait until it looks a LITTLE like a trap.

OK, here's the deal. The build has really started, so I can explain it a little more. The trap kit I'm using isn't made to replicate the removable cartridge (that's maybe the main inaccuracy) and I'll leave it like that. I'll explain why in a second. So I started by working on the resin parts, because those are always more work (that's why I dislike resin a little; who am I kidding, I hate the stuff) Oh and please forgive the general fuzziness of the pics, my camera has problems with big, black things (insert crude joke here)



Here's the main trap box. Everything in the kit is supposed to be screwed on that solid hunk of resin. That thing alone weights more than my thrower (I'm exaggerating, but only a little) Let's just say that when complete, it'll be tougher than a Russian tank. So there's no way in hell I can modify this thing to have a cartridge, and I don't mind that much. The molding is still very nice though, with almost no work to be done; it's the only part that I'll leave as is, with no paint whatsoever. Only a whole lot of holes. Also it has a nice anodized aluminum insert for the trap doors hinge; another detail that'll make it tough as nail.



So asides from the trap doors, here's the only two other resin parts in the kit. They're almost solid too; there's no way you could break them or anything. In fact the only con is that the trap will weight a TON. Anyway, these parts needed a little more work, so here they are, after a little puttyin' and whole lot of sandin'.



The underside, where the majority of the work was. There was a whole bunch of miniature bubbles that needed to be filled. Afterwards I dry and wet sanded everything until the parts are smooth to my taste. In theory they're ready to be painted (I'll use Krylon Fusion Nickel, for weathering; no primer or anything)



However, before painting, I needed to do another small modification on these parts. At this point you're supposed to drill and tap for the 4-40 screws that'll hold the detail plates (small side note: the plates are anodized aluminum, and are veeery nice. Just thought I'd let you know. ) So back on the screws: yeah, like I'm going to drill and tap in resin for 4-40 threads. That'll go well.



Ta-da! Here's my first improvement on the basic kit: brass threaded inserts. I bought a whole bunch of these things. Since I don't trust resin (like, at all) I won't leave to chance the screw emplacements. I'll but these on every single screw that goes in resin. It'll be a lot safer, especially on the parts that are supposed to be removable.



Yay! It works!

So that's it for now. I'll finish working on the resin parts, and while the Krylon Fusion cures (7 days, people) I'll tackle the aluminum parts. And there's a lot of those, baby. Stay tuned!

Oh man, I had the same idea about the brass inserts. Still a great idea.

This is shaping up to be an epic build. Incidently, who's trap kit are you using?

Electrolytic passivation FTW!

*thumbs up!*

It's really a must, especially with threads so small and screws so short. There's no way in hell that 4-40 x 1/4" screws will hold securely in resin. And I build my props to LAST.

The kit is made by a guy named ewokus, who hails from Proptopia. He made a hero trap with his kit, and it's positively epic. The kit is epic too; wait 'til I show you the metal parts. It's a marvel of engineering. I'll try to do it justice.

Indeed. On that matter, the kit originally came with powder-coated metal parts, but I asked that mine be left on bare aluminum. There's something as TOO clean for a GB prop, you know? Don't think that Egon had access to powder coating and anodizing when he built the equipment.

Thanks!

Small update: didn't work as much as I wanted on my trap (got sidetracked with real life things; those can be annoying! ) but I still got some work done. Here goes:



The resin parts for the trap, ready for black paint. I "primed" them using Krylon Fusion, so here they are, with a generous coat of Nickel Shimmer, and wet sanded up to 1000 grit. I tried to make them extremely smooth, especially since they're all supposed to be metal. Which brings me to...



...The metal parts. Side cosmetic plating, in water-cut 1/16" thick aluminum. I still have to sand the sides (water cutting leaves a funny texture that, while cool, isn't exactly accurate ) and to remove that red printing thingy. Anybody has an idea? (Almost wanted to use polishing compound, but I don't want those with a mirror finish )



The sides and bottom of the trap, again water cut from 1/4" thick aluminum. In the original kit these parts came sanded, polished, and powder coated. But I wanted to finish those myself. I have to sand the sides (same as above) prime and paint them. They'll weather better that way (powder coating tends to be a little TOO indestructible )



On another topic, here's the world's coolest rattle. The handle, machined from solid aluminum. That thing is perfect. Only have to prime and paint it, and it's ready to go on the trap.

That's it for now! Not too exciting, I know. Stay tuned, the fun stuff's coming!

Mike use hairspray to remove the red lettering.

Even though you've just started, this build will be epic too!

And what a hefty handle! Looks like you could use it for tenderizing meat.

Nick, you're a gentleman and a scholar.



The lettering is off in this picture, but you still can see it because the bare aluminum under the ink wasn't exposed to air. It's supposed to dull down a little (at least I think )

That's what I'm using it for these days. That, and as a club to hunt bears.

We'll see about epic. Let's just I'm going to try to do the kit justice.

Sorry about the lack of updates, guys... The kit has been kicking my ass. Most of the parts aren't cooperating at all, and I've been mostly sanding for the past week. I've only made real progress tonight; I finally primed and painted the metal parts of the kit, and completed the resin parts. So here they are, after filling, sanding, painting them silver, filling again, sanding again, painting them silver again, filling, sanding, painting them black, filling again, sanding again, and painting them black again. Note to self: I'm never working with resin again. Ever.



This is literally the best I can do. The resin reacted badly to every kind of paint I used on it; Krylon Fusion, Krylon primer, Krylon BBQ... Little bubbles appeared which had to be filled and sanded, every single time. The only finished surface which is flawless enough for my taste is the styrene that I've put on the doors. At this point, that's OK with me; I'll weather that bitch once it's complete and hide the flaws with fuller's earth. Have I mentioned that I'm never working with resin again?

As for the aluminum parts, sanding the edges of water-cut 1/4" thick plates is hard. Dremelled the hell out of them (I would've needed a belt sander, needless to say that I don't have room for one of those in my living room) I managed to make a smooth edge, but after hours and hours of Dremelling and sanding. Now they're primed and painted, but they're drying. I'll show pics later.

Also, I installed a few greeblies here and there on the resin parts... The screws in the "ears", the switch on the battery box plate, the Foster coupler (correct brass one! Thanks Colin! Woot!) But I have no idea on how to install the LED cover, the one with the metal bezel. Anyone have an idea?

That's it for now. Next up: the yellow stripes on the trap doors! It's make it of break it on that one.

For the red led light cap I suggest hot glue.

That's exactly what I use for most of my hat lights. I'm not a big fan of hot glue but it does do it's job well for hat lights.

Looking good so far Mike I could tell this is going be a great trap already.

For the edge sanding, all you'll need:

Wet/Dry sandpaper (600)
piece of glass, granite or any flat smooth surface
water.

Also, be careful. You keep striving for a perfectly flawless finish and you won't even want to take it out of a display case so it doesn't get scratched ^_^

Indeed. I don't want it to be TOO perfect, or I won't dare weathering it. Or even touching it.

Thanks for the tips for edge sanding, though. I think my parts look great, now. They're painted and ready to go. The rest of the build should be a breeze. But first...



Trap doors!!! Holy crap that was tricky. I used all the accumulated knowledge that I gathered for these things (a big thanks to Nick, by the way ) 90% of the job is in the masking. The tedious, meticulous masking. I must've taped for more than an hour before I started with the yellow. But I think that it was worth it.

I'm so glad that these are done! I finally have something to show for this build, after all the work I've put on it. That's a big relief, right there. A trap isn't a trap without its yellow stripes!

To be continued!

Perfect! Glad I could help.

And you did, a whole lot. The "arrow" tip is your build thread is worth gold, and I kinda used your trap pics as reference. That thing is perfect, what can I say.

That kit is awesome! You are doing a great job modifying it and putting it together!

Thanks man, much appreciated. And I agree, that kit is the bomb. The metal parts alone are worth the price of admission. Speaking of which...



The metal parts in question, ready to be installed. Now that the final coat of paint is dry, the real construction can begin. It'll go fast from here, and I can't wait to see it complete.

*gets popcorn*

OK! Here goes!



I started with the underside of the trap, for some reason. I don't know, maybe I was eager to try the wheels. So here's everything: the bottom plate, the wheels, and the V-hook. The wheels are turned from solid aluminum, and are attached to the powder-coated axles with button head screws. The V-hook wasn't included in the kit (one of the rare part that wasn't) and is by Jason (who else? )



Under the bottom plate goes a spacer plate, which had only the holes for screwing it in the main body of the trap. So I had to drill and tap holes for the 6-32 flat head screws I'm using for the V-hook. Drilling and tapping in 1/4" aluminum is fun! *sarcasm mode* At least it wasn't 1/2" thick like the pedal base plate *shudders*



So the V-hook's bolts go through the bottom plate, and screws into tapped holes in the spacer. Pretty tough, even if I'm not planning on using it (that thing will weight something like 8 lbs. when it's done; I might break something )



Voilà! Instant trap bottom. The wheels turn like crazy, I thought that maybe it wouldn't roll on the ground. That'll not be a problem! It's only missing the decal, which will go on soon enough. Speaking of which, some people just cut the label in two, and others actually trim the border. Which one is correct? I like the second option more, myself.

Stay tuned for more!

Looking good Mike! Oh and I vote for no border.

Duly noted. No border it is.

The next part I kept pushing back for weeks, as I could've done it when I got the kit. But I knew it would be tedious, maybe even more tedious than the sanding. Turns out I was wrong (it was just a little less tedious )

The ewokus kit calls for a whole lot of epoxy in various places to hold it together. One of the major modifications I planned was to hold everything together with screws instead. One of those parts was the side panels, which is supposed to be held in place with the various screws that holds the greeblies, drilled and tapped in resin. So if I don't want to use glue, the screws emplacements have to be really tough! You know what that means: brass threaded inserts!



First thing first, dry fit the panel on the main body. It's supposed to be flush with the bottom.



Next, I marked every single hole on the body through the plate, to insure proper placement.



Next I drilled a whole bunch of 3/16" holes to fit my inserts. Everything's going well so far.



Magic! Inserts appeared in place as soon as the holes were drilled. No, THAT was the tedious part. The inserts have to be screwed in forcibly, and as straight as possible, without damaging the resin. Every insert has to be made slowly and carefully, and I used about 150 of them. Every single screw, 4-40 or 6-32, will be using these. While that part was a major pain, I really think that it'll be worth it.



And a little dry-fitting to see if everything still fits. And it does! I'm happy now. By the way, I didn't take pics of the other side, but it went just as well.

That's it for now! Stay tuned!

Minor update: since the knobs included in the kit are mostly GB2 (as a matter of fact the kit is made to replicate the hero trap in the reference section perfectly) and that some of the GB1 knobs are still unidentified, I tracked down some knobs that look like the real parts, with the intent of modifying them. So here they are, for posterity, before I butcher them mercilessly.



The top left knob I got from Brent (Cyland Props) as I did the two square knobs. These were used on the GB1 hero trap, but were painted to hide the insert and the white lines, respectively. Don't know if I'll paint them though, I'm still undecided. As for the two top knobs, I'll Dremel the dial off the round one and glue it on the pointer. Should look like the screen-used one when I'm done. As for the two round knobs, they're a compromise I found since the real one are really hard to find (with my luck Brent is going to sell those soon ) I'll paint the top black on the silver one, and I'll paint the circle silver on top of the black one after I remove/paint the insert. Asides from the fact that the sides of the silver one aren't smooth, they should look spot on.

A few hours later, and the modifications on the knobs are all done.



Started by taking a few pots apart, until I got a bunch of these. I have knobs with 1/4" shafts and 1/8" shafts. These will be for the 1/4".



For the 1/8", I used 4-40 screws with the heads cut off. I glued them in the square knobs, but in the round knob I only had to use the set screws. That one will be held in place with a nut on the other side of the cosmetic plating.



Then I started modifying the knobs themselves. Painted the top of the silver one black, removed the insert from the black one, then I painted the circle silver. I know that they're not the right knobs, but they'll do the trick.



I also removed the white lines in the square knobs by sanding it carefully. They're ready to be installed.



Speaking of which, here's how they'll go on the trap. I glued a 4-40 nut in each of the square knob's hole, so I'll just screw them in place when I'll install them (The screws are temporary, they're holding the nuts in place while the Goop dries) As for the round knob, I stuck a 1/4" shaft from a pot in the resin. I'll just install it in place with the set screws.



Then I tackled the pointer knob. First I removed the dial from the round skirted knob using my Dremel...



...Then I sanded it until it was flat and smooth. At this point you couldn't tell it came from another knob.



Then I glued the two together. Worked really well, better than I thought. I was scared shitless the whole time.



The pointer knob is held in place by a stripped pot from the other side. The great thing is that the stripped pot fit in the main body's hole, and the knob still turns! I also installed the rods at the same time, since that side is pretty much done. Those things are powder-coated, they're magnificent.

OK so the knobs are pretty much done. Not much left to do! Stay tuned for more!

Can't stop working on this thing. I have to go to bed.



When I saw the red side rods in place, I thought that it needed a little more red. So I applied the labels. I know, usually you wait until everything's done, but I don't like doing things in order, and some labels were real easier to apply with the parts not on the trap. For instance, the little white arrow transfer. By the way, most of them are Bobamatt's; most of the trap's labels are recycled pack labels anyway. Nothing too good for this baby!

That's it for now, for real this time. To be continued!