Post pictures up of your Props, or a link to your prop gallery on Ghostbusters Fans.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4795578
Ladies and gentlemen of the audience, I found this nice place as a result a decision to attend Planet Comicon earlier this year. My weekdays are hectic so with just a handful of weekends remaining, I had very little time to prepare. The obvious first step was to obtain a passable flight suit and other sundries, a process that was immensely rewarding and enjoyable. But the weekends passed quickly and by the time I finally got my cheap belt Gizmo working, one thing was obvious... building an authentic pack by the deadline would be out of the question. Thus was born the idea to construct a prototype belt pack. As a fan prop, I strived to capture the essence of Ghostbusters. For the record, the belt pack’s total power output can’t match that of its full sized cousin and its power cell half-life is only 1,000 years... but these seemed like acceptable trade-offs.

I started with the power supply light. This is a fun project kit from Bakatronics that has a custom chip for a Ghostbusters display. The blue LEDs are extremely bright and the chip allows for various modes & speeds. I especially like the “random” cycle which bounces like a Geiger counter of sorts. I installed the LEDs without clipping the leads so I could install into a project box without drilling precisely spaced holes.

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on July 30th, 2018, 8:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4795579
From the local Radio Shack came 2 projects boxes. A bunch of surplus old electrical parts was donated by a family member who works in the sector. Gotta say, some of these components were really neat and I hesitated tearing them up for the project.

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From all this stuff, I endeavored to find a layout that would allow the prop to be at home in the Ghostbusters universe. After adding the internal electronics, I realized that the circular lines of the Cyclotron were absolutely necessary to get the essence I was after so I added one using a lightweight wood form.

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 6:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4795580
I knew my belt pack needed a particle thrower but lacking the time I decided to use a Matty. I didn’t need to run any sound out of the thrower but I did need a hose and attachment point. Since I didn’t want to damage the Matty, I went to the hardware store and cobbled together some PVC fittings and a washing machine hose. After a little black paint and matte glaze, the connector looked good and the fit with the end of Matty was nice & snug.

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 6:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4795581
The last order of business was to create a thrower mount for the Matty. I originally considered mounting directly to the belt pack but there really wasn’t room and I was concerned about breaking one or both items. In the end, I custom cut a piece of high strength plastic and attached it to the belt. A thick blue rubber band was used to secure the Matty to the thrower mount while walking around and it was surprisingly easy to remove when needed. Not ideal, but it worked for the time & place needed.

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 6:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4795582
After the final painting, I gave the pack a coat of matte glaze and applied a few stickers.

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I was pleased enough with the result of my effort to wear it to Planet Comicon. But first I had to take the obligatory Slimer photo...

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 6:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4795583
n retrospect, however, putting the pack and the thrower on the belt was a mistake. By day's end, the weight stretched the belt somewhat and it was dragging. If this mini pack is used again, I will first convert the carry design to a lightweight backpack and perhaps build a custom pistol thrower to replace the Matty.

I am now in the first stages of building a full sized pack & thrower using components found in this site’s shop and various sellers in the community and I am looking forward to next year’s outing.

Here are some additional views of the mini pack that started my new hobby…

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 6:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
By DRoomProductions
#4799992
I really like the design of this pack. A pistol sized thrower would really compliment the look.

As far as your problem with your belt sagging, maybe you could try an H-Harness type setup. When I play paintball I use a Condor H-Harness and Battle Belt that would be perfect for this kind of thing.

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It has MOLLE attachment points, so you would have plent of room for other gear as well. Just an idea.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4800021
DRoomProductions wrote:I really like the design of this pack. A pistol sized thrower would really compliment the look.
Thanks. Agree on the pistol thrower. Trying to decide if I should use the references here or go free form. I'm leaning towards the latter.
Just an idea.
Cool idea!
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4800056
Thank you! I really appreciate your nice comments!
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4800437
EctoPrimer wrote:What if you hang it to the side, like a trap?
Indeed that was my original plan but I moved it to the back once I realized putting the thrower on the side made more sense (where I could grab it). I'm retrofitting the belt pack mount to use backpack straps and crafting a pistol style thrower which will attach to the belt using the existing v-hook. Just gotta finish my full-size pack first!
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By Grimmy GB
#4808071
I could see something like this going "tactical", or in the gun-owners realm "tacti-cool". It would be hooked to a molle vest :)
Really digging the use of all the items you had. I-N-G-E-N-U-I-T-Y
In my opinion, I think you placed it in a good spot. It's out of the way, especially if you needed to take off running lol
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4816355
With my focus on my pack proper, I had not had an opportunity to solve this issue... until today! I ordered a cheap set of Alice straps from Amazon. I riveted these on the back of the pack and were good to go. Definitely a more comfortable ride...

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Here is a shot of the pack guts since I had it open...

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Last edited by bishopdonmiguel on September 18th, 2018, 6:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By bishopdonmiguel
#4817804
Thanks so much. I tried to incorporate design cues from the pack without just making a mini version of it. For example, the Ion Arm end cap on this prototype pack is a grouping of brass pins extending from a metal base that resemble an antenna of sorts (at least, that was my intention... not sure if it comes across well).

As for labels, there are several that I salvaged from the electrical components (shown in the original post detail photos). I especially like the red air compressor label on the Cyclotron because it is reminiscent of the blue label on the bumper. I really lucked out having that one randomly included in the box of parts I received. I also included two ends that I cut off some clear relays housings, with the back painted gold to highlight the details. These were inspired by the red dry-rub circuit designs from the pack & thrower. After I finished, I felt the two flashing lights on the top needed some identification so I custom printed two small labels with symbols representing "electrons" (red -) and "positrons" (green +).

I am always open to feedback so please let me know if you have any ideas for additional custom labels you think should be included.
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By EctoPrimer
#4817920
Warning: do not use in confined spaces

Class A proton supply fuel core-replace every 5000 years or 250 uses

Portable Nuclear Accelerator Licence
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