[PssdffJay]

Micah and I used quick set wood glue over the mini pack. We did a test and and spray paint dissolved the raw foam. Even though we did a layer of paper mâché over the shell, everything that was foam on the thrower and shell got at least 1 layer of wood glue.

[Naptime]

Hey Jay! How did you apply the glue? With a brush or spray? Can you sand the glue after its cured? I'm concerned about streaks.

[Grimmy GB]

You could cut the wood glue with a bit of water and apply it with sponge brushes. It is sand able.

[Naptime]

Awesome possum. Thanks, Grimmy!

[Grimmy GB]

I'm not sure how Jay did it, but when I make any foam props, I usually bring the glue consistency to the thickness of pancake batter. Adding water takes more time to dry and if you get impatient, don't do what I did once and hit it with a heat gun as it cracks like mad! The glue smoothes out nicely with the water cut ^^ Also, if you're feeling ballsy, for durability, add a layer or 2 of spray plasti-dip on top of the glue. The wood glue can't take a beating like plasti-dip can.
Sorry, I'm rambling. It's the caffeine.

[Mr_Stay_Puft]

I used a product from Bob Smith Industries called Finish-Cure. It is a 20 minute epoxy that has a very low viscosity and it can be found in most hobby stores for around $30 for the big 8oz bottles. I did apply the epoxy before paint and I applied like three coats before sanding it nice and smooth. Since the epoxy has a very low viscosity it can be painted on with a paint brush. I just used the small $.75 disposable brushes.

[PssdffJay]

Hey Jay! How did you apply the glue? With a brush or spray? Can you sand the glue after its cured? I'm concerned about streaks.

We just used the "quick set" wood glue. Don't believe them when they say quick, it's not that quick. We just put some in a disposable cup and painted it on with cheap dollar store brushes. It is sandable but we were doing paper mâché over so I wasn't too worried about it.

The pictures in the mini build thread show what it looked like. It wasn't streaky from what I found. You could test it on a scrap piece first. I primed the thrower last night an the foam board had the wood glue on it too and I didn't sand it. I'll have photos tonight.

[Loki]

Oh man! Looks fantastic!! Haha I hear you about your bomb! Wait until it's 3 am and you take over the kitchen table with your soldering kit wires everywhere LED's stuck in everything ( I speak from xp) but you'll get it done! Great job love your posts and detail!

[Naptime]

Thanks, Loki! And congrats on the super fantastic job you did on your son's pack & uniform! Gives me something to aim for next year with my boys!

[Naptime]

It's been a few days since I've posted - long story short, I pulled an all nighter to finish off my pack. I got it about 90% finished before I gave up. It was at about 2:45am while I was soldering an LED light kit that wasn't working when the absurdity of what I was doing hit me. I wasn't entering a contest, nor had I promised anyone any of this stuff except for myself. I was a point of pride and I was being a touch unrealistic about what I wanted to achieve, so with that (and coupled by the steady rain out that night) I hastily threw the rest of my pack together and thought "good enough for now". Here's a few pics of what I was able to come up with:

[jrl2222]

Not sure if it is just me but I am not seeing any pictures.

[Grimmy GB]

Not sure if it is just me but I am not seeing any pictures.

You are correct

[Naptime]

Sorry guys, I got pulled away for a bit. Here's the pics:

Here's the sanded gun box on my nutrona wand - I used apoxie sculp to get that curve.

The finished HGA - I couldn't find the right valve for the 1/4 loom so I improvised.


Attaching panels & stuff to the sync generator.

[Naptime]

Gave the wand a silver undercoating of paint.


Then I painted it a flat black and added the trigger boxes.

Heat sink added.

Then those cheap halloween lights hooked up inside!

[Naptime]

My wife took these close ups with her Nikkon. Sweet. Makes it look better than it actually is.
This is as far as I could get with the wand. No front end. No grips. No hooks. Argh.

[Naptime]

I used testors model paint and ran them into the clear vinyl 1/4" tubing because I couldn't find colour tubeing in time.

[Naptime]

All the stuff I had to complete on the night before Halloween!

[Grimmy GB]

EXCESSIVELY IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!!

[Naptime]

[Naptime]

Still had to mount the shell to the mobo, or rather figure out a way to mount the shell bits to the mobo! Had to mount the gun block, attach the ion arm, booster tube, booster frame allahadsjfwdop saahahahhhahaaaahhhh!

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

[Naptime]

After a brief panic attack, I set down to finishing this pig.

[Naptime]

First, I tackled the bumper. Something I had been putting off for a long time.
The stuff you see on it is dry wall patch! Sands smooth, but is a little brittle until coated.
I had bondo, but hadn't used it before so I didn't want to chance anything messing up.

Here's the bumper with a coating of primer.

[Naptime]

I used the drywall patch to create round edges on the cyclotron and to seal the seams of the foam core.

Primed.

Silver undercoat.

Did the same with the crank generator, PPD, injectors & power cell.

[Naptime]

Here's a pic of the top shell dry fitted together, fully painted. I rushed the hell out of this paint job.

[Grimmy GB]

It's seriously sickening how clean everything is even with your "rushed" paint job. Just...wow!

[Naptime]

Stealing an idea from Lordgilpin's build, I used blocks of wood and t-nuts attached to my mobo to attach the shell.

[Naptime]

Thanks, Grimmy! There was plenty of swearing involved though1

[phillbarron]

That bumper looks great!

[Naptime]

By this point, I had the mobo and shell mounted to the ALICE pack frame (which is one of those dreaded reversed centre bar ones DAMMIT) and I had spent the last hour trying to solder lights that weren't working when I snapped. I just wanted it finished so I started throwing things together.
Cables, tubing, stickers... it all got thrown on in a blur.

The cable ribbon was made from throwing some cheap rainbow ribbon ordered through ebay and taping it onto some grey cable ribbon with clear hockey tape. I made the cable clamp out of sintra.

[Naptime]

I didn't have time to paint the red tubes that ran from the HGA to the booster, there's no N-filter and the paint job is sketchy at best. But that's where I got to by 3:30am on Halloween morn.