- March 12th, 2019, 10:12 pm#4915571
First post!
I'm a Nebraska-based dad and I recently reignited my love for Ghostbusters. I introduced my son to Ghostbusters around a year ago when he was almost 4. I saw the cartoon was on Netflix and since it was my favorite show growing up, I thought it'd be fun to revisit it with him. Needless to say, I became just as interested in the show as he became more and more engaged with the stories. It quickly became his favorite cartoon and movie series. He wanted a proton pack for his birthday last year and his grandma picked him up the kid's version from the 2016 movie. He really liked it - but it didn't have sound!
Around Halloween time, I came across the Spirit pack and accessories and picked one up. I subsequently found my way to this forum when looking to see if there were any fan communities and people building proton packs. I have since taken up working on my pack as a hobby to take my mind of work (and the other perils of adult life!). I modified my own Spirit pack with GBFans and Spongeface electronics and even swapped out the 2016 kid's pack light with my discarded Spirit electronics so my son could have more exciting lights and sound.
My son is turning 5 in May and he asked for a pack "just like dad's" for his birthday - something that has all the same lights, sounds, and a similar look to the original movies and cartoon. Since the Spirit packs are too large for him, I thought it would be fun to customize a vintage Kenner pack. It was easily one of my favorite toys growing up and I like the idea of passing the torch to my son by somehow designing it into his new pack. I also thought it would be fun to take some cues from both the cartoon and movies into the overall design.
And thus began my (still ongoing) project... Here is where I am so far... expect updates as I keep working on it!
First, I needed to nab a vintage Kenner pack on eBay. I didn't want or need a mint collector's piece so I was pretty patient in waiting for one to go for sale that was a bit beat up and lower price since I knew I'd be painting it and cutting it up. I found one that was in pretty good condition and under $30 bucks - I almost felt guilty knowing it would be undergoing some surgery.
Next, I knew I wanted to beef up the size of the pack so it could be proportionally more realistic to the cartoon and movies. I decided to use a motherboard as a base to extend the size. The Kenner pack seems size just right to serve as the centerpiece which I could augment different parts into the composition. I picked up a variety of PVC electrical boxes from ACE hardware (an idea I got from seeing a few folks use them in DIY pack videos on YouTube).
I wasn’t sure how I wanted to arrange them so I picked up a few different sizes and started to play with how they could sit in relation to the Kenner pack. Eventually I landed on this arrangement of parts – which seemed to approximate the cartoon’s composition a bit more closely than the original Kenner base. The wand is from the Spirit Halloween pack which is the perfect size for my son.
From there, I cut out the motherboard shape from an ¼” MDF (I happened to have a perfect piece that was used for packing in a furniture set – lucky me!). I also began cutting out parts of the Kenner pack for mounting to the that would eventually have electronics. I was pretty nervous about this – if I screwed it up, I’d have to go hunting for another vintage toy again.
After the parts were ready to go, it was time for primer!
Next up – the pack frame! I wanted it to have an ALICE-like frame to it. Since my son is way top small for this, I opted to create a frame out of PVC pipes and connectors. I’ve seen a few folks on this board do something similar. I also included a few connectors that would be the attachment points to the motherboard.
For the straps, I was hoping I would find a few good pre-made backpack straps for kids in an olive green. Alas, I didn’t have any luck in my search. I decided to stitch them together my own. I picked up some polypropylene strap roles (1.5” and 1” width) along with quick release buckles, needles, and thread from Amazon and went to town. I took design cues from a real ALICE frame so it would have a similar look.
And what GB frame would be complete without neck foam – here I used the tried and true pipe insulation and zip tie method.
I debated whether to go with a cartoon blue look or the movie black. I asked my son and he affirmed the decision to go with black. I’m glad I did – the parts look really cool with a fresh coat of black on them and makes it feel like a hybrid between movie and cartoon.
Here are few shots of it showing the painted pack mounted to the backpack frame…
And, finally, here is a shot of my son trying it on.
I still have quite a bit left to do here. I plan on doing some light weathering effects to give it the feel that it has been in a few battles with the supernatural. I also need to do labels and cosmetic wiring along with other details. More thank likely, I’ll be cannibalizing more parts from the Spirit pack since I am also building my own full-size pack along with my son’s. I will definitely be connecting the Spirit wand to it.
I’m also currently waiting on lighting kits and soundboard – this will blow his little mind when it is all finally installed. I’m waiting on the GBfans soundboard which I hope is ready before his birthday (but that 100 day lead time may mean he’ll probably have to wait a bit longer)
I’ll post more updates as I have them! I hope the community enjoys them and that they can be useful to others who might be looking to make something like it for their kids. I know I have learned a lot from this forum as I’ve begun my GB pack hobby and enjoying some quality father-son time.
THANKS!
I'm a Nebraska-based dad and I recently reignited my love for Ghostbusters. I introduced my son to Ghostbusters around a year ago when he was almost 4. I saw the cartoon was on Netflix and since it was my favorite show growing up, I thought it'd be fun to revisit it with him. Needless to say, I became just as interested in the show as he became more and more engaged with the stories. It quickly became his favorite cartoon and movie series. He wanted a proton pack for his birthday last year and his grandma picked him up the kid's version from the 2016 movie. He really liked it - but it didn't have sound!
Around Halloween time, I came across the Spirit pack and accessories and picked one up. I subsequently found my way to this forum when looking to see if there were any fan communities and people building proton packs. I have since taken up working on my pack as a hobby to take my mind of work (and the other perils of adult life!). I modified my own Spirit pack with GBFans and Spongeface electronics and even swapped out the 2016 kid's pack light with my discarded Spirit electronics so my son could have more exciting lights and sound.
My son is turning 5 in May and he asked for a pack "just like dad's" for his birthday - something that has all the same lights, sounds, and a similar look to the original movies and cartoon. Since the Spirit packs are too large for him, I thought it would be fun to customize a vintage Kenner pack. It was easily one of my favorite toys growing up and I like the idea of passing the torch to my son by somehow designing it into his new pack. I also thought it would be fun to take some cues from both the cartoon and movies into the overall design.
And thus began my (still ongoing) project... Here is where I am so far... expect updates as I keep working on it!
First, I needed to nab a vintage Kenner pack on eBay. I didn't want or need a mint collector's piece so I was pretty patient in waiting for one to go for sale that was a bit beat up and lower price since I knew I'd be painting it and cutting it up. I found one that was in pretty good condition and under $30 bucks - I almost felt guilty knowing it would be undergoing some surgery.
Next, I knew I wanted to beef up the size of the pack so it could be proportionally more realistic to the cartoon and movies. I decided to use a motherboard as a base to extend the size. The Kenner pack seems size just right to serve as the centerpiece which I could augment different parts into the composition. I picked up a variety of PVC electrical boxes from ACE hardware (an idea I got from seeing a few folks use them in DIY pack videos on YouTube).
I wasn’t sure how I wanted to arrange them so I picked up a few different sizes and started to play with how they could sit in relation to the Kenner pack. Eventually I landed on this arrangement of parts – which seemed to approximate the cartoon’s composition a bit more closely than the original Kenner base. The wand is from the Spirit Halloween pack which is the perfect size for my son.
From there, I cut out the motherboard shape from an ¼” MDF (I happened to have a perfect piece that was used for packing in a furniture set – lucky me!). I also began cutting out parts of the Kenner pack for mounting to the that would eventually have electronics. I was pretty nervous about this – if I screwed it up, I’d have to go hunting for another vintage toy again.
After the parts were ready to go, it was time for primer!
Next up – the pack frame! I wanted it to have an ALICE-like frame to it. Since my son is way top small for this, I opted to create a frame out of PVC pipes and connectors. I’ve seen a few folks on this board do something similar. I also included a few connectors that would be the attachment points to the motherboard.
For the straps, I was hoping I would find a few good pre-made backpack straps for kids in an olive green. Alas, I didn’t have any luck in my search. I decided to stitch them together my own. I picked up some polypropylene strap roles (1.5” and 1” width) along with quick release buckles, needles, and thread from Amazon and went to town. I took design cues from a real ALICE frame so it would have a similar look.
And what GB frame would be complete without neck foam – here I used the tried and true pipe insulation and zip tie method.
I debated whether to go with a cartoon blue look or the movie black. I asked my son and he affirmed the decision to go with black. I’m glad I did – the parts look really cool with a fresh coat of black on them and makes it feel like a hybrid between movie and cartoon.
Here are few shots of it showing the painted pack mounted to the backpack frame…
And, finally, here is a shot of my son trying it on.
I still have quite a bit left to do here. I plan on doing some light weathering effects to give it the feel that it has been in a few battles with the supernatural. I also need to do labels and cosmetic wiring along with other details. More thank likely, I’ll be cannibalizing more parts from the Spirit pack since I am also building my own full-size pack along with my son’s. I will definitely be connecting the Spirit wand to it.
I’m also currently waiting on lighting kits and soundboard – this will blow his little mind when it is all finally installed. I’m waiting on the GBfans soundboard which I hope is ready before his birthday (but that 100 day lead time may mean he’ll probably have to wait a bit longer)
I’ll post more updates as I have them! I hope the community enjoys them and that they can be useful to others who might be looking to make something like it for their kids. I know I have learned a lot from this forum as I’ve begun my GB pack hobby and enjoying some quality father-son time.
THANKS!
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Check out my Ghostbusters prop builds and 3D printing efforts on Instagram @GhostbustersGear
Check out my Ghostbusters prop builds and 3D printing efforts on Instagram @GhostbustersGear