Talk about the your favorite Ghostbusters Collectibles from Mattel, Kenner, and more.
By ObiHahn
#448384
slaysghosts wrote:Desperately, but I can't seem to get the clear covers off of the light bar. If I could, I would just cover the lights and the reflectors with chrome bare metal foil and repaint the lights the right colors.
Hey Slaysghosts, what would the right colors be for those light bars? I'm trying to make my ELITE ECTO-1A a bit more accurate myself but can not seem to find clear ref pics showing the rotators.

And thanks, Joeghostbuster!
#448389
ObiHahn wrote:what would the right colors be for those light bars? I'm trying to make my ELITE ECTO-1A a bit more accurate myself but can not seem to find clear ref pics showing the rotators.
The rotating beacon light bars are lined up in the colors as follows;
Front Roof Bar From Passenger to Driver:
Amber Red Green Red Green Amber

Rear Raised Bar From Passenger to Driver:
Amber Blue Green Green Blue Amber
By ObiHahn
#448458
Thanks a bunch, Matt! I'll see if there's a way to open up the light bars without damaging them.

Other than that detail, I am pretty happy with the small customizations I did, they really make the cars shine. Not that they were half bad to begin with out of the box, but there's always room for Jell-O...ehm, improvements I mean.
If only the louvre plates on the 1A's hood were removable...
By ObiHahn
#448464
The proton packs from the Ecto-1A, while a cool concept and added bonus, seemed a bit bland to me. I also have a feeling they are a bit too small for 1/18th scale, and the factory paint job does not do them justice.
After fixing the upside-down injector tubes and installing the hose/cable from the packs to the throwers, I took a brush with some paint to those tiny unlicensed nuclear accelerators.

Here's some pics of the pack rack with the Ecto-1:
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While certainly still not perfect, they do look a bit more like the real deal now.

While I was at it, I also straightened the ladder (it has a strange angle on the Elite that is not on the movie car's ladder) and painted some more details on the hose next to it:
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joeghostbuster liked this
#448473
The packs came out great! I'm holding off on adding details to mine until I get a display box & do some minor remodeling to my living room so I can display it.
By ObiHahn
#448543
Kingpin wrote:How did you extract the Packs from the rack? Did you effectively have to snap them off to free them?
No need to remove the packs from the rack.
I just slid an X-acto blade in between that upside down booster tube piece and the pack and cut the two posts holding them together. Once that piece comes off each pack, you can clean up the rest of the pins and re-install the booster tube assembly the right way around.
I wish I had snapped some pics, it's a bit tricky to describe.

The packs could be removed from the rack doing the exact same thing with the X-acto blade, though.
joeghostbuster liked this
#452370
Is that your 1:18? If so how difficult was it to install the lights?
#452372
it's mine! It took some doing. As long as you're comfortable dismantling the car and know where to get the right LEDS from - all you need is beer and patience after that.

Evansdesigns is the website that Jay and I used for these bad boy's LEDS.
#452454
Great job on that ecto slays! Sorry I don't have a guide up yet but I'm leavin tomarrow for the kidney op and will be back in 4 to 5 weeks when I get back I'll have it done and up for all to see! But if any one needs help with lighting there ectos just send me a pm and I'll help Ya out!
User avatar
By slaysghosts
#459036
Here's a 1:18 Hot Wheels Elite Ghostbusters II Ecto-1A with some much needed adjustments:

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Added about 15 Warning & Danger Labels to the roof rack.
Added Hood No-Ghost Logo
Replaced all 3 door No-Ghost Logos to have correct characteristics, details, and shade of red
Painted Flood Lights Green
Re-Chromed the light dividers inside the light bars
Painted the lights in the light bars to correct colors
Replaced Message Board signs to have LED sign effect rather than smooth text

thanks for checkin' it out!
By Matt Campbell
#459178
Ecto-Fire wrote:That is the car that hot wheels should have put out, very nice upgrades.
I'm sure we would all agree with that statement!!
Kingpin wrote:How easy was it to open up the lightbars so you could repaint them?

Did you use a standard silver paint, or something a bit more advanced for the reflectors?
I too would like to know your answers to these questions Slay.

I still have to order decals for the 1A from you but I still have to get one first. I ordered one from my local Comic shop last September when the pre order for the 1:18 was in the monthly Previews book (that's how I got my 1:18 Ecto 1 & my 1:43 1 and 1A so I figured I'd acquire the 1A that way too). After a year of it not showing up in the shop when I went in for my weekly visit yesterday I inquired for the 2nd time since March if they knew what was going on, I was told that even though I originally ordered it in September last year that the order wasn't placed until March of this year (when I inquired in March they told me it WAS ordered not "we f*#ked up and didn't order it for you and we're doing it right now") and they are unavailable so I'm S.O.L., so now I have to talk my wife into letting me get one off of ebay or something for more than I would have paid in the comic store + shipping and handling.
User avatar
By slaysghosts
#459180
Kingpin wrote:How easy was it to open up the lightbars so you could repaint them?

Did you use a standard silver paint, or something a bit more advanced for the reflectors?
Easy would not be the correct adjective for that process! It had to free the light bar from the fragile black frame on the roof rack (from ceiling of interior for the front one) and then carefully drill through the bottom directly underneath the two center 'lights' where the clear cover is mounted all the way down to the 'metal' base. Hard to put into words, but it's tricky non the less.

I used bare metal foil to resurface the lights and the reflectors.
Ecto-Fire wrote:What paint did you use for the flood lights? That is the car that hot wheels should have put out, very nice upgrades.
I used trans green, trans red, trans yellow, & trans blue for all the lights and flood lights. Trans on the flood lights kept them clear and see thru & trans on the light bars over the bare metal foil gave them a nice colored reflective finish.
Matt Campbell wrote:
Ecto-Fire wrote:That is the car that hot wheels should have put out, very nice upgrades.
I'm sure we would all agree with that statement!!
Thanks guys!
Matt Campbell wrote: I still have to order decals for the 1A from you but I still have to get one first. I ordered one from my local Comic shop last September when the pre order for the 1:18 was in the monthly Previews book (that's how I got my 1:18 Ecto 1 & my 1:43 1 and 1A so I figured I'd acquire the 1A that way too). After a year of it not showing up in the shop when I went in for my weekly visit yesterday I inquired for the 2nd time since March if they knew what was going on, I was told that even though I originally ordered it in September last year that the order wasn't placed until March of this year (when I inquired in March they told me it WAS ordered not "we f*#ked up and didn't order it for you and we're doing it right now") and they are unavailable so I'm S.O.L., so now I have to talk my wife into letting me get one off of ebay or something for more than I would have paid in the comic store + shipping and handling.
That's B.S. I hope to hear you get your money back and that you get a hold of a Ecto-1A soon!
Matt Campbell liked this
By Matt Campbell
#459182
slaysghosts wrote:That's B.S. I hope to hear you get your money back and that you get a hold of a Ecto-1A soon!
Fortunately for me when I pre order stuff like that from the comic store I don't have to pay anything until the product gets to the store, so I may have unfortunately been screwed out of a 1:18 1A but thankfully I didn't lose any money over it.
#462773
slaysghosts wrote:Little update for y'all:

LEDS for Ecto-1A on the way! Custom Wig Wag circuit also being built! Will post pics as soon as possible.
Wow that's a bigger job than the 1, looking forward to seeing how it plays out!
#463454
Nice! :nicejobyoudid:

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