#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.
Image

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).
Image

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.
Image

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!
Image

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.
Image

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.
Image
And what GB frame would be complete without neck foam – here I used the tried and true pipe insulation and zip tie method.
Image

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…
Image
Image
Image

And, finally, here is a shot of my son trying it on.
Image

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!
#4915592
Theoderic wrote: i'm not sure if you'dnt like to add some kind of padding for these later though. :wink:
Totally - luckily this thing is pretty light so padding isn't functionally necessary (which is fortunate for me, since my sewing skillz are newb-level)
#4915713
I worked on a few details this weekend: namely the bellows, cyclotron ports, ribbon cable, and v-hook.

For the bellows, I used stacked metal washers connected by a 1/4" bolt and fastened from the inside of the shell
Image

The ribbon cable is a standard 40 pin rainbow cable I picked up on Amazon. The metallic connection is cut from 1/16" plexiglass and then wrapped in metal tape. For the cyclotron ports, I printed a few discs with a lip that could be inserted into the shell holes I cut out with a dremel.
Image

In this shot, you can see a 3D printed V-hook attachment that I originally purchased last Halloween on eBay for my Spirit pack. I re-appropriated it here so I could attached the Spirit wand to this pack. You can also see that I have added a 3/8" split loom to the back.
Image

Here is are a few over all views with the Spirit wand mounted (I'll be repainting the wand so the black matches the new pack). I have to say that I think the Spirit wand is more appropriately sized proportionally to this custom pack (I'll post some size comparisons in a future post)
Image
Image
jpetrutis81, tobycj, twmedford23 and 1 others liked this
#4915780
archinate wrote: March 17th, 2019, 1:32 pm I worked on a few details this weekend: namely the bellows, cyclotron ports, ribbon cable, and v-hook.

For the bellows, I used stacked metal washers connected by a 1/4" bolt and fastened from the inside of the shell
<image>
The ribbon cable is a standard 40 pin rainbow cable I picked up on Amazon. The metallic connection is cut from 1/16" plexiglass and then wrapped in metal tape. For the cyclotron ports, I printed a few discs with a lip that could be inserted into the shell holes I cut out with a dremel.
<image>
In this shot, you can see a 3D printed V-hook attachment that I originally purchased last Halloween on eBay for my Spirit pack. I re-appropriated it here so I could attached the Spirit wand to this pack. You can also see that I have added a 3/8" split loom to the back.

<image>

Here is are a few over all views with the Spirit wand mounted (I'll be repainting the wand so the black matches the new pack). I have to say that I think the Spirit wand is more appropriately sized proportionally to this custom pack (I'll post some size comparisons in a future post)
<image>
Image
What an awesome build, this might be consiered a total conversion :-D There's not much to tell it was based on a kenner toy, looks very convincing custom build kid-size pack; the spirit-wand suits it extremely well, even without a further paint-job. The stack of washers may be a bit on the heavy side though, in trade for the authentic metallic finish. On my own pack i replaced it with wooden disks, wich can be made pretty easy using 2 sizes of a hole saw (the rotating circular band saw bits, you know) - at the end of the day, every gram counts - they sum up fairly easy.

I'd would've gone totally nuts about such a gem of a pack, if i had one alike myself back then :mrgreen:
#4915792
Thanks! I hope my boy likes the finished product. I'm glad I came on to pack building - it has been super rewarding to share this interest with him and a good way to get in touch with my inner kid also. I remember my dad made me a He-Man sword with some spare wood when I was around 5. I found it in an old box recently and still have it (now 35!).
#4915937
Here are a few update shots - including some size comparisons with a Spirit pack and a full-size pack!

Dry fit vs. assembled - I started adding decals and gave the Spirit wand a new black paint job.
Image

Here is a size comparison between the kid's pack and an out-of-the-box Spirit pack (aka "Mom's pack"):
Image

And here is a size comparison between a the kid's pack and a full-sized pack (This is an Anovos build - it is also a work-in-progress - aka "Dad's pack"):
Image

It'll be awhile before my next update - I'm waiting on GBfans light/sound kits to ship.

Main things left to do:
  • Light and sound kit installation
  • Light weathering
  • Other details (maybe some additional cosmetic wires/tubes, etc)
twmedford23, NickFame13 liked this
#4916011
Wow that kiddo sized pack looks great! I too went and built my son a scratch pack, when he was 5, but it was made out of foam, wood, pvc and cardboard. I later realized when the pack started to fall apart from hitting things (kids run into stuff) that the Kenner pack would have been just fine painted black. I was thinking with just some lights, hoses, cables and a chopped alice frame it would also hold up better in Halloween month rainy weather...
#4918194
This post may contain an affiliate link that helps support GBFans.com when you make a purchase at no additional cost to you.

And finally - birthday weekend! I found that using the Spirit electronic upgrades fit the bill for giving my son's pack the requisite lights and sounds. The kit has a normal "proton stream mode" and a "slime mode" along with the song!

I am quite impressed by the quality of the Spirit wand light upgrade. The parts fit just right and makes the small-size wand look legit.

These are the Spirit upgrades I purchased from spongeface off of ebay:
Spirit sound board and wand upgrade two-pack
Spirit pack light upgrades (cyclotron and power cell)

Image
Image

The pack lights needed to be glued into place (glue gun to the rescue!). I also took some creative liberty on the power cell: I made it horizontal since it was better fit relative to the electrical boxes I selected.
Image
Image

The motherboard is used to mount the speaker and soundboard.
Image

Fully assembled - and ready for a bench test.
Image
Image

A final shot with all his Ghostbustin' gear (I customized his Power Wheels jeep - you can find that build thread here)
Image
NickFame13 liked this

    Make it that pack, sell it for $599. (While I […]

    Yeah, we've been building this thing for ten[…]

    Someone on FB found it. NARDA ELECTROMAGNETIC RADI[…]

    It appears that some time today someone who […]