[jt001]

This is my first build. A long time ago I worked on some Star Wars costumes, a few drain pipe sabers... small stuff; nothing as big as this. I've never worked with resin parts before, so I am learning as I go: browsing here and there, tutorials, etc. I've tried to use some putty to fill holes, sanding, etc; so if you notice I am doing something wrong, please let me know! This thread might be of help to many newbies like me

I decided to start working with the wand, since there's a lot of info around. Here are some progress pics. Please feel free to post. I really appreciate your feedback!

MMM parts are just great. There's little to be done, and the castings are absolutely beautiful. Props to Colin!

The top holes were already cut, so I just took some time to clean them up a bit.


Time to drill the bar area.


Almost there...


I decided to try and fix a spot over there. I used Squadron's green putty. It is my first attempt so it was a bit hard to get it right. I've heard some people mixing it 50/50 with thinner. I'll sand that later.


That piece had a little crack. I tried to fix it with that green putty thing again.


I *think* this one came up a little better. I applied the putty and removed the excess. I had to wet my fingers because that thing is a bit hard to control. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!


This part had a few bubbles. I sanded the top and decided to try my luck again!


It looks like it has a few bumps, but actually it's pretty smooth. I tried using my fingers to apply it and then used a mini spatula I had around. Please let me know if it's supposed to look like that after filling the bubbles!


Progress pics
What do you guys use to attach the control bar on the left side of the box?






Well, that's it for now.

[Exoray]

The Squadron putty dries real FAST, so you have to work it fast, I usually have a cotton ball soaked with acetone handy to wet my fingers (gloved) and thin down the putty... Do make sure the acetone is on a surface it won't eat away! You can also thin down the putty with more acetone, but acetone evaporates real fast as well so it's not buying you much time...

Work in small areas it's better to not overwork the putty, put it on generous and don't worry as it sands away very easily... Give it plenty of time to dry if you put it on thick, the surface dries real fast but it won't always be dry on the inside and will peal up when you sand it...

Looking good so far...

[jt001]

Thanks a lot Flynn! Yes, that thing dries real fast!!!!

I have some Tamiya thinner around. Can I use that as well to thin it down while I am working?

[Exoray]

Thanks a lot Flynn! Yes, that thing dries real fast!!!!

I have some Tamiya thinner around. Can I use that as well to thin it down while I am working?

Might work test it out, if not raid the wives nail polish remover Best to use pure acetone without additives but nail polish remover will work in a bind...

[jt001]

Thanks!!!

[jt001]

Tonight after work I worked a little more with the wand. So far so good! The filling/sanding came out pretty good!

I drilled a few more holes, added switches and glued a few parts. The side disks and the grill were glued with epoxy. The other pieces, like the barrel, front grips, were attached with hot glue to see how will they fit and use it as a guide when I decide to glue them permanently. I'm still waiting for real clippard valves to arrive. This was put in place for position only.

I believe you might have seen tons of "WIP threads" mostly with the same stuff, but I'll appreciate your input. Please let me know if something's not looking good. Stuff like grips, the end barrel and attachments.. anything!

Here are some progress pics:





The stuff on the front barrel is being held with hot glue.




I wonder if I'll have enough space for the sticker that goes on the left side of the graph bar









Is this the way it's supposed to be?


Holding some parts in place until the epoxy dries.








That's it for now

[shodanmark]

Progress is looking good so far!

[irricanian]

That's a handy little clamping rig you have there

Great work so far, keep it going!

Oh and on the clear acrylic tip, you can shorten it to whatever you like.

[jt001]

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Last night I worked a little bit more: I glued a few parts with epoxy, drilled some holes... everything is coming along great! I'm almost ready to start priming, but the weather has been awful lately. I'll be adding a real Clippard and metal knobs, so need to drill for now

Here are some progress pics:

I had to drill a bigger hole in the back to accommodate the momentary push button. Do you guys fill the back once the button is set or do you leave it open?












Taking shape now!

[Andystone316]

I have the same gun kit and it is high quality stuff indeed. I didn't get quite as far as you with the assembly yet, I still have to attach the acrylic tube and the very end of the gun. Drill the necessary holes and then paint will be the next step. Maybe in my free time... Not that I have any

[Paul-Butt]

Hey, I bought the gun kit from MMM myself (excellent stuff) and was wondering what one would use to cut the clear gun tip. I was thinking I might have mine a little shorter than it came. I was thinking of using a jigsaw, but wanted to double check. Any and all help is appreciated.

[jt001]

Earlier tonight I tried with a jigsaw, but it I found it to be a bit difficult... more than I expected. Maybe I didn't have the right blade for the job. So, I plugged the orbital jigsaw and cut a piece to check if it worked... and it did! I then filed the raw edges left by the blade and looks great!

I'll make it shorter during the weekend. I was afraid someone might complain because of all the noise it made! Hehe

[staticbuster]

why would you need to cut the acrylic tube, doesn't it fit into the front barrel? seems like you could just slide it to the desired length, then glue/epoxy in place. maybe there is something i'm missing, since i don't have one of these kits.

[mburkit]

why would you need to cut the acrylic tube, doesn't it fit into the front barrel? seems like you could just slide it to the desired length, then glue/epoxy in place. maybe there is something i'm missing, since i don't have one of these kits.

With the kit they are using, irricanian has basically drilled out the front PVC pipe so the clear tube can fit into it. He doesn't drill out the whole piece of PVC, just about 3 inches into it. So if the clear tube is too long, you have to cut it down.

[Bob Wobbaz]

I used an irri kit and what i did to help with this was not to cut the tube, but using my dremel, sand down the tube what the clear tube goes into on the inside, so the clear tube could sink further. That way i can pull out the clear tube and have it extended if i want to, which i tend to do, i prefer the extended look to the gun

[jt001]

Hey, that's a great tip Bob!! Thanks!

BTW, I was following your build up thread closely, as there are some great building tips there! I noticed your pics have not been showing lately, tho

[jt001]

Update!

I managed to get some stuff done... not much, but I got to drill some stuff, fill, sand, sand some more...

I drilled the end piece of the gun, and also cut the acrylic tip




Glued the whole thing together



I've always felt I was running short on space on the right side of the graph bar and since I'll be getting Exoray's wand light kit, I had to get rid of the frame around the graph bar anyway.




I used some epoxy putty to fill in the hole.






After sanding the epoxy. Looks rough but it's very smooth. I'll then apply primer, re-apply some more epoxy, sand again, and re-apply primer. Once I have the bar, or the exact measure, I'll proceed and drill a new hole.








Applying primer to some parts that were ready to go.




Now onto the pack! This is the pack as it came outside the box. I didn't do any drilling today. I sanded the whole thing with a 220 grit, washed it with some water to get rid of the fiberglass dust, and wet sanded the shell.

As it came out of the box.



After sanding with 220 grit.








After wet sanding the shell for a smoother finish












HGA, N-filter and Ion arm




MMM's motherboard.




ALICE Frame. This one I got around 8 years ago. It has weird mustard yellow straps. I'd like to see if they can be replaced for the green ones. I don't know much about this frame. I got it from ebay and I think this one will have to do. Do you know if those straps can be replaced?



That's it for now!

[Exoray]

Do you know if those straps can be replaced?

In all honesty just purchase another fully rigged frame, by the time you purchase replacement straps you will probably be at about the same cost... But yes straps are available... Have you considered trying to dye them, it might even them out and make them look decent, maybe a green/gray dye wash...

[irricanian]

Lookin' good jt, you've been a busy builder

You know the best thing for me is seeing how you guys put these kits together with no instructions I never did an instruction manual for two reasons 1. I hate instructions and never use them myself (ie : IKEA furniture ) and 2. This way it forces people to use some ingenuity and imagination and work thru it to a happy conclusion and hopefully a good finished product. Everyone who has posted their buildups has done a great job. Props to you all!

Jose, you have a package on its way tomorrow !


P.S for cutting the clear tube, use masking tape on where you are cutting and a fine tooth hacksaw or jigsaw to cut. The tape helps to stop splintering of the acrylic. I use my disc sander to deburr the edges, or a file will do. If you want to give the tube the "frosted" look just tape off the areas you want clear and with some fine steel wool rub the exposed areas. Remove the tape and viola! Frosted gun tip1

[Mcreed87]

What type of bargraph are you going to use for the wand lights, because that is where I am stuck at. Can you link to it, becaues if I can order one I want to do it.

[Exoray]

Once I have the bar, or the exact measure, I'll proceed and drill a new hole.

*Presto*

[jt001]

In all honesty just purchase another fully rigged frame, by the time you purchase replacement straps you will probably be at about the same cost... But yes straps are available... Have you considered trying to dye them, it might even them out and make them look decent, maybe a green/gray dye wash...

You know Flynn... I think you are right. I think I'll be better if I just go and get a new frame. I don't want to end up paying a lot more getting a few parts alone (if I can find them) than getting a new frame. If I can't find an LC-1, I can settle with an LC-2. I don't mind if it's not 100%. I just want something functional that looks good, and that it doesn't have yellow! Hehehe.

I think I could sell that one on ebay and at least try to recover some of the investment

BTW, you've got paypal for the wand kit!

Lookin' good jt, you've been a busy builder

You know the best thing for me is seeing how you guys put these kits together with no instructions I never did an instruction manual for two reasons 1. I hate instructions and never use them myself (ie : IKEA furniture ) and 2. This way it forces people to use some ingenuity and imagination and work thru it to a happy conclusion and hopefully a good finished product. Everyone who has posted their buildups has done a great job. Props to you all!

Hehe, thanks!!!! It has become addictive!!! At first I was a bit scared about the whole building process, I had no idea on how to get started, what to do next... but after some time, I got pretty confident. There are great people in this board always willing to lend a hand and share their knowledge. To all of you guys, a big thank you! When I am working, I have my laptop open with at least 15 different threads as reference!

Also, it's a lot easier if you have a great quality kit to start with. There's little to be done to put your kit together, so props to you for putting up such a great kit!!! Not to mention your outstanding customer service!

I agree with you on the instructions manual. There is no right or wrong way to do a build up. Well, don't quote me on the "bad" way... hehehe. One can always mess something up, but everything can be fixed in some way or another. I've learned so much in these past weeks! I would never trade that for a manual!!!

Props to you guys for putting up such great kits and parts!!! You guys are definitely top notch!

Also, thanks a lot on the tip for the acrylic tube! I will definitely try that tomorrow!

Jose, you have a package on its way tomorrow !

Wohooooooo!!!!!! Now, that makes me beyond happy!!!!!!! Thanks a lot Colin!!!

What type of bargraph are you going to use for the wand lights, because that is where I am stuck at. Can you link to it, becaues if I can order one I want to do it.

I will be using Exoray's kit. I've heard many great things about his kit and read many threads where people speak so good about his kits. And not only that: the fact that there is no soldering involved, and everything is plug and play is a great plus for me, as I have zero knowledge on electronics. His kit works flawlessly with his light pack kit as well, which I plan to get in a near future.

You can send him a PM. He answers very quickly and can provide you a link with all the info and movies with the kit in action. I also got his fiberglass shell and I can't be happier. Amazing quality and great guy to deal with!

[jt001]

Flynn sir, you rock!!!! Thanks a lot!

That'll become very, very handy tomorrow after I get home from work!!! Hehehe

[eduardo8]

Te felicito tremendo trabajo, visita nuestro foro cuando tengas chance.

http://ghostbusterspr.forums-free.com/

Hace par d meses q me tire ese mismo proyecto q estas trabajando. Es bieeeen cuesta arriba pero al final la satisfaccion no tiene precio...

exito!!

[jt001]

Muchas gracias!!!!!

[Astro_zombie]

Lookin damn sharp! Also I have the same work bench lol.

[jt001]

Thanks Astro Zombie!!!

I love that bench!!!! Now that I look back, it would've been almost impossible to put everything together without it. I had no place to work at all! Except for a sawhorse and a piece of wood!

Here are more update shots!

I cut a piece of styrene to match Flynn's bargraph size specs. I placed it and traced on the box for reference.




Mmm... Clippard! that's a R-331 for the pack. Tomorrow I'll be gettingTomorrow I'll be getting the R-701 for the gun. I have one R-701 up for grabs if anyone's interested




MMM's motherboard ready to be traced and filed. It just needs a little trimming. Nothing much.










I did some filing, but it was late at night and didn't want to wake up the nieghboors... hehehe. Maybe I'll file a little bit more tonight. If not, I can live with that




Applied epoxy putty to hold the bars in place




Bars in place






Ready for some fake welds






As you may notice, I've never welded anything in my life!!!! LOL!!! They didn't come out as expected, but I hope they'll look better once everything's painted in black.








Some greeblies I painted last night




A quick mock up on how everything's coming out (I know... the gun is upside down :p ). When I finished that setup it just hit me... I have a proton pack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





That's it for now... until I get home from work. Hehe. Thanks for taking the time to check my progress, fellas! I really appreciate it!

[jt001]

Update 5-31

I got my hands on a set of Clippards. Aren't they gorgeous?




The previous holes were a bit spread apart for the new valves, so I drilled a new hole for the center peg, filled the old holes and sanded. While the putty was drying, I placed the valve and marked the new spots on the putty as a drilling guide. I also removed the "key" part from the peg.












Now, to attach the clippard on the pack, I drilled a hole for the center peg and side knobs, but I decided to create threaded holes for the socket head screws. That way I can get a stronger hold on the pack. Once I was finished, I even lifted the pack in the air just by holding the clippard. Pretty strong attachment!









Clippard's holding power!



Attaching the peg for the looming tube:
Exoray was kind enough to pre drill a lot of the holes in the pack. That made our job a lot easier! (Thanks Flynn!). Syco54645 also posted a GREAT suggestion on how to attach the cable to the pack in top of the cyclotron. He mentioned to bolt a peg on the pack, then glue a 2" PVC pipe along with the cable. Since my looming was splitless, I couldn't glue the side of the peg to the PVC, or the cable wouldn't fit. So I drilled a hole so I could fit a lag bolt. The bolt would come from the back of the pack. I epoxied a piece of dowel (which had a pilot hole on the back) on to the pack and held it in place for 24+ hours, with a heavy object on top so it wouldn't go anywhere. Once dried, I bolted the peg from the back of the pack. It held great!!!!!!!! I thought the peg would come of, but it stayed in place and it's not going anywhere! Now that I see the pic... I forgot to ad a washer. Hmmm... oh well. I might take it out and add it later. Suggestions?












Attaching the other end of the tube:
Exoray showed us a pic on how the original tube was attached near the HGA. Drilling that part is very hard, so the other route would be like the originals: attaching a dowel and holding the tube in place with a cable. Since there was no way to bolt the dowel from the back, I bolted it from the front and added some Gorilla glue to the dowel to create a tight grip.







Both dowels attached. I also placed the PVC tube for position only and test the looming tube fit. There was plenty of space for the tube to fit. Once ready, I'll add glue to the tube, dowel and PVC pipe.










HGA and Ion arm: I removed the orange tip from the elbows. I also applied primer and a clear coat to make them a bit darker in color. The HGA will also be held in place by a screw on the back and some glue. Once set, I'll add another screw in the back, just in case the glue fails.












A bit update the wand: I applied primer and sanded. Then used some metallic paint as a first coat. After that, black matte paint will be used.



That's it for now!

[RedSpecial]

Wow thats really coming along nicely, Keep up the great work

[Syco54645]

Hey I see my thread in the pic of your laptop screen.

As I said in the other thread, coming along nicely, keep up the great work!