User avatar
By JWils23
#4938234
pchrisbosh1 wrote: August 14th, 2020, 7:24 am Looks amazing sir. I love the attention to detail, its going to be a nice looking pack.
Thanks Chris! With a shell that's so nice I had to make sure I brought my A game!
User avatar
By JWils23
#4938235
I forgot I didn't post pictures of how the strata lines came out after paint so here are a few shots.
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Had a couple deliveries this week, both zip ties and short Clippard barbs came in.
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I saw this discussed in another thread as to which barbs were actually used in the movies, Dan pointed out that the 11752-3 is actually the correct barb. Here they are compared to the 11752-2
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And by comparing the height of the base on the 11752-3 it seems to match with what was used on the movie packs.
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So with the new barbs in I went to work putting the injector tubing on and finishing the line from the HGA to the beam line. Also for fun I took some of the dry rubs I have from Arron and added the Clippard stamping, looks good while I stay on the lookout for the correct vintage tubing. I also realize that my straights are crooked but that's just because I don't have them fastened with a nut from the back at the moment haha
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4938237
With the newly discovered zip ties (thanks Stuart) in hand I could finally tackle the ribbon cable. I've been going back and forth on what kind of twist I was going for, which pack I'd try to replicate and I finally settled on tying to recreate the Venkman twist. It was not easy to get right and took many many tries twisting and re-twisting, plus it's really tough to find a decent shot of that particiular twist so I worked with what I could. I couldn't quite get the rainbow on the cable to run solid across the booster tube though. I also added the zip tie on the two lines coming from the HGA as seen on the Spengler pack. I don't know if that tie was on the other packs as I've only seen it on that one.
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By Couture
#4938263
JWils23 wrote: August 4th, 2020, 9:54 am Thanks bud! Nope, they’re actual Legris elbows but they’re 3/16 instead of 4mm. Just slightly bigger but still hold the 4mm tubing well. There’s a guy on eBay who sells them pretty regularly, in fact he just put up a bunch last night. I went through and found the ones that looked the best (minimal cracking/wear) and snagged them.
I recently grabbed a set from the same seller and really like them. Mine had a small amount of cracking but were otherwise in pretty good condition. Considering that they're vintage, dark grey, and gen 1, they're definitely the next best thing to vintage 4mm ones.

And excellent looking pack, can't wait to see it finished. I was also lucky enough to snag a bosh shell from this run which I commissioned a user here to build me a pack with. I'm super excited for it.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4938892
Been a bit of a lull the last few weeks as I wait for parts to come in but you might have noticed in the previous posts that my N-filter had gone MIA. Originally when applying all the labels I decided I liked the look of the foil label from Arrons kit and as I was applying it I clipped it with a finger and it creased it right across the middle. This is one of those things that probably no one else would notice but it's all I could see and it drove me nuts.
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I got in touch with Arron and he was nice enough to send me two new labels for my filter and I really can't thank him enough. Once I knew I could get another label I set out stripping the old label and dry rub because I knew I'd have to strip it down and repaint. After about 45 mins with the steel wool I was ready to paint again, but the weather wasn't cooperating so I had to wait about a week and a half for temps and humidity to drop here before I could hit it again. But once it broke I painted again and the let it sit for about a week before putting it back on the pack.
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Once back on I put the new label on, taking extreme care to mind my fingers and put a new dry rub on
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And there she is, all back together! Now to take that bumper off and do some bondo and sanding work to clean it up...
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4940939
Been awhile since my last update but not much to report as I'm waiting for RJ to finish up on my thrower and I've been slacking on getting going on my mobo. But I did have one small update, scrolling through threads here I found one regarding Clippard valves on the packs (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32031) which talked about the configuration of them on the original packs. Since I'm always looking for little quirks I noticed that the Spengler pack has 701's both on the gun and the pack which I thought I'd noticed when looking at the reference pictures. Image

Since my pack pulls a lot from the Spengler pack I thought this would be a fun little detail to add. I had already scooped up a vintage 701 for my thrower and after being encouraged by Dan to go for it I set out looking for another. Patience paid off and I was able to find a second which I just got yesterday. One has very heavy engraving of the Clippard name.
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While the other is much finer
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And here together
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So now the question is which one on the pack and which one on the thrower?? I'm thinking the heavier engraving on the pack because it has the dimple on the cap similar to the spengler pack but I'm open to ideas. Any input is appreciated!
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User avatar
By RedSpecial
#4940961
I was just reading through your build thread yesterday, wondering when the next update would be.
Great to see you back at it :)

I'd go with the one with the heavier engraving on the pack too, if its the closest match to the one on the Ramis Hero.
The depth and spacing of the knurling also seems to match the screen used example pretty well on that cap.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4940969
Oh I know, admittedly I’ve been slacking as of late. Big implementation project at work plus setting up all the Halloween stuff at my house has taken a lot of my free time. Plus it’s the usual build stuff, patience while you wait for things to be built or sourced. Hurry up and wait!

I didn’t even think about the knurling, it looks to be very close with the exception of the knurling stopping at the upper third of the set screw hole on mine and the lower third on the Spengler pack. It’s crazy the subtle variations of bevels and knurling each valve can have, even though they’re all the same valve (technically)!
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User avatar
By RedSpecial
#4940973
Thats the eternal struggle in this hobby, work/ home balance is bad enough but the waiting to find parts or receive them can be so frustrating.
Even if we are spoiled for parts these days.
Looking forward to the next update though, this pack is going to be the real deal.

It's nuts how inconsistent a lot of these parts can be.
even something as simple as the straights and banjos seem to have quite a bit of variation.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4941018
Thank you for the kind words, I’ve really enjoyed putting this one together and was hoping it would be reflected in the finished product. I’m very excited to get my thrower and start building that, especially because I have all the extras already like the pop mech/light kit/grips etc. That build should go quickly finger crossed.

I know, there are so many inconsistencies on the same part. Which makes it fun to try and track down the right variant, but also annoying trying to track down the right variant haha!
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4941213
Demon Vice Commander wrote: October 20th, 2020, 4:36 pm
JWils23 wrote: October 20th, 2020, 3:59 pm Quick update, swapped out the 331 Clippard for the vintage 701 today. Clippard logo down, diagram facing up just like the Spengler pack.
Very nice! I actually just swapped out a modern 331 for a vintage 701 on my pack as well. :)
Love it! These little subtle details and oddities are what I love about building this.
User avatar
By JWils23
#4942506
So not a crazy update but an update nonetheless. Big thanks to Tommy Medford for the Nycoil tubing, adds a nice little touch of detail. I did my best to mimick the placement of the nycoil to match the Venkman pack, though not exact because this newer tubing has a smaller stamp. I do think I'm going to clip a little more off to get a more consistent curve on it though.
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Next it was onto replacing the red 4mm tubing running from the elbows to the straights. I took this as a chance to redo my attempt at replicating the spengler pack with the tubing zip tied to the split loom with and the sharper turn it takes coming out of the straight. Wanted to make sure I got the tubing running underneath the split loom right where the zip ties attaches as I wasn't exactly happy with how it turned out the first time.
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At this point I think I need to redo the split loom running from the HGA to the Beam Line, I cut it a little long so it doesn't run in tight to the vac line like the Spengler pack does so that may be my next adventure.
User avatar
By JWils23
#4945673
Been awhile since I've updated this post, the holidays and then end of year close at my work have taken all of my attention. I finally had a semi free weekend with nice weather for painting so I decided to try my hand at bondo for the first time. As some of you remember, I mentioned earlier in this thread that I wanted to clean up some of the air bubbles and major imperfections on the bumper. Being that it's a production lineage bumper though, I didn't want to do too much or make it perfect. I love some of the little imperfections and the cast in residue which make it look homemade. But as you can see, it had quite a few air bubbles in the cast...
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I've never used Bondo before so there was certainly a learning curve, my first mix I made way too much and it began to harden very quickly. As you can see it didn't come out nicely, especially at the bend.
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So I sanded, sanded and sanded some more. Applied another coat to try and build up some of the low spots at center and just to the right. I had to very careful sanding around the residue spot as to not accidentally sand some of it off!
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After what seemed like endless sanding I finally got things where I wanted them, it looks like it would be uneven but it was very smooth and even.
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And with a coat of satin black we're back in business!
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Letting it dry for the next day or so and then it'll go back on the pack along with applying the blue label on the right side, I'll post a picture once that is done.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4945752
Now that I have the bumper mounted again I’m debating on which blue label to put on. I have the metal plate version from Joe Luna or I have the foil label from Arron. Does anyone know which is correct? I thought I read somewhere on here that it was the foil type but now I can’t find it. Reference below between the plate and foil labels.
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User avatar
By Kingpin
#4945757
Nuclearjungle wrote: February 9th, 2021, 1:12 pm The foil one is more accurate in material and appearance.
/\ Ditto this. Whilst the label used on the majority of the Proton Pack props used in the movies didn't have a foil finish, the foil one is closer to what was used than the metal one.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4945758
Thank you both! After looking at them and the reference photos I agree that the foil one is a closer match, especially in the darker blue color.
User avatar
By JWils23
#4945768
With the paint dried and everything reassembled it was time to but the blue bumper label on, I tried to mimic the location on the Ramis pack but keeping it straight rather than crooked. I know applying it slighty tweaked would have been a screen accurate detail, it would have driven me insane!
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I tried to have the label starting close to center of the cyclotron ring and where the bumper flattens out like the Ramis Pack but also ending right before the bend in the bumper. I'm just a tad off the center mark but I think I nailed the ending before the bend.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4946394
Finally a major update! After trying to find someone who could waterjet a mobo for me and not charge me an arm and a leg I finally decided I was going to cut one myself. I figured if the original props were cut by hand, then why not mine? I recently got a new jigsaw to replace the one I had that was made before I was born and it certainly had the horsepower to do the job. Started out by tracing my shell out on the piece of aluminum I picked up.
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Then it was out to the workbench to start clamping and cutting
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I took the advice from Matt Burkitt and used a blade with a high TPI count and plenty of WD-40 and cutting oil as I went. It really went much smoother than I thought and I'm a little ashamed I was so intimidated to do this myself. For anyone out there who thinks they can't, trust me you definitely can. Just take your time, cut slow, and use squares as guides on your straight cuts. A little file work to round off some of the sharp edges and clean up some of the cuts and it was done. Still have a little more filing to do, but not bad for an hour and a half.
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But now it was time for the ultimate test, is the shell going to line up right? Did I cut the curves under the injector tubes and the angles on the cyclotron plates right? Thankfully it came out pretty much perfect!
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Here it is next to my other mobo that came with stunt shell I got from Ron. This pack will be a GB2 semi hero at some point...
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Since I had the jigsaw out I also took this time to cut and drill the bracket I'll use for my power cell. I'm using Doug's LED kit made to mimic the incandescants used in the original props, and I know the picture shows them mounted to the shell I want to have everything mounted to the mobo. Just need to run over to my buddies to use his vise so I can finish the bend.
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Next up is riveting the L brackets and then drilling the holes to mount the alice frame. Feels good to be back doing some major work on this!
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4946460
Today I'm working on dialing in the mounting points for the Alice frame. Is anyone out there who has a Bosh shell/Mobo able to verify the measurements for the mounting points? Chris was nice enough to send me a scaled PDF of his mobo but I'm not tech savy enough to determine measurements from it. I'm eyeballing it right now off that, screen grabs and the reference pics and I think I have it fairly close but if anyone can chime in on the placement I'd appreciate it. I used the measurements of stefans plans to get a general area but the shell dimensions are different so it's just a ball park.
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User avatar
By Nuclearjungle
#4946611
A lot of really nice parts on this pack, but the vintage clippard valves in particular got me thinking that those are disappointingly absent on my own build. Can you give me any tips for acquiring those, other than resorting to Wanted posts? I'm kind of stumped on that one, and I really wanted my pack to look as vintage as possible.
By tobycj
#4946612
Nuclearjungle wrote: March 7th, 2021, 12:41 am A lot of really nice parts on this pack, but the vintage clippard valves in particular got me thinking that those are disappointingly absent on my own build. Can you give me any tips for acquiring those, other than resorting to Wanted posts? I'm kind of stumped on that one, and I really wanted my pack to look as vintage as possible.
Keep an eye on ebay obviously, I was lucky and able to get a vintage 701 recently for less than a brand new one. Still on the hunt for a 331 though!
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4946619
Nuclearjungle wrote: March 7th, 2021, 12:41 am A lot of really nice parts on this pack, but the vintage clippard valves in particular got me thinking that those are disappointingly absent on my own build. Can you give me any tips for acquiring those, other than resorting to Wanted posts? I'm kind of stumped on that one, and I really wanted my pack to look as vintage as possible.
I saved searches on my eBay and set up alerts for when new listings would pop up. Even with those saved though I would still jump on eBay pretty regularly and search for them. They will show up but it may just be awhile, I think there was probably 4 months in between finding both of mine. Usually the listings will say they’re used, I know there are several listings for new valves on their pretty regularly. Typical the listings won’t show the top of the valve so it’s hard to see the engraving but if the clippard logo at the base is small and not spread out that’s was how I’d know it was an older model.
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By tobycj
#4946628
Nuclearjungle wrote: March 7th, 2021, 7:44 am Do they specifically say "NOS" or "vintage"? I've had searches set up to alert me, and I never see anything other than "new in box".
My 701 was just listed as "clippard R701 pressure regulator", but I saw from the photos it had the unstretched logo on the base so grabbed it.
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User avatar
By JWils23
#4946633
The saying goes, "sometimes you're the hammer and sometimes you're the nail." Today I was definitely the nail...

I had high hopes for today to be a productive day and it started off that way. I drilled the holes on the mobo for the Alice frame and then marked and drilled the frame.
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Because the carriage bolts I'm using are squared off at the base I wasn't too concerned with the initial hole being slightly off center. Without a little extra work the bolt wont seat correctly.
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I took to it with a file and squared it off, now it's centered and a perfect fit. I have to give credit where credit is due, I picked up the idea from here http://jimmmcshane.com/ghostbusters/proton-packs/
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I then mounted the mobo to the frame and threw it on just to make sure it felt right. I was going to take a picture but then I thought, I'll just do it after I do the L-brackets and mount the shell. And from there is where my day goes down hill...

After looking at references pictures for ever I noticed that the rivets on many of the packs were not all neat and straight. Below you can see Rays pack has them pretty much in line but Peters pack has them at a slight diagonal. So in that spirit I drilled all my L-brackets a little different, giving them different angles and spacings.
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For some annoying reason all but two rivets were snapping with a huge chunk of shank left. I've never had this issue before and it was very frustrating. I had to clip all the shanks and then file them down, I'm not sure if i'm going to drill all of them out and redo them or if I'll let it slide and see how it looks when they're painted.
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I decided to press on and drill out the brackets so I could mount the shell, it would all be worth it if I could put this thing on finally. Drilled out and tapped the first bracket no problem, started on the next and snap...
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After getting the other half of the tap out I decided today just wasn't my day and put everything away. I'll get at it again in a few days, once my new tapping bit arrives.

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