Well, here it goes. My girlfriend and I decided to be Ghostbusters for Halloween.
I’m not a Gb fanatic, but I do love cool gadgets, costumes, and Halloween (not in that order).
I’ve been heavy lurking this website and found great info. I started this costume back in early July, and I thought I’d be done by now.
I’m trying to be accurate while using parts from Home Depot, so it has been touch & go.
I basically worked from the uniform, out. I started with acquiring flight suits and patches. I’m not into using my last name for the costume, so I ordered a set of Venkman/Stantz tags.
After finishing the uniform, leg hose, hose connector, and belt gizmo, I decided to start the throwers.
In all honesty, I should’ve bitten the bullet and just bought resin gun boxes. It took a lot of work to get them right, and I almost eviscerated myself on my dad’s table saw, while cutting styrene.
Just after my injury.
3 days after the incident.
I used mostly a thicker styrene for the gun body. I would use crazy glue to form a quick bond, and then I’d apply gorilla glue for a final bond. I ran out of styrene for a few pieces, and used some 1/8" craft plywood I had laying around.
The only pre-made pieces I bought were the grips and the heat sink. Time is of the essence and both sets of parts were cheap. Everything else, I made or used pieces laying around the garage.
These guns aren’t accurate, but are good for a few hours of work here and there.
Initial mockup with bar graph.
Continued fabrication
I used an old guitar potentiometer and knob for the knob next to the Clippard. I added some strips of wood on the bottom of the housing and attached them with glue and industrial-looking screws.
Almost done. The gun ears are installed, and pre-drilled for wiring. I used a 35MM canister for the clippard. The cap is riveted to a piece of styrene cut out to look like a Clippard base. I will snapp the Clippard body on, after paint. I also used a 35MM canister, and trimmed off a 1/2" to make the palm rest. To attach it, I used a large wooden dowel, cut a 1" section, screwed it to the body, and slid the canister over the dowel rod. I then screwed a fastener to the side of the canister to fix it to the dowel rod.
The body is done, so I shoot hot glue inside to fill in any cracks and to permanently snug in the pipes.
Paint begins as soon as fabrication ends. Looking back, I should’ve removed the grips and heat sink, and painted them separately. Oh well. No time to waste!
I primed the wands with plastic primer. I sprayed the top and bottom twice, sanded, and then sprayed one more coat of primer.
I used that Walmart spray paint for the black. The stuff dries fast and sprays pretty thin. This way the user is less apt to get runs in the finish.
Two coats on the bottom, three coats on top.
I dry brush some silver for an aged look, tomorrow.
