I’m in the process of updating/repairing a few things on my pack and would really like to add the one thing my pack lacks: a booster frame. (I left it off so I could finish my pack in time for Halloween '06.) Everything seems to be coming together for it, but I’m at a loss as to building the step-like pieces on the sides. The only way I can think of is to stack and glue pieces of wood or plastic, but the more I think about it, the longer I think it will take. Also, I can’t think of any workable off-the-shelf alternatives. There’s gotta be more than one way to skin this cat…any suggestions from people who’ve done this?
Head the the shops and try and find some carpet trip that looks similar. In the past I’ve seen stuff that would be dead on, but when i returned it wasnt there. For mine, i cut very thin strips of wood on a bandsaw then glued them onto the sides. I couldnt fit on as many strips as i would have liked, but i think it looks ok.
Hope this helps a bit. Lawrence
Thanks Lawrence. Do you have any photos of this carpet trip stuff? I did a Google image search but had no luck.
carpet trim ya mean? 
I think that’s what was meant anyway!
that sounds like a good idea, think I wanna rework mine. I know Norm’s plans mention pencils for the two parts. I think one guy, I forget where the topic was, used old model train building parts for the brick texture, if I remember.
Good to see you’re having time to be adding the booster frame, I remember looking when I originally saw the topic and thinking “ahh he’s so close”
EDIT: Another noob-pack in progress (pic heavy) - Proton Packs - GBFans.com
there’s the topic, a little over halfway down.
Go to your local hobby store.
Go to the plastics section.. and they will have not only the Brick Pattern for the inside area.. but a ribbed pattern for the sides. (that is.. if your hobby store carries them).
If not.. look for a Plastructs dealer.
Thanks for the info, guys! I can now see that the pieces I’m talking about aren’t shaped like stair steps but are actually ridges. That makes things a little easier.
That’s exactly where I was going to get my brick pieces from. I’ve got an old HO-scale layout I never got around to finishing and there’s several nice sheets of brick texture.
Norm’s plans go so far as to say they’re Dixon Ticonderoga brand, but there’s no way I’m hacking up 2 of the most expensive pencils you can buy. How the heck did he figure out what brand they were, anyway?
Another option to the pencils are the turn rods for horizontal blinds, some have the hex shape to them.
Hmmm…I never would’ve thought of that! The pencil rails are really the least of my worries. That’s the one good thing about sucking at math…I’ve got scads of nice, long pencils that are totally useless because the erasers are worn out.
You’re joking, right?
Page 6 of Norm’s plans calls for two Dixon Ticonderogas. I don’t know how much they run in other areas, but all the Ticonderogas I’ve seen are 2-3 times more expensive than the other pencils. If I was going to buy a package of pencils just to cut apart 2 of them (or more, if I screw up), it’s not going to be the most expensive brand on the shelf.
I have a box of Dixon Ticonderogas that cost me $2.
I didn’t even buy them because of the brand name. They were the cheapest hex-shaped pencils our drugstore carries.
Some things can get expensive, but pencils?
Dude, we’re talking about pencils, not sticks of gold. You don’t need to buy “expensive” pencils. Any hex shaped pencil will do and there are a lot of them out there.
Forgive me, I just find it amusing that you adamantly refuse to cut up pencils because of the expense.
That’s just funny to me.
True, pencils are still cheaper than gold, but as I said earlier, I won’t have to buy any new pencils since I’ve got loads of them that I can’t use anymore. I was just saying that if I was going to buy pencils solely for this project, they would be the cheapest ones out there.
Oh, I’ll be hacking up some pencils, don’t get me wrong. They just won’t be brand new.
Yeah, sorry, I meant carpet trim!
They are in fact Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, You can see in AJ’s reference pictures the writing on the side of the pencil.
I couldnt find anything witha brick texture, so I just made my own by scoring some 3mm mdf with a stanley knife in a brick pattern. Looks good enough to me!
Lawrence
I used regular hex pencils on my frame, Evergreen 1/2 round styrene shapes for the vertical ribs, and window screen material for the rung pattern…
Looks great robo! nice work!!
Is theres a specific name for the ribbing you used? I cant find anything in the UK similar other than carpet trim, and I cant find one close enough!
Lawrence
I’m not sure of the size but I bought it at a hobby store…
http://www.evergreenscalemodels.com/Shapes.htm#Half%20Round
Although a bit more expensive, you can also use fluted rubber matting similar to this…
http://www.jaymart.net/info.php?item_code=FLUTEDMT
BTW- rubber mat is what the prop guys used on the original screen used part.