Gareee's Budget Packs: Halloween alternative build ideas

[Ghostwalker]

What type of spray adhesive did you use for the foam insulation spacer?

I’m also using foam for mine (ended up being a lot easier to work with and cost effective) and so far wood glue seems to get the job done all right. I’ll double check some scrap pieces that I glued together tonight to make sure it would hold well and wouldn’t react with the foam.

Thanks for the tip with the latex paint on the foam insulation, too - that’s going to be so muck easier than coating it in something else just to be able to paint it!

Now that most of my pack parts are done, its time to take and post some pics, I guess. Also time to get to work on the thrower this week!

-Ghostwalker

[Zack]

Lookin awesome! Great work and improvisation. Well on your way!

[Gareee]

Thanks! It’s still coming along well, but I’m considering that new bumper tutorial rather then what I was going to attempt.

As far as foam assembly, if you have a big flat surface, and are joining foam to non significantly load bearing foam, then spray glue is the best, IMHO. That’s what’s kept my synchronous generator parts together.

I did some tests today, and latex paintable water washup caulk/filler works great on foam.. and it’s cheap at walmart. (If comes in caulking gun tubes.)

For something with more strength, liquid nails does not react with foam at all, and appears to bond very well. Note that I think is really DOES need to cure completely overnight.

(Someone mentioned in chat last night to NOT do main assemblys with hot melt glue.. unless you want to constantly be glueing parts back on again!)

I also used show goo to glue my washers to my ion arm pvc deal, and also to glue the washers to the cake pan.

More pics after I’m done working on them today…

[Gareee]

Quickie Pic update with our Ghost grenades, to put on our belt as “stuff”. We also scored some older black box like walkie talkies off ebay yesterday that even still work.

Here’s da Ghost Bombs…


[GhostGuy]

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade, but… making things that look like pipe bombs MIGHT be frowned upon by your local law enforcement if they see them. You don’t want the bomb squad coming out and doing a controlled detonation of yor proton pack after you get stopped for a traffic violation.

And if you think I’m being paranoid, read this:

2007 Boston Mooninite panic

Don’t simply assume the cops are gonna use common sense.

[Gareee]

Well, in that case, we shouldn’t be wearing unlicensed nuclear accelerators on our backs either!

[Gareee]

Another update… after a bazillion mismeasurements, we have decent routered wooden bumpers. I still need to glue some knots that came out of them, sand them, and add the center octagon ion knob bridge, but they are looking pretty decently, I think, and pack “shape” is looking more like a pack now.


We’re using reflectors for the inside of our cyclotrons, and I should have the bumpers completed tomorrow, and hopefully final motherboards cut to proper size.

Because our power supplys are a tad longer then the norm plans, I’ll need to shorten the 1" pvc cable couplings coming from the bottom of it.

EDIT: OOPS! the bumper is flipped wrong left to right!

[Gareee]

Bumper update:

Lots of finish work since last night.

I ended up routing out the grooves for the ion knob plates, because routing went better then hoped for, and the bumpers would have more durability.

I’d got some unique assembly here, so I’ll point out things of note.

The ion knows are (I think) 1 1/4 pvc, with weed whacker line wrapped around them, and washers glued on top. To make then stay on the bumpers and be able to take some abuse, there’s a 1 1/2" screw into a inverted 3/4 pvc cap screwed into the bumper. The screw also holds the 1/4" basswood octagons in place as well. The Ion knobs then slip down over this, with a tight fit. (There’s also a channel dremmelled into the pvc cap, so the weed whacker line which starts in a drilled hole in the pvc pipe, and is hot melt glued in doesn’t take any stress when adding the ion knobs.

Hope that paragraph made sense!


Next I’ll wood fill the bumpers, and then after sanding, they should then be ready for paint.

[Gareee]

Ok, here’s a update with a painted bumper.. it’ sstill a bit wet, so there’s still some shine to it, but you get the idea of what it looks like painted.

I still want to put another coat or two of paint on it, before calling them "done.. that’ll cut down the woodgrain a bit more that still showing up some.

Still, I’m pretty pleased with them.


I’m also going to ass some silver “scrapes” to it as well, and that should also help sell the “metal” look a bit more.

I could hit the paint with some steel wool, but I’m getting overly ■■■■ about the bumpers, so it’s time to rein in a bit, and just enjoy how they came out.

[Gareee]

…and here’s a test fit of the bumpers on the packs.


One thing I AM noticing, is Norm’s plans Ion knob is about 1/3rd larger around then it should be. If I was making movie accurate packs, this would bug the heck out of me, but I can;t decide if I want to redo the ion knobs or not.. fortunately, mine are easily removable and replaceable.

[J10kmn]

that looks fantastic!!

[jhsanny]

Yes! It’s looking quite good so far. I’m a big fan of the project enclosure build. It’s how I made my pack and trap, both. Keep it up, and I look forward to seeing these when they’re all done!

[enchanted_unicorn]

@Gareee

Bumper update:

Lots of finish work since last night.

I ended up routing out the grooves for the ion knob plates, because routing went better then hoped for, and the bumpers would have more durability.

I’d got some unique assembly here, so I’ll point out things of note.

The ion knows are (I think) 1 1/4 pvc, with weed whacker line wrapped around them, and washers glued on top. To make then stay on the bumpers and be able to take some abuse, there’s a 1 1/2" screw into a inverted 3/4 pvc cap screwed into the bumper. The screw also holds the 1/4" basswood octagons in place as well. The Ion knobs then slip down over this, with a tight fit. (There’s also a channel dremmelled into the pvc cap, so the weed whacker line which starts in a drilled hole in the pvc pipe, and is hot melt glued in doesn’t take any stress when adding the ion knobs.

Hope that paragraph made sense!


Next I’ll wood fill the bumpers, and then after sanding, they should then be ready for paint.

your knob looks awesome, i made mine similarly, but your’s is way better.

[Gareee]

Thanks! I base coated the weed whacker line with gloss black, and then dust coated it from a distance with chrome silver at an angle, so some of the black would still show up. the guy at ACE hardware thought I actually put washers on it till he picked it up, and found out it weighed almost nothing at all!

(It IS capped with a metal bolt and 2 washers… mixed real metal with fake metal helps sell the illusion.)

Tonight’s update:

Did the frame over the booster (cut basswood, pencils, and layers of thin razo rblade cut craft foam for the stair steps on the booster frame edges.

Also did our n filters.. they are 3" pvc, with holes drilled out, and pringles cans painted flat white inside them as the “filter”. The holes are too large, but that was the best hole cutter bit I had, and I didn;t want to buy another $15 bit just for those cuts.

Because the pvc is thick, they actually look like they might do something.. and while I thought they looked a bit large, when I look at the planet hollywood pics, the n filter does look much larger then a pringles can to me.

Now that some details are being added, it’s starting to look more like a real pack, so I’m happy.




Here’ you can see how large the n filter cutouts really are…


[SG1ampAtlantisFan]

Wow, among the dollar store pack, one other and yours… its inspired me pick back up on this project. I especially love how you use the new construction style electrical boxes. I did electrical work for a little while and was always around thoes damn things, yet I never would have thought of that. Keep up the hard work because its paying off quite well.

[Gareee]

Thanks. I think if a props dept. made packs today, they would use them as well.. I’m considering additional lighting in mine.. the electrical boxes have very small openings, and when a light is put behind them, they look VERY cool.

Wife thinks it’s overkill though..

[SG1ampAtlantisFan]

Honestley Garee, if you’ve never done electrical work before, youd be surprised how much you can fit in there. When I first started off there were times I thought itd be hopless to put groups of spliced wires in some boxes… but its really not that bad.

[Gareee]

I can hack n slash, but if something then works or not is another matter.

I might split up one of the sets of skellie lights, to put in the crank box, and the box below that as well. The glow comes out the small slots, and though subtle, looks pretty cool.

I can just stick it’s battery pack on top of the crank box if I go that route, since it has a great look to it as well.

I’ll do a test of that first, to see if it looks like too much, or if it looks like a worthwhile addition.

[enchanted_unicorn]

this is progressing very well. i’ll be watching this one. as for lights, i put mini lights that you find in the floral dept at michaels-10 small lights per unit that run off 2 aa’s. in all, there’s 4 packs in mine. cheap, but a little under whelming. but better than nothing i guess.

[Gareee]

I’ve got a stash of battery powered mini lights, but I’m swiching to 100% leds on anything I make, because they just last so much longer, are brighter, more colorful, and don’t drain batteries so badly.

The wife always thinks I’m nuts scoring them on after christmas clearance, but better to have and not need, then the need, and not have…