It’s been a hot minute since I posted, so bear with me. When my wife and I moved into our current home back in 2021, there was a storage room in the basement that could only be accessed from the downstairs garage. I immediately saw the potential. Besides, I needed a place to store all my collectibles. We took the room and divided it approximately 70/30. My wife took her 30% of the space and built a downstairs kitchen. I took my 70% and made…something else. Before we started working on this room, mind you, it was a concrete floor with only sheetrock/block walls. We had to frame/finish the dividing wall.
Thanks! Yeah, I tried to squeeze in as many Easter eggs as I could. There are a couple things left to do before it’s finished. I have to put in the drop ceiling and hang my degrees behind the desk; that’s what the open space on the wall is for.
She was actually pretty supportive, if not a little reserved about losing some space in the downstairs kitchen for it. Lol. I was looking at some of the progress pics I had saved on my phone, and I remembered that she actually helped paint it! Here are some progress pics, including when I had to COMPLETELY empty that closet space to inventory all of my collectibles. After everything was catalogued and the closet was finished, I had to strategically pack it all back in there.
Sorry for the photo-dump, but I feel like showing this process could be helpful for anyone that wants to do something similar.
It’s been a while since I updated this thread, so here goes. Since I last posted, I’ve added a containment unit to the GB room and installed a drop ceiling! I’ll create a separate thread for the ECU because it’ll be VERY pic-heavy. I’ll post the ceiling pics here though. It’s just a ceiling grid I got at Lowe’s and filled with PVC tiles I ordered on Amazon. I got the semi-decorative tiles to be closer to what exists in the firehouse. I then installed crown molding for the same reason. It’s a miracle I still have all of my fingers because there were some really small turns and I was cutting it with a mitre saw with no fence, lol. Only thing left now is to add the lights that will replace the fluorescent fixtures that are currently above the tiles. Any questions, let me know!
Thank you! I’ve been slammed lately, so I haven’t had time to tackle the lights. It’s funny though. Every time I hit a lull on a GB project, something comes along and motivates me to get it done.
After all the cool stuff that dropped yesterday for GB Day, I’m feeling like I need to go hang the lights! Lol.
Awesome setup. Any info on what exactly that Alarm bell is? It’s got a good ring to it. I’m assuming it’s a School Bell, but any manufacturing info would be helpful. Thanks!
I’m not sure what its intended use is, but it’s not the screen-accurate model. My fellow FGB Alex Newborn has an accurate one. I happened across this bell by chance and bought it because it was cheap. I painted it and wired it into the flashing bulb and desk button.
Here’s a fun bit of crossover though: the bell I have is actually the same model in Doc Brown’s shop in BTTF. You can see it toward the beginning of the film when Doc calls Marty on the phone that activates the bell.
Thank you! I had not been aware of the AMC AND Regal traps.
Does the Matty pedal operate the regal?
For your 2 scratch built, they appear slightly different…are they based on the same plans? Do the doors operate? Or the electronics? Does the pedal operate the trap?
I’m surprised you don’t have the Spirit regular or deluxe, or the Hollywood collectibles! You have like, all of the traps.
The Regal trap definitely is the better of the two popcorn buckets if you’re going to use it as a prop. That AMC trap is a monster. You can see how much bigger it is in the picture. The Matty pedal doesn’t operate the Regal. It usually just gets placed next to it as a static prop. Honestly, I haven’t concocted a way to even connect them yet. I haven’t had time.
The scratch-built traps are actually based on different plans, and were built at different times during my prop-building experiences. The rougher-looking trap was actually the first prop I ever scratch-built. They’re both made from a sheet of shatter-proof plastic and Bondo in the seams. The doors open manually on both and the cartridges come out, but they don’t have any electronics. Same for the pedal.
I’m planning on buying the Spirit deluxe trap, but not the Hollywood Collectibles (for a number of reasons). I didn’t mean to accumulate so many traps. It just sort of happened. Lol.
