My name is Karl, I have been an avid Ghostbusters Fan since I first saw it on Betamax video, and I have finally decided to build my own, as accurate as possible, Proton Pack.
This is where I need your help, as I have never built anything like this before. I have basic skills as I used to build Radio Stations for a living, and have restored a few military vehicle. I am a Transmitter engineer by trade, and hope to find some of the bits I need at work.
But… Is there anyone in the Suffolk area (I am near Ipswich, about 40 mins away from Colechester, essex) that I can meet up with to discuss, ponder and possible help guide me through the build process. If you have your own pack I can look at then even better…inspiration is great…
Anyone any help or suggestions on where to gain parts. I have never bought from America and I am keen to avoid being ripped off and to avoid others mistakes that I have read on here. I have see nthe chap in Maidstone is making resin guns, what are they like, and how easy are they to put together?
Where is the best place to start, and where is a good place to get an Alice pack frame in the UK. Sorry for all the idiot Questions, but I am a man of limited funds so cant waste what spare cash I have. I intend for this to be a slow build as and when I can afford that next part.
I have also seen the cyclone part on Ebay for £10, is that any good? I havnt seen anyone making resin bumpers in the UK, are there any or will I have to bite the bullet and get one from the US?
Any other help or advice greatly received. Many thanks.
According to the Local fans near you! list (unfortunately it’s not really going to get updated anymore), there are two fans in the Suffolk area, kerr
pobbop, although I can’t say I’ve seen them online for some time.
As for Stateside vendors, as long as you browse the Feedback section, you can get a good idea of who you can and can’t trust. The shortlist for trustables are Exoray, Multimediamayhem, gb_dan (just be prepared for some delays) and of course, this forum.
A shortlist of untrustables are Captain America (AKA Joseph Kerezman), Jeremy Moore, Rhett Martin and Mike Brewer. A full list of people to avoid, including why they should be avoided, can be found HERE.
As for Nick-a-tron, take a look at his feedback thread to locate those who’ve purchased his Gun kit, from there you should be able to find testimony as to how difficult or easy it is to put toghether.
The best place? I guess to start setting money aside and to start collecting the bits you’ll need… A.L.I.C.E. Pack frames can be purchased through eBay UK.
The cyclotron cover is made by jt94 (his username on this forum) and is good quality, I have one of his on my Proton Pack.
If you have a free moment, I also recommend you stop by the U.K. Ghostbusters forum, which offers additional sources for UK-based part manufacturers.
All i can do is Echo’s Kingpin’s post, I can personally vouch for Nick-a-tron, i’ve bought ever one of his parts in his shop and time and time again i’ve been blown away by the speed of delivery, and quality of the product
Multimedia Mayhem are also very trustworthy
I should also point out JT94 is a good uk based seller.
what are you planning to build the pack out of? Wood? metal? plastics?
As for the pack construction, I would like to get a good quality shell, but the problem there that I have is which to go for, I have read some good tales, and then some horror stories about nearly every shell I was looking at, so there I go again with not wantint to be ripped off. I looked at Kingpins build and I might try the wood version, with some resin bits and an ali MOBO… (see, even trying to get the slang right) cause I can use an old bit of transmitter at work to supply that bit. I am also going to try and locate the electronic bits at work, I know I deffo have some ribbon cable and some large air cooled resistors there. I will try and find some of the other stuff as well… I would rather use the real bit as opposed to the resin copy if I can find it.
I have been reading and drooling Shodanmark’s build thread and that is why I thought about going the shell route… its just which shell???
Hi. Check out my proton pack in ,y props section. That was my first build and I learmed the hard way and watsed a bit of money in the process. I am on my second pack now. My recommednations: -
Resin shell, booster tube, PPD, Ion Arm and resin bumber - Sevv. You can get the whole lot for like £265 or so.
I can make an aluminium motherboard with riveted mounting brackets that fit perfectly - PM me if intersted.
Alice Pack - ebay is the only way. David Kline is a good seller.
Nick-a-tron - I have bought loads of parts and they are all great - booster ladder, gun box, gun grips, ears, rear block, gun track, crank knob, clippard valves. He also does coloured tubing and the black piping, resin arco light caps.
Track down zombieamusements on ebay - he is US based but a great seller - resistors, ion bumper knob, legris elbows, clippard barbs and elbows, GB2 style spectra ribbon cable, aluminium gun knobs.
For paint, use Rust-o-Leum silver, then hammered black, then matt black. Available from HomeBase / Focus DIY.
Yep, I would say that sevv’s shell is a nice way to go, although he is currently putting them on hold as it’s way too cold to be outside fibreglassing :walterpeck: , so he will be resuming in the new year when it warms up. So plenty of time to work on a thrower beforehand.