Starting on my Proton pack.
Here is the Vacuformed shell I got.
Got the Shell from here
Also got this Sound Chip.
http://www.replicaprops.com/cart2/index.php?main_page=page&id=14
Anyone have any advice on what is the best way to paint the shell?
DarkStar2k
I’m being blunt here.
But my first suggestion is to get a better pack shell.
Good Vacu-form shell for a quick 1st pack tha’ts not exactly 100% accurate, to put it nicely. This is a good route to go if you want something inexpensive for before Halloween. If you are looking for 100% accuracy or have the time to make it better, you probably don’t want one of those shells, though.
What are they $65 bucks or something, so yeah, a quick to make cheap cost pack that’s not 100% accurate.
Please post finished pictures, it will be great for others to be able to see what you can really do with one of these. Good Luck! ! !
Start off with primer and make it a few coats. I have the same shell and I think its great.Alot of people talk down about these packs and I had my concerns but once I go it I was very impressed. Your pack is what you make of it and many say its not accurate, well its a lot more accurate then a lot of scratch built packs. Plus you add to it to make it more accurate!
Not very accurate but still make a good proton pack.
If I have it, I leave it as is and not paint it.
Show us the finish pack when you are done.
Unless your intending to dull it down a bit I wouldn’t think you would need to paint it. If you do paint it I would go over it with some extra fine grade steel wool to give the paint something to bite into, then you could use Krylon fusion for plastic spray paint
No primer needed. Once you get all your accessory pieces, hoses and decals on there it should look pretty decent. Not 100% accurate but who cares what others think, you obviously knew what it was when you bought it and it was within your budget.
Have fun…and post pics! 
How thick is the plastic?
Primer IS important…
*Priming increases paint coverage and topcoat adhesion.
*Priming promotes a consistent sheen and uniform finish.
*Priming seals the surface, assuring a smooth base for your topcoat of paint.
I just checked the website that is selling it. They did say the proton pack shell is not accurate so people do know what they are getting.
Irri was referring to Krylon Fusion though, which molecularly bonds with the top layer of plastic. That paint doesn’t work as intended with primer. Well, it’ll eventually dry on to itself, but if you use primer with Fusion, it’s just going to behave like any other spray paint.
I do fully realize that the shell is not accurate. My intention was to make it the best I can with this shell for this Halloween then rebuild it next year with a more accurate fiberglass or resin shell. I am getting resin parts for the gun so it will be much more accurate.
DarkStar2k
Just a thought… you could use insulation foam or foam core, and wood to easily make the top section much more accurate, and just use the lower part. You could probably easily build all the top secion in just a few days with that method.
The detail is soft, but weathering it improves it a lot, and most of the “sharp edges” are seen on the top parts anyway.
You’ll need a wood ion arm, and also a wooden mount for the gun to hook onto as well anyway.
Personally I don’t see any problem with the shell. Sure, the details are soft, but 60 bucks is a great price.
Since people are giving suggestions to improving, some bondo on the sharp corners of the upper portion would probably be easier than rebuilding the whole top.
I agree, if you decide to do weathering, you can really make the soft angles looks sharp. I used a silver sharpie and it worked pretty good
Actually you could easily use wood putty to make the corners sharp if you like. It cures very hard, and is sandable and grindable.
that’s the sort of bullshit statement that just reeks of that sort of elitist prop snobbery that AJ has tried so hard to repress around here. 50%+ of the home built kits aren’t 100% accurate either. This ain’t the 501st and the standards are deliberately flexible so that folks have fun building and enjoying their GB stuff. That is the point right? fun? I snagged one of these shells as well, and they’re a great bang for your buck, and with some elbow grease make a great pack. 100% accurate? no. big deal? no. was fun to build? yes. will anyone I know know the difference? ■■■■ no. Not everyone feels the need to be the king of the nerds by ponying up $$ to have the biggest and baddest of the nerd toys. keep that in mind before spewing your “bluntness” dude. it’s not constructive, and sure as hell isn’t welcoming to newcomers
thats cool man, I went with the same one, heres mine:
Quoted for truth!
I went with the same shell too, and knew full well it’s not all that accurate or pretty. But so what? When I’m done I’ll have a proton pack. My very own proton pack! As will the OP when he finishes his. Admittedly I’m already thinking about how to approach a second pack, whether to go scrap or buy a different shell. I’ve even been toying with the idea of a RGB version for ■■■■■ and giggles. But that’s just from the bite of the prop bug.
Anyway, back to topic: I don’t know about you but with mine I screwed and bondo-ed the two halfs together and cut off a bit too much on the top right side (but the motherboard will hide that nicely). What I’m using to secure the shell to the frame are “L” shaped pieces of wood from my dad’s barn. Woodgluing one side to the motherboard and then putting screws through the pack into the peices of wood. Hope that helps.
I bought this shell too from studiocreations.com and the guy who builds the props from there was very helpful and easy to talk to. The shell is accurate enough that i’m happy, no ones prop will be 100% to the movies, but that’s just the way it is and i’m having fun getting the parts and will be happy putting it together. Can’t wait!!!
I don’t see an issue. I can’t say I wouldnt go this way if I didn’t know about it when I first built a pack! I mean for around $100 I think that is an awesome pack, plus, no one who isn’t a buster wouldn’t know otherwise. Good job!
