Here is my first Proton Pack I made for costume parties, it’s a mix of Norm’s and Stefan’s plans.
I was trying to keep costs down so almost all the parts and electronics are custom but I did use
the sound board from Replica Props.
Here’s a video with the lights and sound. (Yeah yeah the power cell lights are going the wrong way
but I was pressed for time)
Here are a few shots of the new pack I’m working on.
This one is using Stefan’s plans but I’m still trying to keep costs down so mostly hand made parts, not fully accurate
but it looks close.
The big difference with this one over my first is the cyclotron and bumper are the right sizes and shape.
The top of the pack looks a lot better too.
The clippard and bumper were pretty time consuming to make, it’s almost worth it to buy real clippards and a pre-made bumper.
I’m building the electronics for the lights and sound right now, once that’s done I’ll finish the thrower.
those are both quite nice packs. the top of pack 2 is very crisp, as you noted. what was the base material for construction? what ever it was, you have done a fine job of sealing the seams. very impressive.
gbrob
November 24, 2009, 3:05am
4
That’s a clean pack right there…
soooo clean,soo neat! very nice work!
Thanks for all the comments! I work at a cabinet shop so a lot of what I do is with wood, both packs are mostly
1/4 MDF with a few coats of lacquer sealer and sanded smooth which soaks into the MDF and makes it like a hard plastic.
My first pack is just over 23 pounds and the new one should be a little over 25, I spent over six hours wearing
the first one on Holloween with no problems but the ALICE makes carrying anything easy.
GAVAL
November 26, 2009, 4:23am
7
That’s an extremely tight and clean setup you got going there.
I respect the patience it takes to get it looking that smooth!
G
Very VERY nice job!
Question: You wouldn’t have a diagram or plans of some sort for the lighting & sounds lying around would you?
The soundboard is the 4M model from replica props and the lights for power cell
and cyclotron from a modified version of this light kit
The thrower lights are from this kit
But the LEDs are powered directly from the 4017 chip so they are pretty dim.
Chopping up some pre-made light kits will save you a lot of money but if you want something
accurate ether get one of Exoray’s kits or make your own.
If I can clean up the plans for the one I’m making now I’ll post it, but it’s pretty time consuming
to make your own.
dax
November 29, 2009, 3:57pm
12
im with everyone else. that has to be the cleanest scratch-built pack ive ever seen. did you happen to log the hours on it? its obvious you dedicated ridiculous amounts of time and patience, just curious how much. ive seen $1500 fiberglass/resin packs that didnt quite match up to yours.
i recommend getting a display of some sort for it. be it the “charging station”, or wall hook, a mannequin, or even a display case, this is something you want to show off for years.
I think I have around 80 hours in the pack, and probably another 30-40 on the electronics and thrower.
The plan is to sell the second pack next fall to make back the cost of building both of them, but I’m having
a hard time with the thought of selling it so I’m thinking of selling both of them and making a third
one that’s even better with more accurate parts and keeping that one for myself.
If it wasn’t for the electronics I could build a full pack pretty quick but I just don’t have the extra cash to
get a setup from Exoray or Hyperdyne.
Like most things it all comes down to money.
Oh and I would like to make the thrower more accurate on the third one with an extending barrel.
Krenzy
December 5, 2009, 7:49pm
14
Beautiful! Just stunning!!
What did you use for the ring that rests at the base of the cyclotron ?
