My friends and I are going to be ghostbusters for halloween and we want to make a proton pack, but we’re going off parents money (we’re only in high school) can anyone help us make a good yet cheap priced proton pack?
EDIT:
BTW, we’re not really looking for sounds and lights just a cool looking proton pack =) The drumline and pit are also doing it, (i’m apart of the pit) and half of us are gonna be GB and the other half ghosts, so I needs steps so I can tell them too lol. Thanks !
Anybody? Please? lol I really wanna be a ghostbuster and we MAY get an ectomobile but idk. Please help!
so couldnt you just say you’re all gonna be Ghostbusters?
oops sorry I meant the other half is gonna be ghosts! lol sorry!
I would definitely suggest lookin up the Plans section of this website and starting off with Norm’s Plans, especially if you’re on a budget.
Thanks but I looked at the plans and got totally confused I’m 14 years old and i thought about making it around my old black backpack so I didn’t have to spend that much, but I would need like ideas of what to build around it…
Sorry that I’m not making this the easiest.
hey GB 95!
Ok, you have backpacks, right? And you don’t have a lot of money, right? Go to the dollar store and get:
flat black spray paint and primer (Walmart has them for a $1, too)
a round bottomed container with a lid (maybe 9" in diameter)
a couple of cardboard boxes and some paper towel rolls or equivalent
some wires for color
duct tape (black is a bonus)
put the bowl on to the bottom of the back pack with duct tape. Put two paper towel rolls to the left side of the pack as you are looking at it. Duct tape small boxes around the pack. Paint it with primer, then FLAT Black spray paint. Hot glue or use black duct tape to put the wires down the middle. Not “Movie accurate” but good enough for Halloween post pics of it too. Hope that helps, and good luck!!! : )
Thanks I’ll try that. I have a under armour black backpack, will that still work?
uh, I don’t know. Is it a trapezoid shape like a regular backpack with the bottom wider than the top, or a bicycle pack with a diagonalstrap across the chest. Most important thing is don’t burn your slef with hot glue (like I do all the time) and have fun.
PS Walmart sells these little light sticks for $4 in the lighting section that can blink red or blue, so you can put the red one in the center of the bowl and leave 4 unpainted circles, and maybe tape the blue one on the top left hand corner for the power cell.
its equal all around and it has the thing that goes across the chest, but I can probably cut those if I have to or just hide it under my flight suit. And with the lights will this be like 15 - 20 $? bc then my mom will probably agree. Thanks again. I also have an Mp3 and I wanted to put sounds, but idk if I can, if you know an easy cheap way help lol and thanks I think we all could do this. Will it kind of look like yours? (Profile Pics)
also looking how to make the “gun” part.
well I put more time and money on my pack and have new ones, too.
Well, for the gun (wand) get some plastic pipe and a small box (maybe about the size of a Rubik’s cube) and have the pipes coming out of the box. See if you can find one of those candy canes with M&M’s or something like it for the clear part of the wand. Get an old hose from the garage or get split loom from Walmart ($8) for the hose going to the pack and paint everyhting but the clear tip black. Hope that helps. Here is a stunt pack I tossed together in 5 hrs:
it’s got a real ALICE frame and had some “pre-made” parts from a “disassembled” pack I had in the movie. But it had foam and cardboard so the actor didn’t get hurt falling backwards.
Thanks again, this really helps. I think we’re gonna “ghostbust” a small haunted house by us and this seems easy and deffently a keeper. If I have any questions can I just pm u?
sure, go ahead. I’m at work so I’m back and forth. Good luck! Busting makes YOU feel good! : P
K thanks for all the help. its hard being a 14 year old and trying to make proton packs like the adults. Also, one last question, it isn’t heavy is it? bc I have lower back problems so when i bend over for a long time or carry something heavy it hurts my lower back, plus I had knee surgery two weeks ago and I’m not suppose to be carrying a heavy backpack and all.
LOL! WEll, depends what you put IN your backpack. If you stuff it with foam or something and use cardboard, it won’t be heavy at all. The nice packs you see here on the site weigh anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds (heavy)
I guess I could experiment and see which one won’t hurt my back bc I don’t wanna be going around all night and my back hurting..
14 and the plans too hard to follow? No problem.
Go to this page:
http://www.gbfans.com/equipment/reference/
At the top you’ll find proton pack screen grabs. At the bottom you’ll find photos of the pack from plant hollywood. Print a few of those and use them as a reference.
Now check your dad’s garages for parts you can use. Grab everyhting you can find.
You’ll need stuff like the following:
Wires, hoses, and rubber and plastic tubes
Electric tape and duct tape
Small caps and knobs
Metal rods, wooden dowels
Screws and bolts
Large and small washers
Cans
Electrical boxes (the kind you mount light switches and plugs in when you put them in the wall)
Wood
Large detergent caps
Electric tape container
Knobs from stereos or radios
Red and blue clear plastic from folders or shampoo bottles
Flashlight or other battery powered lights preferably which flash.
Blue or red glow stick
Cake pan or other large round thing about 9" around for the cyclotron.
Bascially grab all the junk you can and throw it in a big pile.
Here’s a pack I built last year largely out of the junk I listed above:
The big ribbed hose is from a vaccum cleaner. The ribbed boxes are electrical boxes. The big box on the top left is a speaker box. You’ll need a big flat piece of wood to mount it to. Or you can use a big piece of carboard. If you’re gonna use a backpack find some way to connect that to this “motherboard” first.
Then just tape everything on there. That’s what I did. Put the tape on the inside if you can.
I cheated a bit in that the bottom half is all built from wood but if you just layer some wood up you can get something similar. You’ll have to glue it together though, tape won’t hold it. Or you could nail it. Keep in mind it’ll be heavy though. So you’ll want to keep the amount of wood you use low. My pack weighs about half as much as you do. 
If you use FOAM anywhere, you MUST cover it with tape or a lot of glue before you paint it. The paint will dissolve the foam. Unless you use latex paint. I’m talking about spraypaint.
Oh and the cylinder thing on the top right is a dtergent cap like I mentioned. And the cylynder on the bottom right on the cyclotron is a pringles can.
The bumper on the cyclotron is a rubber sheath for wiring with a coathanger inside to keep it straight. You might have a hard time finding that sort of thing though. You can make that out of cardboard instead.
The proton gun here is just a star wars blaster I removed all the extra parts from and painted black, and then drilled a hole in the front to stick in a piece of clear tubing.
For the hose leading to the gun you could do what I did initially, if you can’t find a black hose, and just take any old hose and cover it in black tape or paint it black (again with latex paint, spraypaint will likely melt a rubber hose).
Just be creative. As long as you have a bunch of boxes and wires on there and something that looks like a cyclotron nobody will know the difference!
Oh and don’t forget to print the labels up and glue them on there.
[edit]
Yeah if you have back problems you definitely don’t want any wood on there. You’ll need to use cardboard boxes or something. If there’s a post office near you, go in there and grab some of their priority mail boxes. They’re free, and square. FedEx would have some too for free of smaller sizes. Or have your dad grab some.
Want a cheap pack that still look good? Go with foamcore!
That stuff is cheap and strong.
It even comes in black! You can get it at Wal-Mart and any craft store. With this stuff and some hot-glue, you will be set!
My pack is 100% foamcore…well…all but the cakepan and washers…
http://www.gbfans.com/fans/props/proton-packs/1705/
I have lots of pics from my build. Hope they help!
~Z
