I’ve just started building my outfit and was wondering how many of you are concerned about being as accurate as possible. Is it really important to you, or do you feel customizing it is more fun?
As someone who’s spent far too much time and money making sure my other costumes were as screen accurate as possible, (including Indiana Jones, Captain Kirk, and Bespin Luke Skywalker) I’ve decided to make my GB uniform more mine in design. I want it to be the uniform I’d choose if I’d just been employed by the Calgary, AB branch of the franchise. I’m hoping to go with a GB2 grey flightsuit and belt with matching black elbow pads and GB1 patch. I’m even thinking of adding a Calgary chapter GB union logo. Eventually I want the works including lighted proton pack, but for 2010 all I’m concentrating on is the flightsuit, pads, patches, belt, boots, goggles, and maybe a PKE meter—I actually prefer the Real GB model as opposed to the movie design. Ebay always seems to have lots of interesting prop reproductions and such available. There’s no denying that this costume is always in demand. I need these because I’m just not mechanically inclined and really can’t make these things on my own—too bad Master Replicas shut down because I was going to open a savings account just to save up for a proton pack!
Goodness knows I’m doing pretty much the same thing; attempting to come up with something unique and definitive. In doing so, I wind up doing “unofficial” stuff. I say go for it!
I do kind of care about screen accuracy, but only in terms of form, if you know what I mean (i.e., not color). My flightsuit/utility belt is pretty much completely screen accurate, except that the suit is olive green. I like the RGB idea of having colorful, individualistic suits - but I also like having the screen accurate belt, belt-gizmo, GB2 LifeGard, nametag, etc. As long as the physical form of things is screen accurate, I like the idea of mix-n-matching, and having unique colors. …If I ever make another flightsuit, I’m thinking of making it dark purple (potentially a first), or dark blue ala GB2, with matching olive green belt and volleyball pads.
One page for this to degrade to name calling . . .
As for accuracy . . .you know, it depends. Are my tru-spec flight suits accurate? No. Namely because they are missing leg pockets and are not made from the same material as the screen used ones. Hell, no one has an accurate flight suit, except for people that won the real screen used suits in auctions.
I prefer my stuff to be accurate within reason. I have a real lifegard II, real MT-500 with the correct leather holster, my leg hose connector is rubber like the real ones, and so on and so forth. But is it accurate to have a Lifegard II on a GB1 uniform? No. Do I do it? Yes. It adds color to the uniform! My GB2 black belt for my GB2 grey flight suit isn’t accurate too. Why? Because the ones in the movie were custom jobs, that I’ve only seen one member here replicate. My belt gizmo isn’t a real Sanyo ICC-808D calculator, but it is a scratch built replica of one. All examples of accuracy within reason.
I don’t tell people they are “doing it wrong” because not everyone has the same tastes as mine. I do enjoy when someone gets creative though. Its interesting to see what others will do.
I care about screen accuracy for my own stuff (atleast, as much as I can get accurate…belt gizmo is fudged). You should do what makes you happy. To paraphrase what Matt was saying, nothing will ever be 100% screen accurate except for the screen used items. Do what you want. If you want a purple uniform, screen accurate belt, and moon boots…well, bless you for going out in public, but go for it. In the end, don’t focus on what other’s terms of accuracy are; do your own thing, accurate or not.
As long as it’s well designed, well put together, and is firmly coherent with what we know and recognize to be Ghostbusters, both in terms of a common design theme, and fitting in with the established world of GB, movies or otherwise, then…
Only in the areas where it can happen… Everything might end up 100% accurate, but the person in the suit doesn’t look like any of the GBs, (well maybe Son of Spengler, just maybe)
Its like when I was wearing my Master chief armor for Halo2’s release party, some smartass yelled from the back of the line that the master Chief is supposed to be taller.
I can make a custom armor form a videogame, with limited reference material. But I can’t proportionally stretch myself to over 7’ tall…
I think it all depends on philosophy. Follow the films 100% to the ‘T’, or have a mindset of the GBs from the films.
Sure, you could go the Hollywood way, and make whatever props they made from screen captures…
OR…
Imagine you were starting up a business no one has ever done before (like they stated in the story-line). You’ll find whatever equipment is cheap but works. Surplus stores, gadgets from around the house (like the bowl strainer Louis wore on his head at the firehouse), and stuff bought from Radioshack or an electrical surplus store (Dale PH-25s, anyone? (not really offering, just saying they were in surplus around 1984)). Hell, even Ray ‘found’ the car for $4,800 (roughly $6,400 today). Kinda cheap with the other offerings out there.
Point is, Yes, either way can be suited to the person’s taste. A PKE can look like what the Columbia prop department made up, or have plans for something hand held with a screen and antennae. It could look similar to what was on screen, or could look like a purse with a small CRT screen on it ($1 to Star Trek: TOS).
Same goes with the uniform. Get a flight suit that’s khaki/grey/black/pink/whatever, or get something that is cost-effective, and easy to clean (mmm… janitor jumpsuits…)
IMO, I like both concepts. I like it to be recognized as GB, but with a little sense of personal taste.
Well said! It’s all about homebrew; the whole mentality of the first movie was “let’s make shit up as we go!” They even made up their PRICES on the spot, you know?
Like someone told me, and I love the phrase: “We’re not the 501st.”
My costume is not nearly accurate, but as close as I can get with my minimal budget. I took the same approach as others above and considered my costume to be a character who has joined a GB franchise in 2009. Not a GB back in 1984. When it came to my pack, there are some parts that I replaced with parts I could find at my local hardware store, instead of relying on resin parts that are only found online because the original part is no longer made. Stuff like that…
I get as close as possible without getting ridiculous. I’m trying to get my packs, traps, PKE, and goggles as close to screen accurate as possible. If my fittings aren’t the vintage, hard to find type but rather the new versions of the same things, I’m not going to cry over it. If I can get the part or a refab or replica part, great. My boots are the same make, the paratrooper, side zip with the flap and toe caps, but they have black zippers and are made by Bates. It’s 2009, that model of boot is not made exactly the way they were in 1983-84. Same with the flight suit. I’m not going to remove the pen pocket from the sleeve, and I’m not going to sand the zippers to make them brass. They are made this way now, I’m leaving it that way. The name on the chest is mine, I’m not replicating a screen used character uniform, I’m making mine. It’s damn close, accurate patches and belt stuff, but I’m not going to fuss about the one pocket or the zippers. I can live with that. If I were to make a replica suit for a display THEN I would do that, but not for my suit for the modern age. That’s the way I look at it anyway.
