Undoubtedly, there will be a bunch of progress threads over the next few years, and that is fine. But, I thought this would be a good thread to start to just show one pic of your pack, and maybe to use as a “how did you do that”/sharing of information forum. So here is mine:
Unfinished for now; I still need to start on a wand, the middle Faraday cage is not the right size of mesh, and needs something underneath it, but the general shape is there, and I am pumped to continue working on it! I have had help with construction that is out of my realm- my two friends have done some welding to the pack, and several 3D printed parts have been added.
Off to a good start, Fifth. I’m super-impressed by the talent of this community that there’s still the best part of a year until the film’s release, and the community is already producing replicas that could be confused for the actual props.
A member of the Massachusetts Ghostbusters reported that a friend of theirs who was on location when they were filming reported red lights, and a rotating motion in the backpack. Sadly there isn’t more that the second-hand account to work with at the moment.
There are still a lot of unknowns as far as accuracy goes…so it’s hard to really say.
For me, I spent about 1/4th of the time to build this compared to my “Real” proton pack.
For the pack:
I would consider this easier as there are fewer parts, a lot of which can be bought. (valve, project boxes, etc)
There are some tricky parts. The custom motherboard that has the hole/slots punch-out pattern(which I did NOT replicate), the toolbox type thing has not been found yet so that needs to be made, and the center heat sync thing. If sources can be found for those items, this thing would actually be pretty easy.
For the thrower:
It pretty much needs to be built…a 3d printer is great, but I have also seen a great example of one made by hand using a project box and pvc pipes as a base.(cough SpaceCoast GB’s) I would not really say it’s any harder than an original thrower.
I was not really a fan of the new proton pack design at first…I don’t really think it is better than the original. However, spending this much time on it, I have grown to like it more than I had. It definitely could have been worse…at least it still kind of “feels” like it fits in the Ghostbusters world to me. I am hesitant about the reboot, but I am hopeful that they will surprise us and it will end up to be a fun movie. This pack was made for my sister and I will be shipping it to her this week…whether or not I build one for myself will probably be decided AFTER the movie comes out.
I second that - I find that getting most of the parts to this pack is a whole lot easier. With an 84 pack (if you do it from scratch) you have to build your own series of boxes for the top part, and then some circles for the bottom. With the 16 pack, you order a bunch of boxes online, and then figure out where they go on the mobo once you receive them.
I think this thing has COST me more in the long run than an 84 pack, though. I’ve cut some corners by using “close-enough” parts from around my house.
Since Jason mentioned my thrower, here’s some pics of it and the current state of the thing as a whole. I haven’t kept track of budget but I’m somewhere between $100 and $140 so far. I only need to wire it and put on straps.
Don’t have great photos of my finished pack yet, but I was able to show it to Paul Feig personally and get it signed! My daughters pack was also a hit.
This thread is awesome! I can’t believe it’s so buried. I’m going to start a build for my wife in Jan and this is a wonderful idea pit! Thanks to all the trailblazers on this one! More exclamation points!!!
I would not really say it’s any harder than an original thrower.
