You have returned to show us hows it done! Love the booster tube set up, and man o man I am digging that bumper!
That is awesome. How are you handling the split in the shell?
When i did mySC pack i cut a hole out in the booster ramp and bolted it down to an L bracket on the inside.
“My goal is to make a minimal kit that a beginner could afford and easily assemble” I think you have a great idea started here. I did a fiberglass build last year and my wife almost killed me over the cost. I even tried cutting as many corners as I could. I have a SC shell siting in my garage waiting for your kit to be done.
Woohoo!!!
It’s going to be awhile. 
My first goal is to make the kit so I can build these two packs for the Busters that paid for them. Then I’ll figure out cost and do a run. Having a job has cut into my building time a LOT! so the weekends will be my main build days.
Next up is -
Booster Ladder
Figuring out how I want to do my Ion Arm is a problem. I will probably go the solid route, but I would like it to be hollow so it’s not too heavy. We’ll see.
I’ve thought of that, as it’s one of the heavier on mine.
What if you built it in separate pieces? Back, angled side, top & bottom all one piece, with the flat side & front being added on by the builder after attaching the back piece securely to the shell?
(You can see where I started to draw on the other side, lol)
Actually, my idea is not far from that but built as two L-angles that fit together like a snap model.
Today was building a Booster frame ladder -
Next up is finishing work. I can only work on this during the weekends. So it is slower going than I am used to.
Did you scale down the ladder or build it 1:1?
I build it to Stephens plans. (which I believe is a bit short) and they fit great.
Great minds.
THIS…right here…is why I LOVE this community, trying to get people that cant afford the fiberglass kits, or even franchises looking to start out and buy a few packs. This will be awesome when you get through with it! In true AH fashion no doubt! Good luck on the builds and I will def order a few kits when they come out!
Awesome to find this thread.
I’ve just ordered a SC pack and am looking for a cheaper build option.
For the newbies, would your resin kit plus the SC pack be most of the components needed?
What would remain?
I think youd still need the Clippard tubes and ribbon cable.
He is correct. I’m not planning on doing hardware etc. Just trying to cut out the fabrication a bit.
April was a busy month! Did my first Emerald City Comic Con and a GB wedding in Chicago and now I’m back to this build! Today was fiberglassing the shells. (I have a more detailed tutorial in my main Studio Creations thread if you need more info)
First I started with the front brace. This is a piece of thin styrene that I cut to cover the center seam. It has two purposes. One it looks a LOT cleaner than just filling that seam. And two, it provides structure that allows you not to have to rivet or bolt the two halves together. This means that the shell is a bit taller than what peoples builds normally come out too. To start I make a pattern out of paper and then cut that out of styrene. A simple FOR SALE sigh will work great for this.
Paper pattern
Ready to cut from Styrene
Like so
I just place it with with hot glue, once you fiberglass the back it is more of a cosmetic deal as the fiberglass provides structure. Also, remember to cut a path for your cables and wires to go through.
This time I also places some styrene up top to make the sides there stiffer. I may have to figure out a better method for my Ion Arm because of this, but it always bugs me how flimsy the pack is at those points.
Now both are fiberglassed!
More to come!
Looks great. How have you joined the two shell halves?
I lay them flat, attach the two edges first and on this build I have placed rivets where the shell halves touch together. Then I make a brace that gets hot glued to the front. I fill some gaps with two part putty on the front and then fiberglass.
Got a good portion of my kit done today.
Top Left - Pack foot and Injector receiver.
Beam Line and Filler Tube top and base. Two types of PPD discs (both will come with the kit.)
Booster tube bottom and plug.
Getting my bumper ready to cast is next.
Having seen your latest SC pack in person I can say it’s amazing! …and also surprisingly loud for 10w amp which might be due to a thinner shell material?
I like how you’ve reinforced the areas up top where the Ion arm attaches. I am still planning an SC pack build as I have wanted something lighter for longer parade walks, zombie run, Halloween breakdance party, etc.
Would be a cool trick to extend the Matty wand sounds into a battery+amp+speaker inside the pack for those that don’t want to make a thrower from scratch.
I was just on another thread for amplifiers and saw that Spongface sells an adaptor board for the Matty wand. He is really on top of it when it comes to new circuit boards.