Hey guys. I’m Joe and I am rubbish at building things. So much so that I failed woodwork at school.
I have tried to build a pack before. I say “tried” because when building that pack I got so frustrated I gave up. Anyway, a few years have passed and I decided to give it another go. I was looking at getting a pack shell until it was bought to my attention that a fan was selling an older pack they had made on eBay. Doing the math it turned out that the cost of buying the pack on eBay would cost about the same as getting a shell, importing the shell and then finishing the pack off. And the as fan selling it lives in the same town as I so there would be no shipping costs at all. So, I bought his pack.
The pack, while very nice, could use a little work. I’m planning to re-paint some parts, adding lights and sound and the V piece that the gun is supposed to slide onto has come away from the pack due to the weight of the thrower. There are a few other small things but those I mentioned are the main issues I’m tackling right now.
I simply don’t have the skill (or patience) to build something as complicated as a proton pack so this is the next best thing. I’ll also be getting myself a jumpsuit and will try my hand at a PKE, goggles and trap, but I’m starting with getting the pack fixed up.
To start with, here’s some photos of the pack. I’ll post more detailed info on what needs to be fixed at a later date.
More detail on the gun holster problem; it has come away from the pack due to the weight of the gun. The V holster waas just screwed into the side and the screws have come loose and fallen out. I’m thinking of adding some liquid nails or something similar to the back of the V piece and re-screwing it in which should give it enough strength to hold the gun.
The second issue is that in the current placement of the gun and holster I can’t actually reach far enough back to take the gun off the holster when it’s holstered or put it back on. I’ve seen pics of other people’s packs where the holster is angled so that it’s easier to reach the gun handle. I might do something like that.
On a smaller note, as I’m left handed the grip at the front of the gun is actually on the wrong side for me. I might look at moving that.
Sorry I’ve not had a chance to take and add photos yet. It’s been a crazy weekend but I’ll try and add some soon.
Is the hook attached with a wood screw, or a machine screw? If you can get to the inside of the mounting box that the hook attaches to, I’d use a machine screw with a lock-washer + nut (or a nyloc nut). If you torque it up good with that combination it’ll never come undone. But if you just use a wood screw it’ll probably come loose after a short while.
Well, wood screws have a coarse thread and sharp tip, for biting into wood. But machine screws have a fine thread for a nut to screw onto.
Because wood screws don’t use nuts, if the hole starts to wear (which will happen when you constantly draw and holster the gun), the screw will become loose. But like I said, a machine screw with lockwasher (sometimes called a spring-washer) and nut won’t come undone.
Ok, here are some photos of where the V piece came off and how I’m thinking of reattaching it.
You can see there the holes made from the screws that held the piece on.
And this is the angel I’m thinking of putting the piece back on at. I’ve not looked at the plans on this site yet to see if they have direction at what angle to put the piece at though.
Here’s a photo of one of the screws that help the V piece on.
Going from your description I’d say it’s a machine screw.
I just found these old coveralls of my dads I thought would make a good suite for the costume. I know they aren’t the same as in the films, but they are to hand and will save me having to buy a suite.
Throw in a black t-shirt, some elbow pads, and black chemical gloves plus a nice gunbelt from the surplus store and you’re in business.
I think I payed 10 dollars for my chemical gloves and 12 dollars for a gunbelt. The elbow pads, I already had. It’s not hard to find embroydered patches for the name patch and GB logo…I couldnt’ get my GB logo in time so I just had the logo silkscreened onto my shoulder at a local shop!
