WIP: lordgilpin's Foamcore Pack (Chapter One -Complete)

[lordgilpin]

Hey there, I’m new around here but I’ve been wanting to build a pack for over a decade now. Why I never got around to it is beyond me. Lately, I’ve been reading just about everything on this wonderful site (Really, GBFans rocks!) and had decided I wanted a movie accurate, fiberglass shell pack with all genuine parts, lights and sounds. (Pretty much DAN AKA’s pack- lol!) Well there’s only one problem, I’m broke. UNEMPLOYED broke… So I figured I’d just get a part here and a part there. Eventually I’d build my awesome pack.

Well that’s a fine idea but in the meantime I keep reading about these ‘budget’ packs being made (Gareee, Bradester- You guys rock!) and I’ve got the itch to build man! So long story short, I picked up some foamcore and things to get started. Have I given up? I dunno, but it sure beats READing about it…


I started with the ‘Spacer’ because I figured it would be the biggest pain and I was right. Drew out the plans on some Freezer Paper to use as a pattern. I wanted to incorporate the sides into it (Less seams to seal up) and man that ended up being harder than I thought, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Once the pattern was finished I put push pins through the important points into just the top layer of the foamcore. (I thought I’d mention that I wasted a sheet of foamcore here when I forgot to reverse my pattern… Being right-handed, a left-handed pack is unnacceptable.)


Now I made these cuts using a regular old hobby knife but I saw some fancy knives that would cut at an angle. This is what I intended to do but I figured I could do it myself without some special knife. (The knife might have helped)


I wanted to fold the side pieces/flaps up down and have them sit flush with one another so I needed to cut an angle. I soon gave up on cutting an angle and just started digging out some space. A dremmel would’ve helped a great deal but I got it done easily, it just took longer.


The spacer came out just like I’d hoped and it only took me about 3 hours. (That includes the drafting of the pattern.) With this thing out of the way I foresee smooth sailing from here on out…


-I really enjoy reading WIP posts so I thought I’d do one…

[Charlie_Richter]

Looking great.

Whats the Thickness of your foamcore?

[lordgilpin]

@Charlie_Richter

Looking great.

Whats the Thickness of your foamcore?

Looks to be 1/8th of an inch. Standard I’m pretty sure… why do you ask? I had to dig out a groove for it to fold…

[Charlie_Richter]

Yeah it just looks thin, pure curiousity.

[anti-venom]

haha. I love the black/yellow tape idea. Makes it look like your telling everyone “stay back!!! This area is for Proton Pack building only!”

Do you plan on reinforcing the foamcore parts? How sturdy is that stuff in the areas you had to notch out? I think if it were me, I’d put some kind of epoxy or resin on the inside of it all to make it more ridged.

[lordgilpin]

@anti-venom

haha. I love the black/yellow tape idea. Makes it look like your telling everyone “stay back!!! This area is for Proton Pack building only!”

Do you plan on reinforcing the foamcore parts? How sturdy is that stuff in the areas you had to notch out? I think if it were me, I’d put some kind of epoxy or resin on the inside of it all to make it more ridged.

I was in the chat the other night and DAN AKA said something about fiberglassing the inside of a foamcore pack. That’s what I plan on doing when all is said and done. The tape does add alot to the legitimacy of the whole thing… Well worth the $6 -LOL!

[lordgilpin]

I should of done some reading because I used some white craft glue I had around on the seams and it’s still not set. (I guess white glue takes FOREVER when used on foam) I was thinking of maybe getting some water soluble liquid nail? Is that the way to go or is there something better?

[Charlie_Richter]

I use PVC glue and pin it together, then leave it.

Usual takes about two hours to be firm enough to modd.

[Nerdy_NotionZ]

I used lowtemp hotglue on my pack and it holds together REALLY well

[lordgilpin]

Started glueing using the same stuff I had… I’ll figure out something better tonight when I go out.


Started the 1st piece of the cosmetic plate and got it glued. I’ll finish the second piece today too I’m sure. I need to get a garage sale sign or something to do the curve on the spacer.


Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll see what they’ve got…

[Mike_D]

Hey man, speaking from experience (I’ve built 5 foamboard/foamcore packs), get yourself a can of “great stuff” spray foam, you can pick one up from wal-mart in hardware. When your making your “boxes” on your pack, fill it up a little bit with some of the foam (it expands), it’ll reinforce the pack big time. It will also make screws more stable (like when your attaching the V-hook). If there’s an area on the pack that you know will have some stress on it, put a good amount of the foam in that area.

The stuff cures/expands VERY quickly, so you can keep building the pack.

The only expensive part of the pack would be AWHotshot’s craptacular proton gun kit (I got fed up with it and just make-shifted parts to attach to it). The ALICE frame I picked up on ebay for 30 bones.

Oh, and if you are scratch building the proton gun, get some styrene plastic “for sale” signs from the hardware store. Just score it with a utility knife and snap at the seam, its like butter. “Goop” glue it together (use hot glue as a temporary adhesive because it dries quicker, then reinforce the seams with a stronger glue. I also used “great stuff” foam in the proton gun for extra reinforcement).

[lordgilpin]

‘Great stuff’ huh? Thanks for the heads up! Nice pack too man…

[UltimateGBfan]

Be sure to put whatever electronics you want in it in before you spray the foam in there,that shit is a bitch to carve back out.

EDIT;

This is my latest foamcore pack,you can make some really great looking stuff with foamcore just got to make sure you reinforce it.

My pack exterior was bondoed to be one seamless shell.

[Gareee]

Great job! I really liked working with foamcore recently.

[enchanted_unicorn]

keep up the great work. I was going to suggest putting a bunch of bracing in there with pieces of foam core, but the expando-foam idea sounds pretty good.

As for wiring, you could build in some conduit tubes in areas to run the wires thru later if you didn’t want to do lights/sounds right away if you went that route.

keep posting pics, I like watching these things go.

[lordgilpin]

Alright well, all I’ve been doing is waiting for glue to dry…

I tried some other glues and looked on some foam core modeling sites and have decided to stick with hot glue and tacky glue. (Hot glue only used when I ABSOLUTELY need it to hold in place, then tacky glue added to strengthen…) It’s slowgoing but seems solid when it’s dry. I built a frame with ribs for the rounded part of the spacer.


While that was drying (Multiple applications of tacky glue to strengthen.) I began work on the booster and EDA box. I’m usually pretty good at drafting and such but I could NOT figure the space for the angled cylinder so I just left it for now…


I affixed a piece of plastic stencil sheet to the ribs of my spacer and am now waiting forit to dry…



Here’s where I sit now. (Somehow the pack seems smaller than I had imagined, maybe it’s just me…)


So I’ve got to finish the rounded portion under the EDA box (More ribs) and then I get to start the gearbox. I’m looking forward to how it turns out because I’ve got some ideas on getting an accurate rounded edge. Thanks for the pics guys, I think I might be able to make a really great pack here!

[hooker]

Looking great so far Lord. This should turn out to be a great looking pack! Nicely done.

[nick-a-tron]

wow looking great so far! love how neat it looks

[staticbuster]

i gotta say, this is a really clean build. good work brother! one word of caution, be sure to seal up any edges of exposed foam because spray paint with eat that stuff up. i did some of my spacer with foamcore and used silicon caulk to seal it, worked great. gareee can attest that latex house paint will seal up your pack in a fine way too. he used it on his foam parts and it makes a nice skin over the foam. keep up the good work!

[The_Roach_On_Twelve]

Looks awesome man.