Ghostbusters costume

[deathproof]

I hope this is allowed - while working on my WED-15 replica I'm also putting together a Ghostbusters costume for Halloween. Nothing too fancy - got the overalls and patches on Ebay. I'm building a ghost trap and a proton pack.

The ghost trap is about 75% done. Got the one side done today. I'll do the other side tomorrow and, time permitting, attach the cable and handle. Then I just need the sticker set and it's about ready to go.


I'm just doing this quick and dirty. It's unlikely I'll don the costume again in the near future but you never know. I'll keep the jumpsuit but the ghost trap and proton pack are pretty fast and cheap. Building this stuff to be movie-level props is probably a few hundred dollars which I can't afford to spend right now. I'll see how it goes early next year closer to Dragon-Con or whatever the big Philly conventions are.


Using plans found here, I decided to just cut down a cardboard box and reinforce it with duct tape.



Since I'm going the quick and dirty route, I decided to just cover the whole thing with duct tape and spray paint it black.





I looked in the trap, Ray!






Here's the original trap from GB1:




What I did today:




The tubes are two ball point pens cut down and painted. The dial is from an archaic KVM switch we had in the basement.



I spliced together a couple of heavy duty computer power cables. Those will be rolled up and secured with 1 or 2 black zip ties. One end will be inserted into the back of the trap which will let it hang off my belt. The handle was from an ancient squeegee I found in the back of the bathroom, painted black. Since I don't intend to remove it from my belt I won't bother with the wheels. I'm keeping the little dials and switches to a minimum, too.




The "motherboard" for the proton pack - basically the thing all the components connect to. I used a piece of 1/2" foam core.




I got a cheap bookbag at a local drug store from which I will remove the straps. My plan is to use a few pieces of thin plywood at the top and bottom to both strengthen the foamcore but also to provide a better surface for attaching the straps. That will probably be the final part of the proton pack. In the movie the pack was attached to a military Alice backpack frame. I could get the frame - with or without straps - for anywhere from about $10 - $60 on Ebay but like I said - I'm trying to keep this cheap. Plus it's going to be mostly cardboard and foamcore, so it shouldn't weigh too much.

Once I finish cutting out the motherboard I will attach the bottom round pieces, then move on to the other boxy components. I can get a few wires and such from my shop for the little details but I probably won't actually have the thing light up. (although my monitor tech offered to help wire it up for that. I'll have to see how time and money permits) I'm having some lettering for a sign for my shop made at a Sign-a-Rama and I am going to ask if they have any scrap pieces of polystyrene they don't want. Anything I can get for for free will be a bonus.

Once the components are attached to the motherboard I will spray the whole thing black and then add any additional paint/wires/details. I got a set of stickers on Ebay as well.

Last will be the positron glider (the gun part) which shouldn't be too hard.



So right now the whole project is about 20% done. WED-15 is likewise around 20%. I also need to start building a shadowbox for my mom's birthday in November. Lastly, I got the plans for my R5-D4 build which were $150 goddam dollars. I'm hoping to have the money to purchase the polystyrene sheets by the end of November.


I don't know what lit a fire under my ass to start building. I've been helping a friend of mine to work on his house the last few weeks. So far I patched and repainted his front steps which came out very nice. Planning on putting up the edging for a doorway next week. Maybe I just got sick of video games. Who knows.



Apologies ahead of time if this isn't allowed here but I thought some folks might find the prop building to be of interest.

[savagecreature]

No need for apologies. Really cool to see, and it's close enough to Halloween that we can bend whatever rules

Those plans of the proton pack and ghost trap are really cool!

Can't wait to see more!

[kresty]

Well that's what "off topic" is for Have fun on Halloween!

[deathproof]

Thanks - if I get the decals for the ghost trap today I'm hoping to have it finished. Should have the overalls by Saturday. Then it's just building the proton pack.


And I still have to work on the base for the WED-15 droid. Damn you, Diablo 3, making me waste all my time.

[deathproof]

Well, I'm pretty much calling the ghost trap done except for the decals, which should arrive tomorrow.














Unfortunately the excess glue I used to stabilize the handle came off looking a little sloppy, but it'll work. I did the same for where the cable "plugs" in although that came out a little better.

Decided to add a few "dials" to the front.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results. A box, duct tape, electrical tape, and a bunch of old parts laying around my shop. The only thing I ended spending money on is the decals. Not sure how well they'll stick, but worse case scenario I can glue them on.


Should have my coveralls in tomorrow as well. I just hope they fit. As I discovered when I got my military belt yesterday, my - err... sizeable girth required me to get a second belt. I just hope the coveralls fit.

[kresty]

Hmmm, none of the rest of us have, um, "sizable girths". Yea, right

[deathproof]

Hmmm, none of the rest of us have, um, "sizable girths".  Yea, right

Well, I don't like to make assumptions. Makes an ass out of u and umption.


Got the decals yesterday but didn't get a chance to put them on. I have to stop by the shop tomorrow so I'll try to get it finished.

Didn't get the coveralls, though. Weird... they were supposed to arrive yesterday.


Working on the proton pack today. And I need to pick up some sign lettering from a sign shop this week so I was going to see if they had any scrap polystyrene they didn't want that I could salvage.

[savagecreature]

Lookin' cool.

(I never like that umption anyway. He's a jerk)

[deathproof]

Lookin' cool.

(I never like that umption anyway. He's a jerk)

Thanks. Can't wait to pick up the mail tomorrow... if the coveralls show up and fit, I just need to get the patches sewn on and then finish the proton pack. Picked up a couple of pieces to add to it tonight. Just woke up from a 2 hour nap so I'm refreshed and ready to build!


And OH MY GOD - I had checked out a link to another site from here where a guy had built a lifesizde IG-88 and that led me to a prop-building forum for all sorts of movies. I had no idea there was such a sub-culture of people who did this stuff... everything from homemade models of space ships and such to lifesize replicas of costumes, props and more. Amazing.


I've had an interest in this sort of thing for a long time... probably started with a Captain Cold replica visor and cold gun my uncle helped me to build when I was just out of high school, so over 25 years. Mainly have done Halloween costume stuff but I really want to get more into building droids (the expensive R5-D4 build will be next) and similar stuff.


I'd love to build a lifesize Imperial Viper Probe Droid but holy crap... I was checking out a couple that other people have built and I don't have the know-how or the workspace/tools for something like that.

I need to find someone with one of those vacuum form tables. Or even build one of my own. I've been looking at instructions for doing so, although I would have to keep something like that at my shop.

[deathproof]

Continued on the proton pack, for a little while at least. Ran out of glue for the glue gun.

Having built the "motherboard" - the base - I work on the "spacer" under the cyclotron next. technically it should be 1 piece with that pointy bit at its top but as it would have taken 5 pieces of foam core to replicate, I found a cheap vintage hat box that was the right diameter and then used a few scrap pieces of foamcore for the pointy bit.

I trimmed down the hat box height and it came out pretty even. I can use a little extra glue to fill in any slight gaps where it meets the base. Figured it would be a good idea to strengthen the cyclotron before attaching it. Just used some hot glue to stick a few scrap pieces on the inside, then glued the whole thing down. I think it came out pretty well.




I glued together the 5 pieces for the pointy bit but ran out of glue before I could attach it to the base. I will probably try that Elmer's Glue method of smoothing out the edges before attaching it permanantly anyway. The cyclotron is just an aluminum cake pan I found at the dollar store which happens to be right around the ideal diameter and height. Again, ran out of glue before I could attach it.





There's some sort of little cannister thing that attaches to the cyclotron - I got a Campbell's Soup plastic container that looks roughly the right size. Didn't have my tape measure with me to confirm, but if it turns out to be the wrong size I'm sure I can find some other small plastic cup or container to use. Again, not going for complete accuracy but I still want it to look reasonably like the real deal.

So I'll get more glue tomorrow, as well as bring the decals home for the pack and ghost trap. Get the cyclotron attached and maybe a couple more pieces.


Shoot. It occurs to me I probably should have used one more piece of foamcore to strengthen the center of the cyclotron. It's not going to have hardly any weight on it, but probably would have been a good idea in case I leaned against something by accident. Oh well - I'm not going take it apart for that now.


I just really hope the coveralls fit. It's gonna be a pain in the ass to have to return them for a larger size if that's how it goes.