After much deliberation, hours of research and a handful of emails with http://www.smooth-on.com, I think I finally have a plan to build the kids proton packs for halloween. For those that are not into Prop replication, the kids packs will be are refered to as junk packs. Meaning that I will be making them primarily out of things I have around the house. I find making due with what I have available to be a lot of fun and very challenging. Of course I will have to purchase somethings because I know I don’t have it laying around.

Read on to see a reference picture and see my plans…

Heres one of my reference pictures.

How could you not want one of these?!

Motherboard – Masonite Board or MDF depending on availablity.
Ribbon Cable – I will either find some or purchase.
Bumper – Possibly Foam Insulation board
Injectors: PVC Scraps I have around the house.
Booster: A Large Pringles Can
N-Filter: A mini Pringles Can
Synchronous Generator: Foam Insulation Board
Cyclotron: Foam Insulation Board
PowerCell & Crank Generator: Foam Insulation Board
Ion Arm: Birch/Bulsa wood
Shock Mount:  Film Canister
Clippards: Film Canisters
Hoses: Old Vacuum Hoses maybe?

One of the more expensive things I am planning on doing, by expensive I’m talking around 30-40 bucks approx for all of the packs, is to purchase some brushable Urethane Plastic. I will paint the plastic onto the base shell that I create in order to seal the major foam pieces and give them a nice resistant shell. According to smooth-on this will make it impact resistant and should be applied at approximately 3/8″ thickness. This should provide suitable protection against the abuse these things are undoubtely going to have to endure. Then again, I’ve never used the product before I really have no idea how well its going to work but I will be sure to share the info with you as I progress. I would love to add some lights and sounds to the kids packs as well, but we will have to see how much it costs to build the shells before I worry about that.

As for Daddies Pack, well I’m going to attempt to make more of an actual screen worthy replica. For this I am planning on making a body base out of foam or wood, then creating a mold and casting it our of either fiberglass or plastic reinforced with rigid foam. Some parts I will purchase such as the clippard for the wand, the ribbon cable etc… The motherboard will be correctly shaped out of aluminum, you get the picture. But making my pack is going to take some cash so its going to definitely be slow going. Along with all of that work I am also looking into creating my own electronics control board so that all of the switches will actually do something, power-up down, etc… as well as attach a sound module that will handle all of the packs sounds. Might be a little over-zealous since I’ve never worked with electronics before really aside from placing batteries in things, but it iwll be a great experience none the less.

Wish me luck and feel free to watch as the halloween packs get made. Should be starting them soon once I get some measurements off the kids and attempt to scale everything down in the correct proportions.

In the mean time check out Tim Shrum’s blog, a fellow prop builder who just happens to be building a proton pack as well:
http://lostinschlock.blogspot.com

I Stumbled across his blog while researching my own build.

And if you are a little curious about what other people have done check out http://www.gbfans.com huge Ghostbuster fan community with a very large gallery of member built replicas. Really cool stuff!