Using a set of plans i found on the Ghostbusters Fans forum
After printing off all of the pages, and there were quite a few to go through. I then examined the drawings to see where i could begin. The plans were broken down into each separate sub assemblies, as on the original filming prop there were a number of pieces bolted onto a single back board which was then fastened to a US Army back pack.
I knew from the start that there were going to be a lot of parts which had to be bought. This was either due to the limitations of the workshop in the Conservatoire or specific parts which can only be found on the props.
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| One motherboard all cut from ply |
The first part cut was the back board or "motherboard" On the prop this was cut from a sheet of 3mm thick aluminium but as mentioned i was limited by the capabilities of the workshop and materials. So instead i used a piece of 12mm plywood.
As all of the plans are American, they are all measured in inches, I had to do all of the conversions to mm when marking out all of the pieces, this required multiplying everything by 25.4 and then rounding all of the measurements off to the nearest mm. So all of the dimensions on my reproduction are not exact to the original but they are within acceptable limits.
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| Main body of pack. |
The main materials i have been using in the production of the pack has been plywood, although heavy it is available in many different thicknesses and holds shape very well. Following the plans was difficult at times as many of the dimensions needed for making it were either missing or you had to deduct one from another to get a third one. This proved tiresome at times.
Using plywood i built the main body part of the pack where all of the electronics would sit, this needed to be a strong piece so i layered up several sheets and laminated them with glue. On the plans shows an angular multifaceted piece. Although it is circular it is made from flat panels. After the glue had dried, I marked the angles and used the belt sander to achieve the desired result.
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| One cyclotron, a piece of plumbing pipe and a lot of body filler. |
The next part is one of the main detail parts of the pack, on the bottom of the pack there is a large circular piece with 4 flashing red lights, again using the same method as before, using laminated sheets of plywood and sanding to shape.
The piece of black tubing was bought from B&Q for another project and just happened to be the right size for this one.
Using the plans and following the dimensions, i used a big drill i cut the areas which are going to light up with the red LEDs.
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The part above the main body which has been cut from a piece of pine, on the plans it is called the gear box, I used a thin wall of pine to make a hollow box and used the angled bed on the belt sander to sand the chamfered sides on the box. Later on this was to have acrylic strips glued onto it.
On the plans it showed the need for several tubes of varying diameters, unable to have access to a metal working lathe, I had to make do with what i had to hand. I found lots of cardboard tubes in the diameters I needed. Cut the tubes to length and they fit perfectly for what i need. The tubes were then capped with white 1mm styrene sheet and sanded smooth.
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| The next part takes shape, as well as the ever present coffee cup. The fuel of a ghostbuster (or prop maker) |
The white plastic box is going to house most of the electronics and batteries, which is an important factor when building something of this complexity as you need to think ahead. Mostly.
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