Ghostbusters Proton Pack for Halloween!

***UPDATE 5/3/10:  If you make a proton pack based on this slideshow, post a picture down in the comments, and I'll send you a patch!***

Update 10/31 - Just got back from the Halloween party, and added 4 pictures of me in full costume. Pretend the coveralls are tan. Warning: these pictures contain chest hair!

Well, I didn't think this would warrant a full instructable, as Honus created this instructable that I used to make my own Proton Pack. So, here is a slideshow of the the awesome costume prop I built. Sadly, I couldn't find a flight suit or even a coverall that was the right color, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that, but at least I have the proton pack!

Since Honus already did the the full instructable on this, I didn't document the construction process. Here is an (incomplete) list of the parts I used to build this:

1/4" plywood
an old backpack frame
LOTS of black spraypaint
cardboard
styrofoam
duct tape
masking tape
electrical tape
packaging tape
foam weatherstripping tape
random wires
epoxy
zerks
capscrews
an old garden light
empty bottle of ibuprofen
magnets
LED's
perfboard
PVC pipe
an old plastic dish
a spraypaint can
an IDE cable
toilet paper tubes
and many more things

I worked on this starting last sunday night. I worked on it every night that week, until at least midnight, and literally all day long both saturday and sunday. I put the finishing touches on it monday night. Let me know what you think, I'm very proud of it!

Comments

[ThatNinjaWithThePaperKnives]

My Proton Pack

[depotdevoid]

Awesome pack, thanks for sharing!

[rangerweavere]

It looks great!!!

[depotdevoid]

Thanks!

[scottyneutron]

btw nice job it looks real

[scottyneutron]

your welcom btw do you n=know were i could find a 52mw diode im going to enter the science fair so ya

[depotdevoid]

It used to be that you could order them cheap off of dealextreme.com, but the FDA got involved and now you have to be licensed to buy anything higher than 5mw.  

You can harvest a 200mw red out of a DVD burner, but they're very easy to break.  Also, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, you can seriously screw up your eyes, PERMANENTLY, if you don't have a pair of laser protective goggles, or I'm guessing you'd need several pairs if you're going to put this in the science fair.  Really man, go to laserpointerforums.com and read some of the things people have written about the importance of getting good safety goggles.  You can go blind for the rest of your life, or make someone else blind if you catch the beam directly or even from a reflection off of glass, plastic, metal, water, etc.

If all you need is a visible beam laser, get a 5mw green from dealextreme.  Our eyes are well adapted to green light so it's quite easy to fire it through smoke or steam or fog or dust or something and have the beam be seen.

[scottyneutron]

thanks

[depotdevoid]

Thanks Scotty, I appreciate it.

[scottyneutron]

idk if this is true or not but a 52mw laser you can see the beam right?? if it is true you should make on and put it on the proton wand ????idk byezzzzz

[depotdevoid]

Depending on the color of the laser and the ambient lighting conditions, yes you can see the beam.  However, anything over 5mw is dangerous so shouldn't be flashed around in a public place. 

Speaking of lasers, I've added two to my proton pack for halloween this year, so you should stay tuned for that!

[naruto the ninja13]

Don't cross the streams!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pokiespout]

I've always wanted one of those!

By the way, I faced a similar no-coveralls-the-right-color-anywhere problem with my own Halloween costume this year, which was especially irritating when you consider that I only wanted black ones.

I discovered that the only solution was to order them online directly from the Dickies web site. It's a little late now, of course, but for future reference they only took five days to arrive, and that included the weekend!

[depotdevoid]

Man, I wish I'd thought of that! I originally didn't want to spend too much on new coveralls, which usually go for around $40-50, but I've now purchased 2 pairs of used coveralls ($8 and $16), spent $2 on bleach, $19 on a bunch of Rit color remover, and $2.50 on some tan dye. Despite my best efforts, both pairs of coveralls are still dark blue, and I'm out nearly 50 bucks. I should have just bought the right ones in the first place!

[pokiespout]

Yeah, I had this whole fiasco of going out to this Sears that was a thousand miles away, and they turned out to only have exactly two colors of coveralls. I ended up calling all over the city to no avail (automotive stores, paint stores, uniform shops... apparently nobody but you and I are interested in coveralls that are not disposable) before I finally just found what I needed online. Turned out that the ones I bought from the Dickies web site, even with the shipping charges, were still cheaper than the coveralls from Sears that I didn't want. I made Rob promise me to remind me of that fateful night, if ever I requested a ride to Sears again.

[depotdevoid]

Just added pictures of the whole costume, check them out!

[Honus]

It looks awesome!! An amazing job, especially considering what you had to work with for materials.

[depotdevoid]

Thanks, glad you like it!