Halloween 2014: Ghostbuster

It's never too early to start planning for Halloween. I started writing this blog post in July.
Forever trying to top the previous years costume, I finally decided on a Ghostbuster. We're coming up on the 30th year anniversary, and who doesn't want a proton pack? Follow me as I walk you through my build.

I started with the proton pack frame. It is a standard LC-2 ALICE pack frame that you can obtain from a military surplus store or ebay. If you are going for screen accurate, there are a few minor differences, such as the kidney pad, buckle, and color. The frame used in Ghostbusters was an LC-1.

 

I'm sure I'll find a use for the ALICE pack.

Knee pads.

Next the elbow pads came in. These are actually volleyball knee pads. After a bit of trimming and paint, they will be almost screen accurate.

 

While these boots are no where near the side zip paratrooper boots as seen in the movie, I already have them so it saves me a bit money. They also look like they've been busting ghosts for a long time.

Gun belt.

  No suit would be complete without the belt. It's an amazon find, and after dye it should start to look better. I dyed it in the sink using Rit Pearl Gray dye. After a couple of minutes it was perfect.

 No costume would be complete without the patches. I opted to forgo a patch with my own name. I sourced these from ebay.

Tru-spec 27/P Flight Suit

The flight suit may be the most critical part. Without the suit, you've got nowhere to go. The Tru-spec 27/P flight suite isn't too expensive and is a close match. While there is an eternal debate about which color is the right color, I like the color as depicted in the film (which isn't quite reality) and thus more gray.

LC-2 ALICE pack frame.

And I bought another ALICE pack frame. The whole family will be Ghostbusters, so another frame was needed.

Sketchup model of the trap.

And a preview of the equipment. While I did model the trap, credit for the plans goes to Sean Bishop. I used his plans as the base for the trap. Check out the trap build.

The pack model is mine, credit for the proton pack and wand plans goes to Stefan Otto. Check out the proton pack build.

Sketchup model of the proton pack.

Sketchup model of the wand.

Sketchup model of the wand.

I purchased an angle flashlight similar to the one seen in the video games.

With any costume, details are crucial. I needed a few belt fobs. I had a black leather belt that I cut to size with a razor blade. You could also buy a black leather belt from a thrift store. I bought snaps, d-rings, clips, and a 1" ring. I drilled holes through the leather and sewed the fold tight. It looks better sewn and will keep the rings and snaps in place if the snap unbuckles. I also rounded the edges of the leather with a belt sander and file.

The belt fobs cut to size with half of the snaps installed.

D-rings, ring, clips, carabiner, and snaps.

The finished fobs on the belt (don't worry, the belt color isn't final).

Tools - the snap setter (circular base and cylinder) and the leather hole punch .

For the belt gizmo, I followed Sandtrooper's plans. I cut a piece of acrylic and painted it hunter green. I then cut the circuit board template and used spray adhesive to adhere it to the acrylic. I used an old phone charger for the coiled cord. Instead of trying to buy a tape measure holder, I made one out of scrap black vinyl I had.

The belt gizmo.

I used an exacto to the the vinyl, and brads painted silver hold it together. It came out really well.If I had more time I would have cut processors out of styrene and added clear tube to mimic the nixie tubes of the original, but I did not have time.

The leg hose is clear hose from the big box home improvement store. Rit golden yellow dye was used to color the hose, but it didn't work at all. So it goes. The leg hose connector is a firewall grommet from a '90s Chevrolet S10.  I would guess you could find a similar one from any '90s GM car, as they were good at reusing parts across the model lines. I painted it, since it came black. I drilled six holes into the base and sewed it to the uniform. I hooked the end of the hose onto a d-ring connected to a belt fob on the back of the belt. Tension keeps the hose inserted into the grommet. I should have painted the grommet after sewing and drilling. By the time I was done, the paint had flaked off.

The completed belt.

The gloves I got from gbfans, they are vintage 1983.

Chemical gloves, vintage 1983.

The elbow pads are volleyball knee pads. Gray primer spray paint was used to color them. Stretch them over a cardboard tube or a few paint cans so that you get good coloring. You can cut or fold the excess material.  I rolled the edges inside and stitched it together once the paint was dry. Then I sewed a strip of black fabric on them.

Uniform elbow pads.

Rit pearl gray dye for the flight suit and belt. I debated on whether to dye the suit, and ultimately did it. The suit came out a hair darker than I'd like but I prefer the gray over the khaki. Sewing the patches on took forever, granted it was done by hand.

The uniform and equipment.

Of course, no uniform would be complete without a black t-shirt. I opted for one with the 'no ghost' logo.

With my trap and proton pack, I'm starting to look legitimate.