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By jonogunn
#4930846
I debated posting this as I'm a little embarassed by it. I think my build so far looks good from a far but up close you can see how messy it really is. I admire all the "clean" builds I've seen on here. But I figured this would be the best way for some constructive criticism.

I was born in 1984 so I was born a Ghostbuster. Finally got around to building a pack after so many years of wanting to but never knew how to nor had the finances. Once I discovered EVA foam years ago then seeing many great packs built with it I took the plunge. I'm from Vancouver, Canada

So I took tips from lots of people's posts on here but I mostly followed the guy who built a eva foam/formcore pack in 12 hours. props to him.

So lets start with some wide shots...

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Before I continue this is my first time using kwik-seal and I may have over did with certain components that i regret and may have made things look worse as I can't smooth it out. I'm just praying that after painting everything it'll all end up looking okay....

Lets start with my custom made ion knob and booster ladder

Ion knob is made with popsicle sticks on a poorly cut foamcore base. I was hoping the kwik seal would make it look better as it filled in the empty space between the sticks but it ended up like this...

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My ladder is made with EVA foam in the middle parts and foamcore on the outer brackets. the small slits are small wooden popsicle-like sticks I cut in half. they aren't placed perfectly straight and ruined with kwik seal again. But once again, I'm praying paint will cover all my follies.

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N-Filter and HGA are EVA foam glued with hot glue. I also tried using hot glue to imitate the welding marks. Holes in the N-filter were made with a old brass pipe I found...any imperfections i hope to cover up with kwik seal

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Spacers are EVA foam and the pipes are some rubber pipes I found and cut up. they aren't as solid as PVC foam and you can squeeze them but they are solid enough to do what I need and I'm happy with them. The tops are capped off with EVA foam

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Gearbox, gun mount, that little thingie, Booster box, Ion arm

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Corner piece
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I'm not 100% happy with the powercell slit as it's not cleanly cut but I'm too lazy to make another
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Bumper is made with EVA foam and forecore for the edges. I originally used EVA foam for the edges but didn't like how it looked so I switched to foamcore which had an added bonus of making it more sturdy and holds it upright better.
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I'm proud of this find for the shock mount knob. I had gone to Home Depot to buy a bunch of washers to create the knob which would have been $12-$15 but then randomly found this hollow thing in an aisle for a few dollars. I'm gonna put a washer at the top and botom and maybe fill the inside with EVA foam to help hold the bolt in place. It's a lot lighter than the washers too.
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A bunch of other stuff I will use. The resistors I bought from a electronic store. I actually like the gold look so I won't be spray painting it black. the blue and yellow cables I found at home. The red cable and the wrong size rainbow ribbon are also from the electronic store.
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I ordered a 1/4" MDF board at Home Hardware for the motherboard but I dunno how I will cut it yet. I hope not to rely on power tools as I don't have any and no confidence using a jigsaw ( don't have a work bench to use it on).

I plan to seal the pack with PVA glue then use Rustoleum primer and spray paint. AGAIN I HOPE THIS WILL MASK ALL THE MESSINESS AHHH!

Alice frames here go for about $52-$60 at army surplus stores.

NOW MY BIGGEST STICKING POINT AND DISCOURAGEMENTS TO CONTINUE:

For the pack I really am happy and want a foam back because I wanna keep it light. I do have some back issues too so this is great for me.

However for the wand I want it to be durable and solid. I also want it to be very clean cut and close to perfect looking. I feel that my cuts with the pack are all straight lines and have issues but it can be over looked however I believe one can tell when a wand isn't made very well.

Given this I regret not buying a matty wand all those years ago and really wish they would re-release it. I also saw a nice fellow on eBay mass selling wand 3d print kits for a INSANE CHEAP price as he was doing it out of the kindness of his heart to help fellow ghostheads. Given I had no experience witrh 3D printing costs I didn't purchase one yet until I did my research and by the time I figured out what a good deal it was IT WAS TOO LATE! HE SOLD OUT!!! :(. I emailed him asking if he will ever make more but there's been no reply for weeks *sigh*

the second major issue I have is the lights and sounds. I have practically no experience with circuitry and Arduino programming so this will be a major learning curve.

Anyways for now I'll focus on finishing the pack and then hope some solution for the wand magically appears later on. I would buy some other wand kits out there but they are too expensive and I have already spent more than I expected I would at this point.

Any questions, comments, criticism are all welcomed here! And again thank you everyone for being so sharing and helpful on this site!
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