- July 20th, 2019, 10:22 am#4921187
I picked up a Spirit Ghost Trap for Halloween last year - overall I was thrilled with the product for the price: lights, some sounds, and a great overall look. This summer, I started to take it to the next level. I wanted to give it an authentic look. I found this great video on YouTube showing a repaint with other mods. While I'm not following it exactly, there is a lot of great stuff in there for making the Spirit trap look like a true prop.
Here is a snapshot of my progress to date:
First the tear-down...
Taking the thing a apart is really straightforward and the internal electronics are really simple to remove. Most of all, I'm happy to see how much space there is on the inside. Installing or extending the electronics is made much easier with the space available.
My focus has been on the cosmetics of the trap itself: There is a missing panel, the molded screws are not very realistic, the main knobs don't move, and the paint job is as basic as it gets. So the first task is to prep the trap for painting.
I cut of the knobs using a tooth saw. I was able to get a very clean cut which allowed me to preserve the knobs while also leaving only two small holes on either side of the trap.
Next I cut out some panels out of acrylic. One panel would cover up the hole on the "battery side" of the trap. While the other has been inserted behind the larger hole on the other side. I super glued these panels in place and drilled out holes where there will be hex screws.
I then gave everything a light sanding to prep for painting. I wanted to try out the "paint chipping" effect so I first hit the entire trap case with metallic silver paint...
I then masked off the areas I wanted to keep silver and applied some tooth paste at various corners and edges of the trap where I wanted to have some paint chipped away after spraying on the black paint. Here is a shot of the chipping effect and you can also see the hex screws used in various areas of the trap.
For getting some "turning knobs" on the side, I used the original parts I cut off the trap. The knobs were hollow so I filled them with JB Weld putty, sanded their back side flat and hit them with black spray paint. I then threaded a screw threw the trap and screwed them on. You'll also see that I used a similar technique on the red capsules to make them removable (originally, they were glued down on pegs)
Here is a shot from the inside - note I also masked off the inside zone and hit it with a chrome paint. This will bounce light around much better than keeping it a black inside.
Here are some shots of the trap fitted back together after the cosmetic updates - overall, I'm quite happy with the results so far. It is looking less like a store-bought Halloween toy and is starting to look like a real prop.
Some parts for a pedal have arrived today, and I have mapped out getting some fog effects going. Stay tuned...
Here is a snapshot of my progress to date:
First the tear-down...
Taking the thing a apart is really straightforward and the internal electronics are really simple to remove. Most of all, I'm happy to see how much space there is on the inside. Installing or extending the electronics is made much easier with the space available.
My focus has been on the cosmetics of the trap itself: There is a missing panel, the molded screws are not very realistic, the main knobs don't move, and the paint job is as basic as it gets. So the first task is to prep the trap for painting.
I cut of the knobs using a tooth saw. I was able to get a very clean cut which allowed me to preserve the knobs while also leaving only two small holes on either side of the trap.
Next I cut out some panels out of acrylic. One panel would cover up the hole on the "battery side" of the trap. While the other has been inserted behind the larger hole on the other side. I super glued these panels in place and drilled out holes where there will be hex screws.
I then gave everything a light sanding to prep for painting. I wanted to try out the "paint chipping" effect so I first hit the entire trap case with metallic silver paint...
I then masked off the areas I wanted to keep silver and applied some tooth paste at various corners and edges of the trap where I wanted to have some paint chipped away after spraying on the black paint. Here is a shot of the chipping effect and you can also see the hex screws used in various areas of the trap.
For getting some "turning knobs" on the side, I used the original parts I cut off the trap. The knobs were hollow so I filled them with JB Weld putty, sanded their back side flat and hit them with black spray paint. I then threaded a screw threw the trap and screwed them on. You'll also see that I used a similar technique on the red capsules to make them removable (originally, they were glued down on pegs)
Here is a shot from the inside - note I also masked off the inside zone and hit it with a chrome paint. This will bounce light around much better than keeping it a black inside.
Here are some shots of the trap fitted back together after the cosmetic updates - overall, I'm quite happy with the results so far. It is looking less like a store-bought Halloween toy and is starting to look like a real prop.
Some parts for a pedal have arrived today, and I have mapped out getting some fog effects going. Stay tuned...
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Check out my Ghostbusters prop builds and 3D printing efforts on Instagram @GhostbustersGear
Check out my Ghostbusters prop builds and 3D printing efforts on Instagram @GhostbustersGear