User avatar
By Phatbeazie
#4942261
This will be the build thread for the most accurate GB 1 Ecto Goggles with advice and examples, lessons learned and helpful reference materials. It's my first post/build thread, but not my first BUILD. To be continued....

Image
Last edited by Phatbeazie on November 24th, 2020, 9:16 am, edited 5 times in total.
Glenn Frederick liked this
#4942326
Here's an example of $400 high end prop. It weighs 20 lbs, it's not practical to actually wear, it's for display purposes. We're going to get close to that style and design for much cheaper.
Image
We want it to LOOK heavy, military grade and USED (but with care.) Once we've completed our build, we'll go over the various options for weathering (which are optional).
Last edited by Phatbeazie on November 24th, 2020, 10:59 am, edited 11 times in total.
#4942514
OK - first things first - WHAT ARE THE ECTO GOOGLES -

They a essentially a cobbled together Night Vision Googles From the 70's and some older Camera Lenses. You will not find the lenses themselves for any reasonable price, but the actual frame of the Night Vision Googles (NVS) CAN be found, but it's absurd, just 3d print them.

Image

For the record the AN/PVS-5a is the model the outside frame is used. Here's a reference photo

Image

There's a ton more info on the source goggles here: http://www.prc68.com/I/PVS5NVG.shtml
Last edited by Phatbeazie on November 25th, 2020, 11:27 am, edited 2 times in total.
ccv66 liked this
#4942520
From the GBFANS Ecto googles profile-

"The Ecto Goggles allow the wearer to see invisible ghosts and visually track PKE valences. Primarily worn by Ray, both Egon and Venkman are briefly seen wearing them during the montage.

The base consists of an olive drab AN/PVS-5a Night Vision Goggles frame with two different microscope adapter lenses. After the goggles were damaged during the NY shooting, warning labels were put on the lenses for aesthetic purposes.

Image

The right lens was taken from a Mirax-Laborec Photo-Micrographic Camera.
This piece is extremely difficult to find due to the scarcity of the camera.
There are a couple variations of the microscopic adapter however, the correct one is shown below.

Image
The left lens is unidentified "

Here's another thread I found useful for my build -

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=43597
Last edited by Phatbeazie on November 25th, 2020, 11:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
#4942524
Note the KNOB on the bottom of the Goggles. Also, note the lack of stickers on the lenses.

Image

Apparently, during the early filming (the montage scenes in NY) they were damaged. They covered cracks with Stickers

Image

the KNOB is missing and the frame is cracked for the rest of the film (the hotel scene specifically) ...

Image

Image


UNTIL the end of the film -(the crowd cheering in NY, the KNOB is back! ...because it was filmed first)

Image
Last edited by Phatbeazie on November 23rd, 2020, 12:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
ccv66 liked this
#4942525
So, if your mission is to make the MOST MOVIE ACCURATE version of the Ecto Goggles... What do you do? Both "versions" are in the film, so both are technically accurate and inaccurate at the same time... So we take minor artistic liberty. Moving forward, for this build- we will include the KNOB, further more, we will make it functional - To be Continued.
ccv66 liked this
#4942558
This whole adventure began about two years ago for me, as I was trying to put together a CHEAP Ghostbusters costume for Halloween. I started looking at DIY kits like the kind you find on pinterest.

Image

Looks pretty good from a distance - the Googles were the only thing that had to be "MADE" (minus dyeing the belt, which was it's own nightmare.)

I bought the recommended pair of Welding Googles, learned how NOT to spray paint plastic and was working on them diligently...Until I walked into a SPirT Halloween Pop-up shop- they had BRANDED GOOGLES and they were REASONABLY AFFORDABLE ($30, i think?)
Image

AT a glance, they seem legit, they light up, they have the branding, boom - Good to go. Or So I thought.
#4942608
As time went on, I began to feel that the spirit googles looked like a toy out of the package. I did some research on youtube and found some people who painted theirs to look more used and more metallic, like the print on the Spirit... BUT i eventually realized how bizarre that idea was, these were not really made of steel or something. They also have such an odd boxy shape, they look unusual head-on.

By now, I'd bought the spirit Pack and had modded it with everything you could find off ebay and etsy. I was IN IT NOW.

then I went to Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee (Ernie Hudson was there for a panel, they also had the car). While there, I first spoke with other live people who were in to the GB world and cosplay.

Image

It was here, seeing other people who had put more time and effort in to their costumes that I had an epiphany.

IT HIT ME.

IT was here I saw REAL packs saw how they fit on ADULT men and I realized... I HAD TO HAVE A REAL PACK, that meant saving up, learning to build it, etc. (I was not very technically literate before my first build). I wanted a costume so REAL that it didn't look like a costume.

My REAL mission had begun...
#4942609
First part of the real mission- Get better Googles. Since Matty Wands seemed to be the de-facto standard, I assumed The Mattel Ecto Goggles were the real deal - screen accurate, so to speak. For the prices I saw them for, I assumed they had better be. SO i scoured the internet for months, looking for a good deal. I found it in on Mercari, an OFFERUP type app where you post and sell.

I found Mattel Ecto Goggles, STILL IN BOX, for $50 with free shipping from Texas. I guess they didn't know what they had, I have no idea. I didn't ask any questions, I hit buy IMMEDIATELY.
#4942610
When the Mattel Goggles arrived, my heart sunk.

Image

Even though they were closer to the actual size/style physically of the screen used prop, They were OBVIOUSLY A TOY.

Image

What the hell was this colour? light blue/green? This was obviously made of plastic? knobs goofy and such, issues with actual feel. Unacceptable.

this did NOT accomplish my goal of realism. Even if I painted and weathered them, it still looked like a toy...SO... We begin the OCD journey of making REALER than REAL googles.
#4942611
I found a seller on Etsy who had a kit. I realized later he just downloaded a 3D print file and was selling them as product. I ended up not using any of the "accessories" he included (strap, buttons, etc.) as I found them looking cheezy and toy-like, but we'll get there.

After looking at a million threads and a million pictures of individual builds, I collected a framework of things I knew I wanted my Googles to include for both accuracy and authenticity.

Here are some examples of Goggles I used as inspiration-

Image
Image
Image
Image

I took something from each of them as inspiration for my build - the electronics, the green lights, the weathering, the face pad, the color, the straps, the metal, etc.

They didn't look like toys, they had the right dimensions and looked ...REAL. I was particularly taken with this one:

Image
Image
Image

The rich care and detail was exquisite (it costs $400 and weighs 20 lbs, so yeah). But that became mostly my inspiration for my build. What continued was an EPIC research rabbit-hole. I know more about these stupid googles than anyone living, minus maybe the prop designer who originally fashioned them. With all that back story and credentials out of the way- let's begin our BUILD.

I will go step by step,
share what I did wrong (and how I fixed it),
lessons learned, etc.
I'll also go into the history of the prop, the technology and why certain things were swapped out instead of raw "screen accuracy" -

Because Again, the mission is REALER than REAL.

I will provide you with everything you need (and more) to know and where to get the items to build the ULTIMATE GB 1 ECTO GOGGLE
Theoderic liked this
By WShawn
#4942666
Phatbeazie wrote: November 23rd, 2020, 12:06 pm Note the KNOB on the bottom of the Goggles. Also, note the lack of stickers on the lenses.

Image

Apparently, during the early filming (the montage scenes in NY) they were damaged. They covered cracks with Stickers

Image

the KNOB is missing and the frame is cracked for the rest of the film (the hotel scene specifically) ...

Image

Image


UNTIL the end of the film -(the crowd cheering in NY, the KNOB is back! ...because it was filmed first)

Image
I'll be interested to follow your progress as your goal is similar to what mine was in 2017:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=43597

I wish I'd seen that black and white image when I was researching my build. I assume that's a high-resolution publicity photo from somewhere. The biggest mystery for me was establishing the exact dimensions of the lenses and the design of their mounting rings when I built my 3D models for printing. Your photo is the clearest I've seen of those, showing the knurling around the perimeter. That detail was hidden in the darkness of all of the screen grabs and publicity shots I found.

I opted to pattern my replica on how the Ecto Goggles appear when Ray first confronts the Onionhead ghost in the hotel. That seems to be their most prominent appearance in the film, so no knob on mine, and I tried to set the depth of the clear lenses match that scene.

Good luck.

Shawn Marshall
Portland, OR
#4942807
OK, the build-

At the time, Not knowing too much about 3d printing or sourcing materials, I found "REASONABLY PRICED" kit on Etsy -
https://www.etsy.com/listing/632498274/ ... ch_click=1

It's billed as a Afterlife kit, but you can order just the GB1 style kit if you ask. It was a bit over priced for what I got, but you live and you learn. I can say the quality of the 3d Prints was good at least.

It a appears to be a slightly altered version of this publicly available one:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4055803
JamesB922 liked this
#4942897
this, (with the stickers) is my understanding through research, but I could be wrong-
it does seems to be the case however, as I can't find any pre- LA shots that have the stickers and obviously the knob is cracked off. It's possible that the addition of stickers and the knob crack are independent, but they are changes.
JamesB922 liked this
#4943191
Image

alright let's quickly identify each part for the build (we'll get into the snaps and clasps later)

For the remainder of the build, we will refer to these parts:
(your right) top and bottom piece for long lens. The top piece will be metallic
( your left)top and bottom piece for short lens
4x lens adjusters screws
face plate
left knob
right knob
battery cover
power knob
frame

As you can see, here they are for reference.
Image
#4946026
I was able to get a pair of the Hollywood Collectibles Ecto Goggles for a good price on ebay, they aren't 20lbs. That must have been a typo on the description, they might be 2.0 lbs including the display base. The goggles themselves are less than a pound. Total shipping weight was 3lbs.
#4946073
Whats your take on the Hollywood Collectibles goggles? I was eyeing them as a possibility but ended up building the 3D printed kit above. I know they have swiped designs in the past, but did this particular item hold up to scrutiny? I haven't seen any video reviews of it yet...
#4946083
The HC goggles are decent, but no way are they worth the $400 list price in my opinion. I believe the frames are constructed from resin. All the snaps are metal and I was able to use an authentic AN/PVS head strap to replace the one that it came with which was good. The face cushion is also secured with snaps, but for whatever reason they glued them together and I think they have 2 extra snaps on the bottom vs. a real AN/PVS. The lenses, knobs, battery cap and thumb screws all appear to be cast in resin. The two screws on the top of the goggles are cast in the frame and painted. The 4 screws on the front are real as well as the 2 on either side of the battery compartment. Knobs are glued in place and don't rotate. The lenses rotate, but only about 90°, not sure if that is even intended. If the lenses were aluminum, some of the other parts were metal, the knobs worked and there were some electronics, I could see paying $400. All in all, I think they look great, very similar to what is pictured in the advertising, but they could have been way better considering the list price.
#4946657
Phatbeazie wrote: December 1st, 2020, 9:08 am OK, the build-

At the time, Not knowing too much about 3d printing or sourcing materials, I found "REASONABLY PRICED" kit on Etsy -
https://www.etsy.com/listing/632498274/ ... ch_click=1

It's billed as a Afterlife kit, but you can order just the GB1 style kit if you ask. It was a bit over priced for what I got, but you live and you learn. I can say the quality of the 3d Prints was good at least.

It a appears to be a slightly altered version of this publicly available one:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4055803
These are my goggles and no they aren't a slightly altered version of publicly available ones they are designed by scratch by me. These are all the iterations I went through...

Image

Sorry that you thought they were overpriced. Etsy automatically adds sales tax that I have no control over.

Trivia, callbacks etc I noticed so far *Cover A *[…]

Matty Trap - Replace Pedal?

Has anyone successfully transferred the pedal elec[…]

Any idea when you might get the Goggle metallic la[…]

Be careful removing the Hasbro weathering using […]