Ghostbusters - Proton Pack (WIP)

[Epona_Rhi]

Last week I started a second pull, which turned out far better. I used a different gelcoat for this one and added two layers of fibre to the shell:



Then I started work on the motherboard. This was by far the most annoying work so far. To keep the markings from coming off, the whole aluminum plate was covered in silicone oil. Worked well until I had to clean it up afterwards.



Then I sanded both sides and added holes where necessary:



I put all together and tried it on. Looks good so far I guess...



Next step will be smoothing all the edges of the motherboard. Then I will start adding the greeblies. Thanks for watching!

 

[Epona_Rhi]

Yesterday I started working on the Booster-Frame. I began by sketching the overall layout onto a piece of hobby-plastic. Then I added a second layer but left the bridges. They were filled with some MDF-sheets that had the structure on them already. The grooves were simply filed in since the hobby-plastic is rather soft:


Pencils were cut to length and added to the construction:


Next step was molding:


...and here we have the first pull after some cleaning:


I still have to smooth the edges a little and cut some excess. After that I will start with the booster-tube. Unfortunately 60mm diameter is not a standard for tubes in Germany so I am not sure how to proceed. If any of you guys have any ideas please let me know

 

[falconNL]

Can you tell me a bit more about the casting process? I made a couple of cast from my mold, but they where all horrible...brushstrokes everywhere and just a complete nightmare. Is gelcoat easier to work with then fiber-resin with thickener?

 

[MechanikCANADA]

Beautiful progression, thanks for sharing

 

[Epona_Rhi]

Can you tell me a bit more about the casting process? I made a couple of cast from my mold, but they where all horrible...brushstrokes everywhere and just a complete nightmare. Is gelcoat easier to work with then fiber-resin with thickener?

By using a gelcoat first, you won't see any brushstrokes on the outside. Matt Munson has a fantastic and easy-to-follow tutorial up on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmi-faf42NQ

Using baby-powder to prime the mold made the gelcoat stick to the vertical walls easier I think. When the first coat was nearly dry but yet a little sticky, I added a second layer of gelcoat. When the second coat got sticky, I started ripping the fiberglass-sheets to make them a little softer. Because the gelcoat was still sticky, I was able to apply the fiber to every corner of the shell before starting to soak the whole layer with epoxy.
After that I waited for the epoxy to cure and just when it became sticky I added a second layer of fiber just the same way as I did with the first layer. Then I let it cure for 24 hours.

As for brush-strokes: I used some throw-away brushes with rather hard bristles but it worked very well. Just be sure not to add to much pressure when applying the gelcoat.

I hope that helps? If you have any more questions, please ask
I am also planning on posting a step-by-step-tutorial once it gets a little warmer outside.

 

[Epona_Rhi]

Time for an update!

Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures of the building process of the booster-tube. On the other hand it is not that much of a thrilling experience anyways. I simply bought an acrylic tube, cut it to length and added some black color... The smaller tube that goes inside the big one is made from a fizzytablet-tube which happens to be just the exact size:



Building the HGA:



This was the time my drill decided to go crazy with the acrylic tube...



Fortunately the HGA is round. So I was able to simply use the other side and drill the holes more carefully. Afterwards I repaired the crack with some filler and a piece of cardboard. Since this part won't be exposed to any pressure, it should be just fine.



And this is the project so far:



Thanks for watching!

 

[Props69]

How much silicon did it take to do your mold? Very nice job makes me jealous!

 

[Epona_Rhi]

How much silicon did it take to do your mold? Very nice job makes me jealous!

Thanks! It took about 2 - 2,5 (7l) gallons of silicone. I used Rebound 25. One detail-coat, two thicker coats to make it durable and another detail-coat to fill up any gaps on the outside.