It’s getting close to Halloween so it’s a good time to think about putting a costume together. Halloween is a great time to show off your DIY skills, scare kids and win some contests. Here’s the costume I built from scratch last year. I hope it will inspire you to be creative this year.
Basic Tools You May Need:
Various saws
Glue gun
Drill or cordless screwdriver
Screws, zip ties misc. fasteners
Basic Parts You May Need:
Hiking backpack frame or military A.L.I.C.E. frame (a great base for many costumes)
Wood and plastic pieces as needed
Cardboard (usually free)
PVC pipes, plastic hoses, wires misc. savaged electrical bits.
Wiring covers
Advanced Tools:
Soldering iron, Dremel or other rotary tool
Find Example Ghostbuster Backpacks Online
I always recommend seeing what others have done. Look for pictures and videos of other people’s costumes or even the actual prop pictures if you can. I built a majority of my proton pack with measurements and plans I found online. I printed out the plans from the Ghostbusters fans website here: http://www.gbfans.com/equipment/plans/ . It doesn’t have to be exactly the same but it’s always good to have a general idea of how it should look. Otherwise you end up with something more cartoony or out of scale.
Source Parts According to the Scale of the project
It’s always good to determine how expensive you want to go, and how durable you want the end result to be. This also determines how well you have to attach items. I usually plan to wear my costumes for 2-3 parties and one whole day. So they need to hold together. If you’re only looking to wear it for 1 hour, then Duct tape and glue are fine to use. All day costumes might mean using screws and epoxies. Parts can be salvaged from other projects, trash containers or dollar store finds. I’m always thinking of alternative uses for plastic pieces. It’s my own form of recycling. I also recommend checking out www.gbfans.com for some of the more rare parts.
Build a Version in Cardboard
It’s always good to try out the sizes of parts and see if it will work in cardboard version. Take some pictures with the pack to see if it looks right on you. This will help you better plan out any additional parts. If you’re in hurry, cardboard can be the final version too, but for me, I wanted something a little more permanent so I went with thin wood panels.
Build it! Sourcing Parts
I cut and glued many of the boxes on the back and for some of the bigger stuff I used screws. Screws are much stronger than glue and make it easier if you need to disassemble it later. I found PVC and tubing from electronic stores and electronic junkyards. A handful of pieces like the ribbon cable and LED’s I sourced from Newegg directly. A majority of my build was wood based, but some of the more professional kits online are now using fiberglass or even CNC aluminum pieces. The sky is the limit when it comes to proton packs.
Make Sure There’s Room for Lights and Sounds
Having a proper Ghostbuster neutrino wand means there should be lights and sounds to go with it. So I incorporated several led chasing lights and an old MP3 player to allow me to play sounds. This again is an area where you can buy completed kits online or improvise your own solutions. I bought 2 cheap electronic light kits and one purpose kit for the light bar on the back. Some people even incorporate a Raspberry Pi or Intel Edison board to handle the lights and sounds. So feel free to geek out to your own level here.
Shake Down
Put the pack together and walk around. Hop around with it on and test its durability. It’s way better if it breaks at home than in the middle of a costume contest or at an expo. Remember people might be pulling on parts too, so make sure everything is snug and secured.
Finish the Look
Once your pack is done, you may want some more accessories such as a tan jumpsuit, knee pads, rubber gloves and 80’s CB radio. Those DIYers going for every detail may want to build a Ghost trap and night vision goggles.
What Will You Build This Year? What Have You Built in the Past?
Let us know in the comments below. Good luck, and have a happy Halloween!
