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Ghostbusters Fans is proud to present the first full scale Ghostbusters FAQ. We aim to archive all of the questions that are most commonly asked by fans and visitors to our site. This FAQ will be frequently updated by those that know the answers. For a listing of each category covered by this FAQ, please see the main page here.
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Frequently Asked Equipment Questions
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[Revise]Q. What are the main differences between the GB and GB2 Proton Packs?
A. Several of the differences include:
-Different color Raytheon Crank Knobs. Gray for Ghostbusters and black for Ghostbusters 2.
-The Ribbon Cable is very different in both movies.
-The particle thrower in Ghostbusters 2 is mounted at more of an angle to make it easier for the actors to draw.
-The Ion Arm is slightly different in both movies.
-The particle throwers tip on the GB1 pack has a mechanism that allows it to extend. |
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[Revise]Q. What is the difference between a Hero and Stunt Proton Pack?
| A. A Hero pack was made for all the close up shots and shots that require moving lights and such; therefore it is very detailed. A stunt pack was made for backgrounds shots and for scenes where the performers had to do stunts, so they were made more durable but less accurate. The stunt packs where made from foam, while the hero packs were pulled fiberglass shells. |
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[Revise]Q. How much does a Proton Pack weigh?
| A. According to various sources in Ghostbusters, the average proton pack weighs around 30 - 35 lbs fully loaded with batteries. In Ghostbusters 2 packs were developed that weighed a lot less by having different batteries. |
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[Revise]Q. What is the right size of ALICE Pack Frame?
A. When purchasing an ALICE Pack Frame you may be presented with several different sizes. Do not let these sizes fool you, all ALICE pack frames are the same size. It is the actual ruck sack that attaches to the frame that differs in size.
**There are some real differences in ALICE frames that can make a bigger difference with mounting a 1:1 proton pack.
"Real" ALICE frames are tall, as 'most' are, and the center, vertical bar is almost an 1/8" thick, aluminum, being very strong. These mostly also should come with two holes drilled out already in the base flat bar of the frame. The 'gold' frames usually come with all this would be a good purchase, along with some black paint. These work well for attaching a pack directly against the frame or using 1" spacers as done in the movies. (Spacers were to help ensure actors would not injure their heads as the top part of the pack sits directly behind the head...and is quite painful to headbutt accidentally.
Some ALICE frames are shorter than usual, but still have a strong center bar. Depending on wearers height this may work, but doesn't work too well with an entire 1:1 pack replica. This can be confusing and if enough attention is paid you can notice the difference and save yourself from having to buy another frame.
The "cheaper" ALICE frame comes painted black, at the correct height, but with a very thin, much weaker center bar. This can become a problem as the weight of a 1:1 pack mounted to the center bar, as it was in the movie, will cause sway back and forth as the wearer walks, which could cause injury, or just a down-right annoyance, to the wearer. Unless some rubber bumpers are placed between the proton pack and the alice frame, OR the pack/motherboard is attached to the ALICE frame via another method besides the center bar, the pack will definitely sway back and forth. These "cheaper" frames also do NOT come with the lower two holes already cut out. |
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[Revise]Q. What direction do the Cyclotron lights rotate?
| A. Normally clockwise, but Peters pack on the roof of Dana's apartment ran counter clockwise so both are acceptable. |
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[Revise]Q. What should I make my motherboard out of?
| A. The original "Mother Boards" were made from 1/8" aluminum. If you cannot obtain thin sheet aluminum you could use any kind of strong thin wood such as plywood or MDF at up to 1/8" in size. Also it is important to cut your motherboard to fit your components last. That way you don't have make adjustments later. |
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[Revise]Q. Where did all of these weird Proton Pack terms come from?
| A. The terms being thrown around the Proton Pack section were mostly created by the prop builders around 1999 - 2000 when they wanted an easy way to communicate about the parts between each other. A complete listing of the terms can be found on the Proton Pack Part Names page; also, a lot of the part names are actual scientific terms. |
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[Revise]Q. Will anyone here make me a proton pack for (any amount of money)?
| A. No. GBFans and its members will not make a proton pack for you. It is in fact illegal to produce and sell complete replicas of proton packs but you are encouraged to attempt to build one yourself. Plans can be found in the Equipment section, and many parts are for sale in both the GBFans Shop and in the For Sale/Wanted section in the community boards. For anyone looking to purchase a complete proton pack please go to www.ebay.com |
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[Revise]Q. Is it legal to Sell and make a profit from a Proton Pack?
| A. No...well, that depends, if you have one that's already made and you want to sell it, that's ok, but if you mass-produce them for the sole purpose of selling them to make a living, that's a different story. The design of the proton pack is the sole property(copyright) of the designer/studio that created the movies, which in this case is Dan Aykroyd/Sony Pictures, if you were to make them to sell as replicas for any profit and got caught, that could constitute design/copyright infingement. |
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[Revise]Q. When the ghostbusters get ready to bust Zuul, Venkman readies them by saying?
A. The barrel extends via a mechanism built into the gun box, activated by a green lever that sticks out from between the gun body and the trigger box, seen here:
http://www.gbfans.com/images/equipment/reference/6/10.jpg
Close-up http://www.gbfans.com/images/equipment/reference/6/3.jpg
The exact mechanism isn't known, but "Playskool", one of our very skilled builders, devised a mechanism that most would assume the original worked very similarly.
Another member here, PeteVenkmanJedi, copied this mechanism, as seen in pictures here:
http://www.gbfans.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=1956&p=15032&hilit=barrel+extension#p15032
Many believe the twisting of the front barrel is what extended the wand. This is incorrect. The twisting of the front handle was for comforts sake, for the actors, and apparently nothing more.
A. "Let's show this prehistoric b**** how we do things downtown"
A: "Alright, this chick is toast!"..closely followed by:
"Grab your stick!"
"Holding it"
"Heat 'em up!"
"Smokin'"
"Make 'em hard!" (This has been controversial as some forms of the script have this or written as "Bang 'em hard"
"Ready"
"Let's show this prehistoric bitch how we do things downtown." |
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