Category Archives: Toys

A few final mods to accommodate the new Spengler wand

More work on the Ghostbusters pack. I wanted to be able to swap out the Rubies wand I use for display, and the Spengler wand I’ll be using for my costume.

I first swapped out the 3D printed v-hook setup I was using with a standard Dixie® Cup bracket that would accommodate both wands. The new v-hook setup strengthen the mount on the inside of the pack, as the Spengler wand is much heaver than the Rubies version.

I added a small four pin quick release connector at the bottom of the pack which allows the four wires needed for the Rubies wand to remain functional when connected. The connector I chose fits prefect in the stock hole, so no additional drilling or modifications was needed.

I didn’t like the way the electrical tape looked on the end of the extra afterlife cable, so I removed the tape and cleaned up the faux plug a bit to make it more presentable. 🙂

The Spengler wand hooks in using the same type of plug, but I didn’t wire anything up as the wand itself handles all the sound. I know a lot of people have opened up the Spengler wand, tied into its speaker and routed it to the pack, but I’m just not ready to do that yet. At this point, I’m happy with the sound emanating from the wand.

I was planning on doing the whole wand light and pack sound kits, but I think I’m happy with the way everything turned out. I’m going to switch my focus towards a full sized pack. Although I love my little Rubies setup, a full size pack with all the bells and whistles is where true Ghostbuster happiness is found. 🙂

Who ya gonna call?

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Hasbro Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler’s Neutrona Wand

Okay, I know I said I would be taking a break from all the Ghostbuster stuff but OMG I just picked up one of the most incredible toys, in the history of incredible toys!

Check out this Hasbro Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler’s Neutrona Wand, a replica of the wand used in the upcoming “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” movie.

Sure it looks great, but the lights, sounds and motorized feedback really make this thing shine. It comes with four stream modes including the classic Proton Stream, Slime Blower, Stasis Stream, and Meson Collider. It will also perform an overheat/shutdown sequence when the thrower has been operated too long.

I love how the end of the wand pulses when idle and also shuts down automatically if left on. The switches must be engaged in the correct(movie accurate) sequence for the wand to function properly, and the power knob actually works as it will adjust the power with sound, vibration and visible LEDs.

I’ve been waiting so long for this thing and OMG Hasbro has hit this one right out of the park. Sure, there may be a few things the true Ghostbuster purest might find fault with, but for the price of this mass produce “toy”, you can’t deny that they have set the bar high with the launch of this awesome product.

I’m looking forward to see what Hasbro has in store for the rest of their Ghostbusters line, but for now I am extremely please and impressed with this true piece of art.

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Okay, last Ghostbusters post for a while… I promise

Well, my quest to create my own motherboard for the Rubies/Spirit Pack was a little harder than I thought. Living in a rural area I couldn’t obtain the MDF I needed to use for my pack. I had seen a pre-cut MDF motherboard on eBay but it was very expensive… but thanks to an eBay coupon that popped up I was able to get it down to a price I could live with.

I was going to go with a larger cut, more like the movie boards that stick out a bit wider than the pack shell, but for this 80% pack I actually like the way this board fits inside the shell. I utilize Doug’s (ghostlab42) A.L.I.C.E. frame mounting hardware so I had to measure and cut out a little rectangle for the middle mount, but after that I threw on a few coats of paint and it was done.

So much better than that flimsy cardboard/cloth motherboard the thing came with. I was finally able to put the “Danger” sticker on the back which I feel really finishes it off.

For now, I think I’m done. I’m pretty happy with the way it looks and I think I will wrangle my efforts into creating a true full size replica.

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Another quick mod to my Ghostbuster trap

I swapped out the on/off button on both my Rubies and Spirit Ghostbusters traps. It was nice to get rid of the “try me” mode on the Rubies trap, and now it’s so much easier to switch the trap on/off with one hand while holding the handle.

This mod is super easy. You just need to un-solder the existing wires and solder them to the new switch. The Rubies trap with the remote pedal actually has four wires going to the stock switch (two extra used for the “demo” mode), so you’ll only need to re-solder the green and yellow wires to the new switch.

The nice thing about these switches is they fit in the current switch spot without cutting off the stock mounts. You do need to enlarge the stock switch slot a bit, but not much. I simply used a flat head screwdriver and twisted a slightly larger hole.

The last image shows the connections for the Rubies Trap (w/pedal), the Spirit trap will only have a black and grey wire connected to the switch.

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New mods to my Rubies Ghostbusters trap

Not screen accurate by any means, but I love how this quick mod looks on my Rubies Costume Company Walmart exclusive Ghostbusters ghost trap.

I found a 10ft thin coaxial cable with BNC male connectors already on each end, a pair of mountable BNC female connectors and wrapped it up with 10ft of 1/8 inch split loom.

Finished it off by adding some red electrical tape and a few little zip ties to each end, similar to how they look in the films.

Now I can trigger the trap at a much greater distance than the short little wire it came with out of the box.

Next I think I will work on creating a new motherboard for my Rubies Costume Company proton pack as I truly lament over the lamo cardboard and cloth board it came with.

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A few more mods to the Proton Pack

Added a ghostlab42 Dale PH-25 Replica Resistor and Wand Tube Upgrade to my Ghostbusters pack. Also added a foam neck pad and wand sticker kit. I hooked up the replica resistor to a rotary switch, so now I can easily turn the pack on and off.

Future upgrades include replacing the motherboard with masonite and both the ghostlab42 wand and sound board kits when they are back in stock.

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Hey, anybody see a ghost?

Phase one of the new Ghostbusters Proton Pack. This is a Rubies proton pack that has been modded to look and perform more like the theatrical version. So far I added the light kit, cosmetic dress up kit and full ALICE frame. Next I will concentrate on the Neutrino Wand, adding a clear tip and sticker pack.

Soon, I hope to do a full feature upgrade to the wand, and sound board for the pack which will really bring this thing to life.

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