Author Archives: William

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!

So, after thinking I was done with any more major mods to the Ghostbusters pack, I changed my mind and decided to do the wand and sound upgrades.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have any extra time on my hands since everything is still closed. 😉

The sound upgrade wasn’t much of an effort and I had no issues with the install, but the wand upgrade required a lot of cutting and drilling to fit all the lights and electronics. I took my time and made all my cuts with care which resulted in a job well done.

I added a few extra buttons to disable the continuous hum, and also switch between single pack and dual pack (slime) mode which were currently only accessible via a jumper on the sound and wand circuit boards.

I replaced all the stock stickers with weathered versions I found on Etsy. It’s amazing to me how much support there is out on the world wide web for these things.

I added a large frosted LED for the shutdown affect, which flashes through the holes where speaker used to sit. Since I upgraded to the new sound board, I didn’t need that tiny little speak any longer. 🙂

Believe it or not, I still have a few other things I’m going to add before I can call this one complete.

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We got one!!!!

Wow, this thing is huge!!

I just couldn’t resist(and believe me I tried) this massive Lego 2352 piece “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” inspired Ecto-1 measuring 8 high, 18 long and 6 wide(last picture for box scale).

This thing features working steering wheel, trapdoor, ghost trap, an extending gunner seat, and more awesome details from the converted 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance used in the new movie.

Can’t wait to dig in over the long weekend and get this thing built.

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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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In other news…

Just finished the fiber install at our mountain home, switching from copper wire to fiber for our internet.

Just in case you are curious, the following two pictures are of the actual fiber. The first is the line with the blue protective coating, and the second is the actual fiber that has been stripped of the coating.

It’s truly amazing that this tiny fiber line can fulfill the needs of a single family home, all the way up to a large corporate building.

Finally, the world is my oyster!

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Well, first the bad news…

The ol’ 55″ TV took a dump, and needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, they don’t make 3D TVs anymore, and I have well over a hundred 3D movies on bluray. I was never happy with the old TV’s 4K HDR processing and still prefer 3D over 4K all day, every day.

And now the good news… the higher end OLED TV’s have really come down in price. I was able to go where no man (well, me anyways) has gone before, taking it up a notch to purchase features that were previously out of my price range.

Enter the Sony 65″ Class A8H Series OLED 4K UHD Smart Android TV

This thing is simply beautiful and the OLED technology gives me a picture I have only dreamed of. Android TV built in which is better and faster than ever. This thing communicates flawlessly with all my other Sony components and even has a Netflix calibration mode for streaming in 4K.

Even though I use an external surround sound system, I think it’s pretty cool that this beast utilizes a technology Sony calls “Acoustic Surface Audio” which actually uses the glass to distribute the sound in a surround type environment, putting the sound at the correct sources on the screen.

To be perfectly honest, I may have shed a tear or two when losing the ability to watch 3D and I hope and pray for a 3D revival at sometime in the future, but this 4K thing is starting to grow on me.

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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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