Ghostbusters Ecto-1 by Polar Lights: WIP

[David G.]

22 hours ago, mustang1989 said:

Fan blades.........perhaps a 1/72 scale 3 blade aircraft prop with the blade lengths cut down and the edges rounded some to fit the hole and to look like the fan in the pic? 

Good thinkin' on the mods btw. 

Thanks for the suggestion and the compliment Joe. I don't have anything like that in my parts box but I'm sure I have some old cooling fans in there. There might be one that's suitable.

19 hours ago, Oldmopars said:

Or a fan from a 1/25 Big Rig. 

I think that one of those would probably be too big Scott, the opening is only about 13mm across. I was also thinking of fabricating a fan from thin aluminum stock, like from a soda can. Just scribe and cut a circle then trim and shape the blades. It should be pretty easy... in theory.

15 hours ago, chris chabre said:

Coming out killer! the proton packs look awesome!

 

Anyone else look at these caddys and see a slammed crew cab pick up? haha

Thanks Chris, I appreciate that. 

I'm afraid I don't see a slammed pickup truck but I am working on converting the Ecto-1A back into a hearse, here's a link.

I have the frame mostly completed but I've sort of hit a wall with the interior. Working on this Ecto-1 has given me a few ideas and some inspiration. I plan on cracking back into the conversion one when I get this done.

I also have another Ecto-1A that I may convert into a flower car to go with the hearse but I want to get the hearse done first.

 

Thanks Everybody for the suggestions. I honestly didn't think of raiding the parts box but that's a great idea that could save me quite a bit of time.

David G.

[rustybill1960]

I am going to use the cooling fan from the Raiders Coach

[Steve H]

On 12/11/2021 at 4:28 AM, David G. said:

Hello Everybody!

I've been spending some of my bench time working on the roof carrier. There's one main feature that I've decided I just can't let go unaddressed.

This... Thing.

 

My research indicates that it is supposed to be an HVAC unit. Which makes sense considering that all the vintage computer equipment on board would require some cooling to remain functional.

It's difficult to find a photo of what the unit is supposed to look like. This one is close to canon but from what I can make out from the movie stills, the motor in the center should be white or light metallic, maybe aluminum like a motor casing would be.

 

 

So here we go, jumping down yet another rabbit hole!

 

Now that the damage is done, I need to make a motor housing and find a way to mount it using wire supports. I also have some ideas for a fan to go under the motor.

Suggestions are always welcome.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look.

David G.

David, that literally looks like a rabbit hole… Seriously though, this is really cool, loving all the fabrication you are doing. Keep up the great work.

Cheers, Steve

[David G.]

20 hours ago, rustybill1960 said:

I am going to use the cooling fan from the Raiders Coach

I'm not familiar with that part Russel but I did find a suitable looking fan in the ole parts box.

Are you working on an Ecto-1 too? If so, do you have any pics posted?

16 hours ago, Steve H said:

David, that literally looks like a rabbit hole… Seriously though, this is really cool, loving all the fabrication you are doing. Keep up the great work.

Cheers, Steve

I'm glad somebody got the joke!  

Thanks for your kind comment Steve, I appreciate it.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I did manage to find a suitable fan in the ol' parts box. I did have to clean it up and paint it but at least I don't have to scratch build one.

To mount the fan I started by making a back plate for the base of the roof carrier. I then measured and eyeballed the center of the hole onto the base plate below. I then drilled a hole on the mark to accommodate a 1mm styrene rod on which I could mount the fan.

 

It did require a bit of fiddling with the baseplate to get the fan properly centered but I'm rather pleased with the results. Now I need to come up with the motor and its mounting struts.

 

I also painted the frame of the carrier along with a number of the other equipment pieces, which will be seen as the build progresses.

Thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post your comments.

David G.

 

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I got the motor assembly and fan finished enough for a test fit.

I used some styrene rod and tubing sleeved together and cross-drilled for the motor housing.  The support struts are made from .020 music wire.

 

I think I can be happy with this. Now it's time to focus on finishing up the interior details.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[slusher]

Real nice work on the fan David, more realistic..

[David G.]

23 hours ago, slusher said:

Real nice work on the fan David, more realistic..

Thank you Carl, it's kind of you to say so.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I've spent my last few build sessions working on my Super Trebuchet model to get it finished for the year (here's a link). I'll be taking the final photos soon. Now that that is finished, I can return my attention to the Ecto-1.

There is a lot of electronic equipment in the back of the Ecto-1, most of which will not be clearly visible once the model is assembled. So the challenge I put upon myself is how much of it do I try to represent and in what level of detail.

There's a small equipment stack next to jump seat that I thought should included.

 

Here's the back. I'll probably add a bit more to it but not much.

Sorry for the dust but I was cutting a lot of styrene that day!

 

Thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[slusher]

Nice electronic detail David..

[David G.]

11 hours ago, slusher said:

Nice electronic detail David..

Thanks Carl, I appreciate your comments.

David G.

[NOBLNG]

Some nice detailing you’re doing David.?

[David G.]

21 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Some nice detailing you’re doing David.?

Thanks Greg, I'm glad you like it.

David G.

[Steve H]

Very nice details David. The electronics including the screen/ monitor really look the part. Do you plan on adding any wires at the back of the electronic cabinet? It literally looks like the back of a big stereo receiver, very well done sir. The fan and motor is top shelf too.

Cheers, Steve

[David G.]

Thank you for your kind comment Steve. I do plan on doing a little more with the equipment stack. There's a panel of toggle switches on top that I'm currently working on modeling.

 

I may also add the flat panel monitor and some random cables as well.

Thanks again.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I'm still working on fabricating the gurney that will hold the Proton Packs. As near as I can  figure, I'm about halfway done with that. Once that's completed I'll be done with the interior... I think. I'll have to see how it looks once it's all together.

Given that, I wanted to get the body ready for paint.

I just wasn't happy with the louvers I added so having found a better looking alternative, I removed the old ones.

 

The replacements are cut from Evergreen Clapboard Sheet Styrene. It has a 1.3mm spacing for the clapboards which, to my eye looks a bit more in scale. The relief isn't as prominent but I think I can punch it up a little with a wash. I included an example of the old set for comparison. 

 

While I was in fabrication mode, I whipped up a fuel filler neck and cap for the back.

 

That's all for now. As always, thanks for taking the tie to look and please feel free to post a comment.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

I got some paint shot on the Ecto-1.

 

There are some minor flaws so it's going to need a little sanding and a second coat. But it feels good to be that much closer to completion.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[FLHCAHZ]

Looking sharp!  Cant wait to see it all come together.

[David G.]

23 hours ago, FLHCAHZ said:

Looking sharp!  Cant wait to see it all come together.

Thank you Chaz, you and me both.

David G.

[Jonathan]

This is great!  Really love seeing all the details that you're adding.

[slusher]

Looks great David..

[David G.]

22 hours ago, Jonathan said:

This is great!  Really love seeing all the details that you're adding.

Thank you Jonathan, the trick is knowing when to stop.

8 hours ago, slusher said:

Looks great David..

Thank you Carl.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody!

The interior is done!

I finished the gurney for the Proton Packs. It me several attempts and it didn't turn out exactly as I wanted but it's good enough.

 

I also added a scratch-built panel of toggle switches to the top of the equipment stack.

 

As always, thanks for taking a look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[mchook]

Amazing work! I hope you make new side glass so all that great detail can be seen.

[David G.]

19 hours ago, mchook said:

Amazing work! I hope you make new side glass so all that great detail can be seen.

Thank you Mark.

I'm actually thinking of lighting the interior with a couple of Pico LEDs

David G.

Edited January 19, 2022 by David G.
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