#4852369
Happy New Year everyone...it's been a rough 2016 so far due to all of the losses we have been dealt (I hope the trend changes). That said, I figured I should try to cheer myself up and post an update. This isn't a big one as most of what is going on with the car is the technical stuff (it needs more than a little wiring to say the least...). I did finally manage to pull some of the photos from my camera from my visit with Michael Gross (RIP) a number of months ago, and they were too beautiful not to post a few, so...

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And when I say it needs more than a little wiring, here's a small piece of the puzzle currently being fine-tuned:

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I am currently in the process of finding a new garage for the car and all of my things (a huge headache, but I may have a solution, be it much more expensive than the garage I have now). As I've said, 2016 hasn't been a good one so far, but hey, that should be remedied with another trip to California, which I am going to be planning soon...YES!

Be safe everyone!
By ncc74656m
#4852375
She's stunning in white! Amazing work. I'm so happy for you, but so jealous, too! You can't make a better tribute to Michael than to recreate one of his most iconic pieces of work as you're doing.
#4852395
There's an almost Zen thing about looking at a car or bike you are building. It's like looking at the past and your own future at the same time. And this machine is GLORIOUS! I hope the year starts looking up for you. Get lost in those amazing lines that didn't even exist on this beast before you got her! Cheers!
#4858363
Sorry to hear about the death of Michael Gross. Life gives you ups and downs. On the up side, it was great that you got to meet him twice. It was just fantastic that he passed his bag on to you. He knew you'd appreciate it and the treasures inside.

I can only imagine travelling across the country with other ghostbuster fans and doing the things you did. What a cool adventure, and on top of it all you'll have a beautiful ecto 1:1 replica one day and memories to last a lifetime.
#4863113
Hey guys,

I just got back from my visit to California. It was another amazing trip with plenty of stories to tell but I won't go into that level of detail because it would take way too long. Let's get on with the Ghostbusters stuff!

When I arrived at the airport three of my four travel buddies were there waiting for me:

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Yes, the shirts were a surprise (that's me in the apple in case you hadn't figured it out). We had a pretty low-key day to get the trip started (we were all exhausted from the long flights).


Day #2 of our trip started with a special visit to a very special place (I can't say more sadly). We then headed to the Sony Backlot Tour to see the actual movie car. Well, the care is starting to show its age again. There are so many things I would love to do to get this car back to what it once was.

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It drives me insane seeing the sniffer facing backwards, the radome (the elevated white piece with the red stripes) mounted backwards, and the coaster siren not even mounted to the roof rack (you can't see that in this picture but trust me it's disappointing). Still, she is beautiful and always will be...

We also stopped in to visit Ghost Corps, Ivan Reitman's project group within Sony Pictures. They have something cool hanging on the wall:

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That is a real terror dog head from the production of the movie.


The following day we visited MY car in Lake Elsinore, and she did not disappoint:

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And when you lift the hood:

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Check out the fully installed rear curved windows:

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Simply amazing! Now here's a look at what's inside:

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Now a look up front:

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The dash lights work!


She is such a stunner! MAN, I LOVE MY CAR!!!

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Sadly, we had to head back to Los Angeles and I had to once again say goodbye to my baby. Still it shouldn't be long before we are reunited on the east coast! As a special treat, here are some photos from our drive back along Route 74 (it's an amazing drive!):

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...and an amazing view from the Griffith Observatory (which we visited the next day):

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Until next time, take care!
Ecto-1 fan, jackdoud, barison82 and 1 others liked this
By Badmen
#4869306
For years I have dropping by to see the progress, and it is truly a pleasure to see the attention to detail every step of the way... especially in the documentation of the correct parts. I have even saved/referenced images for my still incomplete 1/24 model kit.

What an incredible feat it is combining cars to create this replica. It is only because of the incredible attention to detail that I have to ask this question. Was it an intentional decision to leave the lower door corners square instead of curved?
SabaSka109 liked this
#4870072
Well, the Ecto project funding is a bit dried up at the moment...bummer, but I had no choice...

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I will not be posting close-up photographs or measurements for reference for others to replicate these, so please be kind and do not ask me to or hold a grudge because I refuse to. I just had to make sure that a private collector didn't win these because they would vanish if that had been the case and we'd never see or hear of these wonderful things again.
#4870077
Hang on a sec, and please don't take this as inflammatory...but you bought the tripod traps to keep them out of a private collector's hands and never been seen by the fans again. Okay, perfectly logical. Don't wanna give measurements? Sure, absolutely your call. But you won't even post pictures of them?
SabaSka109 wrote:I just had to make sure that a private collector didn't win these because they would vanish if that had been the case and we'd never see or hear of these wonderful things again.
Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, no?
Last edited by Kingpin on July 6th, 2016, 4:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.Reason: added quote code
#4870123
Dr.D wrote:Hang on a sec, and please don't take this as inflammatory...but you bought the tripod traps to keep them out of a private collector's hands and never been seen by the fans again. Okay, perfectly logical. Don't wanna give measurements? Sure, absolutely your call. But you won't even post pictures of them?

" I just had to make sure that a private collector didn't win these because they would vanish if that had been the case and we'd never see or hear of these wonderful things again."

Kinda like the pot calling the kettle black, no?
Sorry but I have to agree it absolutely reads this way.

You sound like you're doing exactly what you "bought them to avoid."

You're being a private collector and basically making the things vanish and no one gets to see or hear of these wonderful things again.

Maybe you need to clarify your statement, but it seems extremely hypocritical at the moment.
#4870141
Have fun with the tripod traps. You are absolutely within your right to keep all information regarding these props to yourself.

It's kind of sad that the spirit of sharing information that helped build the prop-building aspect of this fandom is slowly dying.

I guess we'll just have to rely on hard work and ingenuity to extrapolate our own measurements based on the known dimensions of the acrylic tubes and V-Ring meters.
Dr.D liked this
#4870222
You see, gentlemen, the way you're behaving is the reason I am not publicly sharing stuff for everyone. Instead of people being happy for my accomplishment, some have an attitude. My friends will absolutely get to see them and appreciate them just as much I do. The moment I won them I had people asking about close-up photos and measurements...people I hardly know...who didn't even congratulate me on something I was so ridiculously excited about. If a private collector won them, you would never know who they were going to, and I assure you they would vanish. Plenty of people know where these are going to be now and those who know me well will get to see them.

I don't need to clarify any statements I've made. I am not posting close-up photos and measurements...it's a straight forward statement. The reason I came out and said that is because surely there would be people who came right out and asked me for them. I didn't say I won't post any photos...just not the kind of photos that people have already requested I make public. I am OK with people who I know and trust replicating the traps but the last thing I need is some blob in Texas making knock-offs and claiming they are screen used.

Oh, and as far as the prop-building that helped me build everything in this thread, I agree with the concept you're trying to convey. Truth is I have had to obsess over details on my own and do hundreds and hundreds of hours of research based off of screen caps of the movie car in the film. The very, very few people who have helped me will never be forgotten and I would do anything to help them back. It's quite a bit different.
#4870237
SabaSka109 wrote:You see, gentlemen, the way you're behaving is the reason I am not publicly sharing stuff for everyone.
But to play devil's advocate Adam, this has wound up being a self-fulfilling prophecy: you believed that the knowledge that you now owned the Tripod Traps would lead to people behaving badly in their quest to get measurements and reference material for the props, and that formed your decision not to meet any of those requests.

But it's actually your decision not to meet any of those requests that has led to people's behaviour.

I appreciate that some people have not been reasonable in what they requested, I will admit it's disappointing that (based on what you've so far written) you'd be unlikely to even entertain one of the staff of GBFans making the journey to you, and taking the reference photos/measurements so that you wouldn't need to. I know I said on Facebook that I'd accept whatever you posted, but I guess I didn't fully understand your decision back when I said that.


This discussion has kinda reminded me of two past community members and the subject of the documentation of screen-used props:

Ken Huegel: He bought one of the Semi-Hero Proton Packs from Ghostbusters II, and documented a quick dismantle and investigation to what was going on inside that prop. It didn't reveal too much that we didn't already know, but it was still something amazking.

Cyland: He had video of the PKE Meter prop in operation which he never posted on this forum, as well as galleries of photos he would talk about, but again wouldn't share (now, that was well within his right not to, but why talk about them if he's not willing to show them, if not for anything else than the chance to gloat?)
SabaSka109 wrote:Instead of people being happy for my accomplishment, some have an attitude.
-because they feel that your decision is against the spirit of the community, I imagine you can appreciate that, right?
Dr.D, darthbuster, deadderek liked this
#4870238
This didn't start with attitude. It was people on the forum pointing out your somewhat confusing statement on why you bought the traps. Scuba Steve and Demon Vice Commander's comments are spot on, without the resources available to the community about most of these props, we wouldn't be able to reproduce these wonderful objects with this much detail. I don't doubt that you did your own research, but I guarantee a great deal of it came from people sharing information about the actual props. I'd be willing to guess the people who helped you probably glanced around the info online as well. It really is sad that your fear that someone will produce knock-offs is keeping you from even sharing photos. So what if someone makes a knock off? Does it really taint your enjoyment of owning literally a piece of one of your favorite movies?

I was perfectly fine with not commenting again, but then I read your response. "...instead of people being happy for my accomplishment...who didn't even congratulate me on something I was so ridiculously excited about."

You bought something.

Do you really feel that people should congratulate you because you bought something? Clearly you're a man of adequate means given the fact that you have the disposable income to not only build one of the largest and most expensive props someone could build, but have the ability to frequently travel cross country to do it. This whole thread is devoted to you crafting one of the largest and most expensive props someone could ever build. Most of the people on these forums could never dream of building their own Ecto, let alone owning a very recognizable prop from one of the films. And yet you feel slighted because people didn't congratulate you? Come on man.

Do whatever you want with them, they're your property, but don't try and act like you did the fans a favor by "keeping them out of the hands of a private collector" You bought them, publicly told everyone not to ask for pictures or measurements, and now you're saying you ARE going to share that information with your friend.

There's a word for that. Elitist.
seekandannoy, darthbuster, deadderek and 1 others liked this
#4870240
Ben, this kind of behavior has been present LONG before I posted about the traps. Right now there is a lot of turmoil within the community...I'm not really sure what the spirit of the community is at the moment. Perhaps that is why I'm so hesitant. Maybe one day, when peace returns to this once-wonderful place, I will be thrilled to contribute info on the tripods. For now, I'm going to have my reservations in doing so.
#4870241
SabaSka109 wrote:Ben, this kind of behavior has been present LONG before I posted about the traps.
I won't deny that, I've seen plenty of "give me information" posts in my time when someone either didn't know where to look to find the info, or was too lazy.

Though the difference between that example I mentioned and the current case with the Traps is that the other sources of information that are available are a handful of photographs of the props, and the screenshots of the shows and films they've appeared in (I hold myself responsible for not getting measurements of the V-Ring Meter out there years ago).
SabaSka109 wrote:Right now there is a lot of turmoil within the community...I'm not really sure what the spirit of the community is at the moment.
I'm uncertain as well, but I'd like to hope there's still some of the old ghost in the machine, a bit of what we once were left in this burned out berg. :) It's why I went out to photograph the reboot Pack at Olympia even when I should've saved the money for the train fair for something less frivolous. It's why the Ghostbusters of Las Vegas photographed the PKE prop and Stunt Pack that were on display in Sin City, and why the Ghostbusters of New York documented one of the two reboot Ecto-1s (I appreciate though that you're not a fan of the new movie).
SabaSka109 wrote:Maybe one day, when peace returns to this once-wonderful place, I will be thrilled to contribute info on the tripods. For now, I'm going to have my reservations in doing so.
To be honest, I wouldn't have posted that possibility - as it'll just leave people wanting and waiting for a post which may never come.
Dr.D, darthbuster, deadderek liked this
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