Proton Pack

The Proton Pack is a fictional piece of particle accelerating machinery created by Egon and used by the Ghostbusters. It is their primary tool in the 1984 & 1989 Ghostbusters films for "busting" ghosts. It has a hand-held wand ("Neutrona Wand" as scripted by Dan Aykroyd) connected to a backpack-sized cyclotron. The theory is that it fires a 'semi-controlled' stream of protons that neutralizes the negatively charged electromagnetic radiation of a ghost allowing it to be held in the active stream. The packs were first tested in the Sedgewick Hotel, which was also the test run for the Ecto Goggles and Ghost Trap. Proton Pack Components [mediumtext]Clippard Instrument Laboratory Parts Dale Resistors Proton Pack Part Names Legris ALICE Pack Frame Sage M25W Resistor Raytheon Crank Knob Ribbon Cable Nycoil[/mediumtext]Movie Proton PacksThe props representing proton packs were created by the prop department at Columbia Pictures. They are made of molded fiberglass shells on aluminium backplates (or "motherboards") bolted to military surplus A.L.I.C.E. pack frames. The basic shape was sculpted from foam; later, a rubber mold was made, from which fiberglass shells were pulled. The "wand" had an extending barrel mechanism and the electronics were quite advanced for the time. They were then finished with various surplus 1960s resistors, pneumatic fittings, hoses and ribbon cable, as well as surplus warning labels and custom-made metal fittings. The overall weight of these props is said to be around 35lbs. The "hero" props were substituted in stunt scenes by flimsy foam rubber pulls from the same mould. The proton packs have a lightbar with 15 blue scrolling lights in a box on the left-hand side and 4 red lights in the circular "cyclotron" portion of the bottom of the prop that light up in rotation. The "wand" also featured numerous light features; the most elaborate versions had fluorescent bargraphs, incandescent bulbs, and strobing flashes in the tip for the visual effects crew to synchronize the famous 'streams'. Some of the packs from Ghostbusters were used in the film's follow-up, Ghostbusters 2; these packs were slightly redressed with a black crank knob and thinner ribbon cable. The angle of the gun mount was changed to pitch foward slightly to make the prop easier for the actor to use. In addition to these redressed props, one of the originals was hastily cast as a buck to produce basic, lightweight "mid-grade" props (as a solution to complaints by the actors about the weight of the original prop). These mid-grade pieces featured many details cast in as part of the mold, instead of separate fittings. The electronics and mechanisms were also cut down greatly, reducing the total weight. The original GB1 props would appear in close-ups, the mid-grade in all other scenes, and new rubber "stunt" packs were made for whenever the actor needed to take a fall. Several GB2 packs have surfaced for auction—at least one rubber stunt, and one fibreglass mid-grade prop. The auctioned mid-grade prop was lost shortly after sale in an airport baggage mishap. The piece was documented before its loss, revealing much of the shoddy casting techniques used in its creation. All three variations of the GB2 pack have been displayed at various Planet Hollywood restaurants around the U.S.Video Game Proton PacksReal Ghostbusters Proton Packs The Real Ghostbusters pack has been attempted by a few prop builders with acceptable results however it is not as popular as the movie packs so it does not have the same following in the build community. RGB packs and mostly " scratch built" due to the limited parts available.Extreme Ghostbusters Proton Pack The Extreme Ghostbusters pack has been attempted by a few prop builders with acceptable results however it is not as popular as the movie packs so it does not have the same following in the build community. EGB packs and mostly " scratch built" due to the limited parts available.