Brown & Decker Like Black & Decker, only not.

Hey guys.

Back by popular demand, here's some more pictures and details about our packs.



Everything is 1:1 scale to the movie, and all the details are accurate down to the decals. A few liberties were taken given the time and resources we had to work with. There is no gun mount/gun, but there is holes drilled for the adapters if we get a chance to come back and work on it. This was mainly due to time constraints. On my pack though, since there's no mount, there is a sound module where the mount should be. It has a button that when pressed plays the Ghostbusters theme song (I tossed around other sounds, but taken out of context of the movie, they didn't sound right).

It weighs about twenty pounds and the pack itself is mounted to a Army ALICE pack which evenly distributes weight across the body, making the pack feel SUPER light. The ALICE pack was a little harder to find out here in the middle of nowhere, but it's what the original busters used, so it's what we used.

Also, the pack has no working lights, also due to time constraints. So instead the cyclotron lights were replaced with reflectors that mimic lights when outside and with pictures taken with flash.

It was a fun project, and we're really pleased with the results. Next update will be Dragon*Con!

Andy

Hey everybody.

So, today marks a great day. The day we finished the proton packs. Between yesterday and today, we're at almost thirty hours. Which brings the total on the pack time to about fifty or sixty hours (real exact, I know).

Also, this is a sad day, in that it begins the next big hiatus for the Brown & Decker industries. Today is the last day at Jim's old house, and one of the last days before Jimmy's new job.

Brown & Decker is done for a while.

But not before Dragon*Con.

We've still got a few weeks, and there's still a few more details, but out Ghostbusters costumes are nearly complete. Today the packs were wrapped up.

Here's some pictures.











Man, what an experience.

Just the patches for the flight suit left. Unfortunately, our packs wont have guns because we ran out of time. Still, they look great.

It's been a lot of fun, and the garage here at Jim's has held many great times. But things change, people move, but a hobby like this stays forever.

Andy

Hey guys.

Well, another long and very successful day has come and gone, and yet again, I'm always more and more impressed with our progress. In case you guys didn't know, Jimmy's going to be moving away soon (very sad, I know) so our Brown & Decker work will become a little more sporadic. Nonetheless, we're going to try to keep up with it.

So the plan is, we figure we have a few more really good days to get in our work before the *Con. It's all coming to the wire.

Today started at seven (or eight, technically, I was late). I pulled into a gas station and grabbed us some energy drinks, and told the cashier that I was late for work. I'm proud to say that this is my full time job. The plan was to get our parts to the Gesso states.

For those of you who don't know, pink insulation foam LOVES to melt, chemically, literally. It dissolves with spray paint; it dissolves with super glue; it dissolves if you look at it on a Wednesday. If it weren't for the fact that it was super lightweight and easy to cut, we'd probably never use this. That's where Gesso comes in. I honestly have no idea what it's meant to do. As prop builders, we're the sort of in between people: We walk into electronics stores buying wires and switches with no intention of them ever having any functioning purpose. We also go to Lowe's and Home Depot buying materials and using them in ways that were never intended to be used.

God, I love my job.

Anyway, long story short, it was a good day. Lots of work. Really hot outside. Here's some pictures.







We next meet on Monday, and our plans are to FINISH THE PACKS. You can see they're getting close.

Andy

P.S. The bumpers are Hot Wheels tracks for bonus points.

Hey guys.

So it's been a while since we updated the page, and for good reason. Last we spoke, we talked about the helmet and molding. Well it turns out that didn't work out. We didn't have enough molding supplies (namely latex) to totally cover the project, but we thought we'd push it. So by pushing it, we're back at square one.

On an unrelated note, Inception is an incredible movie.

Now to make that unrelated note, related, after I watched Inception I had this incredibly lucid dream in which we went to Dragon*Con and everybody was impressed with our Ghostbusters costumes. Ghostbusters. An idea that has been tossed around by Jimmy and I, but never followed through. It was time to begin.



Ghostbusters is a cult hit with an all star cast. Our plan was to attempt to be as cool.

The outfits are incredibly detailed, and made from a lot of parts that were ok in the 80's but not available now. I like a challenge.

Our plans were to have two full costumes, goggles, proton packs, a trap, and a PKE meter.

First we started with the Ecto goggles (I have to type kind of quick because I only have a few minutes before work. The goggles let the 'Busters see invisible clues.

Ours were built off a modified pair of welding goggles. Modified for your enjoyment by Brown and Decker.







Next we started on the pack. Here's a picture of what we're aiming for.



and here's us.











It doesn't look like much yet, but the motherboard is made out of Masonite (the stuff clipboards are made out of) and the parts are insulation foam, meticulously cut by hand. The next step is Gesso (for great justice) and mounting.

Also, last thing before I go, we got the tickets for the paranormal investigations class at the *Con. We were the last few slots. AND, we did make it to the Army surplus store for supplies. A final picture then I really have to go (I'm going to be late).



Brown & Decker industries would like to take this time to remind you that bustin' makes us feel good.

Andy