Throughout the subscription build of models like the Eaglemoss 1:8 scale Ghostbusters Ecto-1, the publisher typically includes ‘Special Offers’. These items are automatically sent, and are billed in addition to the monthly subscription (this one cost $49.95).

This particular Special Offer contains the parts and instructions to build four (4) 1:8 scale Proton Packs as well as a single Ghost Trap. My fellow builders outside the US received two of these packs and the trap a while ago, and I really believed we would not see them at all here in the US. Well, it turns out the US does receive them and they shipped us all four packs and the trap all at once. I am very happy we got them so let’s get to assembling!

Contents

Parts

Magazine – Special

• Model Instructions
• Proton Packs: The Nuclear Particle Accelerators
• Neutrona Wands: Also Known As Particle Throwers
• Ghost Traps: Capturing Ghosts

Build

Proton Packs

There were four identical packs of Proton Pack parts supplied in this issue. The steps to build each one are the same; just repeat the process:

Step 01

Fit the post and pin of the Bumper into these matching holes of the Proton Pack Body:

The blue label should be towards the right side of the pack, as shown:

Secure these together from behind with one (1) HP screw:

Step 02

Fit the Ion Arm Rear into the Ion Arm Front as shown, and secure these together with two (2) EP screws:

Be careful not to over-tighten the screw closest to the ‘cylinders’. I noticed that if this screw is too tight, it causes the ‘cylinder’ ends to split apart. If you see this happening (example in the photo below), just back out the screw a little:

Slide this tab of the Ion Arm assembly into this slot of the Proton Pack Body as shown, and secure these together with two (2) EP screws:

Step 03

Slide one end of Vacuum Hose 1 (the short black metal spring) into this hole of the Vacuum Pump:

Fit the keyed post of the Vacuum Pump into the matching socket at this location of the Proton Pack Body:

Secure the Vacuum Pump to the body from behind with one (1) HP screw:

Push the free end of Vacuum Hose 1 into this hole of the Proton Pack Body.

I cut about 1/4″ off the end of this spring (using diagonal cutters) to make it fit a little closer to the pack:

Step 04

Fit the post and pin of the Particle Thrower Rear Plate to the bottom of the Particle Thrower as shown, and secure these together with one (1) HP screw:

Push the smaller pin of the Clippard Minimatic Modular Valve R-701 into this hole of the Particle Thrower.

This should stay in place on its own, but if not, just use a small drop of super glue on the pin:

Fit the ends of the Short Black Hose over these two pins at the rear of the Particle Thrower.

All of these hoses are going to be a pain in the butt, so grab your tweezers and some patience. To make it easier to push these hoses on to each pin, I widened both ends with the closed tip of my precision tweezers. I only needed to barely ‘poke’ the points of the tweezers into the hose ends to open them up a bit:

I found these hoses slide on to the pins better if you wiggle them side to side as you press them on:

Step 05

Fit the ends of the first Long Red Hose over these two pins of the Proton Pack Body, as shown.

Fit the ends of the Long Black Hose over these two pins of the Proton Pack Body, as shown:

Fit the ends of the second Long Red Hose over these two pins of the Proton Pack Body, as shown:

This is a closer view at the pin I used on the top edge of the Proton Pack:

These are all the hoses we have installed so far:

Fit the ends of the Long Blue Hose over these two pins of the Proton Pack Body, wrapping up and around the Ion Arm assembly as shown:

Fit the ends of the Short Blue Hose over these two pins of the Proton Pack Body, as shown:

Fit the ends of the Short Red Hose over these two pins of the Proton Pack Body, as shown:

This is the hose install step completed…

I was not really happy with the big looping hoses. They just don’t look right and are not very accurate. So, I removed them all and started a bit of modification. First, I trimmed all of them down to shorter lengths to fit closer to the Proton Pack body. These are the lengths I ended up with:

• S1K – Long Red Hose = one at 44mm (the one closer to the bottom reactor) and one at 48mm (the top one)
• S1L  – Long Black Hose = 52mm
• S1M – Long Blue Hose = 71mm
• S1N – Short Blue Hose = 25mm
• S1O – Short Red Hose = 25mm

Then, I inserted a piece of 22 gauge Craft Wire into each one, cutting the wire shorter than each hose to allow space for the mounting pins. For example:

This allowed me to form each hose to the shape I wanted. After shortening and ‘wiring’ each hose, this is the end result:

Here is a comparison side-by-side with the stock version on the left, and my modded hoses on the right. For me, it is cleaner and more accurate to the real movie prop:

Step 06

Fit the small ‘gap’ at the end of the ‘spring cable’ of the Particle Thrower assembly into this notch of the Proton Pack Body, as shown.

I also inserted a long piece of the 22 gauge Craft Wire inside this ‘spring cable’ to allow me to shape the thrower cable as I see fit:

Fit the Proton Pack Body Rear into the back of the Proton Pack Body (trapping the cable ‘gap’ from the Particle Thrower).

Secure the Proton Pack Body Rear into place with four (4) HP screws, as shown:

Fit the A.L.I.C.E LC-1 Pack Frame to the Proton Pack Body Rear, aligning the locating pin and two screw holes, and then secure it into place with two (2) HP screws:

This completes our first Proton Pack:

Repeat all of these steps again with the other Proton Pack parts until you have completed all four:

As you can see in the picture above, Eaglemoss does not include a way to attach the Neutrona Wands to the Proton Packs. Thankfully, we can solve this problem with the Ghostbuster Proton Pack – Stow Gun Upgrade from Partwork Upgrades! This simple mod only takes a few minutes to install, but drastically improves the look of the Proton Packs:

Ghost Trap

The parts for the Ghost Trap arrived in their own separate packaging:

Step 07

Remove the backing paper from the Top Doors label sticker and apply the label to the top of the Ghost Trap Body, as shown:

While the trap itself is not functional and the top doors do not open, I used my hobby knife to carefully score this label to make the seam between the top doors a little more visible:

Push the pin on the shorter leg of the Handle into this hole of the Ghost Trap Body, as shown:

Press the tab of the Bar Graph down into this matching slot of the Ghost Trap Body, as shown:

Step 08

Fit the ‘gap’ at the end of Vacuum Hose 2 (the long black metal spring) into this notch on the underside of the Ghost Trap Body:

I also inserted a length of the 22 gauge Craft Wire into this ‘spring cable’ so I could bend the hose into any shape I want:

Fit the Ghost Trap Base into the opening of the Ghost Trap Body, trapping the Vacuum Hose 2 into place, as shown:

Secure the Ghost Trap Base to the body with two (2) IP screws:

Step 09

Fit the small tab on the base of the clear RT Box into the matching slot on the silver oval part of the Pedal Housing, as shown:

Secure this RT Box into place from below with one (1) BP screw:

Fit the post and pin of the Pedal Vector Plate into the matching holes of the Pedal Housing, as shown:

While holding the Pedal Vector Plate in place, turn the entire assembly over and fit the ‘gap’ of the free end of Vacuum Hose 2 into this notch of the Pedal Housing…

… and then fit the Pedal Base into the Pedal Housing, trapping the end of Vacuum Hose 2, and secure all of these parts together with one (1) IP screw.

It is a little tricky to hold all of these parts together while the base is installed, so you may want a second set of hands to help:

With that, the Ghost Trap is complete!

Thoughts

Completing this Special Issue took a few hours of work. The hoses are finicky and not easy to work with. Magnifying glasses and tweezers are almost a necessity here. Heck, I might have even sworn a few times during the assembly. Still, they have a respectable amount of detail and look pretty darn good! I am pleased with the result.

On a side note, I am aware that many other builders have added the missing ribbon cable and some are even adding magnets to hold the Neutrona Wand to the pack. However, I know that the fantastic people over at Model Modz are working on a whole new set of 1:8 scale Proton Packs with lights, animation, and sound! I will surely end up purchasing them, so I did not want to spend a lot of time on these stock pieces.

All of the materials are plastic, except the long black ‘spring cables’ which are metal.