Okay, Ghostheads, I have an announcement.

Even though I have a research paper due in about a month (and should be working on it instead of my harebrained schemes), I'm going to submit a concept for a prop replica of the infamous Ghost Dematerializer from “The Ghost Busters”. Should be pretty easy to come up with, but, given that I don't have too much experience with propmaking, I'll need someone else to come in and “fill in the blanks” as it were.

I doubt anyone else has done this before, and I know I'm probably going to get ridiculed off the board for this, but I think it could be workable…

Your thoughts?

How does it look like? I don't recall it.

secrecyguy
How does it look like? I don't recall it.

It looks very much like a camera, except it's got a pair of handlebars bolted to the sides and a bicycle mirror (???) on top.

Keep in mind, I won't actually be BUILDING the damn thing; just doing a working sketch of what it might look like.

I have the idea that it might have a flashbulb inside.

Are you going to do a sketch of both of the dematerializers, or just the one from the live-action show? They look pretty different from one another. I'd love to see the finished product. We don't get many, if any Filmation based props.

It would be interesting just to see work-ups of all of their equipment(Dematerializer, Ghost Gummer, Specter Snare) even if it's not true to what most would call “Ghostbusting” equipment.

Good luck with your project.

Just the live-action one, I think. The cartoon one (and, indeed, all their weaponry) looks like it has a bit too much going on, whereas the first one is basic and easy to build. Still, it's not meant for a beginner, since I plan to have working parts on it.

Any electronics wizards on this board are welcome to help me with some of the diagrams–I'm afraid I don't know much about wiring and circuitry.

Right, here's a list of the “guts” I'm proposing:

1) Battery cradle and bundles of wiring (thinking about D-size batteries)

2) Power switch (ideally a toggle switch)

3) 6 lightbulbs–3 red, 2 orange, 1 green and wiring to make them light up as such:

RED —> RED —> RED

ORANGE —-> ORANGE

GREEN

NOTE: The arrangement looks like this: RED RED RED
GREEN
ORANGE ORANGE

4) Two trigger switches (attached to handlebars in some way–think “game show buzzers”)

5) Camera flashbulb or battery-powered strobe light (I've seen these at Walgreen's–careful with the wiring!)

6) If at all possible, some kind of sound element that gives an electronic *snap!* sound effect.

By the way, for those of you who don't know:



Apparently, I got the colors of the lights wrong. Still the same scheme as I suggested, so we just have to switch some of them around, so it looks like:

RED RED RED
ORANGE
YELLOW GREEN

Okay, sorry for necroposting, but my plans have made considerable headway. I've since made some sketches and had some interesting revelations resulting from the FGB Forum's recent interview with Bob Burns (“Tracy”). First, my concept sketches of the prop replica:



Most of these were done on a sheet of questionnaire-paper available where I go to school. Didn't exactly feel the need to redraw them later, as they already looked pretty good.



Apologies for that distracting black line; I scanned that at school and didn't quite know how to crop that out from where I was.

Bob Burns' comments on the prop:

Q: There has been interest in making prop-replica of the Dematerializer (gun). Do you by any chance know what the original prop was made of? What fond memories of the prop do you have?

Bob Burns: When the show was cancelled I tried like the devil to get that prop as it was so cool. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get it. It was made out fiberglass and had a motor in it that when Tuck turned the handle the little radar dish would spin and when he turned the other handle the round window would open and they superimposed the ray coming out of it. They also had a second one that didn’t do anything and that was the one that I would toss to Tuck, etc. I guess you might call it the “stunt” prop.

All I can say it that I'd love to see one made.

jettajeffro;153801
All I can say it that I'd love to see one made.

I would, too. And I'd love to be the one to make the finished product.

By the way, the “camera shutter” inside it is a spotlight iris, and I've found an LED kit on QKits.com as well as a “soundcard” (as I call it) on Hyperdyne Labs' website. Now I have to find myself A) the motor to make the Ghost Finder turn and B) MP3 files of the “Radar Scanning” and the “FT'ZOW! FT'ZOW! FT'ZOW!” sound effects.