ghostbusters


“
Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.
”
— Peter Venkman; Ghostbusters


The Proton Pack is the primary ghost capturing device used by the Ghostbusters.

Canonicity

The Proton Pack in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Ghostbusters: Back in Town, and Ghostbusters: Dead Man's Chest. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. The Proton Pack (prime) appears in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II, also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions). The Proton Pack (from Dimension 50-S) in the IDW Comic Series, is an alternate version based on Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime video game, deemed a Tertiary Canon, follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II. Ghostbusters: Legion and Ghost Busted manga are also deemed a Tertiary Canon and both also follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II. Ghostbusters: The Board Game, deemed a Tertiary Canon, loosely follows the events of IDW Comics.

History

Primary Canon History

Ghostbusters (1984)

Designed in 1984 by Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz, the Proton Pack countered the negative energy of ghosts with a Proton Stream, a stream of positively charged ions. The stream contained a ghost upon contact. The Proton Stream was very dangerous and barely controllable. At the Sedgewick Hotel, Ray realized they had not achieved a completely successful test of their equipment. Egon blamed himself. A sucessful "field test" was conducted on a Chambermaid's cart. Egon later informed the other Ghostbusters that crossing Proton Streams would result in "total protonic reversal," causing all life as we know it to stop instantaneously and every molecule in a user's body to explode at the speed of light. The Proton Pack made the cover of the October 1984 issue of Omni.

Before Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Convinced the end of the world was coming again, but lacking the support of the other Ghostbusters, Egon took Ecto-1, his Proton Pack and Particle Thrower, all the Traps, and sixteen ounces of fuel isotope and relocated to Summerville. At some point, he worked on a Proton Pack in his underground laboratory, but he never completed it. Egon discovered the selenium mine and Temple of Gozer dedicated to Gozer hidden within it. He also built a containment system consisting of four Proton Cannons and a P.K.E. Meter, which were placed within the Temple of Gozer: should the P.K.E. Meter detect a spike caused by an interdimensional gateway opening within the Temple, the Proton Cannons would activate and cross streams, forcing the gateway to close. Egon worked on a more permanent solution to stopping Gozer: a massive Trap Field laid out in the front of his property.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

In June 2021, Egon's ghost led his granddaughter Phoebe Spengler to his underground laboratory. She eventually saw the unfinished Proton Pack and sat down in front of it. Egon manipulated a lamp and shone on her then the pack. She took off the cyclotron lid with her hands, flipped it over, and studied the interior. She noticed two of the CRT Emitters were missing. A drawer shot open. Phoebe thanked Egon. She installed the two emitters, set the lid aside, and took out the mini cyclotron. She wondered how on earth he built such a small cyclotron. The lamp head shone its light on a wall where many framed diplomas hung. Phoebe understood he was a genius. She asked for needle nose pliers. The lamp shone on a pair on the table. She grabbed them and continued working on the pack.

The next day, Phoebe and her friend Podcast chose the Summerville Foundry for the site of their equipment test. Podcast lined up some glass bottles. Phoebe finished the last touches on the Proton Pack then used the momentum from kicking her right leg up to get the pack on. Podcast asked her how she fixed it and pointed out she was 12 years old. Phoebe admitted she kind of met her grandfather and he showed her what to do. She asked Podcast to switch her on. He looked around then flipped a red switch under the ion arm. The cyclotron churned on. Podcast backed away then walked to Phoebe's right. Podcast got out his boom mike. Phoebe hit activate and flipped two switches on the right side of the thrower then the barrel extended out. She declared the safety was off. Podcast narrated her feet were planted, her face was poised, and wondered if this would be the moment of her death. She fired at the targets. Podcast cheered. Phoebe stopped and backed up. Podcast declared that was the best thing he ever saw. He snapped a photograph of the wreckage using Ecto Goggles and it printed it out. Phoebe asked if she hit it. Podcast pushed the goggles up and declared she destroyed it. He wanted his turn at the pack but they heard something and investigated inside the Foundry. They found a ghost, Muncher, and attempted to capture him. He broke free of the stream and flew into the town. Phoebe and Podcast got a ride from Phoebe's older brother Trevor Spengler in Ecto-1. Podcast tried to get a good position to snap a photograph of Muncher and stopped on a lever that inadvertently triggered the gunner seat that Phoebe was sitting on. She and the seat was moved outside the car. Muncher took off and they gave chase. They caused a lot of property damage on Main Street and were arrested that evening.

After Phoebe and Trevor were released into Callie Spengler's custody, Sheriff Domingo informed Phoebe the Proton Pack and other equipment and Ecto-1 would remain nice and safe in their impound locker. Phoebe protested and stated they needed all of it and stated they caught a ghost. Deputy Medjuck snickered and referred to them as the Dirt Farmer's family. Phoebe warned there would be more. Domingo told her she was starting to sound like her lunatic grandfather. Phoebe heard enough, grabbed the Particle Thrower, turned it on, and aimed it at Domingo. Callie stepped in front of her and claimed she did not mean it. Domingo remained calm and asked her if she wanted to spend the night in his jail. Callie forcefully took the thrower away. She held it vertically by the wood grip and handed it to Domingo. Gary Grooberson, an old fan of the Ghostbusters, was beside himself at the sight of the pack. The Remote Trap Vehicle, its remote control, Proton Pack, and Ecto Goggles were placed in a jail cell secured with an ANSI Class One electromagnetic deadbolt. Podcast released Muncher who ate up part of the jail cell then left. The pack was given to Lucky Domingo and she went to the Farmhouse and waited inside the front door until the others arrived with Gozer in pursuit. Vinz Clortho chased after Ecto-1 and the Remote Control Vehicle containing Zuul. Phoebe took the gunner seat outside and blasted Vinz.

On cue, Lucky kicked the front door open and wrangled Gozer. Trevor came out of Ecto-1 on the gunner seat but his thrower failed to fire. Mini-Pufts were on the back of the gunner seat disabling the pack. Gozer grabbed the Proton Stream and wrapped it around its right arm several times then yanked it and Lucky went flying forward. Lucky dropped so hard, the pack fell off. Peter, Ray, and Winston arrived, armed with their Proton Packs. Peter instructed them to shoot on the count of three but go on "two." They fired and hit Gozer then crossed their streams. Gozer clutched at the streams. The Ghostbusters knew it was not over. Gozer uncrossed the streams then whipped them. The momentum launched the Ghostbusters into the air. They bounced hard off the side of Ecto-1. Phoebe strapped the pack on and shot Gozer in the back the head. They fired at each other and their streams collided. Phoebe started to lose ground and was pushed backwards. Suddenly, Egon's ghost manifested and helped her hold the thrower steady. Ray, Peter, and Winston recovered and blasted Gozer, too. The gunner seat was restored to operational again. Trevor fired at the capacitor silos and the Trap Field came back online, allowing for the capture of Gozer, Zuul, Vinz, the P.K.E. wisps flying around, and the Psychokinetic Atmospheric Influence.

Before Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The Ghostbusters Engineer Corps worked on a new Proton Pack model with a tri-arm yellow bumper at the Paranormal Research Center. Lars Pinfield managed a faster decay of split time and narrowed the stream intensification.[1] They also used the Proton Pack technology for the Ionic Separator, a machine used to extract ghosts from possessed objects, and Proton Fields, devices that kept a ghost in an enclosure for study. In the Firehouse, the Proton Packs were charged and stored in a Proton Locker in the garage bay when they were used in the field.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

In the summer of 2024, Phoebe picked the lock on the Proton Locker and went out on a call after she was benched. She later hid the pack under her bed on the third floor. After an incident at the New York City Public Library, Mayor Walter Peck had all of the Proton Packs confiscated and remanded to police lockup then scheduled them to be melted down for scrap the following morning. Lucky was the first to use the upgraded Proton Pack, when Garraka was freed from the Orb of Garraka, but the Proton Stream had no effect on him. Despite this, Lars and Lucky packed eight of the packs into Ecto-Z and armed the majority of the Ghostbusters with it ahead of Garraka's arrival at the Firehouse. Lucky told Gary Garraka didn't flinch. Lars suggested "who's to know the atomic composition" of "an ancient god from another dimension?" as the reason why it was ineffective. Phoebe went to Ray with an idea to use copper since it could conduct an electrical field like the one in the packs. However, there were none left in Firehouse after vagrants stole it all in the 1990s. Phoebe thought of brass next. Ray noted brass that was psychically charged would be especially useful.[2][3]

Phoebe took out the Proton Pack she hid under her bed and hack-sawed a piece of a fire pole from the third floor. She used a blow torch and melted the brass down then brass plated components of her pack.[4] Possessor possesed Lucky's Particle Thrower and Proton Pack and took aim at Trevor Spengler. Gary ran in front of Trevor but Nadeem Razmaadi redirected the Proton Stream outside. Podcast quickly smashed up the Proton Pack with his Hammer of Truth. Everyone gathered in the garage bay opened fire on Garraka but the Proton Streams still had no effect on him. He froze the streams. Phoebe fired a green trifurcated Proton Stream with her pack and it had a noticeable effect. The column of released energy receded back into the Containment Unit. However, Garraka was still able to counter and froze Phoebe and her pack. Nadeem used Melody's flame to attack Garraka and thaw everyone out. Phoebe resumed blasting Garraka. Callie, Gary, and Trevor helped stabilize Phoebe from the power of the stream. Phoebe and Nadeem held Garraka at bay until he was trapped in the Containment Unit.

Secondary Canon History

Animated Series

The Proton Pack in the animated series was recolored blue/dark blue, and the cyclotron has three lights instead of four.

For even more information of the animated version of this character go to the animated article.

IDW Comics

When banished by Koza'Rai to the four corners of time and space, each of the original three Ghostbusters modified and constructed their own Proton Packs. Peter was modeled after the Old West-era, Ray's from Arthurian times, and Egon armed his own military force with Packs. In 1780, Leonardo da Vinci modified Janine Melnitz' Pack then made at least three more for the rookies she hired. Rachel Unglighter used magic on her own versions, dubbed "Mega-Packs," that she claimed were upgraded and there was no longer a danger in crossing the streams. It also had the ability to "freeze" ghosts with the flip of a blue switch.

Years later, before the Schenectady case, Egon removed the cooling covers from the Proton Packs. The removal made the packs lighter but apparently the covers presented something of a cancer risk.[5] When considering shooting the human host of the Hungry Manitou, Egon believed a weak spread would only cause short term memory loss and possible violent bowel evacuation.[6] After the Schenectady case, Egon modified the potency of the packs to compensate for the prolonged surge affecting the ambient psychokinetic energy. After the Ghostbusters were imprisoned in the Collectors' Limbo, they used Ray's Proton Pack to jury rig a controlled explosion and rip a hole in the interdimensional fabric just wide enough for them to slip through and return home despite the small chance the explosion could cause the dimension to fold over their own and destroy both places.

During the Chi-You incident, the Ghostbusters and Turtles had to split into two teams to deal with Chi-You and start building an Interspatial Teleportation Unit. Before one team set off for the Madison Square Garden, Ray Stantz gave his spare pack to Donatello. Before Michelangelo could finish asking for one, too, Leonardo shot down the request. When Chi-You was in possession of Winston, his Proton Pack was also transmogrified. The pack took on the appearance of a turtle shell. At some point, the Ramis Boards were upgraded from a six-pin to an eight-pin. This allowed the Proton Packs to have access to a wider energy spectrum.[7][8] Ron Alexander went back to his Ghost Smashers equipment and supposedly fixed the flaw in his design. Believing it wouldn't cause the same problem as before, he added the atomizing stream option to his Boson Caster and to the Chicago Ghostbusters' throwers. The current model of Proton Pack is Mark 4.2.[9] During a mission to recapture the Hungy Manitou in a parallel dimension, Patty Tolan of Dimension 80-C realized the Proton Streams weren't enough against the Giant Murder Clown. Ray Stantz of Dimension 68-R thought they stood a chance when Garrett Miller of Dimension 68-E fought back against the Hungry Manitou and its readings went into flux. Janine knew they needed something else. Ron came to and told Gabriel Sitter of Dimension 50-S to cut his Proton Pack off and call the "fat guy" over. Gabriel assumed he was talking about Ray 68-R. At first, he didn't get it but Ron explained the Proton Grenade stunned the clown but blowing up the Proton Pack would be strong enough to free Garrett. Ray 68-R agreed and congratulated him for saving Garrett's life. Ron could care less, he needed a doctor fast. Ray 68-R threw the pack into the air and ordered everyone to shoot it. The explosion dispersed the Giant Murder Clown and freed Garrett then the Hungry Manitou was trapped soon after.

Proton Packs were built for Ectotron and Optimus Prime in the Warehouse. Winston finished welding the packs to frames and suggested things would go faster if Peter pitched in. Peter quipped it wasn't even Tuesday but still couldn't believe Ray thought they would work. Ray startled Peter from behind and claimed they would work then invited them to test them. Ectotron went first and accidentally blew up the Ecto-Gyro. Peter realized Janine was right to worry about him. Ectotron apologized and promised to fix everything he broke. The packs weren't enough to confine Kremzeek so the Ghostbusters opted to disperse him. The ghosts of Megatron, Soundwave, Shockwave, and Starscream were freed as a result. Optimus tried diplomacy first but it failed. He disconnected his Proton Pack from his Ion Blaster plugged the pack cord directly into his right wrist. He stated he was just tired of war but wasn't afraid of no ghost. He generated a Proton Axe.

Tertiary Canon History

Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime

Over the next decade, Egon and Ray continue to make upgrades to the Proton Packs. Egon's and Ray's studies on paranormal entities have revealed that Ectoplasm can be charged with different sub-atomic charges. The junior team are the first to use this new version of the Packs, complete with the Proton Beam, Fermion Shock, and Plasma Inductor options. Each option is designed to disperse an entity with a specific weakness to a certain energy frequency and thus, reduce the need for the Ghost Traps.

Function & Use

Primary Canon Function & Use

The Proton Packs are special, for they are the only piece of technology in the world that has the ability to strip electrons away from protons. It has a hand-held wand known as a "Particle Thrower" (also known as a Proton Gun or Neutrona Wand) connected to a backpack-sized particle accelerator. The Proton Pack, also referred to as a charged particle accelerator, functions by using a miniature cyclotron. A cyclotron is a compact particle accelerator, which in this case is used as a positron collider, smashing together positrons (also known as anti-electrons, the positively-charged antimatter counterpart of electrons, which are negatively-charged in normal matter). The resulting material is fed to the Particle Thrower, which is used to direct this stream of positively-charged subatomic anti-particles that are capable of caging and cancelling the energy of any negatively charged ectoplasmic entities that are held in an active stream, even if they are out of phase with reality. In practical terms, the Particle Thrower fires a stream of "positive energy" that allows a wielder to ensnare the "negative energy" of a ghost, both holding them in place and somewhat neutralizing their power. The stream reacts to ghost energy and uses that energy to hold the ghost in place so it can be positioned above a Trap for capture. Even if a ghost becomes invisible or intangible, their negative energy still exists, though it is slightly out of phase with normal reality. The positive stream neutralizes their invisibility or phaseshift ability and forces them back in sync with our reality and holds them in place for capture.

The Proton Packs are nuclear powered. The power cells of the Proton Pack have a half life of 5,000 years.[10]

List of Parts

Primary Canon Parts

From Ghostbusters Official (Web Site) circa 2017, see Behind the Scenes in Gallery

From Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Upgraded Proton Pack From Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire[12]

Secondary Canon Parts

IDW Comics Parts

Inconsistencies

Ray's Proton Pack in the first movie on the first bust is falsely assumed to have yellow lights in the upper part near the blue "powercell lights" (the blue light bar that flashes vertically). It is actually due to the black paint being worn off of the fiberglass shell, allowing the power cell lights to illuminate through. This flaw however, was carried over onto the experimental proton packs seen in Ghostbusters: The Video Game as an aesthetic feature, where the developers at Terminal Reality likely used Ray's Proton Pack as a reference model.

Known Variants

Trivia

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia

Ghostbusters II Trivia

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trivia

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trivia

Ghostbusters: Dead Man's Chest Trivia

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trivia

IDW Comics Trivia

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Trivia

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord Trivia

Miscellaneous Trivia

Also See

External Links

Appearances

Primary Canon Appearances


Expanded Universe

Secondary Canon Appearances

Tertiary Canon Appearances

References

  1. ↑ Ray Stantz (2024). Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Chapter 14 (2024) (Blu-ray ts. 01:27:13-01:27:18). Sony Pictures. Ray Stantz says: "Wow, he managed a faster decay of split time and narrowed the stream intensification."
  2. ↑ Ray Stantz (2024). Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Chapter 14 (2024) (Blu-ray ts. 01:26:15-01:26:17). Sony Pictures. Ray Stantz says: "Especially if its psychically charged."
  3. ↑ Phoebe Spengler (2024). Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Chapter 14 (2024) (Blu-ray ts. 01:26:26-01:26:30). Sony Pictures. Phoebe Spengler says: "Our proton packs use nickel and zinc as primary drivers for spectral agitation."
  4. ↑ Phoebe Spengler (2024). Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Chapter 14 (2024) (Blu-ray ts. 01:26:43-01:26:47). Sony Pictures. Phoebe Spengler says: "If I brass-plate the components of my pack, it could give us a chance."
  5. ↑ Egon Spengler (2012).IDW Comics- "Issue #5" (2012) (Comic p.17).
  6. ↑ Egon Spengler (2012).IDW Comics- "Issue #6" (2012) (Comic p.3).
  7. ↑ Ray Stantz (2015). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #3" (2015) (Comic p.14). Ray says: "Your packs have access to that wide of an energy spectrum?"
  8. ↑ Ray Stantz (2015). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters: Get Real Issue #3" (2015) (Comic p.14). Ray says: "It was a snap once we upgraded the Ramis Boards from a six-pin to an eight!"
  9. ↑ Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 101 #4" (2017) (Comic p.23). Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes reads: "Proton Pack (Mark 4.2)."
  10. ↑ Egon Spengler (1999). Ghostbusters II, Chapter 12: Two in the Box (1989) (DVD ts. 34:10-34:13). Columbia Pictures. Egon Spengler says: "It should. The power cells have a half-life of 5,000 years."
  11. ↑ Phoebe Spengler (2022). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Chapter 7 (2021) (Blu-Ray ts. 45:00-45:02). Sony Pictures. Phoebe Spengler says: "Two of the CRT Emitters are missing."
  12. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "The New Proton Pack - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 2:36 3/22/2024 Factoid reads: "Proton Pack Upgrades."
  13. ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 68 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "In the July and August drafts, Spengler conducts an early demonstration of the experimental ghostbusting equipment for his comrades at the firehall. Since the self-contained unit is still under development, the existing prototype is plugged into an AC outlet. An audible surge of power runs from the wall socket along the extension cord to the power pack on Spengler's back. The pack heats up to 550 degrees and kicks the electrical surge back down the wire to the wall outlet which melts. At once, all the lights in the room black out. Compounding the gag, the action then cuts to an exterior of the firehouse as all the lights in and on the building go out, as does the street lamp and the stoplight at the corner. Then the action cuts once again to a long shot of downtown office buildings as they all black out in rapid succession, leaving dark silhouettes against the night sky."
  14. ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 23). Paragraph reads: "An audible surge of power runs from the wall socket along the extension cord to the power pack on Spengler's back. The pack heats up to 550 degrees and kicks the electrical surge back down the wire to the wall outlet which melts. At once, all the lights in the room black out.""
  15. ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 115). Paragraph reads: "EXT. LOADING DOCK The Ectomobile is parked there. Winston and Spengler are charging all the packs off the building current.""
  16. ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1983). Ghostbusters (First Draft August 5, 1983) (Script p. 22). Egon Spengler says: "This is the Proton Pack, Peter.""
  17. ↑ Alex Newborn Facebook "Alex Newborn's 1989 Ghostbusters Scrapbook" (Scan of People Magazine June 18, 1984) 8/1/2018
  18. ↑ Travers, Peter (1984). People Magazine (June 18, 1984. Vol 21, No. 24), p. 10. Meredith Corporation, New York NY USA. ISSN 0093-7673 Line reads: "Going into business to serve the public's "supernatural elimination" needs, the team, sporting proton packs and neutrana wand, tools around Manhattan in an Ectomobile (it's not supposed to make sense)."
  19. ↑ Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 69 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "The proton packs and nutrona wands were constructed in balsawood and cardboard prototype form by Steven Dane -- with significant input from Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd -- and then turned over to Chuck Gaspar for actual construction."
  20. ↑ "Beyond the Marquee: The Web-Series (Episode 70) – The GHOSTBUSTERS Ecto-1 Car and Designer Stephen Dane" 9/18/14
  21. ↑ Harold Ramis (1999). Ghostbusters- Commentary (1999) (DVD ts. 30:32-30:45). Columbia TriStar Home Video. Harold Ramis says: "These packs weighed about 30 pounds fully loaded. We had different versions of them. Some were rubber for when we did stunts. Some had no batteries when we weren't firing the guns. The fully loaded with batteries were about 30 pounds."
  22. ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Cinefex #40, p. 7. Cinefex, USA. Harold Ramis says: "On the first film, we had to wear them all the time and the effects guy did not come up with lighter models until right near the end of the shoot. Those original backpacks were really heavy. After that film, we all had to have our spines straightened--our spines looked like Mulholland Drive by the time we were through. The actual operational backpacks weighed about fifty pounds but they were almost twenty pounds lighter if the batteries were left out."
  23. ↑ Cinema Relics YouTube "Is This Proton Pack From the Original Ghostbusters? | Cinema Relics Investigates w/ Adam Savage" 00:59-01:17 6/6/2026 Dan Lanigan says: "This pack somehow - a company called Hollywood Casino which has a couple of casinos and they decorate their place with movie props - sometime in the 90's acquired this and displayed it there not 20 miles from my house. Yes. And I had no idea it was there."
  24. ↑ Eisenberg, Adam (November 1989). Cinefex #40, p. 7. Cinefex, USA. Harold Ramis says: "Fortunately, for the second film they made a lightweight model--only about twenty-eight pounds--that did not light up as much but still looked good."
  25. ↑ Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 39). Egon Spengler says: "We never tested to find out how long the fuel cells would last without recharging. We may have no power."
  26. ↑ Farley, Jordan (November 2021). Spiritual Reawakening, Total Film magazine #317, page 42. Future Publishing, UK. Line reads: "In order to recreate Egon's Proton Pack, Harold Ramis' original prop was Lidar-scanned, rebuilt "down to the millimetre" and aged to give it "the kind of battle scars you would think it would have by now"."
  27. ↑ Grove, David (November 2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife Links The Original Busters To The Next Generation - And Pays Tribute To A Fallen Hero, SFX Magazine #345, page 32. Future Publishing, UK. Article reads: "I'll never forget pulling the original proton packs from Sony's archives in order to scan them for our own equipment. Violet Ramis, Harold's daughter, joined us that day and actually tried on her father's pack. She was nervous at first but eventually slipped her arms through the straps and took up the blaster. She began to well up, and by the time that she put the pack down, we were both shaking"
  28. ↑ Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 110. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Line reads: "To recreate one of the cinema's most iconic film props, consulting propmaster Guillaume DeLouche obtained the original proton packs from the Sony archives and enlisted The Hand Prop Room in Los Angeles to undertake the tall order of replicating them."
  29. ↑ dredmakerroberts Tik Tok "What frame and shoulder straps were used for the ghostbusters afterlife packs?" 00:31-1:11 12/10/2021 Ben Eadie says: "This is what I've seen so that being said is that it's a knock off A.L.I.C.E. frame, pretty standard US issue style with the standard US shoulder pads and hip pad. There's a few reasons for it. One, it's a little less expensive to make those props if you have to buy a bunch of them. Two, is because you can buy from the same manufacturing stock run is that they're all going to look exactly the same. Which means you can beat them up to look the exactly same, you don't have to worry about color paint matches or anything like that. If you buy some of the random ones you can find on eBay that are not stock then you are going to have a bunch that don't match. And a few of them you're going to have to throw out and that becomes a bit of a logistical pain."
  30. ↑ Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 114. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Guillaume DeLouche says: "We molded a lot of the parts separately, around seventeen molds. Everything was recast and regrown."
  31. ↑ Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 114. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Line reads: "The hero packs were then cast in an aluminum housing and wired with elaborate lighting effects, which for the first time depict the positively charged ions spinning within the cyclotron."
  32. ↑ Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 114. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Guillaume DeLouche says: "Any of the original little pieces that we could find through suppliers were used to recreate what the original prop makers had done. Any parts that could not be found were molded, grown (with a 3D printer), cast, and remanufactured."
  33. ↑ Tested YouTube "Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 2:02-2:20 10/6/2021 Ben Eadie says: "Well, especially when you take into account there was -- let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven different styles of packs. So yeah, it--they're all the same foundation but it changes from scene to scene depending on what was going on and some of them are so so very cool."
  34. ↑ Tested YouTube "Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 3:05-3:08 10/6/2021 Ben Eadie says: "And we were even creating some on the fly as needed."
  35. ↑ Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 95. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Francois Audouy says: "Our initial instinct was to have a regular proton pack bolted to the back of the seat."
  36. ↑ The Black Firehouse Podcast Spotify "Session 3: Ghostbusters Afterlife Gunners Seat & Sentry Proton Packs" 23:29-23:31 1/25/2022 Jordin Johanson says: "That was actually built by cutting up a foam stunt pack with a hack saw."
  37. ↑ The Black Firehouse Podcast Spotify "Session 3: Ghostbusters Afterlife Gunners Seat & Sentry Proton Packs" 29:56-30:08 1/25/2022 Jordin Johanson says: "I think it was plastic or wood. It was laser cut on a Glowforge we had running in the little props area we were working in which we shared with set dec."
  38. ↑ Inguanzo, Ozzy (2021). Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Art and Making of the Movie, p. 82. Titan Books, London UK, ISBN 1789096529. Caption reads: "Progress photos of the "disassembled" hero prop, fabricated by The Hand Prop Room with interior details and moving parts that could be reconstructed by the actor on camera."
  39. ↑ Hasbro Pulse Youtube "Hasbro Pulse Con 2021 - DAY ONE" 10/22/2021 Jason Reitman says: "It's the first time we fire up the Proton Pack in the movie. We shot it on Day Two. And it was the moment we all realized we were making a Ghostbusters movie."
  40. ↑ Tested YouTube "Adam Savage's One Day Builds: Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 9:16-9:23 10/6/2021 Adam Savage says: "I think that location is underneath this, the ion arm. And so did Jason Reitman so he put a switch there."
  41. ↑ dredmakerroberts Tik Tok "What is the deal with the switch on the proton pack?" 00:24-1:03 12/9/2021 Ben Eadie says: "Now just like any large company or group of whoever, miscommunications happen so when these packs showed up, they actually showed up with the switch on the wrong spot and-so we had to figure things out. We took the ion arm where it was supposed to be and we ended up cutting a hole making a new switch and tossing it in there. And that switch actually works. It was a functioning switch which was quite handy actually for those of us on set working on it. That all being said, Peter White kinda saved the day by jamming a couple of those switches in at the last moment and making that all happen."
  42. ↑ dreadmakerroberts Tik Tok "What switch was used in the proton pack for ghostbusters afterlife?" 00:33-00:45 12/16/2021 Ben Eadie says: "Right there, we ended up just putting a tiny light switch in and cutting the light switch down so that the actual toggle looks like the breaker and placing another plate on it just to get it in the right spot and actual functioning switch."
  43. ↑ Variety "How ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Pays Homage to the Original With Audio Easter Eggs" 11/24/2021 Article reads: "As it turns out, Columbia Pictures did a really good job of archiving, and Files discovered a treasure trove of sounds. There were also digitized work tapes from the original sound designer — as well as outtakes that had never been used in the first film. Those outtakes sounded like part of the "Ghostbusters" world, so Files used some in the teaser. Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) turning on the pack for the first time was one of the very first sequences Files created. But since the pack was supposed to be 30 years old, he took the original sounds and added new notes that made it feel rusty and miscalibrated. "It hasn't been turned on in so long," he explains, "it needs that shake-up and for the oil to be redistributed." For the spinning of the pack as it's starting up, Files recorded an old railroad welding turbine from the 1800s. "We did a lot of experiments taking those original sounds and made new sounds of them. We took the wand and proton stream sound and processed it and made it sound like it was spinning around. It's what you hear when you're up close on the back of the pack and you see the light," says Files."
  44. ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Fan First Monday | Ghostbusters HasLab Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack Livestream" 30:49-31:12 11/22/2021 Ben Eadie says: "It was definitely a collaborative effort but you know there was things like the wiring harness wasn't correct and if it wasn't for Eric and his contacts, the right wire harness probably wouldn't have shown up so it really-it branched right across the board like people from set deck and people in other departments were all in pointing out flaws and making sure that everything was perfect."
  45. ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Fan First Monday | Ghostbusters HasLab Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack Livestream" 32:35-33:08 11/22/2021 Ben Eadie says: "You know when we got the packs, we had the cyclotron would spin and that was great but it was, you could only manually adjust the speed sort of with a potentiometer on the back of the pack and it just didn't quite sit right with me so what I ended up doing was is I ended up hooking up a remote control module to the back of it so that I could adjust the speed of the motor so when you see it being turned on it would start and it would start to cycle and then speed up and speed up and finally get to that full ready to shoot mode and that was definitely something that I love and I like to see."
  46. ↑ Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Hero Props!" 3:32-3:33 10/18/2021 Jason Reitman says: "An actual mechanical cyclotron."
  47. ↑ Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Hero Props!" 3:09-3:17 10/18/2021 Ben Eadie says: "This was all requested by Jason really. There's some scenes that require a little more detail in the start up."
  48. ↑ Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects Ghostbusters: Afterlife's Hero Props!" 5:15-5:27 10/18/2021 Ben Eadie says: "And originally, it was just spinners normally, uh, we had the acceleration thing so we upgraded with the little motor controller and the RC. That was one of my little added touches to get things working the way we needed them to show properly."
  49. ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Fan First Monday | Ghostbusters HasLab Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack Livestream" 33:11-33:30 11/22/2021 Ben Eadie says: "One of the added bonuses to that is that if you're watching the movie and you listen to the audio track, what blew me away when I first watched it was is that sound that machine makes is in there. It's been adjusted but the actual sound that the pack made is right in the movie and it makes me smile. I love seeing stuff like that."
  50. ↑ Dolby YouTube "Embracing Sonic Nostalgia with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" | Sound + Image Lab" 51:00-51:07 11/23/2021 Will Files says: "And you know what's funny about that-that was the first sequence we cut. That was the first-that was the first sound design we made for the movie."
  51. ↑ Dolby YouTube "Embracing Sonic Nostalgia with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" | Sound + Image Lab" 9:24-10:28 11/23/2021 Will Files says: "So I spent a couple days mining the Sony Archives to find all the original elements and it turns out that they've done an amazing job of curating all these from you had all the original stems from the 84 film. We had a lot of original elements from Richard Beggs who was the sound designer on the original film including a lot of material that never made it into the original film so we had raw work tape recordings of him just goofing around which you could hear him combining sounds and playing with synthesizers so we had all these things sort of like you know when you hear a famous song by like The Beatles but it's an outtake. It's like 'Oh, that's that's that song but there's these differences in it you know and that was actually a real wealth of material for us because we were able to use things especially for that first teaser. We're like 'Well that's almost the sound but it's not quite the sound so I was able to take it and make it sound like it was misfiring by combining it with other things and then finally when you know the final one hits, it's the one that we all know ."
  52. ↑ Dolby YouTube "Embracing Sonic Nostalgia with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" | Sound + Image Lab" 52:00-53:55 11/23/2021 Will Files says: "We took a lot of Richard's original sounds including all you know all this sound when she's turning on all the different things and it's making all the different beeps and stuff, a lot of that was actually sounds that he had made that never made it in the film so most of those sounds were things that he had made 30-40 years ago and then we were assembling in a way that felt you know took a lot of manipulation and careful stitching together but that's was I think one of the reasons that it feels so authentic was that it was all that stuff-it was 40 year old synthesizer and recordings and things like that. And then the next challenge was how do you make the specifics of that the cyclotron and what does that sound like and things like like that so that was where we sort of took more creative license. We took some of the original identifiable Proton Pack sounds and we started using more modern techniques like let's doppler that and make make it sound like it's swirling around. Let's-there's a piece of software called Sound Particles that basically let's us build particle systems much like you would for creating visual effects for fire or water of things like that and you can take a sound and feed it in there and it can create thousands of little sound particles from that sound and then you can have them swirl around and do things that physically we could never actually do but it has this really cool effect so we made a bunch of stuff like that and you know tried to weave it together in a way that felt not just sort of mechanical but almost like musical where it was one thing was becoming another and then another and and another and then it was also just wonderful that was a moment that Jason was like 'I don't want to play music on this so you guys have to make it work with just sound design.' Yeah."
  53. ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Fan First Monday | Ghostbusters HasLab Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack Livestream" 35:32-36:42 11/22/2021 Ben Eadie says: "At the very beginning of the show, we had shot some stuff out in an industrial area and then afterwards we're shooting the Ecto and in my infinite lack of wisdom, one of the throwers was left behind. The one that belonged in the Ecto. So what I ended up doing out of half panic and half trying to figure it out is as I went to one of the Phoebe packs, forgive me Eric, and I cut the wand off and I taped it onto the hose on the Ecto. I then realized that the problem we had was is that this was like sort of the second set of scenes we'd done so I was okay as far as that modification went. There's only one scene that potentially would come up that would have hat on it and so we spent the rest of the time putting all the wands back but adding that chunk of tape to every hose and every pack so that we had the continuity so it was this sort of backwards scramble thing and I think you're the first people to know about this and Eric's probably thinking like, "Oh my God," but while these things happen."
  54. ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Fan First Monday | Ghostbusters HasLab Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack Livestream" 39:05-39:39 11/22/2021 'Ben Eadie says: "And another one actually that happened and this was this was sort of like the bane of my existence during the Ecto-1 scenes is is that every time that jump seat came out, it it would knock off one of the pieces on the bumper and so each time that you see that come out, imagine that shot taking 20 or 30 more takes and me going in there with CA glue 20 or 30 more times going 'One minute,' gluing stuff together, holding it, they're going 'Okay, ready, go,' and praying that it didn't fall off while they were shooting the next scene."
  55. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "Ben Eadie - Ghostbusters: Afterlife Props, RTV Trap, & Stories from set" 56:11-56:20 12/3/2021 Ben Eadie says: "We get all these packs in and they're not quite what Jason wants and we're like 'okay we gotta make this good' and--"
  56. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "Ben Eadie - Ghostbusters: Afterlife Props, RTV Trap, & Stories from set" 56:27-56:39 12/3/2021 Ben Eadie says: "And Peter's like 'you know I don't care what it'll take' and he put in some major major hours over a weekend along with a bunch of the Alberta Ghostbusters."
  57. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "Ben Eadie - Ghostbusters: Afterlife Props, RTV Trap, & Stories from set" 58:05-58:11 12/3/2021 Ben Eadie says: "The narrative is that they're controlled by that P.K.E. and that-that's a scratch build from this, the, Shannon Chapel guy."
  58. ↑ Hasbro Pulse YouTube "Fan First Monday | Ghostbusters HasLab Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack Livestream" 38:34-39:04 11/22/2021 Ben Eadie says: "The thing is that Bill Murray, you love him but like when he'd done acting, he just starts walking off the set and he's stripping down. He'll put things down and you know the the pack will be laying on the floor and his belt will be on the table somewhere so if you're not on them and following them around you're going to lose pieces so you know and when things get put down they, you know, people might be walking past and in this case Bill put down the pack somewhere and somebody kicked it. It knocked a few pieces loose but you know, you come in and glue it."
  59. ↑ Countdown City Geeks YouTube "Alexis Forte Interview - Ghostbusters Frozen Empire Costume Designer" 22:50-23:27 3/29/2024 Alexis Forte says: "And so I wanted to do another little nod to her wearing something else that's like a little symbol so the little circular pattern that she has are the circles on the side of the Proton Pack when it's a circle, half-circle, semi-circle so I work with the graphic designer. We put the circles on a little line and create a pattern that was mix matched and getting options of it silkscreened onto linens and printed onto cottons and all that is so time consuming for a little easter egg someone may or may not notice."
  60. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "The New Proton Pack - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 1:02 3/22/2024 Factoid reads: "Over 20 different Proton Packs were built for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."
  61. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Firehouse!" 11:03-11:04 3/12/2024 Jason Reitman says: "The Proton Locker."
  62. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Tours the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Firehouse!" 11:19-11:23 3/12/2024 Mckenna Grace says: "They're blinking red whenever they're charging and they take them when they're green."
  63. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube " The Practical Special Effects of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire!" 8:13-8:57 3/19/2024 Andy Bunce says: "Okay, so we got the motor here. Belt driven. There's an abrasive paper on outside of this drum. This is the battery pack for it and ten there's pin cylinders all the way and under. Eight of them. This is the sequencer and that will pulse them. When they go faster, slower. That's your air tank."
  64. ↑ In Love with the Process Podcast "EP 296 | The Set Designer: Rebuilding the Ghostbusters Firehouse (w/ Luke Whitelock)" 1:12:08-1:12:53 3/5/2024 Luke Whitelock says: "We had to so the pole--the fire poles--the holes for the fire poles are three foot in diameter. The pole in the middle of it, that gives you one foot six. 18 inches of you grabbing it and sliding down. And they wanted to have one of the actors in the Proton Packs sliding down the pole. The problem is when you a Proton Pack on, you can't fit down the hole, so we had to do this cheat where we made a slimmer version of the Proton Packs. Like a rubber version so if it caught--so if it didn't catch the edge of the hole, it wouldn't hurt them."
  65. ↑ Ghostbusters Fans Doug McCarthy reply 3/5/2024 Doug McCarthy says: "A few were. Rest were all custom made according to a friend in the props dept. The practical sparking pack was built inside a haslab and another sfx pack that bret made."
  66. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects the NEW Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 3:21-3:30 3/14/2024 Ben Hall says: "Eight of these. We've made eight new packs. All goes on a rack on the the van that comes out when they arrive."
  67. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "The New Proton Pack - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 0:23 3/22/2024 Factoid reads: "The Frozen Empire Proton Pack has over 20 new upgrades and additions to the packs featured in Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters 2."
  68. ↑ Your Geek Fix YouTube 6:21-6:33 5/24/2024 Ben Hall says: "I redid that--the bumper because we had four options and I thought "Well that one looked the best" so I just made it up and sprayed it yellow and stuck it on a pack and Gil loved it"
  69. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "The New Proton Pack - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 2:00-2:14 3/22/2024 Lee Newell says: "So this back pad here, which I made just for a bit more comfort because they are quite heavy. Even though this is the traditional Alice frame back, which we all know and love, the Ghostbusters has made it themselves. So rather it being something that was stuck."
  70. ↑ Yes Have Some YouTube "The New Proton Pack - Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" 2:20-2:32 3/22/2024 Lee Newell says: "It took four different suppliers to find the exact tape because we couldn't use tape that had a white backing because then if it peeled off right, we didn't want to see the white."
  71. ↑ Your Geek Fix YouTube 27:52-27:58 5/24/2024 Ben Hall says: "Lagging insulation. You know, the pipe insulation lagging that you get that goes around copper pipe?"
  72. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects the NEW Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 3:50-4:00 3/14/2024 Ben Hall says: "The speed of those, the intensity of that, any of these lights can all be adjusted by--on DMX by the electricians on practical sparks."
  73. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects the NEW Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 6:33-6:37 3/14/2024 Ben Hall says: "We are. Yes, we did buy a few bits to help us start off at the beginning."
  74. ↑ Adam Savage's Tested YouTube "Adam Savage Inspects the NEW Ghostbusters Proton Pack!" 6:42-7:05 3/14/2024 Ben Hall says: "We managed to buy a base unit here which I think really saved us a lot of time and the ones we produced were about a kilo and a half lighter than the Ghostcor--the Mack's Factory ones that we bought. Quite heavy duty so we saved a bit of weight. So we put little bit of weight on there so it kind of swings roundabouts."
  75. ↑ GBTVGReferenceCrossingTheStreamsRV.jpg
  76. ↑ Dan Schoening post IDW Forums 6/4/12
  77. ↑ Dapperpomade Tweet 3/20/14
  78. ↑ Egon Spengler (2016). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters International #6" (2016) (Comic p.13). Egon Spengler says: "This equipment wasn't tested for use in the water."
  79. ↑ Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 101 #4" (2017) (Comic p.23). Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes reads: "This beam (though dangerous and potentially very destructive) is able to either ensnare a psychokinetic entity (a typical spectral manifestation) or, at a higher setting, disperse a manifestation completely (it should be noted that dispersal should only be used as a last resort; the spectral energy will eventually reform -- and if there's more to be had from a rash of blown-up ghosts, well, the danger is that they'll get together as a far more dangerous single entity)."
  80. ↑ TomWaltz Tweet 6/28/18
  81. ↑ Ray Stantz (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #2" (2020) (Comic p.6). Ray Stantz says: "Uh, we actually had that left over from a previously approved experiment."
  82. ↑ Oculus "Update 5.1 Notes - Original 1984 Proton Pack - Out Now! Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord" 4/25/2024
  83. ↑ Walter Peck (2024). Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Chapter 11 (2024) (Blu-ray ts. 01:05:56-01:05:59). Sony Pictures. Walter Peck says: "Your packs are in a police lockup. They'll be melted down for scrap by morning."
  84. ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.46). Paragraph reads: "Fortunately, we were able to escape by rewiring a proton pack to explode."
  85. ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.60). Paragraph reads: "In fact, it only caused the still-hungry Lilith to attack bystanders until driven off by a boson dart---a burst of boson particles delivered from our proton packs that hits spectral targets like a grenade."
  86. ↑ Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.74). Paragraph reads: "We were brought in not because they thought it was a supernatural occurrence, but because they thought we could "atomize the bugs" with our proton packs."

Gallery

Primary Canon Collages

Primary Canon Images

Secondary Canon Images

Tertiary Canon Images

Behind the Scenes Images