I helped fund this kickstarter a few years back.  I’ve been waiting on it for quite a while, and it FINALLY showed up today.

Fantasy Treasure Chest Kickstarter

It’s far overdue, and not quite in the condition originally promised, but I guess that’s a Kickstarter for you.  It was missing one of the keys I ordered, and replacement parts were shipped with it for better metal components rather than having been installed by the seller.  The seller had also promised “something extra” with the chests if we didn’t demand refunds.  I didn’t see anything extra, other than parts that should have been installed in the first place.  Still debating how I feel about this.

Thankfully, though, I haven’t seen any signs of the mold that some of the chests got in the shipping process from China.

Caveat:  This is not sponsored, and it is far from being comprehensive research on my part.

I was toying with the idea of how to make a crystal ball (my favorite example being the viewing globe from Power Rangers), and started poking around.  I came across the following article that came out last year, where someone made something that looks a lot like a crystal ball.

360-degree screen-free floating 3D image in a crystal ball using a spatially imaged iris and rotational multiview DFD technologies

It looks like a cool advancement, though I was hoping for something much more portable (and less cost-intensive).  The display really does look like a crystal ball, with a lot of attachments around it, as it uses a bunch of cell phones as projectors.

And… on to more browsing!

Last year, Spirit Halloween finally got around to making the Deluxe Proton pack.  Which, of course, I snapped up.

It’s not quite full scale, but it’s definitely a more affordable entry into Ghostbuster costuming than had been available in the past.  Also, lightweight, and pre-assembled.

This year, apparently Spirit Halloween got the message about Ghostbusters still being popular, and drastically exploded the available gear, and addressed an issue that comes up for cons and Halloween.  How do you wear the cool backpack and carry other stuff too.  Ba-bam.  Spirit Halloween, by way of Spencers, presents:

A proton pack with an actual backpack built in, with much-appreciated better straps.  It’s the same shell (with small tweaks), but you can actually carry stuff in it.

The lineup this year also includes some important accessories, the PKE meter, ecto-goggles, and the ghost trap!

So, this jumpstarted me finally getting around to building the Ghostbusters costume I’ve always wanted.  A lot of the stuff is still on the way, and I’m really excited.

The pack and the trap have already arrived, and I’m pretty happy with them (though I’m already getting some ideas for upgrades/modifications.

This does present a bit of a quandary, though.  How do I store/display this stuff when I’m not using it.  The pack was easy to figure out.  There are command strip wall hooks that are rated for enough weight for the pack.  The trap is a bit harder if I want to put it on the wall in a way that I can quickly get it back off again.  I’m considering getting some calipers out, and designing a holder for it that will also use command adhesive strips.

At any rate, this is the year I’m finally doing it!  Finally gonna get my Ghostbuster costume together!

Disclaimer:  None of the post was sponsored by anyone.  I just really like this stuff.