Ghosts of Christmas Past

This post was supposed to be the next in my “Beyond Ghostbusters” series – I’d chosen the movie, found the relevant miniatures and knew the basic gist of what I was going to say…

However, it would appear that my mind has rebelled against what it perceives as a series of relatively serious posts, so instead we’re getting some seasonal silliness instead!

As the subject matter is of a ghostly nature, as indicated by the title above, there is a link to my overreaching Ghostbusters project, but it is tenuous and highly suspect, so should you choose to skip this post until out regularly scheduled programming resumes, I won’t blame you.

You will be visited by three ghosts…the first being the Ghost of Almost Christmas…

In my initial foray into my “expanded” Ghostbusters universe (in Beyond Ghostbusters – Part1), I introduced you to Gerrish the Ghost-Extinguisher, an Edwardian paranormal investigator and suggested a couple of miniatures to depict him. However, both of these figures broke one of my cardinal rules regarding purchasing single human-scale 28mm miniatures, namely “Thou Shalt Not Spend More Than a Fiver on a Figure (Excluding P&P)”. Luckily, whilst “looking at geeky crap online”, as my wife terms it, I not only found two additional figures, but both are £3.00 each!

Here’s the first;

This is Dr How, available from Ironclad Miniatures, who is obviously inspired by William Hartnell’s depiction of the first Doctor, although his ‘sonic multifunctional tool’ appears to have been influenced by the design of the Ninth Doctor’s. Personally, I’m seeing an Victorian/Edwardian paranormal investigator, armed with a ‘ghost probe’. Although he does also look a bit like Parker from Thunderbirds…

Our next figure is this one, also from Ironclad Miniatures:-

This is Ran Dakroid, whose Spoonerific name and equipment are an obvious nod to Ghostbusters. In my opinion, his ‘ghost rifle’ is a little too chunky and the bandana makes him look like a Steampunk anarchist, but he is another (cheaper) option. I will definitely be getting a Dr How, though, as I do like the figure.

Incidentally, Ironclad Miniatures also do a Victorian ‘Iron Man’, a rather nice Holmes and Watson and the usual “extraordinary gentlemen”, so worth a visit if you are a fan of Victoriana.

The second is…The Ghost of Childhoods Past…

Eight years prior to the debut of the Ghostbusters on an unsuspecting world, my tender young mind was first exposed to televised ghosts, and the introduction of a company whose sole purpose was exactly the opposite of the Ghostbusters. I am, of course, referring to…

This BBC children’s TV series ran from 1976 to 1984, for a total of 9 series and 58 episodes. The basic premise was that a recently deceased Fred Mumford decided to recruit other ‘loser’ ghosts, in order to start a business providing haunting services to those who needed them. His only two recruits were Hubert Davenport, a Victorian gentleman of delicate sensibilities and Timothy Claypole, a mischievous medieval jester. They rented office space from the long-suffering Harold Meaker, who was initially unaware of their ghostly nature and a series of supernatural hijinks ensued.

In 1978, the actor who played Mr Davenport died and the actor portraying Fred declined to return to the series, meaning that Mr Claypole was in charge. However, as he was essentially an idiot, the show degenerated into farce, and my 9-year-old mind rebelled against the introduction of such characters as Hazel the MacWitch and a teleporting pantomime horse named Dobbin…

However, as I have fond memories of the initial four series, I decided to ‘cast’ the four characters from this show, so that you can recreate Rentaghost in 28mm,

To be fair, I did give fair warning, so if you’ve got this far, you only have yourself to blame.

Here is a picture of the cast, so those unfamiliar with this programme will have a frame of reference:

So, given the dearth of 28mm Victorians out there, you would think that Mr Davenport would have been the easiest to find? Not so. The majority of 28mm Victorian gentlemen are either armed, wearing hats or both. Both Wargames Foundry and Westwind Productions had possible figures, but Foundry’s figure was too well-fed and Westwind’s figure had the wrong hair and his clothing was too early. I returned to the source material and realised that Mr Davenport not only resembled Jon Pertwee’s depiction of the Doctor, he was also wearing very similar clothing, so off to Black Tree Design I went…

This is DW301 – 3rd Doctor, available from Black Tree Design’s website for £2.75. Other than the cape, I think this is a pretty good match, so works for me.

Next, Mr Claypole, our medieval jester. This one was slightly easier, as there aren’t that many 28mm medieval jesters out there. I chose this one:

This is from the imaginatively titled RR10 Jester, Page, Dancing Bear and Bear Master pack, available from Irregular Miniatures for £4.50.  Whilst you are buying a pack of four figures just for the jester, you do also get a dancing bear and who doesn’t need a dancing bear?

For our final two figures, we needed miniatures dressed in contemporary clothing from the era in which the show was set, i.e. the late ’70’s…

As we all know, if you want characters from 70’s cult TV shows, you go to Crooked Dice. And if you want 70’s football hooligans and match-day personnel, you would be looking through the Aggro Miniatures range carried by Ainsty Castings. And if you want specific iconic characters from 70’s movies, including Dirty Harry, Woody Allen and that Zuni fetish doll from Trilogy of Terror, you go to Khurasan Miniatures. However, for a good range of 70’s characters, there’s only one place to go and that’s the ‘Geezers! “Shut IT!” range from Killer B Games…

So for Harold Meaker, I’ve chosen this figure:

This is KB-037 Mr Polyester, available for a very reasonable £2.00. He has the requisite hair and ‘tache and, with a suitable paint job, would easily pass as Mr Meaker.

And finally, for Fred Mumford, we have this:

Whilst KB-021 Police Agent with Pistol (also £2.00) is armed, he does have the correct hair style and clothing that is generally associated with Fred Mumford, and you could trim the gun off. Or play a particularly violent and bloody tabletop version of Rentaghost, possibly with the Zuni fetish doll I mentioned above…

And the third will be…the Ghost of Snacks Yet to Come…

I’ll finish up with a picture to tie the whole post together and actually mark it as genuine Ghostbusters post. I was in my local pound shop today and came across these:

So I immediately bought some. I shall be enjoying my official Stay Puft Quality Marshmallows over the Christmas period and hope you all have a very good one too!

Comments, feedback and questions regarding my sanity are welcome and appreciated.

 

“A Unique Fixer-Upper Opportunity…”

As my self-imposed ‘weekend’ deadline for the next update on my Ghostbusters project crept ever closer, I was getting concerned that there would not actually be an update, as real life events appeared to be conspiring against me.

Luckily, Friday and Saturday night I was, like the Pet Shop Boys, ‘left to my own devices’, so out came the paints and the various parts of my Ghostbusters project were arrayed around me, so I could work a little on each as the paint dried on the previous item.

However, progress is sloooooow…

So, let’s start with my “unique fixer-upper opportunity”, namely my firehouse;

All exterior walls are now undercoated in white, which will hopefully make the next part of the painting a lot easier. The smokestack/vent on the roof has had a single coat of GW Chainmail and the front door has had an initial coat of GW Blood Red, but will require several more until I’m happy with it. I still have to paint the interior walls and decide whether I will re-paint the roof, or just give it a wash (it’s currently black). I’ve also removed the doors, so they can be painted separately, as shown below:

Both of the firehouse doors have been undercoated in white, both sides, and the fronts have been given an initial coat of red. If I’d managed to get one of the Plasticville Fire Stations that is actually cast in white and red plastic, I could have saved myself a bit of time. Oh well…

The control panel for my containment grid has been tidied up a bit now and additional components painted, revealing that the two lower vents were made from ‘poppers’ or ‘snap fasteners’, as I believe they are called in the U.S. However, the ‘cable’ which protruded from the bottom of the box into the floor grid fell off – which actually made everything else easier to paint, so I’ll re-attach it later.

As for my Ectomobile, it’s coming along…

Whilst it doesn’t look like it’s had much done to it, bearing in mind it was a dirty cream colour to start with, with writing on both side doors, rear door, roof and along each side, the fact that’s it’s actually white now and you can hardly see the writing is a win for me, along with the fact that I’ve worked out how to get a nice smooth finish without obvious brush strokes. Still undecided about what should go on the roof, although I am leaning towards the retro-style siren and lights above the cab, so we shall see.

As for my Ghostbusters…

The jumpsuits were originally painted in Docrafts Linen and have now received two coats of GW Kommando Khaki, which is a better match to the jumpsuits used in the movies. Even with two coats, it still looks a little patchy, as this particular GW shade is quite thin, so will probably get a further coat. All electronic equipment, i.e. proton packs, PKE Meters, etc. has received an initial coat of GW Chainmail, with the intention of using Black Ink on it, so that the metal shows through on the edges. Vin’buster has received a couple of coats of a GW brown whose label has fallen off, and is now the colour I intended him to be, and my female ‘buster has been given Khaki trousers and blonde hair.

So, that’s the progress so far, but we can’t have a Ghostbusters post without a ‘ghost’, can we? Although, what we have here is actually a Class 7 Inorganic Physical Conglomerate, more commonly known as a Chain Golem…

Alright, so it’s actually a Dreamblade Iron Thug, which has been removed from its massive plastic base and repainted in almost exactly the same colours it came in, but better. This is a nicely detailed miniature, well worth tracking down and whilst it may not be as big as the D&D Miniatures Chain Golem;

The Iron Thug one does actually look like it’s made from animated lengths of chain, which makes it an ideal Ghostbusters baddie, as anyone who has faced the Book Golems in Ghostbusters: The Video Game will know.

That’s all for this weekend’s update, but be sure to check in midweek, when I will (hopefully) have the next instalment  of “Beyond Ghostbusters”, where we will be paying a visit to Texas…

You know who to call…

Beyond Ghostbusters – Part 2

In the first of this series of posts on my suggestions for “expanding” the Ghostbusters universe, we looked at a humorous short story written in 1905 – The Ghost-Extinguisher, full details of which can be found here. This week, we’ll be looking at the first of the movies I think ‘fit’ the comedy-horror tone of the two original Ghostbusters movies and providing suggestions on how you could ‘cast’ this movie in 28mm.

So, for my first pick we will be travelling back in time to an era where, if you wanted to watch a movie, you either went to the cinema, waited for it to be shown on the TV or  rented it from a video store. Yes, we’re talking about the 1980’s…

And this week’s movie is…

If you haven’t seen this movie yet, it can be viewed in it’s entirety on YouTube, by following this handy link.

The rest of this post will assume that you have either watched the movie or have a passing knowledge of it, so may contain spoilers – so either go and watch it first and come back, or be prepared to have some of the plot and creatures given away. You have been suitably warned…

So, the protagonist of this film is Roger Cobb, a Vietnam vet and successful horror writer, but a less-than-successful husband and father. His son went missing a number of years ago and this caused a strain on his marriage, leading to a separation. His favourite aunt has just died, leaving her property to him, the ‘house’ of the title, which he decides to occupy rather than sell, planning on writing a book on his experiences in Vietnam, in order to purge his mind of what he experienced. And this is where the fun begins…

Roger begins experiencing strange phenomena and visions, which initially you’re not entirely sure whether these are real or figments of his imagination, especially when it does not appear that anyone else can see them.

After being attacked by a creature that manifests out of a closet, rather than sitting rocking in a corner or running away, Roger gathers supplies and equipment in an effort to catch the beastie. And things progress from there, until it is revealed who or what is responsible for the haunting.

So, the movie has a credible supernatural threat and a proactive, rather than reactive, lead. The ghosts/demons/creatures, whilst created through physical effects for the most part, are comical and threatening at the same time. And it’s genuinely funny, rather than just thinking it’s funny (Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy, anyone?)

As the movie also deals with a alternate dimension/pocket universe inhabited by creatures and ghosts, which is very much in line with the official Ghostbusters view on the “Ghost World”, which featured in the canon Ghostbusters: The Video Game in 2009 (which will be featured in a later instalment of this series), it feels like it’s part of the same universe. As the events are constrained to a single haunted house in Monrovia, California in 1986, which is not only on the opposite coast from Ghostbusters HQ in New York, but also after they were put under a restraining order, whilst Roger Cobb may have known who to call, it’s unlikely they would have answered…

So that’s the movie, what about the figures? Well, I’ve only cast the creatures, as Roger Cobb spends a large percentage of the movie in what appears to be combat fatigues and my expertise regarding 28mm miniatures of US Army personnel is limited. If anyone has any suggestions, I’ll gladly add the details to the post.

First up, the creature from the closet, which looks like this:

It’s a big, gangly snot monster and you would think that this would be the most difficult to find. However, a trip to Moonraker Miniatures and their Dunwich Detectives range and we find this:

Pretty much spot on, in my opinion. This is 2010a Proto-Shoggoth, Walking, available from their website for a meagre £2.50.

Next we have what is known as ‘Sandywitch’, a demonic entity which initially shows up on his doorstep disguised as his wife, Sandy, then transforms into this:

Nice. For this ‘beauty’, I found this miniature from Reaper Miniatures:

This is Bonnie, Muumuu Zombie from the Chronoscope range and can be bought for $7.99 direct from Reaper here (Other online retailers are available…)

The next creatures are described as ‘little critter’ and are essentially demonic Muppet children:

These were a little more tricky to cast, until I remembered West Wind Productions Kindernacht;

I believe these are supposed to be vampiric children, but I think they’re close enough and you get 8 of these little terrors for £6.00, which is pretty good value. Can be bought direct from West Wind here.

In a brief scene where Roger enters the ghostly dimension through the medicine cabinet, he encounters this grotesque being:

Essentially, it’s a skull-headed gargoyle, so what better figure to use than this?

This is Mortar, Gargoyle from the Reaper Bones line. If you want to be movie accurate, you can trim his ears or replace his head with a skull. Available from the Reaper webstore here for $3.49.

Our final character is Big Ben, the main villain of the movie, an undead U.S. Marine who is haunting Roger in revenge for being left injured for the Viet Cong to find, rather than being finished off by Roger. Here he is:

Looks a bit like Dolph Lungren as he appeared in The Expendables 3…

Anyway, if you need a skeletal marine, there’s only one place to look, and that’s Black Hat Miniatures. They do five different skeletal marines, but the one I think looks most like Big Ben is this one;

This is MM304 – Skeletal Marine V, available from their website here for a modest £2.00. And if you want to see a painted and zombified version of the above, check out Vampifan’s World of the Undead and this particular post. As noted by Bryan in his post, these are on the larger side, so the figure above is 32-33mm in height, so will make an excellent “Big” Ben.

Be sure to check in at the weekend for updates on the Ghostbusters Project and mid next week for the next movie to be added to the “expanded” Ghostbusters universe.

Comments, feedback and opinions welcomed and appreciated.

 

“You Ignorant Disgusting Blob!”

Whilst the above quotation from Ghostbusters II was in reference to a beaker full of psycho-reactive ectoplasm (or “mood-slime”), it seemed apt for this weeks post, as you will discover below…

As mentioned in my last post, my weekend posts will record my progress on my Ghostbusters Project, so let’s see what progress has been made…

The first order of the day was to base my Ghostbusters. As all four of my chosen figures had integral tabs and were supplied with 25mm slottabases, it seemed that this would not be a chore. However, as anyone who has sculpted figures will know, there are days when, no matter what you do, the putty refuses to behave itself. Whether it was the temperature, consistency of the mix or the alignment of the stars on that particular day, no matter what I tried, it proved to be impossible to work with. All I ended up with was a ‘disgusting blob’ masquerading as a base, making it look like the miniature was standing on a pile of manure. Not good.

Rather than completely giving up, I decided to use another tried and tested method, involving polystyrene cement and sandpaper. You cut a rough circle of sandpaper, slightly bigger than the top of the base. Slather the top of the base in polystyrene cement and attach the sandpaper and then leave to dry. As the polystyrene cement will slightly melt the plastic, the sandpaper ain’t going nowhere and you get a ‘sand’ topped base, without throwing actual sand all over your work area. As the sandpaper is pretty uniform in coverage, you also don’t get those horrible clumps that you sometimes get with normal sand. Once dry, file down the over hanging sandpaper until it’s flush with the base. Then superglue your chosen figure to the base and paint away. This particular basing method is good for depicting asphalt, once painted suitable colours.

So, having created four bases using this method, I snipped the tabs off my figures and filed down the undersides of their feet so they would stand straight. The addition of proton packs to Doc Brown and Riddick was accomplished via superglue only, as I currently do not have a pin vice or drill bit of the right diameter. Doc Brown’s straps for his pack were created using fuse wire, cut to the appropriate length, bent to shape and superglued in place. An undercoat of white and some initial block painting was done – mainly to test the colour for their overalls – and this is where we stand with the Ghostbusters so far:

Coming along nicely, in my opinion.

Next up, the ‘Ectomobile’:

To be honest, all that’s been done to this so far is to overpaint the faded cream colour of the original bodywork with a gloss white. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, I couldn’t decide what to put on the roof. Do I go for the standard double light-bar and additional equipment of the Ecto-1? Or just use the chrome light combination of a 1950’s ambulance, with possible some kind of loudspeaker siren affair? Or just leave as is, but put a Ghostbusters symbol on the roof? I still haven’t decided. The second reason was the firehouse – I had forgotten just how long it takes to paint scenery.

Here’s the progress so far:

It’s received a white undercoat on two walls and a grey basecoat on the ramp and interior floor – and it took bloody ages. Here’s another picture with a Ghostbuster and his car, to give an idea of how well this building scales to 28mm.

As you can see, the decorators were a little slapdash with the internal paint-job.

However, we have progressed a little bit further with the containment grid and this is what it looks like now:

Not too shabby, so far. The above picture also shows why I don’t usually show WIPs, as my initial block-painting tends to be a bit…messy. It will look better next time, I promise.

Finally, its time for a spectral visitation. During the Halloween weekend, Comedy Central showed Ghostbusters II and whilst watching the courtroom scene, I realised that the fatter of the two Scoleri Brothers resembled the Heroclix figure of the Blob from the Clobberin’ Time expansion:

This particular figure is a favourite for conversion, one of my favourites being Roger Webb’s zombie clown, which you can see on his post here.

As I’d already added a meat cleaver (from a HeroQuest Orc) to the figure’s right hand, as he was originally going to be a supervillain name ‘Ogre’, it was just a matter of popping him off his base, tidying up his feet and making a hole in his belly, so I could mount him on a flight stand. A suitably ‘spectral’ paint job and here he is…

So, there you have my “ignorant disgusting blob”. Quite a simple conversion, but I think he makes a very suitable Ghostbusters ghost. And here’s a shot of him menacing one of the Ghostbusters, which gives a better view of the meat cleaver.

That’s all for this weekends update, but be sure to look in again midweek, when I’ll be ‘casting’ another movie in my “expanded” Ghostbusters universe.

You know who to call…

Beyond Ghostbusters – Part 1

As mentioned in my previous post (View from the Crow’s Nest – December), December sees the start of my Ghostbusters project. My usual weekend posts will concentrate on my progress with my Ghostbusters, their transportation, headquarters and a selection of spooks, spectres and ghosts to bedevil them with.

So, what’s with the midweek posting then? Well, I also stated that I would be looking at films and fiction that I’ve discovered over the years that I feel comfortably fits within a wider “expanded” Ghostbusters universe, and this is what these midweek posts will be about. The idea is that I’ll feature a movie, short story or other form of media that you may or may not be aware of, explain why I think it “fits” into the Ghostbusters universe and, “cast” the media, by suggesting suitable miniatures to represent the characters.

Or that’s the plan, anyway. You never know what’s going to happen on here, after all…

So, the majority of you will believe that the first fictional representation of the scientific  investigation and capture of spectral entities via the use of a back-mounted device was in the first Ghostbusters movie in 1984. However, this is not strictly true…

Way back in 1905, an American author by the name of Frank Gelett Burgess published a humorous short story under the title “The Ghost-Extinguisher”, in which a scientist-philosopher by the name of Gerrish, using a special formulation gleaned from the Japanese, created a device which rendered spectral entities partially material, allowing him collect them into specially prepared cannisters. The protagonist of the tale patented his idea and became an expert in the field of the removal of troublesome ghosts across the continental United States. Of course, due to the nature of the tale, things didn’t end as well as they’d begun. The entire tale can be read by clicking on the link below, which is an embedded PDF.

The Ghost-Extinguisher

It’s well worth a read, as the ideas within the story are so close to the ideas from Ghostbusters, I would be extremely surprised if Dan Ackroyd hadn’t read this tale before he started on the script for the movie. It’s also pretty funny. However, bear in mind when it was written, as the depiction of the Japanese man from who the protagonist gets his inspiration from has the stereotypical speech pattern that you would associate with a less-enlightened age.

As the events occur 80 years before the events of the first Ghostbusters movie and so closely mirror the kind of technology that would have been available to an Edwardian “Ghostbuster”, I feel that this particular tale does comfortably fit within an “expanded” Ghostbusters universe – possibly the lost beginnings of the business of paranormal investigation and elimination.

So, an Edwardian Ghostbuster, eh? Where would you find a 28mm figure to represent such a thing? Surprisingly, you have two options that I have so far discovered…

Our first potential figure is more “Steampunk” and therefore may not be some tastes…

This is Steampunk Akroyd, Paranormal Investigator, available from the Guild of Harmony for $13.95 AUD, which works out as approximately £6.62. It’s a very nice figure, although the “proton pack” is more clockwork than the fire-extinguisher inspired tank from the story.

Alternatively, we have this…

This is  COTD-37 The Spirit Vaccum, from West Wind Productions Empire of the Dead range, available from their website for £7.00. This is more in line with my visualisation of what I think the Gerrish Ghost-Extinguisher looks like, although it does appear that Abraham Lincoln does not only hunt vampires…

I like both miniatures and, bearing in mind the prices of both are comparable, I’ll probably end up getting one of each, because you can never have enough Ghostbusters, can you?

That’s all for this instalment – be sure to check in at the weekend, when I wax lyrical about misbehaving Milliput and the tedium of painting scenery, as I provide an update on how far I’ve got with the Ghostbusters Project so far. There may even be a spectral visitation…

Comments and feedback, both welcome and appreciated.

 

View From the Crow’s Nest – December

“Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a spook, spectre or ghost? If the answer is ‘Yes,’ then don’t wait another minute. Pick up the phone and call the professionals…”

As hinted at in my previous post (Gods & Monsters), December sees the start of my most ambitious project to date – The Ghostbusters Project. This is something that I have wanted to do for a while, as Ghostbusters is without doubt my favourite film of all time. However, prior to 2014, if you wanted to have Ghostbusters in 28mm, you had to find suitable proxy figures and convert them.

As we wargamers are an enterprising and ingenious lot, I’m not the first to attempt this, as way back in 2009 (which was, incidentally, the 25th anniversary of the first movie), a gentleman named Carmen created his own version of the Ghostbusters, using Heresy Miniatures Inspectors as the basis for his conversions and going so far as to scratch-build teeny-tiny Proton Packs. The results of this labour of love can be found here, which links to the first post of many regarding this project.

Then in August 2014, Crooked Dice released their Paranormal Exterminators. Finally we had representations of Venkman, Stantz, Spengler, Zeddemore and the Class V Free Roaming Vapor that has come to be known as “Slimer.”

But we almost didn’t have them, as whilst Karl of Crooked Dice wanted to make them, Graeme wasn’t as convinced. They sold out of their initial run in five days…

Buoyed by the success of their initial foray into the realms of paranormal investigation and elimination, the first four ‘busters were soon joined by the Harbingers, representing the possessed versions of Dana Barrett and Louis Tully, shortly followed by three more Paranormal Exterminators – Ray with a Slime Blower, Louis as a Ghostbuster and a jump-suited Dana, the figure for which doubles up for Ripley from the 1st Alien movie. The most recent release was Janey, which represents Janine as a Ghostbuster, something that has actually only happened in the cartoon and IDW comic books. I have it on good authority that Crooked Dice will be providing suitable transport for their Paranormal Exterminators in the new year and there have been rumours that we may see an all-female team of Paranormal Exterminators joining the ranks…

Now that we had available all the miniatures we could possibly need to field a varied roster of Ghostbusters. Surprisingly, whilst many have obviously bought these figures, I was only able to find one series of postings on the GB Fans forum, showing off what the poster had done with his miniatures. The thread starts here, and is worth a visit, as CaptCyan has not only painted two sets of miniatures, he has also converted a Hasslefree Miniatures Louise miniature into Janine (this was prior to the Janey figure being released), built a fire house and provided suitable transportation for both sets of ‘busters.

So, what can you expect from me during this project? Well, as I have now finally purchased the necessary miniatures and gathered the remaining terrain, vehicles and other ‘stuff’ I need for this project, the end result should see – a four-person team of Ghostbusters, their headquarters, their means of transportation and a variety of spooks, spectres and ghosts for them to bust.

However, interspersed with my progress, I will also be looking at other movies and media that I feel comfortably fits within an ‘expanded’ Ghostbusters universe, as well as media that is definitely “canon”. As I have strong opinions on what does and doesn’t constitute ‘Ghostbusters’ (as you will discover when I discuss West End Games Ghostbusters RPG), hopefully the majority of you Ghostbusters fans will agree with me. If not, then at least you will have discovered some entertaining movies and tales.

So far, so wordy…so let’s finish up with a few pictures…

This is the building I am intending on using for my Ghostbusters HQ;

This is an O Scale railway building, released under the Plasticville brand by Bachmann, specifically 45610 Fire House. Whilst O Scale, or On30 as I believe it may be known in America, this is perfectly serviceable for 28mm. This particular hard plastic kit is readily available in the United States, and used to be in the UK. However, the two sites which regularly stocked Plasticville buildings have stopped selling them. Boo! However, after an extensive web search, I have found an online UK stockist, namely Tower Models in Blackpool. They have the above kit in stock for £21.00, amongst some other Plasticville goodies. (NB: Due to the way their website works, I can’t post a direct link to the relevant page, so follow the link and select ‘American On30’ form the menu on the right hand side, then ‘Plasticville Buildings.’)

The above building I have deliberately not attached the roof, as I wanted access to the interior, as we can’t really have a Ghostbusters HQ without having somewhere to store the captured ghosts, can we?

Scouring both my bits box and the crate in which all the DIY fixtures and fittings are stored, I cobbled together this:

Currently this is in three parts; the containment gird wall panel, the platform and the computer terminal. The gas cannisters will also be within the HQ somewhere. Having dry-fitted this within the building, I have decided that I won’t be putting the computer on the platform, as this doesn’t leave room for any figures to operate the controls.

Of course, we also need some wheels…

Whilst I could have gone with a more conventional SUV or Estate car, as the original Ectomobile is a “1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex End Loader” (apparently), I felt that my Ghostbusters transportation should be equally…classic. I was lucky enough to find the above beauty on eBay, which is a Lledo “Days Gone” 1953 Pontiac Delivery Van with the ambulance livery of the Milwaukee County Institutions, on a Buy It Now for £3.00 excluding postage – so I Bought It Then. When it arrived, I initially thought it looked a little small, but once I put some figures next to it, I realised it was just right. And it fits through the door of my firehouse, so bonus there too…

But where are my Ghostbusters? Well, as you’ve probably gathered by now, I haven’t gone the traditional route with them. I will be getting a full set of Crooked Dice’s figures at some point, to paint up as the original quartet, along with their Ectomobile, but these are My Ghostbusters, so they might not be what you’re expecting…

So, from left to right, we have Vincent B. Ruddock from Heresy Miniatures and Crackpot Inventor, Scientific Advisor A and Paranormal Exterminator B, all from Crooked Dice. Why these figures, you may ask. I shall explain…

The first figure I picked was an actual ‘Ghostbuster’ and I picked the one that I thought looked most like me. The second figure was ‘Doc Brown’, as he looks like my friend Chris (although he doesn’t think he looks like Christopher Lloyd – he does). My third was ‘Osgood’, as I felt I needed a woman’s touch (don’t we all…) and if I gave her a blue lab coat, like the Ghostbusters wear in their TV ad, she wouldn’t look like Osgood. My final choice was that I needed some muscle, and who better than to provide it than Mr Diesel? As his outfit already included straps and goggles, all he needed was a Proton Pack and he was ready to go. However, my version will not kill you with his cup – he will however sell you a licensed Ghostbusters coffee mug, one of which he just so happens to have to hand…

Of course, Vin ‘Buster doesn’t really suit the ’53 Pontiac Delivery Van, so I may have to find a suitable ‘Muscle Car’ for him to drive…

So, that’s all for this post, but there will be plenty more to come.

You know who to call…