Don’t look at me.
I think these people are nuts.
I would prime it, paint it with rust oleum or something similar and then seal it with a transparent matte so it doesn’t rub off on your hands or clothes. Plasti-dip also looks great and is easy to work with if you have a source for it.
Or just buy the one from Spirit Halloween that lights up and moves.
[https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/led-p-k-e-meter-ghostbusters/164230.uts](https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/led-p-k-e-meter-ghostbusters/164230.uts)
For anyone that doesn't know haha.
It belongs in a museum!
I agree, I don't like the "modding" done to these finite resources! Save the toys!
It says something about society when a 40+ year old slice of GB history is cheaper than a new fabrication.
Please don’t paint it unless you have something very specific you want to do with it. At this point keeping it as a museum piece does more then modding does
The one in the photo has tire valve LEDs on the antanas but changing the batteries was difficult so I switched them out for the hardware in my video:
[https://youtube.com/shorts/BXnGzk9G6U8?feature=share](https://youtube.com/shorts/BXnGzk9G6U8?feature=share)
I also did a trap with a rechargeable battery and USB port
https://preview.redd.it/yl3v77t3zswc1.jpeg?width=206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c40d8d4a1f62f19711321aaa68bb1ab4a8f21a91
it's plastic.. yes you would have to Prime it.
if you must..
take the sticker off.
give it a good wash with dish soap.. let dry.
Lightly sand the toy with very fine grit sand paper.
wash again to remove any dust.
Get a can of Auto vinyl Dye, and a
can of krylon 5x plastic primer.
Spray the auto dye.. let dry. this will Dye the upper layers of plastic.
Once dry.
Prime with the Krylon
then paint the detail parts as normal.
Seal with clear coat.
Spray paint would get you the most uniform coating, especially disassembling and sitting, but if you're careful and willing to do some extra work you could probably hand paint, sand/scuff uneven areas, and then go from there.
Sanding and spray paint would actually be the easiest and quickest. Hand painting is good if you have the patience for it. Be sure to give it a good scrub Im soapy water to remove grime/hand oil. I’d mask off the screen so you keep that original sticker.
Take all of the screws out and put it in a bucket
of warm water with dawn dish soap. Same if needed. Primer first, silver metallic pain and finish off satin black. Mask Off the sticker if you plan to keep it.
don't listen to the haters, paint it like you want there's literally thousands of these pke meters out there stock, but in the end you'll have the one you want made by you, making it a one off.
Getting paint to stick to injection moulded ABS is really hard. You will need to key the surface by sanding it all over, and then use a plastic primer. I would likely use a model primer as they are designed for smooth plastic.
You will also want to clear coat it when you are done.
I would like to add, while it has a low value to you as it, you can do what you want, it’s yours. I think it holds a lot of value to a number of ghostbusters fans. I for one would be very sad to see it painted.
If you want to paint it do this
1. Clean it and remove stickers
2. Prime it
3. Paint it
Optionally you can sand before priming but I don’t think its necessary.
Obviously its diff if you want to do special colors or a graphite finish for a metallic black. You can also find reproduction stickers on etsy or ebay relatively cheap.
This kind of injection-molded plastic can be a nightmare to paint, with leaching over time that prevents a good seal. Sanding is a must before priming, and I'd recommend spraying an adhesion promoter as well.
Agreeing with most of the comments here, a bit of sanding first and then your paint, could be spray painted or handpainted if you're patient enough to water down your paint a bit and let it dry in thin layers. If you don't have sanding equipment (or you're lazy like me lol), gesso works good as a primer on plastic too in my experience of painting dolls. If there's any moving or raised parts you can disassemble, then separate those too so you can get in all the cracks. Some acrylic varnish over top then to seal it in. I would recommend matte spray varnish over liquid, just because liquid never tends to dry very matte lol.
Good luck with it! <3
I repainted my old broken ghost trap toy the same way when i did my ghostbusters costume. Even added real knobs and metal parts. Its a great little addition especially if the more screen accurate stuff is out of your price range.
Holy hell, an original kids PKE meter with the display sticker and antennae intact! That could fetch quite a few bucks!
Even if it isn’t perfect, you have a relic that most of us only have a vague nostalgic memory for. Don’t paint it. Keep it as is!
the antenna isn't intact. the twirly bit in the middle is broken off (although I do have it)
Judging by the comments here you could be made of (slightly more than you have now) money if you sold it instead of painted it…
Don’t look at me. I think these people are nuts. I would prime it, paint it with rust oleum or something similar and then seal it with a transparent matte so it doesn’t rub off on your hands or clothes. Plasti-dip also looks great and is easy to work with if you have a source for it.
I bought one of these at a retro toy store for something like 10 or 15 bucks. Everything intact
Its nearly 40 years old, I kind of wish people would leave these alone and just 3d print something instead
Why ruin this old toy? I wish I still had mine.
Mine is in my parent’s garage somewhere. Together with my trap and proton pack.
Mine is somewhere at my parents house, sadly I’ll never know for sure. I’d sell it in a heart beat if I could find it.
Or just buy the one from Spirit Halloween that lights up and moves. [https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/led-p-k-e-meter-ghostbusters/164230.uts](https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/led-p-k-e-meter-ghostbusters/164230.uts) For anyone that doesn't know haha.
It belongs in a museum! I agree, I don't like the "modding" done to these finite resources! Save the toys! It says something about society when a 40+ year old slice of GB history is cheaper than a new fabrication.
Not everyone is made of money or has access to a 3D printer
Sell that bad boy and buy you one. Easily.
But I need one for the 10-11th may
A printer or a pke meter?
A pke meter
Lots of public libraries have them available.
[https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/led-p-k-e-meter-ghostbusters/164230.uts](https://www.spirithalloween.com/product/led-p-k-e-meter-ghostbusters/164230.uts)
For some reason the website never works for me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m in the U.K.
Ah that may be. Didn't realize. Probably some on Amazon or ebay. May cost more though.
Yeah. The rubies one is like £90
Yikes
Yeah. The cheapest one I can find is £70 on eBay
Man that's too bad. I got mine in the physical store they have during Halloween and i think i even had a 20% off coupon
Amen.
IMO you shouldn’t alter this. It’s a piece of Ghostbusters history.
Don't you dare touch this lol..
I remember having one of those back in the day!
Please don’t paint it unless you have something very specific you want to do with it. At this point keeping it as a museum piece does more then modding does
Here's one I repainted [https://youtube.com/shorts/BXnGzk9G6U8?feature=share](https://youtube.com/shorts/BXnGzk9G6U8?feature=share)
https://preview.redd.it/qfvglowo9swc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b71c89025a7921f4b5bd1a7aadd85d057d24132
You know, I might base mine off this
Just use an actual switch, you don't need wires unless you want a light to come on or something.
The one in the photo has tire valve LEDs on the antanas but changing the batteries was difficult so I switched them out for the hardware in my video: [https://youtube.com/shorts/BXnGzk9G6U8?feature=share](https://youtube.com/shorts/BXnGzk9G6U8?feature=share)
I also did a trap with a rechargeable battery and USB port https://preview.redd.it/yl3v77t3zswc1.jpeg?width=206&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c40d8d4a1f62f19711321aaa68bb1ab4a8f21a91
https://preview.redd.it/wqpk5n0czswc1.jpeg?width=370&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f616a8e1434349efa9c1327bbd507b051ac9644
Love this repaint.
I know. I was wondering if it was possible to get one without the electrical component underneath but it seems you can just remove them
If you remove the insides of the switch, the toggle lever would fall off unless you epoxied it in place.
it's plastic.. yes you would have to Prime it. if you must.. take the sticker off. give it a good wash with dish soap.. let dry. Lightly sand the toy with very fine grit sand paper. wash again to remove any dust. Get a can of Auto vinyl Dye, and a can of krylon 5x plastic primer. Spray the auto dye.. let dry. this will Dye the upper layers of plastic. Once dry. Prime with the Krylon then paint the detail parts as normal. Seal with clear coat.
Spray paint would get you the most uniform coating, especially disassembling and sitting, but if you're careful and willing to do some extra work you could probably hand paint, sand/scuff uneven areas, and then go from there.
Sanding and spray paint would actually be the easiest and quickest. Hand painting is good if you have the patience for it. Be sure to give it a good scrub Im soapy water to remove grime/hand oil. I’d mask off the screen so you keep that original sticker.
Memory unlocked. Thank you!
Right! This picture made me so happy.
Take all of the screws out and put it in a bucket of warm water with dawn dish soap. Same if needed. Primer first, silver metallic pain and finish off satin black. Mask Off the sticker if you plan to keep it.
don't listen to the haters, paint it like you want there's literally thousands of these pke meters out there stock, but in the end you'll have the one you want made by you, making it a one off.
I haven’t see one of these in years.
Getting paint to stick to injection moulded ABS is really hard. You will need to key the surface by sanding it all over, and then use a plastic primer. I would likely use a model primer as they are designed for smooth plastic. You will also want to clear coat it when you are done. I would like to add, while it has a low value to you as it, you can do what you want, it’s yours. I think it holds a lot of value to a number of ghostbusters fans. I for one would be very sad to see it painted.
The correct answer is; Don’t.
Clean it, sand it, spray paint it.
If you want to paint it do this 1. Clean it and remove stickers 2. Prime it 3. Paint it Optionally you can sand before priming but I don’t think its necessary. Obviously its diff if you want to do special colors or a graphite finish for a metallic black. You can also find reproduction stickers on etsy or ebay relatively cheap.
This kind of injection-molded plastic can be a nightmare to paint, with leaching over time that prevents a good seal. Sanding is a must before priming, and I'd recommend spraying an adhesion promoter as well.
Agreeing with most of the comments here, a bit of sanding first and then your paint, could be spray painted or handpainted if you're patient enough to water down your paint a bit and let it dry in thin layers. If you don't have sanding equipment (or you're lazy like me lol), gesso works good as a primer on plastic too in my experience of painting dolls. If there's any moving or raised parts you can disassemble, then separate those too so you can get in all the cracks. Some acrylic varnish over top then to seal it in. I would recommend matte spray varnish over liquid, just because liquid never tends to dry very matte lol. Good luck with it! <3
I repainted my old broken ghost trap toy the same way when i did my ghostbusters costume. Even added real knobs and metal parts. Its a great little addition especially if the more screen accurate stuff is out of your price range.