$20 a jet pack

ok...i'm in college and as college goes i'm F-----G poor, i have maybe $100 left for in my account, and was wondering if there was maybe a cheapo, but decent parts list for a jet pack that hopefully resides under $20(US)...if so e-mail me back or PM me with some general supplies and instructions. I'm kinda trying to pull my Fett suit together for a film project with a friend, so i'd like something thats generally accurate to go with my already made armour.
thanks

SlavetotheMuse wrote:
i...was wondering if there was maybe a cheapo, but decent parts list for a jet pack that hopefully resides under $20...I'm kinda trying to pull my Fett suit together for a film project with a friend, so i'd like something thats generally accurate ...

$20?? Accurate?? Pull my fett suit together??

Nothing in the known universe exsists that will allow you to accomplish your goals.


You could glue a bunch of VERY INACCURATE looking junk together to get a basic shape, but you will probably end up spending more than $20 to do even this. As far as 'pulling' it together...I have put about three heavy weeks worth of work into my generally accurate scratch jet pack, and i need to put in at least another two. It has cost me about $60, and is made almost entirely out of very thin wood panelling, bondo and fiberglass. It cost me at least $10 just to get the stuff to make the thrusters.

Yeah, $20 is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too unrealistic. Sorry!

Yeah, unfortunately I spent more than that to do a paper mache jet pack. I think it's going to be very difficult to pull off and look decent. Might be better to just go without one than a poor looking one.

I think if you don't need it to be TOO accurate, you could get a Sheet of Insulation Foam from like Home Depot or some Hardware store and use it to make the basic pack
and even most of the other stuff.It's 2" thick, It sands easy to form and I believe a 4'x8' sheet is LESS than $20. It's usually pink or lite blue.
You could make everything but the rocket and thrusters from it. The rocket could be made from poster board rolled into different size funnels and so could the thruster nozzles. you could use Styrofoam balls for the thruster balls. you will need Putty though. Or caulk and joint compound.
Depends on what exactly you want to do with it and have long it has to hold up.
Hopefully this helps.
LMK if you want further help.
Sounds like a fun project and a challenge.
Thanks,
Robert E.

someone did some autocad drawings/dimensions of the jet pack on a thread earlier. You can use that to get the shapes of the pieces to cut out. With half a sheet of sintra (probably at a cost of 20-30&#36 you can make most of it. My stracth built that looked pretty crumby cost me about 60-70 to make I would say just in sintra, glue, and other miscilaneous hardware.

SlavetotheMuse wrote:
I'm kinda trying to pull my Fett suit together for a film project with a friend

Okay, if you are participating in a fan film and plan to do ANY kind of stunts, that should also be a factor in determining what materials you use. You want something that is relatively cheap, but won't tear up as easily. I think cardboard reinforcing the insulation might work, and you might invest in a dowel to go down through the rocket, and use insulation tubing and duct tape to shape the rocket the way you want. Styrofoam balls, as well as the styrofoam cone shapes could make the thrusters (with some work). That's the cheapest things I can think of, but not for under $20.

If you get it built, post it here. I for one would like to see a budget scratch jet pack. Good luck!

A $20.00 jet pack is possible, Here is a picture of the jet pack I made for my nephew and the materials were under $20.00.

I used foam core board and a cardboard tube for the main body,PVC caps for the tank tops/bottoms, wooden balls and air freshener cones for the thrusters, styrofoam cones,a testors spray paint cap,PVC pipe,a dowel and bondo formed in funnels for the rocket and some paint. You may go slightly over $20 to get all the paint as I already had those

That looks great!

If only i'd have known!
could have saved myself a few 100 quid!

I still have to get my MLC JPs paint job looking that good
Only just started attempting it. Fingers crossed

Dom

Only $20 for that pack? Amazing!

Im making a scratxh built pack and the paint ALONE cost over 20 bucks. I WISH this were possible.
Seab

I'd have to agree...unless you work some place where you can get free materials and free paint, you're out of luck. Mine was about $30 without paint.

The foam I spoke of earlier(couple of posts up) is $17.00 per 4'x8' sheet. Hobby Lobby and Michaels Throw there Styrofoam on sale ALL the Time.
As far as paint, and Nobody take this the WRONG WAY, if I were on a budget I'd paint mine in the ESB colors. Alot less paint to buy. That or Buy the Cheap Acrylic bottles that Michaels and Hobby Lobby sell. Some times they are a Quarter per bottle. Just Brush it on. If you aren't doing a close up of the JP then it won't matter. you would probably only need 1 bottle per color.
Just a thought.
Sure, it Will cost over $20, But it shouldn't cost much more
I've been thinking of trying this myself, just to see if I could do it. I have one of MB's NEW JP's,so I don't need it. probably sell it cheap or give it away. Or heck, if it turned out Good, I might just keep it. Who knows.
I guess this would make it my 4cents.
Robert E.

Wow! Nice JetPack and on a budget.
Let me take this one even farther....even though the JatPack was made from foam, foamboard, styrofoam and ect. would there be a possible product out there that can be applied to the jet pack to give it some strengh and durability? I like the possibilities of the foam because of the light weight...also I'm impressed how that JetPack came out! I'm thinking of something clear that can be brushed or sprayed on but a lot of chemicals don't react well with foam.

maybe its possible if you have some materials
i spend in my new cardboar JP at this time aprox $8

6 sheets of cardboard $1 or less
a bag with 100 hot-glue tubes $2

i still need buy the paint
$5 per can
and i need
white
blue
yellow
black
and others 2

so in paint $30 plus the 8

well but like i said if you have some materials


but that pack under 20 its great

You can always forget the jet pack (as mentioned earlier) and wear your cape across your back, or rig it 'parade-style' where the should remains attached but the other top-end goes under your arm-pit...

Phil

That's what I am intending to do, ditch the JP all together.

but YMMV

If you take a look at my (well, formerly my) "Spring Break Jet Pack" in the jango forum, That pack is farily cheap including the harness. I can't give a real price because it isn't as simple as buying materials. I paid $24 dollars fo foam to build it, but I have enough scrap left from assembling that one that I can build a compleatly new one and ony have to buy 5 more round foam disk and drink 6 more cans of Dr. Pepper. I got air freshner cones from rimshot for $10 and nose cones at a hobby store for about $13. Paper mache is elmers glue and the Daily Illini (free paper), so although it isn't 20 bucks, it is one of the cheaper packs.