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Haynes Owners' Workshop Manual

Ghostbusters Owners' Workshop Manual: Ectomobile Es Mk.I "Ecto-1," Es Mk.II "Ecto-1a," and Jh Mk.I "Ecto-1"

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Go under the hood of the Ghostbusters’ iconic car and discover the secrets of the team’s ghoul-trapping gadgets with this comprehensive users manual for Ecto-1 and the equipment it carries.

Discover the secrets of the Ghostbusters’ iconic specter-smashing automobile, Ecto-1, with this comprehensive owner’s workshop manual. Along with a detailed breakdown of Ecto-1’s capabilities and exclusive cutaway images that show the car’s souped-up engine and onboard ghost-tracking equipment, the book also focuses on the Ghostbusters’ portable tools of the trade, including proton packs, ghost traps, and PKE meters. The book also looks at various models of Ecto-1, including the Ecto-1A from Ghostbusters II and the version of Ecto-1 seen in 2016’s Ghostbusters: Answer the Call. Featuring commentary from familiar characters, including Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Jillian Holtzmann, Ghostbusters: Ectomobile: Owner’s Workshop Manual is the ultimate guide to the Ghostbusters’ legendary vehicles and the ghost-catching equipment the cars haul from one job to the next. 

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2017

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Troy Benjamin

14 books9 followers

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Andrew.
2,545 reviews
July 14, 2018
And so on to a bit of fun. I have always loved the Ghostbuster films ever since I saw the first one one Christmas holiday time many (too many) years ago. The special effects, humor and story line just captivated me. Long before the idea of urban magic and horrors the Ghostbusters were chasing some impossible things around some very familiar landmarks. The fact that so much about them is now firmly embedded in pop culture just goes to show how popular they still are.

So when I stumbled across this Haynes workshop manual I just had to see what it was all about.
The book is full of details about the various pieces of equipment along with various humorous post-it notes from the characters often deriding each other.

My only criticism is that some of the drawings where either not completely finished or had been checked (one for example I spotted one of the high lighting lines pointing to a part of the drawing which had not been mentioned as if another image had been reused or this one had not been finished) also some of the drawings varied in detail or quality as if they were done by different artists.

These however did not detract by the sense of fun there was in the books and the fact that all 3 films were referred to was a welcome addition.

The book was a fun read and the attempt to actually be technical when clearly their are simply discussing props from the films (sorry I didn't really consider that a spoiler but I guess it could be considered as such if you knew nothing about the films) actually added to the fun - as sadly I recognise some of the pieces of "converted" technology from their real world applications (hangs my head in shame).

One thing that I think was spot on about the book when it refers to the car as the unspoken member of the team. It certainly is the epitome of iconic product design (come on it recently came out as a Lego kit) and as such this book recgonises that.
Profile Image for Marcus.
Author 21 books62 followers
April 15, 2018

The Haynes Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Workshop Manual is super cool. It's both a fun read for fans as well as a valuable resource for Ghostbusters prop builders.

In addition to having info on the original Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters 2 Ecto-1A, and the reboot Ecto-1, the book also includes detailed specs for 20 Ghostbusting gadgets across the three movies.

I really liked how the book isn't supposed to be written by Ray Stanz, but it still feels like it is. The tone and grammar and word choices feel very much like they're coming out of his mouth. For that in-universe flair, some pages have sticky notes with comments and quips from members of both Ghostbusting teams (original recipe and lady-style).

On that note, this book treats the reboot Ghostbusters as characters in the same universe as the original team. It suggests they're a modern franchise carrying on the business founded in the '80s rather than a team existing in a universe completely separate from the original films. I wish the 2016 movie had gone that route. I would have loved for it to be a new story with new Ghostbusters with all the rich history of the original universe instead of a completely new "inventing what Ghostbusting is" story. But I digress.

The book did a fantastic job balancing in-universe with real-world facts. For each device and gadget mentioned there was a detailed Ghostbusters-world rundown of exactly what the thing does, and many of them also include details of what real-world devices were "repurposed by Dr. Spengler" to create them. For example, the entry on the PKE meter explains how it's used to detect ghosts, and also mentions exactly what kind of electric shoe polisher the prop is made of.

A great deal of effort and love clearly went into this book. It's definitely worth a look from any Ghostbusters fan, old or new.
Profile Image for Timothy Grubbs.
1,415 reviews7 followers
March 23, 2024
Books About Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good!!!

Ghostbusters Owners' Workshop Manual: Ectomobile Es Mk.I "Ecto-1," Es Mk.II "Ecto-1a," and Jh Mk.I "Ecto-1" by Troy Benjamin is an in universe manual to the equipment of the ghost busters multiverse.

Some of you may be unaware of this, but there’s a big market for pop culture technical manuals to fictional equipment and vehicles in the style of vehicle owner manuals. While many of these are tied to star wars, Star Trek, and comics, at least one notable example covers the ghostbusters.

Contrary to the title, only about a quarter of the book is dedicated to the Ecto 1 and its variations.

Significant amount of space is given to the non-car equipment. Diagrams of proton packs, traps, PKE Meters, even the slime throwers from ghostbusters II.

In addition, while the 2016 ghostbusters film may not have been very popular, it has some fun new ghostbusting devices that are also covered.

Decent schematics and pics of everything is provided in close detail.

While not essential, I feel any ghostbuster troupe around the country should at least consider owning a copy of this…
Profile Image for Justin Blair.
23 reviews2 followers
December 25, 2017
Along with the Tobin Spirit Guide a must have for Ghostbuster fans of any age. Mostly technical information that won’t mean a ton to most of us but well worth it for a break down of all the little bits of Echoto-1 roof equipment and all the other gadgets that don’t get any explanation in all 3 films.
571 reviews3 followers
May 2, 2020
Very well researched, and good geeky fun. An odd thing to read from cover to cover though...
101 reviews
April 24, 2020
Perfect... except for the inclusion of that reboot monstrosity.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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