battlestar galactica

[phalen]

hiya everyone!

i hav this idea to make a case for myself - modelling it to the neck & shoulders of a cylon centurion from battlestar galactica (2003 series)

http://www.cylon.org/images/bg/g2003cylon01web.jpg

now i'v seen some ppl use styrofoam to model their design, then mold some sort of clay over it. from here i dont know much....

i'v also heard one can use fiberglass - but i think this would not yield the desired metal effect one can get with airbrushing....

i am of mind to use a normal pc frame and then build the model around it - so its gonna be a biggie.. dont think i can go without the frame... dont have enough experience or local help to build component bays etc...

what materials would be best to use? what steps would i have to take to do this? (by this i mean if you use styrofoam, what clay do you use, then after the clay what do you do to harden it etc...)

i would appreciate any help i can get. i'd really like to build this case and i think it will look great once completed (with propper guidance :rolleyes: )

[DaveW]

Holy CRAP that is going to look Gooooood.

The new cylons are scary mothers, aint they? No more shiny polished heads with silly left right eyes: now they have "i'm gonna kick your ass" written all over them!

I'm not a man for moddelling, i'm afraid electronics and hardware/software is my shindig. But there's plenty of guys around who can and will help you out with this, just give em a while to figure it out. What experience have you got with moddeling? It would be preferable to use something you've used before.

-Dave

[phalen]

i'v got absolutely no experience - this will be my first attempt.... not an easy one i might add but i want to do it.

my heart is there - i just need the tools and guidelines ^_^

[PiNPOiNT]

I was recently planning on a similar project (in complexity not battlestar) however it also being my first project, i decided to try something a bit simpler until i get more comfortable with the materials / techniques... cause i know my first few are going to suck, and not turn out the way they are pictured in my head. and will ultimatly ruin my fun and dreams of making wicked mods right off the bat. So im keeping them in my back pocket for now. Just playing devil's advocate for you.

What if you simplified it, and just went with turning the case into a the head? Even the old skool one. Using a cube shuttle case or something.

till you get more comfortable that is.

[DaveW]

What you could do is try making miniatures with your chosen material. If you want to do it with clay, for example (wouldn't reccommend that btw, just an example) you can make little models before trying the larger one. When you can make a good mini, the large one will be easier.

-Dave

[phalen]

ok - mini models - will do

but what materials will i need to use to do this? airbrushing i wont be doing myself - will hand that over to experts to do - i just need to model the case - but need to know what material will be best to use as i cant see myself using flat materials like acrylics....

and somehow i dont think clay will do at all either...

[jdbnsn]

Wow, that is a great design! This will be a very interesting project, I can't wait to see it come together. For something this level, you may want to consider making a plaster mold and casting a silicone or maybe fiberglass structure. See Paul Capello's Workshop thread on Silicone Rising. He shows how to build a mold and everything and he used Mold Max 30 to cast the shape in it. That's about all I can tell you as I've never done this. Good luck to you.

[phalen]

jdbnsn > thanks - the design however i didnt draw - thats concept art from the creators of battlestar galactica - i can only dream of drawing like that :)

i'll go have a look at the workshop thread u mentioned. ^_^

[Cevinzol]

This is a cool idea. looks like a lot of work.
I'd start by making foam core board moc-ups of all the components. Then build a frame around the components like Paul did with Project Nighthawk (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28)

For modelling the case you might want to try Styrofoam Sheet insulation. Its the blue or pink stuff they put on houses under the siding. Buy a big 4'x8' sheet of the stuff, cut it up, stack it, glue it together and you can make rough shapes out of it. If you make a mistake you can repair it with some expanding foam in a can. smooth it out with a hot knife and sanding paper, skin it with a little bondo and you can get a mirror finish on it if you're patient.

[phalen]

i'm lucky enough to have a dad that has experience with fiberglass ^_^

he's going to help me with the casting etc... i just hav to get the model done

was thinking i'd use styrofoam... or clay to build the model.... will hav to see whats more cost effective and easier to work with :)

thanks for all the tips

[CanaBalistic]

i hear thies guys talking about styrofoam and fiberglass but they are forgetting the greatest invention of the 20th century...

MONO-Foam!! you can cut, carve, shape this stuff like nobodies business. use minimal expanding so you wont get so many bubble holes when you cut it.

then use body filler or spot filler on it.

paint eats styrofoam so dont ask me how thies guys paint that crap but mono foam is 100% paintable

[Tweezy]

He has a really good point. If I were you I would go that route and maybe try some minis with it. If that doesn't work out you can always start over. Good luck.

[phalen]

k - but i dont want to end up with a rock heavy case - which is why i want to use fiberglass - going to cast only the shell, thick enough to be unbreakable'ish but light enough so i can take with me to lans

this mono-foam with body filler sounds heavy :S

[phalen]

k - i'v got my design on paper now - what do you guys think?


http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/102/0/a/bsg_case_design_by_phalen78.jpg

[crazybillybob]

For modling a large shape you don't want Syerfoam. What you want is florists foam. it's that green block they use in cut / silk flower arranging. This foam has a nice tight cell structure that will finish up nice. Plus you can glue many blocks together to make on large block. use and exacto (hobby) knife to take the large bits off, then use diffrent sand paper (files etc) to add details. Once it's done you can either use a very thin coat of clay (thined with water), or sealer (It been a while since I used it so test a few on scraps to make sure the sealer doesn't melt the foam). When it's smoothed and sealed You can make a mold from Gaze (or burlap) and Plaster of paris (check out this work log for in depth mold making http://thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=979)

Odds are if your dad is a fiberglass man, once you have the model he'll be able to tell how to do the rest.!

Good Luck, START A WORKLOG !!! I want to watch this shape up! (big BSG fan!)

Crazybillybob

[phalen]

ooo ^_^ thanks for the tips - sounds like a plan.

i can start a worklog? ok... guess i'll do that then. i might hav to change the design though - the case i got (my current one is too small) last nite is a server case - really tall - 62cm tall. i'm sure i can get the design on it, might hav to tweak it a bit - but will see... i hope i can get it to fit - going to work on the blueprints now....

edit:

k - so i'v edited the blueprints now - here's the design to fit my larger case.

the pink box on the last model shows the actual size of the case. (scaled down of course)

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/103/a/f/bsg_case_design___updated_by_phalen78.jpg

[phalen]

are there proper names for this body filler or spot filler?

i cant find anything like that - i tried searching by using those terms but no luck

[Rankenphile]

Another tip - if you're using the green florist's foam and using multiple blocks, stick them together with bamboo kebab skewers when you glue them - it works wonders at holding it all together while the glue sets, and you can leave them in there without worry afterward, providing a strong pseudo-skeleton.

[phalen]

thanks for the tip Rankenphile - i'll definitely use the kebab skewers.

i found out what body filler is - turns out dad knows things >.>

so now, either 2day or 2morrow i will buy the florist oasis and body filler - and start the model. will take pictures as i go and start a work log too then

[Rankenphile]

Great. looking forward to it.

[phalen]

k - now i hav the basic materials to start with - but now i hav to figure out the airflow - cant start building before i got that all figured out.

not really sure how i'm going to do that though..... could i hav some advice pls?

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/121/f/2/bsg_case_design___pc_frame_fan_by_phalen78.jpg
or the link if you cant see the image: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/32689662/ (its on deviantart.com)

k - so thats the pc frame & the 'air vents' i want to use. those vents came from a Ford Fiesta 2004 model scrap car - i liked the way it looks...

anyways.

i thought to maybe put them on top of the pc, facing backwards - and act as extractor fans (both of them). they wont fit next to each other - the case is too slim for that - so they will be behind each other like this -> -\ -\

i thought of putting in a fan in bottom - nice fan blowing in, then getting some sort of 'natural' flow - as warm air rises it should make for a good flow.

i'm just worried about the location of the power supply - if you look at the picture name'd "right" - there's a hole on the left back end - thats where the power supply is supposed to go. bit small though for my one - think that hole used to house a 200w ps. mine currently is a 400w, but want to get me the biggest one when its time to install the parts - currently its 500w, i'm hoping for bigger though.

anyhoo - what do you guys think?

and here's a mini model (as far as i got yesterday) of the case.

http://ic1.deviantart.com/fs10/i/2006/121/f/7/bsg_case_design___mini_model_by_phalen78.jpg
or the link if you cant see the image: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/32689685/ (its on deviantart.com)

[DaveW]

Hmm...i like the vents a lot, but i think you should take a step back and look again at what you've got. No offence, but it looks like you've got 2 ideas working against each other; you're moddelling your Cylon head and you're making a PC.

The front of your Cylon has the perfect opertunity for vents, in the slats. Not only that, but you can stealth a drive behind some of those slats as well.

Look at this picture:

http://www.thescifiworld.net/img/wallpapers/various/galactica_02_1024x768.jpg

If you look, you can get those fan vents in at the side there, below where their ears would be. So you can suck in air from the front and pass it through the sides. The CPU's heat can easilly be taken out the back of the head.

Just some constructive criticism, at least i hope so!

Oh, and for a hint, most people are lazy and won't follow links. You might find your responses are better if you post images directly instead of linking away... ;)

Good luck!

-Dave

[phalen]

thanks for the response DaveW.

i thought about doing that - but the 'ears' are positioned at odd places.

if you look at the case - 'right' - you'll see the bottom part where the mainboard is to be mounted on - is solid - so placing a fan on the one side would work - but not the other side.

which is another reason why i opted against going for the look in the pic you gave - even the 'colar cover'.

i cant custom build a frame for my model - i must use a normal frame unfortunately.

i'll still be modeling the pc as planned - just not with the cover anymore - oh and the model is more like the cylon raiders without their wings.

i thought of another location for the fans - at the back of the pc - above the PS - but i dont know how this will affect the air flow - the PS is going to block most of the airflow from the bottom area - will hav to cut away some of the bracket area's bottom - not a really smart build for a frame but its not like i have a choice. i cant go buy a new tower case that'll cost me over R600 (which is a lot in RSA).

kinda confused >.>

about the images - i did post them directly - but for some reason if you are not logged into deviantart.com they dont show - which totally sucks >.>

[Monker]

Wow the scary thing for me is that I had the same Idea and was searching the net and found yours. you are doing the cylon raider right? not the centurian. hope to see more on what you do