Star Wars Old Republic Mods

[Boddaker]

Ok, here's two more mods I'm working on for Thermaltake, based on their Chaser MK-1 and Armor Revo case.
Theme obviously is Star Wars Old Republic, with the Chaser case as the Dark Side, and the Armor Revo case the Republic. The cases are very similar in style (both use the same chassis), and were perfect candidates for the two-sided theme.

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/SWTOR_Angle.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/SWTOR_Front.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/SWTOR-Chaser_Back.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/SWTOR-Armor_Back.jpg

Light sabers will be modified 12" CCFL's and will protrude out of the panel to enhance the 3D look and feel of the imagery.
The front hologram effect will be achieved by employing 3D etched crystals that will be lit from below. This will be the first time I've attempted to incorporate this into a mod, so hopefully it turns out as good as it looks above!

Artwork will be supplied by Steve Nunez. (http://www.stevenunez.com) Case panels have already been sent off to him, so stay tuned for pics of his airbrushing magic! :)

[Boddaker]

Finally getting visible progress on these cases. :)

Working on the Trooper helmet for the side panel. Cutting some acrylic pieces to make up the frame.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask1.jpg)

Here they are assembled and glued together.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask2.jpg)

Using expandable foam to fill the spaces in between.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask3.jpg)

Once cured, I trimmed it down to the framing.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask4.jpg)

A quick trip to the hardware store to pick up some helmet parts lol.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask5.jpg)

I cut up the washer drain hose and fit the pvc elbows and barbs on each end to create the air supply lines.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask6.jpg)

Next I'll be covering the whole thing with plastic resin to bring the whole thing together. Hopefully take care of that this weekend.

I also got started on the holo emitter that will be mounted on the front of the cases. I designed it up in Illustrator, then had the parts cut.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo1.jpg)

I was happy to find that my measuring was good and all the pieces fit together. woot!
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo2.jpg)

And it actually fit perfectly into the front bays.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo3.jpg)

Now here's the cool part, covered in awesome sauce: In order to re-create the holograms as seen in the game, I knew that mere 2D etching wouldn't be enough, so I had these 3D etches made up. And they turned out awesome! The images are not etched on the surface. They are actually inside the blocks. :D
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo5.jpg)

You can see the characters a lot better lit up, but it still doesn't do it justice. I will have to take some video and pan around them so you can see the depth.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo6.jpg)

I had to see how they looked in the case on the holo emitter. I'll be wiring up some leds to light these things from below which should complete the effect I was going for. :)
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo4.jpg)

[AmEv]

*drool*

[SXRguyinMA]

SIIIICK!!! +sub

[d_stilgar]

That is awesome. It's only too bad that the front of the blocks aren't round. That might have added to the effect.

[Boddaker]

Thanks guys.


That is awesome. It's only too bad that the front of the blocks aren't round. That might have added to the effect.

Yeah I looked for cylinder shaped ones, but they didn't have any. I'm thinking they might need to have a flat surface or else the laser would refract and not produce a clean image.

[blueonblack]

Wow, Bod. Seriously. It's not often I see a whole new concept come onto this scene that makes me say that.

Freaking awesome idea.

+rep (as though you need it)

[TLHarrell]

The blocks could be cut, ground and polished so they are round. But it'd be a big pain. Yes, the reason they are cubes is because the laser is a double beam on an X-Y-Z drive. Where the beams cross, a fracture is created inside the block. If they were round, the beams would be refracted out of place. It is theoretically possible to account for the divergence in software and make it work, but not every company wants to go to that much trouble.

[Boddaker]

ZOMG Progress pics from Steve:

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi1.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Sith1.jpg

:shock:

[Boddaker]

More airbrushing goodness:

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi2.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi3.jpg

[TheGreatSatan]

You can see the characters a lot better lit up, but it still doesn't do it justice. I will have to take some video and pan around them so you can see the depth.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Holo6.jpg)

Damn fine idea!

[mofo]

Just thinkin. If you still want it round, you can place it in a clear plexi cylinder. Then fill the cylinder with water. The index of refraction would not be perfect, but experimentation with resin or gel could narrow the indicies. Once balanced, it would appear solid with no interface.

A quick google gives acrylic's index of refraction at 1.48, water at 1.333, but 75% saturation sugar water at 1.477. :) science!

[Boddaker]

Just thinkin. If you still want it round, you can place it in a clear plexi cylinder. Then fill the cylinder with water. The index of refraction would not be perfect, but experimentation with resin or gel could narrow the indicies. Once balanced, it would appear solid with no interface.

A quick google gives acrylic's index of refraction at 1.48, water at 1.333, but 75% saturation sugar water at 1.477. :) science!

woot! Science FTW! :D
While this would be a great experiment to conduct, I just don't have the time. And these cases need to be shipped out to Taiwan in a few weeks, so any sort of liquid would be a problem.

[Boddaker]

Our friendly neighborhood UPS man dropped off a box yesterday, and it's claiming to have life-altering properties...

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask7.jpg)

Upon opening the box and extracting its contents, it looks to be two differently hued vessels with some sort of malleable substance inside each one. With the box's ominous inscription echoing in my head, I felt compelled to carefully bring the two substances together...
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask8.jpg)

Well, nothing happened. Eventually getting over my thorough disappointment, I decided to continue modding. And that's when I realized I could use this stuff to form the masks that will adorn the side of the SWTOR cases. :)

I flattened it out to a consistent thickness of 1/4" on wax paper, then laid it over my foam structure.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask9_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask9.jpg)

After some shaping, molding, and general sculpting, I ended up with something that resembled a storm trooper mask.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask10_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Troopermask10.jpg)

Once it cures, I'll need to go over it with sand paper to smooth it out, then I'll hit it with some gloss white paint.

But I still don't feel any different than I did before opening the box. Perhaps they want me to file a million dollar lawsuit for false advertising. THAT would change my life! :P

[Boddaker]

With the Borderlands case pretty much complete, I could focus more on the Star Wars cases this weekend. I should be getting the airbrushed panels back from Steve this week, and I'm hoping to have everything ready to go on the cases by then. So I got the Sith mask made, as well as some work done on the front logos. :)

Making the frame, I started with the base and center spine.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask1.jpg)

Then added the ribs.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask2.jpg)

Filled the cavities with expandable foam.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask3.jpg)

While that was setting up, I started building the air inlets and other accoutrements.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask4.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask5.jpg)

After the foam cured, I shaved it down to the shape I wanted and glued the inlets on. For the red lights, I added two acrylic tubes with trim rings that will be lit from behind.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask6_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask6.jpg)

Mixed more epoxy putty up, then rolled it out to 1/4" thickness.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask7_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask7.jpg)

I took some time applying the putty, adding details and lines. Once cured, I'll go back and smooth things out. Then it will be ready for paint.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask8_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Sithmask8.jpg)

[licenseless]

wow... pretty legit man.

its not as crazy as some the At-At because it was made from the actual toy... this is a computer case made to feel like star wars... not star wars made to work like a computer...

man every day i see more imaginative stuff on this site... you guys got me hooked... good stuff

[AmEv]

^Yeah, Boddaker has that charm about him.

All of his themed work actually made you feel like you were actually there.

[Boddaker]

Thanks licenseless & AmEv. Case modding is something I don't think I'll ever get tired of, because every new project comes with its own unique challenges, and it's always different. On top of that, I'm always trying out new materials, like this epoxy putty stuff. :)

[Boddaker]

Got some lighting behind the front Jedi logo...

Using a 12" blue led strip underneath the outer ring. I added an 1/8" styrene stick around the edge for the led strip.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo1.jpg)


I removed the black mesh to show the white hex pattern below it, which fits the theme better. However, the logo is hard to see over it.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo2.jpg)

So I added a white circle cut from styrene sheet to give it a solid background.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo3.jpg)

Testing the lights. The led strip is so bright, it was bleeding through the 1/8" acrylic (!) so I painted the bottom.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo4.jpg)

Looks good to me! Time to glue everything down.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedilogo5.jpg)

Also got word from Steve Nunez that the case panels are done and being sent back this week! I should have them by Friday. Can't wait to check them out!

[SXRguyinMA]

these things get more and more sick with each update!! :D

[Boddaker]

Less than a week to go, and still got a lot of work to do on these cases. I got all the airbrushed panels back from Steve, so I went straight to work assembling them. They look amazing! :D

Here's a shot of the Jedi mural on the case.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi4_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi4.jpg)

And now with the light saber in place.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi5_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Jedi5.jpg)

And here's the Sith mural with light saber. Steve painted the background light sabers with a luminescent red by House of Kolor, so they pop out a lot more.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Sith2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Mural_Sith2.jpg)


I also got some work done on the front of the Jedi case, mounting the crystal and wiring the lights.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedifront3_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedifront3.jpg)

I've got some black cloth behind the crystal so you can't see through to the inside.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedifront2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedifront2.jpg)

And finally an overall shot. Coming together!
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedifront1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Jedifront1.jpg)

I really gotta get going on the masks next. They are taking the longest to complete. I still have to clean them up and get them painted, then mounted to the panel.

[OvRiDe]

Wow.. that looks great. The "holograms" look awesome. I wonder if adding some type of flicker or pulsing degree of light would sell the illusion even more?

Maybe microcontrolling the LED's.

[f8l_0e]

Damn, OvRiDe, you beat me to it. I was going to suggest the same thing. These cases are already over the top, but the flicker effect would send them into hyperspace.


Wow.. that looks great. The "holograms" look awesome. I wonder if adding some type of flicker or pulsing degree of light would sell the illusion even more?

Maybe microcontrolling the LED's.

[Boddaker]

Wow.. that looks great. The "holograms" look awesome. I wonder if adding some type of flicker or pulsing degree of light would sell the illusion even more?

Maybe microcontrolling the LED's.


Damn, OvRiDe, you beat me to it. I was going to suggest the same thing. These cases are already over the top, but the flicker effect would send them into hyperspace.

Yes! That would definitely enhance the effect. I wish I had more time! So many more things I could do with these cases. Unfortunately I need to ship them out by the end of the week.

[Fuganater]

As usual... amazing work!

[OvRiDe]

Yes! That would definitely enhance the effect. I wish I had more time! So many more things I could do with these cases. Unfortunately I need to ship them out by the end of the week.

Damn deadlines getting in the way of perfection! :P

Fantastic work!

[Boddaker]

Cases have been shipped off to Tt this morning! I was scrambling to get them all done by today's deadline, so I couldn't stop and take pics, but there was mostly just small details and painting to take care of anyway. I did manage to snap a couple final shots before boxing them up so here ya go!


http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR_Murals_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR_Murals.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR_Masks_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR_Masks.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR_Front_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR_Front.jpg)

Here are some closer up shots of the masks I made for the window panel.
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Trooper_Mask1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Trooper_Mask1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Trooper_Mask2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Trooper_Mask2.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Sith_Mask1_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Sith_Mask1.jpg)

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Sith_Mask2_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Sith_Mask2.jpg)

And here's a shot of all three cases together...
http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/All_Three_sm.jpg (http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/All_Three.jpg)

I didn't have time to get PSU's in and power them up, so we'll have to wait until Thermaltake sets them up at their booth at Computex to see how they look all lit up. I'll post those pics when I get them (or find them online somewhere).

[AmEv]

Boddaker, depending on where you are, PLEASE help me out with my case!

[Boddaker]

Boddaker, depending on where you are, PLEASE help me out with my case!

What do you need help with?

I'm in Northern California btw.

[AmEv]

Just making the curves look a little better.

Cleaner cuts.

Best ABS filler.


Stuff like that.





I'm in southern Idaho.

[SgtM]

Those are killer! I missed the thread until now. Your concept is awesome, and Steve pulled off some awesome paint work. Bravo to you both!

[SXRguyinMA]

:stupid: all three of those came out awesome!!!

[Boddaker]

Here are some shots of the cases on display at Computex:

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Computex-Jedi1.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Computex-Jedi2.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Computex-Sith1.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/Computex-Sith2.jpg

8)

[SXRguyinMA]

:bowdown:

[Crimson13]

Your mods got some love over at TORWARS.com!!

http://torwars.com/2012/06/10/extreme-swtor-computer-case-mods/

[AmEv]

Whoa! HOLY BATMAN LIGHTSABERS COMING OUT AT YA!!!

[Boddaker]

Here are a few more shots at Computex that I gathered from FB:

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR-Jedi4.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR-Jedi5.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR-Jedi6.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR-Sith3.jpg

http://www.bods-mods.com/SWTOR/Final/SWTOR-Sith4.jpg