Help Alfred and win a prize!

[Cymae]

Alfred has decided to run a small unofficial Modding challenge (with the help of Bucko and myself, seeing as he has a bit of trouble typing without fingers...)

Meet Alfred:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v99/Cymae/hairycasec.jpg

Alfred would very much like to become a real case monster instead of concept drawing.

He'd like you to plan out how to build him so he still looks like Alfred.

Here are the rules Alfred set:
1. Alfred doesn't want anything like cd drives or lights or buttons showing at the front. he wants to look like Alfred.
2. Add in anything you like though it has to be barely visible, as Alfred doesn't want strange things sticking out of him.
3. Show me the case and all the items you want to use. Important stuff has to be branded (For example, you can't just say I want green water cooling, you have to specify the make and model).
4. Alfred has hair. Alfred would like to keep his hair.
5. Make the instructions on how to build Alfred relatively detailed, so we know what you would use for everything and how you would go about it

Here's the bit where it gets interesting:
Bucko and I will be judging, and we will pick the most reasonable plan (time, design and price-wise), and first place will win this:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/images/products/front/im_in_ur.jpg (http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/9505/)

and two of these great keyrings Bucko made:

http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/984/cameradump068nr2.jpg

Second place gets a keyring too!

Alfred says he'd like to give you guys until the 16th of August! That's about 2 weeks from today.

[Bucko]

That's right, we thought we'd have a mini-modders challenge. As this isn't an official modders challenge, you won't get the special Modders Challenge signature picture or the certificate, but I'm sure you guys and gals can still have fun with this one.

[D1337]

Your actually gonna build it? Or the contest just for fun.
lets hope nobody tries to suggest pubs as the hair =.=

[Bucko]

The contest is just for fun, you just have to post your plans on how you would build it, not actually build it.

[Cymae]

Might build it..you never know. Depends how easy and inexpensive it ends up being... maybe Bucko will lend me his workbench *makes puppy eyes*

As a side note (from what Elenril asked me in IM):
The tshirt comes with a marker. You can wash the shirt with a damp cloth and it's re-writeable so you can change your mind as much as you like! It's really quite nifty. if they came in ladies sizes i'd get one instead of running this contest, but you're all incredibly lucky cos they don't!

[Bucko]

You can use my workbench anytime. *wink*

[The boy 4rm oz]

Interesting, can't wait to see what some people come up with.

[lukeisthecoolest]

Here is my contest entry:

lets start off with a case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108044) an IN WIN mini ATX case. I chose this case because it is small and compact and reminds me of Alfred's face. The power supply that it comes with will save me time when building Alfred.

Next we need to find hair for Alfred (http://www.bjcraftsupplies.com/generalCrafts/fur01.asp) it comes in dark brown and has the consistency of Alfred's coat.

How is all that hair gonna stay on? (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100471258&N=10000003+502152+90401&marketID=90401&locStoreNum=8125) should keep a tight bond between the case's metal and the faux fur.

Now onto those reptilish eyes (http://www.glasseyes.com/cgi-bin/products.pl?ref=reptile&productcode=132-R) they are closest resembled to Alfred's snake-like vertically lined eyes. code 132-R41!

What to do for the glossy face? where the faux fur isn't going to be placed a high-gloss brown paint will be applied by either air-brush or spraypaint. Then a sheet of cracked ice acrylic (http://www.professionalplastics.com/cgi-bin/main/co_disp/displ/prrfnbr/85290/sesent/00/Lighting-Panels---Cracked-Ice) will be layed over the paint to have the wetness and shininess that Alfred has on his face.

Their is no way i can buy a tongue online so i will have to make one using this process (http://www.stagework.org.uk/webdav/harmonise?Page/@id=6012&Document/@id=7411&Session/@id=D_r2Sey7j0E89gsM143B7p) although i will not make the tongue edible.

These will come in handy later ;) (http://www.frozencpu.com/products/5281/fee-03/Premium_Rubber_Case_Feet_4_Pack_-_Black.html)

Alfred is a monster so he should get some monster specs:

CPU:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115016
MOBO:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128048
RAM:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227124
VGA:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130073
HD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152052
DVD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827101131
3 FANS:http://www.xoxide.com/thermaltake-silent-wheel-130mm-fan.html i thought Alfred will want to be quiet so he can sneak up on people ;)

how to build Alfred:

1. Disassemble Alfred and prepare for paint on front end
2. Paint below the bay drives only using high-gloss brown paint
3. Begin cutting and glueing the sheets of dark brown faux fur upon the case and let dry.
4. cut the cracked ice acrylic into the right dimensions and past the repltile fake eyes onto it.
5. Paste the acrylic onto the front panel and cut out a hole in the acrylic so when the middle eye is pressed the case powers on.
6. cut out the faux fur above the first bay drive and use it to stealth the dvd bay insert.
7. create a fake tongue like in the guide and attach it using 2-part epoxy.

This is where the going gets rough:


8. flip the case upside down and using a hole saw cut out three 120 mm holes and screws the holes in place
9. also screw a 100mm hole near the end of the case as this will be very importante later
10. gluw on the case feet and we are ready to assemble.
11. screw six holes precisely 5 mm to the front of the case in order to match the mobo's holes
12.screw in the motherboard normally and install all of the features (HD,CPU,VGA.....)
13. congrats u are done ;)

explanation:

three high-powered silent fans pump low-laying cold air from the ground up into the mainframe and allows for no fans to be showing

the 100mm hole will be used to pass cables UNDER the case instead of behind the case so Alfred will not be self-concious about his wires sticking out the back

the acrylic panel is used for lighting and when light hits it, it resembles wetness and glossiness like the concept that is drawn.

please notify me if u see i have made any mistakes or if any changes should be made

Thanks,
LukeIsTheCoolest ;)

[lukeisthecoolest]

oh and if u were wondering the whole thing took me 2 hours ;)

[Cymae]

I'd like to point out that Alfred says the skin he has is bumpy..it's actually like alien skin..

mighty fine entry. You can only enter once and you need to post finished on your entry so that I know it's done and you're not changing anything. Then I will add it to a text document to make sure you aren't cheating :P

[lukeisthecoolest]

yeah i guess i am done :?

how would i be cheating? juss wonderin? :/

[Elenril]

What, you're using Bucko's workbench and I'M NOT INVITED??

I need that shirt, even if it's a guy's shirt. I will compile my entry tomorrow during my 80 minute maths lesson.

[Bucko]

What, you're using Bucko's workbench and I'M NOT INVITED??


Umm, I think I'll leave that alone. Cymae and I were kinda having a little fun between us...

[Elenril]

Just kiddin' bro ;)

[Cymae]

you're free to join us Elenril. There's plenty of space on the workbench :P

Luke: No clue. just lazy. deal with it :P

[jdbnsn]

What, you're using Bucko's workbench and I'M NOT INVITED??



This is inviting problems you know.

[lukeisthecoolest]

Luke: No clue. just lazy. deal with it :P

hay! welcome to my life :)

[Cymae]

just giving this a bit of a bump! it's kinda easy to win right now because we only have one entry! You have until the 16th of August, so go on and join in!

[Omega]

First... We start with this case. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129166). Then we either remove the power button, reset button, and LED's off of the front or relocate them behind something. Depending on the motherboard you choose, you can even get rid of the buttons completely and boot with a keyboard command.

Then, we take some bondo and make it match the consistency of Alfred's skin. After this, we put a thin layer of fiberglass over it for strength and a good gluing surface (rough it up with some 80grit so the adhesive sticks nice and good!)

Now, we glue the fur on to Alfred, making sure to leave it so we can still get inside him. [ulr=http://www.pearlpaint.com/shop~ocID~1000~parentID~984~categoryID~973~layoutI ndicator~vertical.htm] this[/url] would be easy-to-use and good glue for this application, given that nobody tugs or pulls on Alfred's fur (but that would probably be a bad idea anyways!).

Now, depending on how much you'll need a CD drive, you can either omit it from the system (plugging one in only to install the operating system) or do a slot-loading optical drive such as this one (http://www.cesell.com/product.php?productid=33972).

You could mount the slot-loading optical drive where Alfred's mouth is. (To give the illusion that Alfred is "eating" the CD's)

To achieve the proper skin tone on Alfred's face, you can simply lay down a layer of a base color followed by airbrushing the highlights and shadows in.

For the tongue, we will take sculpey and model the tongue. From there, you could cover it in fiberglass or just paint it as is (although it would be better to layer it in fiberglass so that it's more robust.

Looking pretty close to done now, eh? Well, Alfred doesn't know that because he doesn't have eyes! Yet..

Give Alfred (three) Pairs of these (http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/product/01001104/). Since there's quite a few different sizes there, you'll have to figure out just how big Alfred's eyes really are.

Now we take some sheetmetal and make a cover to go over the back of Alfred, hiding the cables that will inevitabely protrude. to make this cover match the rest of Alfred, you bondo and then fiberglass it to the consistency of Alfred's skin then put the fur on it.


Aside from internal components (which are completely up to you, Cymae), Alfred is now finished! =o

[Cymae]

nice entry omega! :D you didn't say anything about cooling though..

[Omega]

nice entry omega! :D you didn't say anything about cooling though..

I said that stuff like that would be left up to the creator/user (you). If you can budget for watercooling, awesome. do it. If you can't, go with air. Nothing glowy though, because I'm pretty sure Alfred isn't radioactive. =D

[gaz_the_chav]

Can u have the power button where the sun dont shine on him I think that would be quite funny (but painful) lol

-gaz

[Omega]

That's an area of Alfred I never wish to see or venture towards.

[D1337]

Then shove a stick in there to press it.. a brown stick.

[FuzzyPlushroom]

I'd advise against that. Alfred looks like the type who would immediately whirl around and bite off a few fingers if you got within a foot of his cornhole.

[xRyokenx]

Just saw this challenge, lol. Quite interesting. If I find the time to do it (on vacation, yet on the forums, I have no life! :D), I'll make an entry. Great little OT madness guys. ^^ And man, I could get into a lot of trouble with that shirt, lol... esp. the kind where my mind goes into loops due to figuring out what to write on there, as opposed what not to write, lol.

[Cagedconnerman]

To start Alfred out, I would buy this case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154050), why? because Apex is a cool name, and its about the right dimensions

When looking at Alfred's hair, I thought it looked a lot like the fur of a black bear, so why not use faux black bear fur (http://www.denverfabrics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=23885&Category_Code=FR-prints&Product_Count=3) to cover the case. I would cut out the shape of a T, The reason I would cover 4 sides is because the front needs to be covered with a different material in order to look like a face, and the bottom wouldn't need to be covered, since no one would see it. I would use hot glue (or something similar) to attach the the fur to the top, left and right sides, but not the back. (you'll see why later) On the back I would cut a small hole near the bottom, about 1.5" up (you'll see why later) then attach an inch wide strip of velcro to the very bottom of the flap, as well as a matching piece on the lower section of the back of the case.

To make Alfred's face, I would use a thick coating of bondo, while still wet I would poke it a bunch to get dimple-y look seen in the picture. Once dry, I would paint it with gloss black Krylon spray paint (http://www.filmtools.com/krglblsppa16.html) to get the oily, shiny appearance.

For Alfred's tongue i would get one of these (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/mat/391036999.html) pieces of wood, which i would then shape into a rough tongue shape. To get the texture I would scoop a bit of bondo up onto a popsicle stick, then fling it onto the wood, getting (close enough) the texture of a tongue.

I would also cut out a place for the cd drive to mount towards the bottom of the case. In order to hide the cd drive, I would glue Alfred's tongue to the tray, as most stealthed cd drives are. (only usually you would use a normal cover, not a tongue.)

I personally think most animals should have tails, and Alfred is no exception. To make a tail for Alfred i would take a strip of the fur used to cover the case approximately 4"x12" and make a mark 12" long, 1" in from one side. Using this mark i would remove all the hair in that 1"x12" area and sew some velcro onto this strip, I would also sew an equally sized strip of velcro on the opposite side, which is already hairless, so that it can made into a "tube" and stay together, but can be pulled apart as well. The reason for an elaborate tail design is to hide the wires leaving the case, you could zip-tie all the wires together, then cover them with the tail. You could then pull the "tail" through the hole cut earlier in the back of the fur, and velcro down the back as well.

For the eyes, i would use ones very similar to those posted by Lukeisthecoolest, *link* (http://www.glasseyes.com/cgi-bin/products.pl?ref=reptile&productcode=132-R)
but the thing that sets my design apart from his is that I would drill 3 holes in one of the middle cd drive covers to put in the cd drive, power, and reset buttons, on top of this I would glue the reptilian eyes.

Cooling would most likely be an issue in this case, considering all the hair that insulates the case, so we'd have to use a BIG heatsink, maybe a Zalman 9700 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020) but if space is an issue (as i suspect it will) something more like this Silverstone cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220004) would have to be used.

if I'm not missing anything then I'm done

[lukeisthecoolest]

For the eyes, i would use ones very similar to those posted by Lukeisthecoolest, *link*

i understand, that is the only place you can get fake eyes. lawl

[Cagedconnerman]

hahaha, its easier to steal a link than to have to google it :)

[Omega]

hahaha, its easier to steal a link than to have to google it :)

seriously. =/

I googled for like a half hour and the only good site was the one that was already posted so I was basically like "ah, piss" (Eck and Jon should know what I sound like when I say that lol).

[crenn]

I'll see what I can whip up!

[Cymae]

The enthusiasm on this thread is great! I'm impressed :) You still have a few more days so keep those entries coming!

[cookies&cream]

Yikes!! Theres only 3 more days.

[Bucko]

Yikes!! Theres only 3 more days.

Actually, you should check your dates. Today is now the last day for entries. It has clicked over to the 16th of August here in Australia, so you have 21 hours to get your entries in.

[Cymae]

Ok guys and girls, today is the LAST DAY for entries. The competition will close in about 10hrs. Make it count!

[Bucko]

This competition is now closed. Cymae and I will get together and decide the winner and we'll let you know ASAP.

[cookies&cream]

aww. I forgot to enter mines.:(
ohh well theres always a next time.

[Omega]

bumping so that elenril and bucko can hear me yelling "hurry up!"

;)

[Elenril]

I think you mean Cymae.

I will choose not to take offense at the fact you have merged us into the same person merely because we are both girls from Australia. Or maybe I should feel special because you think of me first? :p

I love you Cymae, seriously, hurry up and choose a winner.

[Omega]

Er, Yeah. Cymae. Not Elenril.

My bad.

[Bucko]

It's been mostly my fault. It's been nuts with work lately, and I've just had a couple of days offline to relax and do something else.

Soon I promise!

[Chev86]

Has A winner been chosen yet?

[Omega]

...so... uh


any verdict yet?

[Cymae]

Okay, and the winner is....*drumroll*

Lukeisthecoolest!!!!

Luke impressed Alfred with his fine detailed explanation (including links to products) and his enthusiasm!

Second, but not to be forgotten, is Cagedconnerman! who wins a spiffy keyring made by Bucko!

Congratulations!

[Cagedconnerman]

woo! congratulations Luke! it looked like you put a lot of thought into it.