PC In Disguise

[purdy]

elbarto did you lose your breath when the boy popped the hood of his camaro, or when the girl looked inside lol. Anyways, just wanted to update quickly. I will have pics tomorrow because I finally attached Prime's head to the case. However, his head is not that piece of crap that weighed 5 tonnes that I made myself, no it's not that at all; but I don't want to give it all away right now, I still have to upload some pics.

I was looking through the forum, and I happened to see a PC mod that is quite similar to mine by Lukeisthecoolest (sorry if I spelt that wrong Luke, you're still the coolest). It's quite the mod going on. It kind of got me jealous because although my ideas have been up here for months, little work has been accomplished and now he has jumped at the opportunity of making a great Prime mod. It kind of got me flustered at the fact that all my ideas that had been flying through my head for the past year about a Transformers case are finally coming to reality... by someone else. I've come to the terms with the fact that my electrical skills and budget are quite inferior to most (especially his), but you can't win 'em all right? He's making a case around the helmet (by having the acrylic made for him) whereas I am working with what I have, because that's how the Autobots would've done it, but more importantly because I don't have the skills or the cash. My plan originally had a SFF case with an Optimus Prime face on the front, with the inclusion of an lcd screen and some kickass lighting. So does his. However, he is doing a much more custom job whereas I am using what I have, an XQPACK case (hey, the Transformers didn't custom make their own cars for disguises, they used what Earth already had!), a voice changer helmet and an obsession with Transformers that has lived with me since I was a kid. I guess it's just the immaturity of still being a teenager that's gotten the best of me and the bottom line is I feel a bit disappointed at the scary resemblance of the rough ideas of my project and his. If you're into Transformers I do suggest that you check out both projects. His is a more professional project (if it's going into a competition, it damn well better be!) and mine is more the everyday man's. I just hope that the forum readers don't forget that I had started this project long ago, and that my project is not a work of competition but a work of aspiring craftsmanship and is to show my passion for Transformers. Please check out his awesome project, but don't forget this one just because it has the smaller budget, the less professional work and the less skillfulness/craftsmanship because this project is truly more than meets the eye.

Sincerely,
purdy

[purdy]

Quick quick update. Before anyone jumps up and says "stop calling him a copy cat" I would just like to clear up my statement and say I don't think he is. I was just sad to see that someone had similar ideas for a case mod, but unlike myself, has the skills to do it. Once again, the immaturity of a kid taking the best of me. I think Luke really is the coolest (so it's not just a clever name) and I totally support his mod. I think it's going to be really cool comparing his and mine because most mods have totally different themes so you can't really compare. With ours sharing the same theme, it's going to be quite fun to see two different people's takes on one theme. Keep up the good work Luke!

[purdy]

Yeah, I did the Bondo outside but for the first little while I didn't wear a facemask when I was applying the Bondo and sanding it so I ended up poisoning myself a little bit so I was sick for a good week to two weeks. Unfortunately all of that Bondo work was for nothing because I've decided to ditch that piece o' crappo and use the Optimus Prime voice changer helmet instead. As for my hand, the knuckle broke in half (the doctor's even mentioned a "boxer's fracture", then told me about a guy who punched the back of his metal truck and we both laughed). The hand will never be the same; there's some movements I can't do (I can't point my index and middle finger like a gun without my pinky sticking out), as well as there's no muscle resistance so my pinky wiggles freely (quite gross, but good conversation piece.) To make sure that I remember the lesson I had learned, my parents framed my X-rays and put lights behind it so they almost look 3D and had a plaque put on the frame that reads "PUNCHED A WALL" because that was the official description the nurse wrote down on my medical papers. I'll take some pictures of the X-rays, although the fracture is hard to see in most pictures. Anyways, going to upload some pics of what I've recently done to the case (here's a hint.... not a whole hell of a lot).

P.S. Rest in peace, elbarto's pants.

[purdy]

Here's the new pics of what I've done thus far since returning to the project.

I went from this:

To this:

With my girlfriend modeling the helmet for good luck

I mounted some hinge brackets onto the back of the helmet first...

Then proceeded to mount it to the top of the case by just using simple screws.

What I have now are two small hinges that match the front of my case and are actually small enough that if you didn't know that helmet was clearly store-bought, that this might have actually been there before. As well as by using the voice changer helmet instead of that hunk of junk bondo monster, I shave money, weight and time off of the project.

I decided that my computer (and my wallet) is too small and too weak to be mounting motors to mechanically lift the helmet, therefore by using the hinges and screws, it looks more professional as well as there are no big motors protruding from the case, just a kicka** helmet.

From the sideshots, the helmet looks kind of out of place, as it's quite large in comparison with the case, as well as it's just hanging there (quite securely I might add)

However, from the front, it looks completely awesome!

And because of where I've mounted the hinges, it completely supports the weight of the helmet and allows it to lift up, therefore eliminating the need to be changing the position of the power button, cd drives, etc.... If you notice in the pictures, the hinges are attached to the black part of the case, which I thought would be a problem when it comes to opening up the case (the entire black portion of the case lifts off), but it turns out I won't have to unscrew the helmet at all.

That's all I have for now. More updates in the next days including pics of the x-rays ( ) as well as further plans including lighting, cooling and paint scheme. Until then, I'm out.

-purdy

[purdy]

Hey again guys,

I just spoke with a local airbrush artist (who paints stuff for a living), and he said for what I want, he could do it for under 400 Canadian. Oh, by the way, this is what I want....

I would like to get the flamejob that Optimus has in the new movie on the black part of the case.

Notice how he actually isn't all red and blue. There is some yellow that fades into red at the very beginning.

And just because I had nothing to do for the past day or so, I decided to once again demonstrate my incredibly awful MS Paint skills.

When I was doing that "sketch", I completely forgot about the proportions of the flames and color, so try to imagine that by the middle of the case, the color has already turned to red and flames, and it's you know...good.

VROOM!!!

Anyways I'm out, so ta ta for now!

-purdy

[purdy]

Hey there once again. I feel like such a loser for being the only one saying anything on this thread so while I take some time off to plan my next steps for the project, now would be a good time to hear from you, the viewers (sorry, always wanted to say that, well not always but you know). Am I a pansy for not painting it myself (I still don't have to get the airbrush guy to do it), should I paint it myself, is the paintscheme ok, crap, or indifferent or would you like to see something else; as well as what other things would you like to see me put into this mod? I am young and easily peer-pressured/influenced, as well as this mod is in it's early stages so now is the best time for your opinions and ideas. I expect at least someone will reply, so until then, I'm alone...err..I mean..I mean I'm out.

-purdy

[purdy]

Hey once again guys, thanks for the support and the "paint it yourself" suggestions. I am going to talk with my art teacher at school in hopes of being able to use her airbrush for the case and even later on seriously looking at prices of airbrush machines and compressors. A little bit of a dilemma here (which will all in all be a good thing as you shall soon find out and be a part of). I ended up pre-ordering Halo 3 Legendary Edition because that helmet is just too damn cool and would look too damn good in my TV cabinet. Only one problem. I don't own an Xbox 360. Yet! So now I have to spend my next two paychecks to buy a 360 Elite and then my third goes towards the game. No one will be the wiser that I pre-ordered a game for a system I don't have yet. What does this mean to the mod project? It means aside from pricing and planning things out, I can't do dick-all with it. Which is the good thing. Now I have some time to really think about what I want to do with this project. How deep do I want to delve into this thing? What kind of investments (both time and money) am I going to be putting down? And most importantly, what do I have to do to this to make the modding community, the Transformers community, and myself pleased with the end result? I am going to need a lot of thoughts, ideas and opinions from the kind people of this forum. But you already knew that!

Anyways, this is what I have thought of recently. I've been reading other people's mods and they keep talking about modder's mesh. Now, I bought some metal grating last year for the project but it seems to have disappeared unto nothingness. This modder's mesh stuff is pretty nice and is going to be lighter and easier to cut and secure onto the case. I'm thinking about going with AC Ryan MeshX or even their Hexx line of mesh. As you can see in previous photos, there are three windows on this case: one on the top and two on the sides. To make my case look better, as well as increase airflow, I want to replace both side windows with the MeshX. Now this is what concerns me; dust. My house can get pretty dusty and I am not one for doing chores such as dusting so with almost the entire sides of my case being mesh, is there going to be a lot of dust collecting or will the superior airflow compensate? If anyone has used this mesh, now would be a good time to comment with past experience in mind.

As for lighting, that is another area that puzzles me. I plan on doing a red and blue theme inside, with the lights being blue and everything else being UV red. Now here is the keyword: UV. When things say UV reactive do they actually need a full blown UV light/blacklight in there or will a standard blue cathode make the sleeving and other things glow just as well? Also, has anyone tried UV reactive paint (specifically on the inside of their case)? I'm curious to see if it is any good.

Holy crap, enough talking already. Even with all of that typing, I feel that my words cannot describe what I envision this mod to be. The helmet; the paintjob; the contrast between red and blue lighting on the interior as well as exterior; the chrome smokestacks (WHAT!?!?!?!? hint hint); this is all shaping up to be an amazing treat for the eyes. As my favorite Transformer Jazz would say, "Do it with style or don't bother doing it." And with that being said, I bid you all adieu. Until the next time, I'm out.

-purdy

[purdy]

I need some thoughts and comments on certain things. I know most of you are too busy to read that entire post ^ (sorry, I get carried away sometimes), so I'll just list a few questions here.

Has anyone used modder's mesh on their case? If so, is dust ever a problem?

When something is UV reactive, does it need a full blown blacklight or will your standard blue cathode do the trick?

And just curious, has anyone tried UV paint?

[purdy]

Hey guys, I've been pondering quite a bit as to what I can do with my case. I've made a "shopping list" of things I intend to buy from performance-pc's that I will post sometime later. In the mean time, I was surfin' the net, looking for anything Transformers and I saw these.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ayphotohosting

Now, they're only like a dollar (well like 10 when you add the shipping). Any ideas as to whether I should buy them or not and if so, what should I use them for? I did some measuring, and I might be able to use the Autobot logo to replace my power button. Any thoughts or opinions?

[purdy]

Hey guys, long time no see!

Some good news for all five of you following this thread (haha I only kid, I hope).
With recent news/rumors, I have canceled my Halo 3 pre-order as well as I have put off my purchase of a 360 Elite. With rumors that a smaller chip and 3rd heatsink are arriving this holiday season, it would be smarter for me to wait for the console. This way I can continue long and hard on this mod without Bioshock or Halo distracting me. That and the fact that I realised how pointless that helmet was! So now that I don't have to spend my next couple of paychecks on those things, I've decided to spend them on this project. I've done some more planning and I've come up with a "shopping list" of things I intend to buy at the end of this week. Of course, there are some things that I am still undecided on so I am going to need your expert opinions. My list and more updates should be on their way soon. Until then, I'm out.