Cygnar Storm Strider Casemod

[mDust]

At the rate you're running you'll have this 99% done in a couple of days. You might just have to wait a bit for your artist to do his thing...
Everything looks great so far! Keep on truckin' like you are.

[monkeyfun]

You must focus your chi powers.

Focusing!

At the rate you're running you'll have this 99% done in a couple of days. You might just have to wait a bit for your artist to do his thing...
Everything looks great so far! Keep on truckin' like you are.

Thanks!


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LIST TO DATE:

In Progress:
Bend and insert mesh pieces to side walls and top cover plate (almost done, drying)
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure (must finish filing first)
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure (must finish filing first)
Cold weld dome to cover plate (waiting on mesh to dry first)
Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure (dependent on psu/hdd enclosure)
Base paint all the parts
Paint the case
Create 3 part mould for shin guards (waiting for plaster to dry, on 1 of 3)
Test run for shorts and issues (hardware tested and all parts run in another case)

To-Do list:
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports (can wait until after PAX)
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Disassemble case for transport


Done:
Cold weld Wire tubes to resin leg frame
Insert the video card mounting plate
Create cover pieces for the spine
Cut the holes for the input/output ports in the back panel
Cut spine space and panels out of top cover plate
Cast resin legs
Cut the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Create frame and enclosure mounts for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Attach lightning coils to spine
Cut Spine attachment pieces
Cut out wiring holes in main enclosure base plate

[monkeyfun]

Update #27: 2 Days.
Count Down: I only have Today and tomorrow to work on the case: PAX 2011.

I’m getting excited. PAX is always a wonderful event that I suggest everyone experience. The sheer amount of activities that happen both in and outside the event is staggering. I think I’ve been invited to 4 different vendor parties on Saturday and 2 on Friday. My schedule is booked solid with panels I want to see and new games I want to try out.

First, I donned my gear. While Privateer Press didn’t provide this bandana in their care package, I’ve earn several of them from playing Warmachine games in their Iron Arena. Privateer Press will be having an Iron Arena at PAX as well! I love getting prizes and schwag at conventions for playing games I love!

Here’s a quick picture of me attaching the mesh to one of the side walls. As you can see, I am a fan of paperclip and paperweight as modding tools.

Now, I’ll continue with the 3-part mould creation process for modders in a rush or the ‘How-to-cheat-in-the-mould-making-process’. Please note, a cast pieces is only as good as mould it comes from. If you put the time and the effort into making a good mould, your cast piece will show that diligence. Every shortcut you take in the mould making process will probably equal time you’ll need to spend on retouching the cast object as well.

Ok, last update I covered setting your object up in the box. Well, here’s what it looks like filled with gap-filler foam.

Be sure to keep an eye on your box. The gap-filler foam expands and you should probably clean up the excess foam before it hardens somewhere you don’t want it. Here’s the hardened foam.

This is the foam after the ‘unboxing’. Be sure to save that box as you’ll end up needing it later.

Now I’m deciding and where to make my mould parts. You should already have a general idea of where those parts are going to be. Determining the parts is dependent on the shape of the object you are trying to replicate. The purpose of using a 3-part mould is keeping the mould parts from latching onto a recessed space on the object and preventing your from releasing the parts of the mould and retrieving the cast pieces. So you have to look at the object and determine what will be best for your project.

I’ve cut out the space for the first section.

Now you put the foam back into the box and cover it with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. If you’ve been using the correct amount of petroleum jelly in your project the store clerk should be eyeing you like some twisted pervert. Or you can just go to different stores or buy it in bulk.

Fill the empty space with plaster.

After the plaster has hardened, unbox the pieces.

Cut out the second piece. Place the foam and the first piece back in the box. Cover the pieces in petroleum jelly and then fill the empty space with plaster again.

This should produce two of your three pieces. The third is always a little tricky but it is done with the same process. Things you want to look out for:

Recessions made by the 2 previous pieces
Flaws in the mould
Aliens

I’m not too sure what to do if you find an alien but the other two problems can be ‘fixed’ with an excessive amount of petroleum jelly.

Please note, I am leaving some of the foam in the last piece. I’m doing this to make the cast piece a little smoother and thicker and to reduce the amount of grabbing the plaster piece will do with the cast resin.

Here’s a picture of the last setup in the box. You can see all that petroleum jelly. This will cause some errant sprues on the cast resin piece, but I’m already figuring I’m going to spend a decent amount of time cleaning up the part anyhow. Once you’re ready, fill this last section up with plaster.

I’ve also found that there is a ‘golden’ time for pulling your model object from a plaster mould. You obviously want to wait until the plaster has solidified however you don’t want to wait too long. The longer you wait the more your plaster will crack when stress is applied to it. I usually try to extract the object while the plaster is still warm (it generates heats as it solidifies). If there are parts that are bonding or recessed behind the object you want them to break loose but you don’t want to destroy the rest of the mould.

I’ll post pictures of the final mould probably between tonight and tomorrow night.

Here’s a quick picture of the legs. I’m still cleaning them up but they will be ready to be primed later today:

Here are some teaser pictures of the semi-finished case!

I’ve come to terms that I’ll probably be showing a Work-In-Progress in the BYOC, but it’s put together enough that I will be proud of my work and driven to make it even better. That being said, I will probably put in another 30 or so hours of work into the case before opening morning at PAX. And once again, I will be working on this project more after PAX. I’ve talked to Anthony over at Green Fairy Studios and we’re going to rework the paint job after the convention so that it looks great for its photo session for the No Quarter magazine.


LIST TO DATE:

In Progress:
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure
Cold weld dome to cover plate
Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure
Base paint all the parts
Paint the case


To-Do list:
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Load OS & games into HDD
Test run for shorts and issues
Disassemble case for transport

[SXRguyinMA]

it's coming along great! can't wait to see it done

[monkeyfun]

Still @ PAX, still MIA, will post more when I get home:
WIP @ PAX:

[monkeyfun]

Quick note:

I GOT 1ST PLACE IN THE PAX PRIME 2011 BYOC CASEMOD CONTEST!!!!!!!!

[msmrx57]

Congrats!!!

[Fuganater]

Gratz buddy. Well deserved.

[SXRguyinMA]

nice!!

[monkeyfun]

Sponsors:

http://www.hazardfactory.org/

http://privateerpress.com/

http://greenfairystudios.wordpress.com

Update #28: My PAX experience.

The event is done. The initial stress is over. And despite all of the stress, commotion, hurried frenzy and excitement, I had an immense amount of fun.

First the preparation:

Two days before PAX, I hurried to get things ‘together’ enough to present at PAX. Anthony with Green Fairy Studios gave me a fighting chance by painting most of the parts. I assembled case, wired the lights, and inserted hardware. However, my rush-job on the mould for the shin pads didn’t work out as well as I thought it would. There was a bit of a conflict with the petroleum jelly and the resin. I set the mould in the sun and heat to help catalyze the resin. The resin in turn produces heat. The heat from the sun and the resin turned the petroleum jelly into liquid. This allowed the resin to seep from the mould. But I didn’t let this daunt me. I threw everything together and grabbed the single shin guard and got everything ready for the morning of PAX. When I began loading everything into the car, the case slipped and both halves of the dome snapped off the main enclosure… so I did what any avid modder would do. I drilled four holes, tapped the bottom and jury rigged the dome onto the case; and it worked.

I also found that carrying 50lbs (23kg) of computer case is enough to give you a work out. I’m looking into adding rolling casters to the legs.

At the convention, I got to meet some of the best casemodders in the community (at least those in the US). Boddaker was in the EVGA booth with his TRON mod and it’s every bit as beautiful as its pictures. I was especially impressed with how he had the SSDs displayed and wired into the case. My only regret was that the case wasn’t on a turn-table so that you could easily see all sides of that beauty. BobDBone was in attendance in Zotac’s booth. He provided everyone with two treats, his casemod and the popcorn it produced. Leatherface was rocking the Thermaltake booth with two of his cases, the Scootermod and his bomb disposal robot mod(sorry if I get the names wrong on these two). The scooter-mod was particularly popular with the ladies. I can’t tell you how many times I saw a VERY cute girl posing on that scooter. Anthony Lackey had his Candy casemod in the BYOC with me. And last but not least, DarthBeavis was everywhere. No, really, had had several cases in several booths. He is a giant amongst modders and it’s always a pleasure to talk with him and get his advice on mods and the industry.

Now for the ‘thank you’ list:

My wife: Sorry guys, she gets the first and foremost thank you. She has supported me every step of the way and demonstrated patience of a saint. I love you, honey!

CPU Magazine (prize support & contest hosts): Without you and your sponsorship this contest wouldn’t be. Your magazine has great articles and features and I was happy to be participating in your event.

www.computerpoweruser.com

ThermalTake (prize support & LAN awesomeness): Whoever is in charge of Thermaltake, you need to give Shannon a raise. This man works non-stop to help establish a community. His crowd interactions and support of the LAN made me feel as though Thermaltake was a central part of the community and that supporting this company would be like supporting a local business. Marketing reps should take note of how Shannon interacted with the people at this convention. It’s a community and we remember both the good and the bad.

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/

CyberPower(prize support): A special shout out to Eddie with CyberPower. Not only did Eddie provide awesome prizes for the various LAN contests but he was the technical guru for all things computers. He had answered for any range of questions on tech specs, cooling, and did a bunch to find a PC solution for any type of person (from the enthusiast to the beginner). http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

And finally LANFest by Intel (LAN support, prize support, and everything else): LANFest & Intel made the LAN possible. Plain and simple. I’m pretty sure only an entity like LANFest can make both the BYOC and the PC-Free-play areas run that smoothly. It was amazing. http://lanfest.intel.com/



Alright, now that all of that is out of the way… what’s next?

Well, I have to finish the case! I’m taking it a little easy for the next two week so that I can clean up the messes I’ve made of my basement and backyard. I’m also talking with two other foundries in regards to getting the last 7 pieces cast (3 shin guards and 4 legs). I also need to redesign the PSU enclosure (make it smaller) and re-cut the input/output panel. After all of that is done, it will be ready for Anthony (Green Fairy Studios) to re-paint the case and make it pop.