Case Mod - In Progress Project: Cosmos S in a Black/Red theme [UPDATED AND COMPLETED]

COMPLETED PHOTOS BELOW:


















































Hello everyone! This is my very first Project Log and its based around the modification and custom paint job of a Coolermaster Cosmos S. Heres a review of this case @ http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=11939&page=3.

Why did I start this mod? I'd had my Cosmos S for around 2 years and truth be told I was getting a bit bored of it. I was debating swapping it for something like an Antec 1200 or a HAF 932. However I figured it was a bit of a waste of money to buy an expensive case when I was simply 'bored' of my current one. I'd taken a keen interest in some of the modification projects and decided to give it a go myself! Please note that prior to this, I had had no experience of sanding, painting, or anything DIY, so it was a complete adventure into the unknown!

The front panels are removable to allow the installation of various drives. I have my Blu-Ray drive in my media PC for the sleek and clean front. Heres my sanding efforts on the front panels:







I sanded around 5 in the first morning and I felt like my arm was going to drop off! One of the things that I've learned from this project is that the flat panels take a long time to sand, but are very easy to paint. I purchased the sandpaper from eBay, and the primer/paint from Halfords. I used car paint:



I wanted a powerful blood red colour. Heres what the front panels looked like when painted:









And what the case looked like as I added the front panels:









I was very pleased with my progress so far. It was exactly the kind of look I was going for when I began. The next step was to sand and paint the top removable panel of the Cosmos S:







As you can see, a very striking red colour. Heres the case with the top grill added:







Apologies for the very dusty nature of the case!

My next step was to disassemble the side panel and paint the grill over the fan the same colour. Luckily the logo just peeled off, allowing me to easily sand it down, paint it, then reattached it.





And the final result:









Not bad for a first timer! At this point I had a bit of a break from modding as I liked the way my case looked and I had a lot going on at work. But I never felt like the red and grey really went together, so I always intended to return to complete the mod. I browsed some other Cosmos S mods online to get some inspiration on how to disassemble the case and finish it off. So I began with the two handles on the top of the case:



Apologies for some of the photo quality, I've only got an iPhone 3GS as my camera >< But I believe that you get the idea - the more red thats added, the stronger the theme of the case gets!















Stay tuned for more updates! Happy to listen to any constructive criticism!

 

Is that Milano red an enamel paint? I only ask because most auto colours come in acrylic or cellulose these days. If it's acrylic and you used enamel primer...

 

Explain moar plz

EDIT: I just checked the cans and the paint is acrylic, but if they really don't work together, then how come they were selling them together in Halfords? And I've had zero issues with painting on top of the primer...?

 

Actually, after giving it a bit more thought - in the order you've done it it's fine. Enamel top coat over acrylic primer might have produced some problems. Basically my personal rule is to never mix paints just in case there are problems with one paint reacting with another, but if yours has gone on all right and is ok so far, it's probably fine.

 

Nice, but would be nicer if you painted all the grey black. Or are you already doing it?

 

Yes I will definitely be painting the grey black. The reason I haven't done so yet is the grey parts are two huge pieces so I will have to disassemble the whole case to do them. In short: I did the easy bits first!

 

looks good mate

 

This looks good.

 

Thanks for all the kind comments

 

Yeah... That was what I thought. ^^ You gotta get them done ^^

 

I've taken everyones advice and I've stripped down the chassis in preparation for painting the grey trim black. Taking apart a Cosmos S is not easy and took me around 2 hours from start to finish. Heres some piccies:

 

Nice work so far!
Look forward to seeing it back together again. It looks so sad with all its bits taken away

 

Its a bit scary seeing it all disassembled like this, I'm just hoping when I put it all together it looks like I imagine it should

 

Small update for two vanity shots. First shot is of my new Dell, second of my whole desk.

 

Vaseline

 

Incredibly minor update: first door sanded down. Will have pics of the glossy black finish by the end of the day.





EDIT: Just finished the other handle too.

 

Left scren looks sad next to his BIG brothert.

 

Small update. The photo quality is really crappy, but you get the idea of the finish I'm aiming for.





Glossy black finish on the front door. Will look fantastic with the blood red.

 

Looks good. Looking forward to see it reassembled

 

looks ok, but please stop killing your puters with the dust....dont be lazy...lol