Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Blackwing Crypt 4/07/10 - New update and glowing pics

I would have taken some shots of it half eaten but it was a comission "build" so I was banned from touching it

I had thought about the Amd dragon platform but I want to use the machine for gaming too so the I7 860 is my cpu of choice.

 

Good morning, sorry its been a little quiet on the modding front. Ive recently been diagnosed with Narcolepsy. The tablets I now have to take are making me feel pretty crappy and Ive been finding it very hard to concentrate on anything. All is not lost though and it seems im getting used to them, in fact Ive managed to get enough stuff together for an update.

First things first im proud to announce a new sponsor:



Thanks goes out to Hannes, he is a pleasure to deal with and if the way he has dealt with my sponsorship is anything to go buy Fractal Designs customer support should be second to none. Not only did he send me the Newton R2 800 watt psu but also 2 x 140mm fractal fans.















As you can see The packaging of the Newton R2 is amazing. Everything is neat and tidy in little drawstring bags. The PSU itself is reasuringly heavy and finished in a stylish matte black paint. Upon firing up the PSU I was shocked how quiet this thing is, It noticably quiter than my Zalaman heatpipe PSU. The fans are all but silet too and feel like they are pushing a decent amount of air.

You can find out more about Fractal Design and their range of cases/fans and PSUs here.

So now I have the PSU I can start fitting the hardware, at this point it occured to me that ther is not enough room in the main case for all the hardware. I know... a 24" cube that is too small for my pc... all will become apparent in time. The main issue is that I dont want the main enclosure to become crowded, I will be spending a great deal of time on the internals of the case and I want people to be able to see all the details.

So, I came up with this:





This will sit under the main box and I will be using dense foam to create some steps going down to hide it. The white boxes are the rads, Psu in the middle and hdds/bluray at the front. The twin pumps will be in the top area and ive got something special planned for those. Hopefully I can get some more done this afternoon, as long as I dont fall asleep!





After a bit of research I discovered that most crypts have mosaics for flooring. I picked up these mosaic tiles from fleabay and will be using them for the flooring of the main compartment. Thats all for now, hopefull will have something to show later today.

 

Congrats on the new sponsor my friend!!! Way to go Fractal designs!!!
I cant wait to see what you gonna do with these mosaics! Mod on bro!

 

Wow, truly stunning work so far. I'm glad the last updates have been more hardware based, i'd pretty much forgotten it was a pc mod!

 

hehe thanks mate, In my next update you will see that I forgot it was a mod too... Seems I forgot to include the hardware when working out the aesthetics of the case so now the case has grown once again. Update coming in next day or so just need to get some pics uploaded.

 

Great stuff mate, keep it up.

 

Congrats on the sponsor.
You are adding to the case? Doesn't it already take two people to move it?

 

Well you're from Texas, so you should know: Bigger IS Better.

 

I`m watching this in anticipation, Gratz on the sponsors , i think it`s amazing the patience and determination you guys have.

 

Yeah, Im thinking of buying a small crane to move it now...

Anyways, sorry for the distinct lack of updates. Without boring you with all the details ive been pretty ill as of late and have had little to no energy at all. Coupled with the fact I've not been working thus not earning the project had to go on hold for a few weeks.

Well Ive got back to work today and will be starting work on the case again tomorrow. Just want to say thanks to my sponsors and all the bit-techers that have been following my mod. Im hoping to get this project done in 3 months so I can get another one done by christmas.

 

Ok, so bit of a false start. I got persuaded to re-decorate the house and build my water dragon a new vivarium as she got ill due to the poor shop built tank going mouldy. I have got some work done and the project is starting to take shape now, I wont post the photos yet as the work ive done is a little hap hazard and wont really make sense until Ive finished it.

Off to the gadget show live tomorrow and have the rest of the week off work put aside for modding so should have some of the hardware in place and made real progress on the inside of the case.

 

So as promised I have an update for you all, It may seem a little small but Ive got some ohter stuff im working on at the moment which will follow shortly. Life has been seriously getting in the way at the moment but for the time being I have opened a couple of hours modding time in the evening Sorry about the quality of these pics, my son thought it would be a good idea to tie my camera cable around my chair so no I have two useless cables, will update these pics once I get another.





So the first skulls are in place, I thought the front looked a little dreary so decided to add the skulls to break up the grey. I used a dremel router to make the channel and applied a bead of glue down that. I then placed the skulls and spent the next hour repositioning them so they were straight(ish)



Another little pile of skulls to add some detail.



Holes drilled for some led goodness... to follow shortly

top window in place now



Just needs some filling work around the edges. I gave up on the leds as I couldnt get the window to glow how I wanted. I may re-visit this later though.

I want to say thanks to my sponsors too as Im sure they were getting worried I had fallen of the face of the earth with all the goodies.

 

Back again, although all has been quiet on the log front, I have been very busy making bits and pieces for the mod. Thing is, most of the stuff im doing is repetitive. Ive now crafted over 400 hand painted skulls to be used on the mod and at least 600 bricks.



Im now using a mix of pva, brick compund and water. This gives the bricks a rock solid finish. As you will see later I had a lot of problems with the stone crumbling.





For the inside of the case im making each brick individually as its not all that easy to work on the detail inside. Once they are glued into place I will sand them to a uniform finish.

Im guessing that most people would be bored stiff if I posted an update for each and everyone of these. So, I decided to take a break from the production line and do somthing a little more fun.













Im using Phenoptix 5mm orange LEDs, they are bright and give a decent colour. It was a real pain to drill the holes in the eyes, in hind sight drilling them before attatching them to the case would be a good idea. The wires are routed down the columns and out of the bottom of the case, keeping them hidden. You can also see some of the brick compund flaking in the second picture, I have now coated the case in a fresh layer of pva reinforced compound which is rock solid. Unfortunatley its a real bugger to sand







Im now working on the inside of the case and have the colums fitted, I have also carved a piece of foam to go in the corner of the case. More on that next update!

 

Just jumped on this project log. Really nice detailed log. Lots of nice tips. I never get bored of the little details in work logs. Really want to see the final. Sub"d

 

Thanks Looseneutral, I've finally got some modding time back and have managed to get some work done. I wasnt happy with a few parts fo the case so have had to redesign certain things. Pics to follow shortly

 

So original, so cool!

Will be watching

 

So cool, I can't wait to show this to my son who is a massive WOW fanatic. So much respect for the work you have put in to this especially with all the trials a tribulations you have experienced with your health and thieving little c@nts who keep nicking your gear!

Your next mod should be some Raiders of the Lost Ark type traps for your shed! ; )

 

Thanks for all the comments, as you can see the mod has been dormant for a while. Long story short we bought a house... well half a house. The bill for works so far total £18k and still rising.

Ive managed to get a little done which I will post over the weekend but I have only just got my shed erected. I am having a workshop built in February so hopefully it will be full steam ahead from then on. In the mean time I will be updating the log periodically when I get some time.

 

well things have not gone too well, the builders used my build as a saw horse and its pretty wrecked. I hadnt realised as it was boxed up in the garage while our house was being gutted out.

My workshop roof has leaked and destroyed half of my power tools which were stored in there, so now I have to go through the whole insurance route to get them replaced.

I have been trying to get the enthusiam to repair the damage but alas my heart is no longer in this build.

I have a new concept in the works and Hope to start the new project once my workshop has been fitted out properly within the next month.

I would like to thank my sponsors for their help with this build and I will be using the components I have received in my next build (or upgrading them out of my own pocket) and continuing to use their logos on my log.