Scratch Build – In Progress Cygnar Storm Strider - Update#28.5 - 9.06.2011

I am processing the some more pictures now/today. Another update will probably be up later today. I'm going to try to get an update up once every 2 days until PAX. I find it's good to take a break from the case and do the update so that I don't get too tired and mess up a tap/drill-hole/cut/bend.

Ooo! I hadn't noticed you started another project! Subscribed! Fortunately I've already got some parts and some plans for my next two projects: Dr. Calgori's Modulated Clockwork Signal Transponder(a mini-ITX DVR) and a My Little Pony Casemod(case type TBD). I've already reworked the Clockwork plans to have the PSU on the bottom and want to look at using the ASUS F1A75-I Deluxe mini-ITX with the slick remote.

 

My Little Pony? - That mod is going to be AWESOME!!!!

 

Update #22: The Enclosure.
Count Down: Only 10 more days until PAX 2011.

I need elves …like those little elves that make shoes for the cobbler… someone to work on my case while I’m at work. :|

The case enclosure has shape!!! Here’s a picture with all the walls in. I still have some more cleaning up to do and filing around the edges but I wanted to get things put together to make sure I didn’t have any design flaws that would keep the parts from fitting.



Each of those panels will end having mesh put into them… but that’s in the future, near future hopefully.



Next I began fitting the cover plate. Since I ended up cutting new pieces (see update #19) I had to file down all of the overlapping parts.

Before:


Half way:

Much better:


Here’s an unfocused over-view of one half. I apologize for the quality of this picture but… I’d rather rush a picture or tow than not get any for the work log.



Here’s a view of the over lapping parts and the mismatched rear-arch.



After I did some filing on the rear-arch:


I had to stop here as I needed to use the table saw to cut some pieces and my neighbors frown on metal cutting at 11pm in the evening. More pictures will be up in 2 days. Tonight repairing some of the casting flaws with bondo, attaching the dome to the top piece, tapping the frame for the lightning coil spine, cutting the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure, cutting the frame for the leg resin pieces and cutting the holes for the input/output ports in the back panel. Tomorrow, I’ll clean up the plaster moulds a little bit and make a stab at the resin casting.

 

good luck to you, you sure u don't have those elves you talked about cause this is going fast forward...

 

Subbed. absolutely amazing work!

im excited to see how you mount the GPU. i also saw the idea in ROG Rampage, and REALLY want to implement it in my case build but im not sure how to do it exactly? so i would love to see how you do it!
keep up the fantastic work!

 

Update #23: The Mad Dash.
Count Down: Only 9 more days until PAX 2011.

I know I said I was going to update every two days but I got a bit done last night and … well… you’ll see.

Completed Last night:

Prepared the cover plate for cutting
Repaired some of the casting flaws with bondo
Cold welded the lightning coils seams for stability
Tapped the frame for the lightning coil spine
Assembled lightning coil frame
Cut out Frame pieces for leg resin
Cut wire tubing for legs
Cut out Mesh pieces for side walls
Cleaned up the plaster moulds

Pictures:

Prepared the cover plate for cutting:


The mesh is ready!


Here are the wiring tubes and the leg frames.



This was all the work that I completed on the spine:






And finally for this update you can see a semi assembled case!!! Please forgive the pink lightning ports. I’m smoothing those parts out with bondo.





What’s left? Here’s the To-Do list I have until the case is completed.

To-Do list:
Cold weld Wire tubes to resin leg frame
Cut the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Create frame and enclosure mounts for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut the holes for the input/output ports in the back panel
Create cover pieces for the spine
Attach lightning coils to spine
Cut Spine attachment pieces
Cut spine space and panels out of top cover plate
Cut out wiring holes in main enclosure base plate
Bend and insert mesh pieces to side walls and top cover plate
Cold weld dome to cover plate
Cast resin legs
Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure
Create 3 part mould for shin guards
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Base paint all the parts
Paint the case
Insert the video card mounting plate
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Test run for shorts and issues
Disassemble case for transport


Next update will be in 2 days at latest.

 

Keep moving monkeyfun. You're making great progress.
'm looking forward to the finished mod.

 

Oh wow, this is incredible, it's going to look absolutely awesome

 

NOW it's taking shape - this is really interesting. GREAT work.

 

My hand decided to have a fight with a chunk of aluminum that got caught in a table saw. I'm bruised but not daunted. Sallying forth!

Done:
Cold weld Wire tubes to resin leg frame
Insert the video card mounting plate
Create cover pieces for the spine

In Progress:
Cut out wiring holes in main enclosure base plate
Cut Spine attachment pieces

To-Do list:
Cut the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Create frame and enclosure mounts for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut the holes for the input/output ports in the back panel
Attach lightning coils to spine
Cut spine space and panels out of top cover plate
Bend and insert mesh pieces to side walls and top cover plate
Cold weld dome to cover plate
Cast resin legs
Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure
Create 3 part mould for shin guards
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Base paint all the parts
Paint the case
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Test run for shorts and issues
Disassemble case for transport


An actual update will be posted tomorrow or Friday.

 

Nice work so far. Can I ask why you decided to use Plaster over silicon for casting the legs? Plasters seems like it would break on you pretty quick and have a tendency to bind to the resin causing you to lose definition quickly and/or requiring recasts every time you use it. Silicon allows much more flexibility and multiple casts with little to no loss in quality at least for the number of casts you talking about making.

Just wondering.


-jay

 

Update #24: The Last Week before PAX.
Count Down: Only 7 more days until PAX 2011.

This update isn’t as beef as my other updates but I’m spending the better part of my days (free time outside of work) filing. I’m currently in the middle of casting one of the resin legs and I’m a bit worried. It isn’t hardening as much as fast as I like. I know it heat activated and I started the process last evening but if it takes this long I might have to create some other place holders for my legs. There is a chance I didn’t use enough catalyst. I am hopeful that I did use enough as my off-pour is setting quite nicely. Any rate, here are the resin-casting pictures to date:

First I cold-welded the wiring tubes to the frames.


Next I made sure the moulds were level for even pours.


Then I coated my moulds with Vaseline to prevent any sticking.


Finally, I poured the resin… and now I’m waiting.


On the other parts, I’m almost finished with the top covers. While these pictures are still unfinished, I’ve cleaned up all of the panel holes and softened the edges.





And I’ve prepared the mesh to be inserted into the top cover.



Here’s a quick picture of me fitting the mother board and making sure my input/output panel will be cut and placed correctly.



LIST TO DATE:

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


In Progress:
Cut Spine attachment pieces
Cut out wiring holes in main enclosure base plate
Cast resin legs
Bend and insert mesh pieces to side walls and top cover plate


To-Do list:
Cut the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Create frame and enclosure mounts for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure
Attach lightning coils to spine
Cold weld dome to cover plate
Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure
Create 3 part mould for shin guards
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Base paint all the parts
Paint the case
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Test run for shorts and issues
Disassemble case for transport



Another update should be up this weekend. Anthony from Green Fairy Studios is coming over to my place on Saturday to help with the priming and painting of the parts. I have to jam tonight to get more pieces ready. Do me a favor and take a look at his site and work. He’s won awards for the quality of his miniature painting and I look forward to seeing what he’s going to do with a giant miniature.

 

Looking good fella! Keep it up.

 

go monkey, go monkey! oooooooomonkey!

 

2 things to help you get finished on time: Stop with the lists, and put the vaseline away.

 

Thanks guys!

Lol, I'll just put vasline on my list, that should be fine, right?

 

Update #25: Midnight Update.
Count Down: Only 6.5 more days until PAX 2011.

This is just a quick update in the middle of the night.

The resin casting is coming along. Here's the first half of one leg.



Here's a picture of hte top plate of the spine.


First lightning coil attached:


Second lightning coil attached:


All coils attached:



LIST TO DATE:

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
Cut Spine attachment pieces
Attach lightning coils to spine

In Progress:
Cut out wiring holes in main enclosure base plate
Cast resin legs
Bend and insert mesh pieces to side walls and top cover plate
Cold weld dome to cover plate

To-Do list:
Cut the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Create frame and enclosure mounts for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure

Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure
Create 3 part mould for shin guards
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Base paint all the parts
Paint the case
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Test run for shorts and issues
Disassemble case for transport

 

Damn this is highly creative & ambitious & a scary deadline to have it done by , turning out flipping awesome mate .
Stars & rep .
Sorry for not tuning in earlier I just didn't know what to say with it being so awesome .

 

Sorry for the plain picture-less update. I've been sparse with my pictures and concentrating on the case. I will have a picture progress update on Monday morning. But for now, here's the list so far...

LIST TO DATE:

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
Cut Spine attachment pieces
Attach lightning coils to spine
Cast resin legs
Cut the pieces for the PSU/HDD enclosure
Create frame and enclosure mounts for the PSU/HDD enclosure

In Progress:
Cut out wiring holes in main enclosure base plate
Assemble PSU/HDD enclosure
Cut an dcold weold mesh pieces to side walls and top cover plate
Cold weld dome to cover plate
Cut out switch holes on PSU/HDD enclosure
Attach legs to PSU/HDD enclosure
Base paint all the parts

To-Do list:
Create 3 part mould for shin guards
Cast resin shin guard
Attach shin guard
Cut acrylic windows for all lightning ports
Wire shin guards for LED lighting
Paint the case
Put in all of the hardware and switches
Test run for shorts and issues
Disassemble case for transport

 

This is getting better and better!!!!!!!!!