Case Mod - In Progress StarCraft 2 - Day Zero (Terran) by Envious Mods (COMPLETED)

I like the Backplate

 

Quick Update:

I just finished painting the backplate for the EVGA GTX 970 SC that will be going in this case. It's nice to see some nice parts getting a home that was built by me (even if I don't get to keep it.) I painted the acrylic GPU backplate to match the color scheme on the case. I'm also working on a custom Asus CPU cooler that will be added to the build.

GPU Backplate: After Paint

 

Awesome! waiting for more D:

 

Thanks MooZ91! Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get the paint I need for the other panels. I haven't decided if I will do any led work throughout the case. I may do some more testing once I paint the rest of the panels.

 

Painting Panels: Top Piece

I am starting to get towards the downward swing on this case. I just purchased the flat black and grey paint that was needed in order to finish a few of the panels. Previously I built a top piece out of thin acrylic. This piece hides all the screws used to mount the 3–120mm fans and the cable management. Adding this panel gives it a much cleaner look and is well worth the extra effort. I will update with pictures once I'm done painting this piece.


Painting Panels: Front Pieces

The other panel that will be painted flat black is the front piece. It will help to tie in the overall design of the case. I took quite a bit of tine to plan out the use of the color on this case. I wanted something new and original. This thin piece of acrylic covers the entire front of the case.

After I finish painting and re-mounting these pieces I will be very close to completion. There is still a few little bits that need to be cleaned up before I'm ready to strip the case down. Once its stripped down I will prep any pieces that need a few fresh coats of paint/matte clear for added protection.


Re-assembling Panels After Paint:

 

Here's a teaser shot:

 

USB Panel:

At the bottom of the case theres a flip up door that covers USB and audio plugs. On the front of the door it has “USB” and an ugly logo on it. After giving it some thought I decided to remove it from the cover using a sandable filler. As many of you know it takes quite a bit of work to do this kind of thing correctly. With the filler I'm using, it requires you to put on lots of layers with time to dry in between. Once the filler is built up and dry; it can be sanded smooth. I have put quite a few layers of paint on in order







Top of The Case:

I have sanded the top panel in order to prep it for paint. It will be painted flat black which will match up with the rest of the case. I just finished painting the thin acrylic top piece that is used to cover all the fans screws. I am delaying the top panel paint because I have to pull the majority of the case apart to paint it.





Mock-ups Continued:

Ive been mocking up the majority of the case so I can make a list of things that need to be finished before the final paint job. As pictured below I've mocked-up my Terran Marine as well. Once I have my short list, I will tackle all the little details.

 

Looking real good EM. enojoy'n your build log sub'd

 

Thank you very much LooseNeutral! I'm happy to hear that your enjoying the build. There's a list of stuff needed to be done before it's finished but, I'm starting to get close. My next build will more than likely be a scratch build which will allow me to explore some new building techniques.

 

Mounting: Power/Reset/Indicator Light

I gave a lot of thought to where I should mount the 2 switches and indicator light on the case. After testing out several different locations I decided to mount it on the side of the front panel. Doing so kept wiring clean, accessible and organized as well as offered an original look. The button locations are easily accessed no matter how the case is mounted. I also took the time to sand the old buttons and repaint them to match the color scheme.






Painting Chrome Ring:

The only issue I had with the new switch/indicator light mount was the fake chrome ring around the light. Giving into my own OCD I decided to take the time to sand and tape off the ring so that it could be painted. I used frog tape and a exacto knife to tape off everything but the fake chrome. Primer and matte clear will be used to protect it from future chipping.

 

[IMG ALT=""]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/2534135/width/350/height/700[/IMG]

I still have a lot more work to go on the case but, I have a lot of it mocked up. I decided to take this opportunity to take a few test shots to see how it will look. I'm also testing out locations for the final pics.

Test pics:

 

I have a few more test shot pics to share.

 

nice! read this from the beginning and it happened a lot of stuff along the way Great build so far!

 

Thanks, it's always neat to see how the builds evolve throughout the process. I've recently been approached by a few sites that want to feature it once I'm done. My main goal is to get features by StarCraft or Blizzard. It's awesome that more people will get to see it. Thanks again for reading through the log as it's much appreciated.

 

Update:
Lately I've been working on a lot of small odds and ends on the case. Nothing that's really worthy of showing photos of. A decent amount of time is being spent cleaning up edges and filing pieces so that they got perfectly. I've also been doing some photos to test locations and angles. I have a few edited pics that came out pretty sweet. Today I will be taking off the entire top portion of the case so that it can be sanded and painted. I've also been playing with LED mounting locations as I need to finalize where they will end up.

Edited Test Photos:

 

Paint Matching The Top Mounted Fans:

Being the type of builder that I am. I decided to pull apart the top 3–120mm fans and paint the blades white to better match the build. I hadn't originally planned on painting then but, It'll be worth the effort once they are finished. I hand sanded them with 600 grit which roughed them up enough to be painted. After a light sanding I had to clean them and then give them a once over with the tack cloth. I highly recommend a tack cloth to anyone that is going to do any painting. They are super cheep and work great.

Before:



After:




Top Of The Case:

I pulled the top portion of the case apart so that I could paint it flat black. This is really the only piece that hasn't been painted. Once I get the entire case exactly how I want it. I will go back over everything and re-paint as well as use a matte clear coat over the entire case. A matte clear will protect the paint as well as keep the flat colors looking flat instead of a high gloss you will get with most clear coats.

 

Top Of The Case:

I pulled the top portion of the case apart so that I could paint it flat black. This is really the only piece that hasn't been painted. Once I get the entire case exactly how I want it. I will go back over everything and re-paint as well as use a matte clear coat over the entire case. A matte clear will protect the paint as well as keep the flat colors looking flat instead of a high gloss you will get with most clear coats.





Finishing The (Right) Side Panel:

Originally I was going to put the Terran Eagle logo on the right side panel. Once I had it finished I made a backplate to mount it. It looked awesome by itself but, when it was put together with the panel it didn't look right. I decided to go back to the drawing board. After playing around with a bunch of different ideas, I came up with a solution that will really make this case pop.

Terean Design:

I spent some time over the last couple days making the Terran text. It was a bit more tricky than standard text. I started out by making a template that could be used as a guidline to cut out of thin acrylic. A backplate that I made will help with mounting it on the side panel.

After I filed and sanded everything it was time to paint. For the letters I went with a textured flat white. The backplate is painted blue to match the accents found throughout the case. It is very gratifying to see after spending so much time cutting everything out by hand.

The Process of Making The Terran Panel:

 

Terran Badge Surround:

After making the Terran badge, I started to look into different mounting locations on the right side panel. I narrowed it down to a couple different positions. The biggest issue I was running into was a few holes that came on the cases panel. These holes limited my mounting locations.

To give me better mounting options I decided to build a few pieces that would surround the Terran badge. Building this surround will also add to the look of the side panel. When I cut the pieces out on my scroll saw I had to make sure that it was cut perfectly to match the other parts of the Terran badge. Once I had the pieces perfect, I could move on the painting them flat black.

The Process:

 

Now that I've taken some time to clean up all the parts throughout the case; its almost ready to stripped for its final paint job. Theres a couple more pieces I need to test before its broke down. I wanted to do the test painting on the top 3 fan rings/bezels. I am going to try using a flat black to start. I think it will be a nice contrast with the flat white fans. More than likely I will do a couple more outdoor test shots to see how the fan bezels look in flat black. I also purchased a PSU power cable that has a 90 degree bend which saved me the space I needed for the front panel. I also took some time to paint the PSUs custom bracket. It's now flat black and matches the interior.

Test Paint: Fan Bezels






The Last of The Edited Test Shots:

 

Update:

Now that I've finished thoroughly going through the case I can strip everything down for paint. I already have a good majority of it in primer and sanded for it's color coats. I will be using a flat black, flat white and a brilliant blue. Some of the pieces that need extra durability will get a matte clear coat added. Typically I clear coat everything because, it does a good job of protecting the paint. Once everything is painted and cured I will do the final mounting of the design elements done through out the build.