Scratch Build – In Progress Project: Team Fortress 2 Sentry Turret - Ammo Dispenser Done - 4/15/08

Hey Folks,

Before I shift my focus back to overclocking for the next 6 months, I wanted to build one more case mod. For this case mod, I wanted to build a NON PC Case Mod, as well as theme it after a current generation game. You are now looking at the result. I am building from scratch, a computer case mod based on the 3rd Stage Sentry Turret from Valve’s latest title, “Team Fortress 2”.



This is my first scratch built case mod, and I look forward to the challenge. This case mod will not be an exact model or replica of the turret, but should look pretty similar I hope that everyone will enjoy this work log. Any input or comments are greatly welcomed. So here goes!!!

The great part about the Sentry Turret is that it has that “Backyard” / “Garage built” feel to it. So imperfections in the case mod won’t be as noticeable.

The first part I tackled was the gattling guns. To get the parts required a quick trip to hardware stroe for some PVC and ABS Pipes, and wood. The Plexi was supplied by my good buddy Thrasher2



With the parts in hand, time to get out the hand saw. The ¾” PVC pipes were cut to approximately foot long pieces. We have 2 sets of 6 for the barrels.



The large ABS pipe will serve as the main body for the gattling. The PVC Cap fits nice and snug for the end.




A scrap ABS piece was use as a template for the barrel holders.




After the barrel holders were cut, I used the drill press to sand down the pieces and a spade drill bit to make uniform holes.




After cutting the plexi, I used a heat gun to mold the sheet to form nice little holder for the gattling:





Here is a picture of a quick test fitting of the PVC Barrels and the barrel holder.



Here is a dry fit with all the parts laid together for general look and feel. Yup, the gattling is 19” long This is going to be one big case mod when its done





As always, comments and feedback is always welcomed. I will try to get my 2nd update posted soon.

Ton

 

So where will the hardware go?

 

Hey Keir,

The hardware will be the fun part I plan to put the mobo / gpu in the ammo cannister in the rear. The top rocket launcher will hold the PSU. I plan to make modular cable that will connect the rocket launcher to the ammo cannister to provide the juice.

Ton

 

aha, this is a great idea. and one of my idea's is to mount Red/orange/yellow l.e.d's into the pvc and have them light up so it likes like the gun is firing.
i like what you have done so far, i'm pretty impressed. keep it up and you can have some free stars

 

very nice, I love sentry guns in all thier forms and the TF2 ones are particularly fine

What software did you use to get the model data sans tesxtures in the left hand pic?

 

We all know the blue team's got nothing compared to the red team. You should make a turret for the reds. Besides, red unz go fasta!

 

Hmm light idea is pretty good one. I need to see if I can make it work

Cabe - that sentry on the left. I didn't make that. I was googling some reference images for the sentry gun, and that came up. I believe its one of the initial design / concept art for the turret.

Javerh - Lol.. the Sentry will be blue. My last few case mods have been red or yellow. So I figure i play w/ a differnet color.

Thanks for the comments and feedback.

Ton

 

very nice idea ! I'll be watching this one .
good luck

 

Hey Folks,

It is time for another project update. Sorry for the delay, I have been busy modding away In the previous update, the gattlings were coming together very nicely. On this update, you will see the finish results.

To connect the turrets to the holders, I had to build standoffs to cradle the barrel in the acyrlic. I had some ¼ MDF sitting around, and transferred my template to the board.



I used a regular saw to cut the holders and you can see the barrel body sits very nicely on the stand offs.



My buddy Boddaker brought up a very good point on the gattling barrel. The wall of the PVC is pretty thin, and what type of ammo rounds are ¾ OD?



To make the barrel look more realistic and accurate, I went down to the hardware store and picked up a dozen PVC Bushing stops.



With each PVC Bushing, I had to drill a hole w/ the help of the drill press, sand down the flanged edges. Once that was done, each bushing was jammed into the PVC and held in place with Epoxy. Once the epoxy was dried, each barrel was sanded down to a smooth finish. Now the barrel appears more accurate with a ½” ID opening.







Now that the barrel components are finished, time for painting. Here are some pics of the painting process. For the barrel, I used gloss black. The main body was painted Costal Blue. I used Bronze Hammered Paint for the accent pieces to give it a metalic appearance.









With all the parts painted, time for assembly. Here you see the barrels and holder assembled together. I used a combination of double sided tape to center the barrel and epoxy to keep them in place



To add detail to the gattling, I was able to purchase 48” worth of dummy / inert m60 ammo belts. Each round is approximately ½ in diameter and almost 3” long, which fits the scale of the turret perfectly. I had to drill a hole in the clip in order to secure it to inside of the gattling barrel





Now here is a pic of the completed gattling assembly minus the end cap.



I hope you enjoyed this work log so far. This is turning out to be a very fun case modding project. On the next update, I will cover the rocket launcher!! Any comments or questions are always welcomed.

Ton

 

Wow, So clean!

Looking forward to the end product!
Super Job!

 

Wow.... It looks veeery nice. I like the ammo... congratz on a great progress!
--Orlix

 

Can't say that I've ever played the game before but so far the mod is looking quite cool, can't wait to see how it will turn out.

 

Thanks for the compliment guys. There should be another update either monday or tuesday. So stay tuned for that

Ton

 

Looks kewl! Are you going to weather the gattling to match the bullets?

 

Looks very cool! Will definatly have to watch this one. Excellent work so far.

 

Awesome!!! It would be very cool if the two guns had motors hooked up on them so that the black turrents could spin... you'd need a bearing/hub thing for the turrets to rotate on and a simple belt drive from the motor to a large disc of wood on the rear of the turrents can do the rotating... I hope this idea interests you! I'm sure the makers of the game & other sponsors would like it

 

this is going to be amazing!!!!

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Good Idea!

A really interesting mod to follow.... lol

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Very cool indeed.

 

Looks sweet!