Maximum PC

Welcome guys, to the mod log of my next Project, BF3 .3, there are many reasons why I have entitled this project BF3.3 I might get onto that later

First off I would like to thanks the current sponsors, some of which came on board before I even touched a screwdriver, thank you guys!











I will of course show pictures of products as they arrive

Anyways lets kick off with my rough plan of the mod I wanted to do, basically I wanted to make a nice Battlefield 3 mod, this involved one of my misses hand etched master pieces. Being battlefield 3 themed I also wanted to get the camo effect on the case, I also wanted to have some sort of realism into and that’s when I came up with this idea.



This was to be my starting block, although I am not quite sold on which camo route to go down, but it will be a desert style one.

The basic idea was simple, strip the level 10 GT side panel down to rework the side panel and rebuild it flush to the top grill to take a full length window with an etch in it, now I know a few will say the green does not look that right with the tan, but green UV is chosen simply because it is best at making the etchings stand out.

Oh the magazine in the side, I should mention that I plan to make this the security key and without it sitting in the slot, the PC power button won’t work.

Ok now we got the basic design out the way, I can start thinking about add-ons and other things to tie in with the battlefield 3 theme, but first I would like to start off with the etch. This process has taken weeks and is created using 1000s of dots to create the shading effects.

Original art work.



So here is how far we got.





One of the best etches she has done yet I think, although it has taken some time, once finished completely I will post up some more pictures of the etching, but next instalment will be the start of the rework of the side panel

Done a little bit of work on the tower



(caption: yes Richi, this is exactly where you should start cutting if I was you, put the dremel in line with the window).. These mod kitties are popping up everywhere, get yours from a cat shelter near you

Measured up the gap between the side panel and top of the upper mesh grill slat, it was 15mm wide sticking out from the top, I had some acrylic rod (square) lying around that happened to be 10mm so I measure up.



This combined with a sheet of 5mm acrylic brings the panel out to 15mm so it will sit flush with the upper grill that lips over. Now that was done it time to start marking up and cut the side panel.



Side panel is now cut , the idea I have in my head is to wrap the etch panel, along the side in Biffenix uv LED strips, the idea is to keep that light separate from inside.

The way the side panel will work is that the etching panel overlaps the hole I cut above, so lights will be recessed once attached to the etch panels edge and should stop most of the glow from the uv lights from hitting the inside of the case. I want the inside to be dark and the etch to pop, but when you open the side panel separate lights turn on. (Just wondering if I should go down the route of pressure switch on this or push switch)

Also done the rough cut for the magazine security switch.




Just a bit of tiding up to do to get the edges smooth, I still have to prep for paint ect, but will need to do that as I get nearer to that stage.

While I was at it I also decided to mock up some keyboard, mouse and headset plan in Photoshop.





Hopefully I can get some more done at the weekend, just waiting on some bolts and bits to get to work finishing up that side panel.

Well did not get that much done at the weekend, really as I realised most of my drill bits were blunt, so I had to order some more, 1st bump in the road hit. Still I got on with it and done what I could.



With the 10mm square rod I had lying around I bonded a frame to the back of the extended side panel section, once attached I am going to probably fill the seams between it at the side panel itself so it is one panel.



Side panel build up ready, just need drill bits for mounts and once attached to sand it all down so it’s perfectly level with the side panel edges and the overhanging top grill..

Also something else I thought I would show you which should answer all the questions about why do I want to go desert camo.

Thanks to Vega Force Company (maker of licensed BB airguns) one of the sponsors of this mod for helping out big time with this, I had asked them if they had any shop soiled display models of their MK 18 Mod 1 AEG even a model that had no inners to create a replica of the weapon the soldier is holding in the art work and they were kind enough to come on board.

The idea is to create something like this that was completely unique in the fact the weapon at the top represented the weapon in the etch and the artwork.



Maybe not so bright on the orange lighting I think, but something along them lines, anyway back on point here is a lot of photos of the centre piece I received from them for the project I have added quite a few, simply because I could not believe the attention to detail in their product.



















And the addons they were able to supply








Very nice bit of kit and very realistic to a point, before I show you some final pics of it assembled here is another item I managed to source off of ebay for 24.99 GBP! Go figure, yes it is only a replica, but a full metal one for that price was quite a surprise.






Some shots to show the sight actually works, even though it will not be used.



Now putting all together we have the final piece for the top of the case.



I think it is as close as I am going to get to the weapon the soilder is holding in the Battlefield 3 artwork (and also the etch).

Vega force Company make some nice kit and even though it is only a BB gun, the attention to detail on the weapon is superb, you can find out more about these guys and the products the offer at http://www.gb-tech.com.tw and if you would love something like this you will not go wrong with the brand. There are some tight laws on BB guns all over the world though and I suggest you look http://www.socomtactical.net/World-laws-of-airsoft.php for the legality of it all were you live.

Again thanks to VFC (GB-Tech) for supplying the centre piece for this mod who deserve their pimpage.

Looking good! Might want to check the links and remove the " in them that is where it seems to have a problem.

My Bad fixed links now and thanks for the coment

Well got round to doing some more work yesterday, just mainly got the side panel done




Just got to put some elbow grease into the rubbing down to smooth it all out, Also thought I would try something out and found a little fancy dress item on ebay for a few quid/dollars.



Stripped it down to test placement roughly to see what it looked like (although this can change if it does not look right once the camo is done). Why I was there, I thought I would try a test fitting of the side panel with etch in rough place.



The window will be up a little higher of course once mounted as I did not secure it, just masking taped it in.

Why I was there, I thought I would mock up the HDD tray security system, this was done by using a small sensor switch and a bit of mechano to help keep the enclosure secure when inserted.



A clean up is needed, but I will prep this as well to have it done like the rest, Some one very helpful also pointed this camo out to me, so plan is to do camo like this for the mod.



Until next time guys

Sorry for the lack of updates guys, and a case of the man flu and it hit me hard, was in bed for 6 days, anyway more to the point back on with the mod.

My first task was to fill and smooth out the sides for the panel that I had made, this involved some filler and a lot of elbow grease.



Now for the really crazy part…. After all that hard work making it even, you know its Battlefield themed so I have to now try to turn it into a worn used look.




Crazy I know, but I want this desired effect (darker effect in clear areas) to give that worn feel.
Why we are here I might as well show the product that turned up as well, well in fact a few things turned up, I’ll just add one today and take pictures of the rest today or tomorrow..




This is the Calibur11 Battlefield 3 Vault for Xbox 360 Slim, by some miracle I managed to convince Calibur11 to supply one for the mod, just so I can steal some parts from it.

This is how it would look on the Xbox 360




It also is made for the PS3, In fact calibur11 make quite a few nifty themed products for both the Xbox and PS3. The second image above should give you an idea of the parts I am going to take from the Donor Battlefield 3 Vault.



One half smoke grenade and of course the Claymore



What is great about these, is the fact as with all the calibur11 vaults all the items and attachments are screw mounted on so you can place them virtually any place on the vault, the best bet is though that calibur11 will be offering the accessories for all their themed vaults separately soon and they have some pretty cool items that I can be seen used on PC mods. Check out what I mean here ([url="http://calibur11.com/about-calibur11/"]http://calibur11.com/about-calibur11/[/url].

That’s all for now but expect some more updates more regularly now man flu has gone

Another small little update with the sponsor packages that turned up.

First up a big thanks to Zotac who supplied the graphics card for this project




I feel so privileged on this mod with sponsors so a special thanks to Zotac for Stepping on board, I am not done yet though time to look at the second parcel that came.
This time from the guys over at EK.



They were good enough to step in a supply

EK-Supreme LTX - Acetal



This came with the necessary mounts for the LGA 2011 platform, one think I noticed from the outset why putting this together (yes I know I only hand tightened the screws and one is not all the way down yet) the build quality is superb. Next in the box was this

EK-FC5X0 GTX+ - Acetal+Nickel





I guess you should know by now that I am going down the route of keeping the interior as dark as I can by using black products in the build, obviously I won’t be able to get everything in black, but I will certainly try. As you may have spotted in the group shot I also have this to put on the card.



This is the back plate for the card, why not necessary, for this mod and the fact I want to keep the insides as black as possible it is perfect, so let us get this on the card.




Next up was the pump.



This is EK’s own branded pump and will be more up to the job; they also supplied a mounting kit with it.

Now things are starting to filter through I can slowly see the project getting its skates on, hopefully I can get the case out and back before the holidays to show you guys some lovely pictures, but until then I will keep posting hardware as it comes.

P.S I might be able to get spray work done by guy that done my level 10, if I can you may see this.



You have to picture it though without the soldier or the writing in the artwork and just the etching with the background.. I am not yet decided it all depends how the camo looks on test panel once done. Decisions decisions decisions…

Hi Guys back with a little update, on the cables, so this lot turned up from BitFenix who were the cable suppliers for the BMW M power Level 10 Mod and there is a reason I chose them as the photos show bellow. The Cables in question are from their alchemy line of products (see http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/produ ... my-cables/ )



The package also contained some lights, I will photo these at a later time, as you may have noticed in the picture above I basically have 2 of all the power connectors and being BF3 themed I can imagine you all know why the colour combo. I am not going to be making any major adjustments to them just swapping out a couple of cables in the black ones for the orange ones. Yes using these is cheating, but after trying them out on the BMW M Power Level 10 mod I had to use them again.



Of course I should show you what I have planned by quickly doing one cable to give you an idea of what I am doing to them, first up a close up of the sleeving, just to show you how tight the weave is.




I love the now heat shrink part on their alchemy connectors, and as you can see the weave is really tight (cables are black under these).



I thought I would include this photo to show you how the bitfenix cables are done, unusual with no shrink, but gives a better finished look in my opinion.
Here is how the couple I did turned out. I have done the 6 pin and 8 pin PCI-E connectors like this and also going to do the 8 pin CPU and also the 24 pin (although the 24 pin with have 4 cables changed)



As you can see this ties in with the BF3 theme (I think so anyway) my plan was always to keep the mobo section of the case all black with just a hint of orange in the cabling and one piece of orange UV tube going from CPU to GPU block) the rest of the tubing will be all black as will the connectors, blocks ect. Until next time

Picked these bits up to make a Fallen soldier tribute in or on the case



Not sure how i will fit these into the mod, but I think it is a nice touch.

Sorry about the lack of updates guys, still got to get case prepped, anyway I thought while were waiting,
I thought I would show you how the case is getting on (this is only layer 2 of the artwork there are a few layers to go yet).





I cannot wait for it to be finished so I can carry on with the finishing touches to the mod, until next time (hopefully in the next week)

Well thankfully McNETT were kind enough to get involved in this mod, and supplied me with a few rolls of Camo form/wrap in multicam style,

McNETT are a us based company that supply all sorts of products for the hunting and fishing market as well as products for military use. You can find out what over products they make here http://www.mcnett.com/



As mentioned the product they supplied us with is camo form which is popular in the military as well as the hunting and fishing market,



This stuff is pretty amazing to be honest as it simply clings to itself, without having that Velcro feel to it, what makes it good is it also is washable and once dry it returns back to its stick state (useful if you have been rolling around in some mud, thankfully the rig won’t be doing that )

Anyway I thought I would start applying it to the weapon that is mounted on the roof of the case and this is how it came out.





What was also handy is it also made it very easy to mount the pressure switch for the tactical light on the foregrip.




I still have a few more things to do to with the camo form, but I need to wait until the building stage of the rig to do these, but I thought I would just share these with you for now.
While I was here I thought I would also show you these, which arrived from crucial



These are part of the Ballistix range (http://www.crucial.com/ballistix/) of memory, the kit supplied was a 16 GB quad kit so I set about making custom heat spreader stickers for them.



Ties in with my theme better I think, more updates coming soon as more stuff turns up for the project, I should also have a nice update on the case for you next week.

Oh well even the best laid plans go out the window when modding, this time bad weather and couriers are the delay. Anyway to keep your appetites wet I thought I would share a couple of photos with you before the case got lacquered.



The main side of the case, cannot wait to mount the etching in there, even though it will be one of the last things I do.



And for those of you that want a little close up of the tank



Will post some more stuff soon as the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight

Another day another update, got really lucky again this time with Bill Owen of MNPCTech fame offering up a set of his feet for the case.

Click Image To Case Mod Store


Click this Link to Machined Computer Case Feet Sets



you can clearly see why I wanted to use a set of these

I like the airbrush job on the case though I wish a plane or chopper was added in. Still a nice job! I still love the etched panel! I would love to get one one those and frame it.

Fear not, it will be framed in case

Well guys Back for another update,



Not sure on bullets over hard drive compartments and will be removing these I think.



The back artwork is better than I expected, you may have also noted the Camo Form on handle and on security magazine, these looked way to clean when I first applied it so some aging was in order, I also aged the Camo Form on the weapon too.






I like how it’s come out if I am honest, and getting happy with the way it is starting to look, while I am here I thought I would I would show you that something that arrived from the guys at http://www.frozenqpcmods.com



Yes it is there Dual Bay Helix res, with orange helix



The res feels well constructed and is hopefully going to match the scheme properly with the orange glowing claymore on the front. I know the shot most of you are interested in is this one though.



Very nice indeed and I think it will fit in with the mod just great, Ill post an update again this weekend, got a few 100 tiny things to do on the to do list

Back again with a minor little update, decided against the bullets and thought I would mount the Dice nade that I harvested from the Calibur Battlefield 3 vault.



Used a dremel drill piece with some masking tape, to make initial guide holes in the right place, then removed the tape and put a grinding piece on (pointy thin type). You may have noticed I removed the tape, the reason for this is when grinding plastic, the plastic can get hot and if you leave tape it will get caught in the tape. Removing it allows me to quickly remove any that may come up through the top onto the paint.



Mounted nice and tight to the panel, now time to move onto the claymore and mounting that, this means it’s time to do the same thing with that, but it’s not going to be as quick as this.



The first thing I done here was get the placement right, I wanted a small gap at the bottom, those of you that have actually dealt with the level 10 case will know how awkward this is going to be to mount, the front of the case is very uneven and just select were to put the mount holes is a bit awkward.



So after a lot of trial and error, I worked out my placement for the mounts to get it into the right place, the issue with the spot though is one is right next to the HDD tray release button, not ideal but with the right tools possible. As it was so close to the button a smaller pilot hole was made this time with the tape, then I had to remove the tape and use a bigger drill piece, just to ensure I was careful enough not to damage the button.



Then as with the previous mount for the nade I had to grind the hole to the right size without the tape.



As you can see I had to grind down 2 pieces of plastic so the button still had full function, at least the opposite side was not as troublesome.



Same as the previous side, small pilot hole was made with a smaller drill bit, then the tape removed and a larger piece used, this was then grinded open as with the previous holes.



Now the clay more was mounted and I was happy with how it came out, time to see how it all looks on the case.




Overall I am happy with the way this is starting to shape up and look like what I had planned in my head, once I decided to go with the BF3 artwork, see you at the next instalment.

Back again with another update, first off I’ll show you the products that arrived from some of the sponsors.

First up Bill stepped up and offered a set of MNPCtech Grooved feet,( nice to get sponsored by someone whos builds you have followed for a long time) his BF3 mod and another are the reason this mod was called BF3.3 as it is the 3rd BF3 mod to be done at time of planning.



Nice little package from them cheers bill.



I have used MNPCtech’s feet on a build before and they were the obvious choice for this build.



I think we can clearly see why MNPCtech’s products are loved by us modders, (yoda Bill defo knows what his doing over there at MNPCtech).

The next item to arrive from a sponsor was the military themed InWin Commander 850w PSU.




Credit were credits due to the sponsors for supplying these products, Back to modding and it was time to finalise the etch, this meant adding the only logo that would be visible on the window as it has a miltary style to it.



Logo Printed out and flipped, the first thing done is too do a gentle dotted line around the edges.



As you can see once you have done that, rather than lines you can see from this picture the logo is gentally put in with dots. (this also allows for small errors to be corrected).



Closer image of the outline in dots, as you can see its very light indeed



Then by adding more dots you can thicken up the lines its quite time consuming but it’s the best way to etch imho as you get a better overall finish.



Now the outline was more bold you can go in and give the shading effect to the etch.



And that’s it, the overal logo is done, flip it over the right way and then you have this.



Ok I suppose you just want to see what it all looks like with the BF3 etch don’t you, well here is the final result.



I can not wait to get this in the case and lit up, anyway that’s all for today, more work to do.

Opps what a meany I am :eyebrow: should at least let you see a larger picture of the etch, link to larger image http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6797389684_f028276abb_b.jpg

Back again with another small update on the mouse, I have to say I love it, but I am sure it will not be to everyone’s taste but matched the used and worn look I am going for. With the mouse stripped to just the base I had to mask up certain areas.



The reason for such an extensive mask on this was because of the fact I was going to use some really messy airosol furniture glue. This stuff sprays out like a party streamer spray and is used for sticking material to furniture.



After a good coating the wrap was added to the base, held in place for 10 seconds and left to dry for an hour, after which I took the craft knife to it, the trick here was not to make it perfect to match the mouse top and look used.



Just a little excess to trim here and there but overall I am happy with the result, one thing that I did discover doing this is how much better a mouse feels to have a material edge, does not sound like much, but it feels a lot better than plastic or rubber.



Still waiting on more lacquer to turn up to give the top of the mouse another few layers so I can rub it down smooth, thanks to the Steelseries sensei mouse’s silver surface making a worn scrape on the left click was easy, I also added a few nicks just down to silver next to it for the keen eyed. Before you ask why the wear down to the semi transparent white plastic ill explain.

I want to basically cut a thin slice in main base next to were the wheel is ( I will post pics once I am on that stage) so the orange light from wheel will spread under the left click and glow through that area.

Now for a small Homer Simpson moment twist, the shot above was took using my mobile, just after I clicked the snap button, an email msg popped up on lappy, as I had been waiting for an important email as this was sitting next to my lappy mouse (top left of pic) I just without thinking grabbed the above mouse and for 10 seconds was thinking what the F*** is up with my mouse… What a Dingbat rofl… Stay tuned for another update this weekend.