This is my entry into Cooler Master's case mod competition, scratch build category.



Been working in Sketchup for the last week, building a mockup of the lightcycle suitable for housing a full ATX system with watercooling.  It ended up being 40" long, but relatively short.  As for the design, I didn't want to make a spot-on replica of the bike, so I went with my layered acrylic  method, with just a few skinned areas around the wheels and top.  This allows me to hide more components inside as well.  Anyway, on with the mockups:









Upon removing some layers, you can see the initial motherboard placement and other components.


To give you a better idea of size, I placed a Cooler Master Cosmos case next to it.


PRELIMINARY PARTS LIST

EVGA X58 Motherboard
Intel i7 965 processor
EVGA GTX570 video cards in SLI
Crucial SSD
Crucial Ballistix memory
Pioneer Slimline slot load DVD drive
Cooler Master Silent Gold 850W Power Supply (qualifying product)
Dual bay reservoir by Primochill
Other watercooling parts TBD

I'm planning something special for the front radiator, more on that later.  ;-)

So that's the basic plan, I'll be adding more detail as I go along.  Comments, suggestions, criticisms are always welcome!  :D

looks interesting, looking forward to seeing how its assembled

Omg Boddaker is back!!! I can't wait to see how this one turns out, knowing your trident build from a while back.

I would like to see this....
Are you actually going to make the light cycle case ??

your mods are off the hook man. you take it to a whole new level with every build. im guessing a custom rad is in the works

You do some of the most amazing work I've ever seen... I'm still in love with your last build! Can't wait to see this thing come together, good luck on the contest

Thanks everyone for your replies!   It's good to finally be back with a new full ATX  wc build!
 

STEVEBABCOCK2002
I would like to see this....
Are you actually going to make the light cycle case ??

 
Yes, I will be creating this case from scratch.  Once I finish finalizing the design, I will send the file off to Moddersmart for laser cutting.  They will send me all the cut parts and then I can start putting it together.  And of course I will post my progress!  :D
 
More soon. 

Looking good.
Are you accounting for the space for the Motherboard stand offs in your model with the MB and GPUs?

loveha

Looking good.
Are you accounting for the space for the Motherboard stand offs in your model with the MB and GPUs?

I had figured in the extra 1/4" behind the motherboard in my Sketchup model, but it didn't visually come across in my cardboard mockup, probably due to it being half size.  I figure it's taken up by the thickness of the cardboard lol.
 

Wow, this should be an interesting build and I am thrilled to see it when finished.
Question Boddaker:  Are you planning to use gloss paint on this build? If so, how glossy would it be?

Great idea! Goodluck with the contest!

xxrabid93

Omg Boddaker is back!!! I can't wait to see how this one turns out, knowing your trident build from a while back.

 
No kidding, the Trident build was epic in every single way. Looking forward to this one.

Wow! This build is going to be epic! I am totally jealous of your creativity. Can't wait for the next update!

Thanks a lot guys, I hope this comes out the way I envision it. I haven't had much to show since everything has been mostly design and pre-vis work, but I should have an update this weekend. I figured while I was waiting for parts to be cut and sent out, I could start work on molding the top fairings. So this week I've been gluing foam sheets together in preparation for the plastic forming process. Should be a fun update so check back this weekend!
 
Oh, and here's a preview of some of the hardware that will be going into the TRON bike:

Ok, so in the interest of time, I decided not to make these fairings out of fiberglass, or use my vacuum forming table, seeing as how I still have to rebuild it.  Instead, I'll be forming the pieces with a plastic paste, which is a much quicker process.  So the first step is creating a plug on which to lay the paste down.

So, time to cut some foam! :)  Earlier in the week, I laminated three layers of foam insulation sheets to get the thickness I needed.  I also made up a template that minimized the amount of foam I had to use.  In fact, all four fairing pieces will be molded from this one block of foam after I'm done with it.


There's a front and back fairing, and they are split into left and right mirrored pieces.  Here's half my template, with the back fairing on top and the front upside down on the bottom.  The gray and black lines show the difference between the edges of the fairing.  Gray is the wider part (over the center of the tire) and the black is the narrower edge.


Using a hacksaw, I started doing the rough cuts around the gray lines.


Then with an electric carving knife, I started shaving off the foam, following the black lines and curving out to the wider edge.


One half roughed out, next to the other side.


Here's a shot of them side by side in their eventual places.  You can now see the shape of the bike emerging.


Once I got the pieces roughed out, I used an exacto knife to get more accurate along the edges.


The thickness difference between both edges is 3/4".  I marked my square with tape and slid it along the edge to see where I still needed to remove material.  I used a drywall sanding block to smooth out the curves.


Both sides smoothed out.  This is the back end...


And turning it over we have the front end.


Next step is to sandwich it all together, with cardboard in between.  These will form the walls of the pour area.  I traced the foam block first, then scribed another cut-line about 1/4" wider.


Three pieces cut, two outside pieces, one center piece.


Using spray adhesive, I glued them all together.


While that was setting up, I used my flexible curve to transfer the overall curve shape to my custom screeding tool...


...which is just a piece of clear acrylic I just cut to size.


It will work like this.  It fits over the foam block, and after I trowel the plastic paste into the mold, I'll slide the tool along the top of the cardboard to level it off.  This will hopefully ensure a consistent thickness throughout the length of the fairings.  It will also smooth out the top surface of the plastic and minimize the amount of touch-up and prep work I'll need to do before painting.


One last thing I needed to do before I was ready to lay down the paste, was to incorporate some form of fastening tabs into the fairings.  So I dug out some cavities about 1/4" in from the edge, to account for the thickness of the ribs to which these will be secured.


Now I think it's ready for some plastic!


Next update will have the results of the molding process.  'Til then!