Stark IMD Case Mod, Part 3

Creating the power core:



A diamond-shaped shield was cut from acrylic sheet and the inside edge beveled
to an angle using a flexshaft and carving burr. The open shield is sanded, primed,
and painted silver, and then given the transparent red overcoat. A thin white
plastic sheet is glued to the back to diffuse the LED backlight. After painting,
the shield is held up to the armor and the outline traced on the front of the
case. A hole is cut through the front PVC armor, slightly smaller than the traced
outline.



A nickel and brass insert was made to fit the opening. I used metal to double
as a heat sink for a high-power LED. A high-intensity 1 watt white LED is mounted
to the bottom of the insert, and held in place with two plastic fasteners. Thermal
compound on the rear of the LED assembly will conduct excess heat into the brass
back plate while the nickel sides reflect the light forward. A 100 ohm resister
(covered with black heatshrink tubing) limits the current when the LED is attached
directly to a 12 volt Molex connector.



Clamps to hold the mask in place are created from short sections of MDF, and
lengths of 1/2" threaded steel rod cut and glued into holes drilled in
the "clamp" and "actuator" pieces. Holes are drilled in
the panel and mesh to mount the mask and the clamps. Short screws anchor the
clamps in place, and nuts lock down the mask to the mesh.

Finishing touches: Two holes are drilled in the mesh behind the eye
slits. A pair of white LEDs are hot glued onto the mesh to cause the eyes to
flicker when the hard drive is accessed. The systemboard's front panel power
switch pins are wired to a low-profile stainless steel switch is mounted in
the side panel, presumably to open and close the IMD clamps.



Screws through the bottom of the case anchor the MDF base plate treads. The
stock Intel heatsink is replaced with a big, blocky, Peltier-cooled one. Then,
the system board, power supply, and hard drive are installed. Power and drive
cables are organized a bit, and spiffed up with some chromed convoluted (AKA
split loom) tubing. Before the case is closed up, a real system diagnostic board
is installed in one of the PCI slots, providing additional blinking LEDs and
Hexadecimal status display while the computer is booting and in operation.

Presenting the finished Stark IMD case mod:



Side panel with a view of the system board.



With power on, the front shield glows white, and other LEDs shine in the transparent
window.



Front panel, with drives concealed.



Front panel with DVD drive open, and with lower panel removed for floppy, card
reader and USB access.

The Iron Man mask is visible "clamped" into place on the right side
of the case.


The system's power switch is located on the side panel. Hard drive access causes
the Iron Man mask's eyes to flicker

Stark IMD Case Mod, Part 2

Comic artwork references:



 

 

 

 

 

 

Original costume details: For one side panel, I added a design accent based
on the ribbed belt. The base plate of the case is styled after Iron Man's boot
treads. For the mask, I went to a recent version of Iron Man - the 2005 and
2006 release of "Extremis" (also available as a graphic novel of the
same name. I used the circuit-style lettering of the title for the IMD plaque.)

Construction of the IMD side panels:

The side panel over the system board has a clear acrylic window held in place
with plastic panel fasteners. Strips of half-round wood trim and two blocks
of 3/4" MDF simulate the belt assembly of the early iron man comics. The
wood trim is attached using some leftover epoxy. Once set, I masked out the
window, and coated the wood with a couple of thin layers of aluminum-tinted
epoxy.

The side panel behind the system board also has a window cutout, but instead
of acrylic, it has a piece of pierced aluminum mesh attached to the panel using
copper rivets. Here you can see the both panels masked out for painting with
silver hammered-finish paint.





The base plate for the case is patterned after the chunky-style treaded boots
of the original costume. The foot plate had to wait until the curved steel panel
was attached to the front to get the final dimensions and the curved edge to
match. Strips of 3/4" MDF were cut, beveled on the router, and then glued
to the upper plate. The treads were sealed with a couple of layers of aluminized
epoxy, and then painted with more hammered-finish silver paint.

My metallic red paint had not arrived yet, so it's time to improvise. First,
a layer of metallic silver is used over the armor. (The steel plate over the
power supply area has been masked out.)

 

Next, a layer of transparent red "stained glass" paint is used, giving
a dark, but very nice red metallic appearance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Iron Man mask to run diagnostics on:

To make the case more than just an armored shell, I wanted to give the system
a purpose, even if it is a fictional one. Readers rarely see Tony Stark testing
his armor. He always seems to rush off, slap something together that works perfectly
and is well finished, miniaturized, and usually violating several laws of physics
- but hey, it's fiction, right?

But what to run diagnostics on? The iron man mask
is probably one of the most characteristic parts that while frequently changed,
still has similar features, such as no nose, slitted, glowing white eyes, and
a slash of a mouth. To build a quick 3/4 scale mask, I started with a block
of foam rubber and carved out the general shape. A coat of epoxy seals the surface
and stiffens it for a fiberglass layer. After this layer set, a coating of epoxy
smooths out the textured surface.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: Foam rubber makes a quick and simple core to build up a fiberglass Iron
Man mask.

Right: After a couple of layers of epoxy and some fiberglass cloth, the mask
resembles the mummy more than Iron Man.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: Rough sanding of the fiberglass layer reveals an irregular surface.

Right: A coating of epoxy with orange pigment helps fill shallow depressions.
The color change helps identify the layers when sanding.

Some comments on epoxy resin: I prefer two-part epoxy over polyester resin since there are little or no fumes; and being relatively colorless, it can easily be tinted. Aluminum powder added to the epoxy gives a silver appearance; bronzing powders are available in various copper, bronze, and gold tones; dry tempera paint can be used for bright primary colors; powdered charcoal or even laser printer or copier toner can be used for a solid black coating. Check out John Greer and Associates for marine epoxy, mold compound, and filler materials that can be used to thicken the epoxy into a putty-like consistency. Talc gives a very smooth texture; shredded fiberglass thickens and adds strength. I also use glass sandblasting beads as filler; it tends to create a sand-like texture in large amounts, but it will also add weight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: The orange layer failed to smooth out the surface enough, so I applied
a thick layer of epoxy mixed with sandblasting glass beads that can be heavily
sanded and carved. The translucent green coating gives the mask a vaguely alien
appearance.

Right: After sanding, the edge lines are brought back using a flexshaft and
carving burr. I finally received my talc and fiberglass fillers, and promptly
tested the talc-epoxy mixture to smooth out the surface. A bit too much talc
in this batch left brush streaks.



Ribbing is added by cutting a slot in the side of the mask, and hot glue is
used to hold three sections of ribbed wood trim in the opening.



When filled in and smoothed over with more epoxy, it's just about ready for
painting. A light hand-sanding to smooth out minor imperfections, then off to
the garage to prime, mask, and finish with gold and red paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The eye slits are carved out and squared off. The entire mask is given a coat
of gray primer. Areas that will be painted red are masked out and the exposed
section painted gold. Once dry, the area that was masked with blue painter's
tape is reversed. The exposed primed areas now receive a layer of metallic silver
paint, followed by a single coat of transparent red.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thin white plastic is cut for the eye slits and glued in place with hot glue.
Threaded nuts are glued to the inside edge of the rear of the mask, these will
be used to anchor the mask to the mesh side of the system panel.

Next time: The power core shield and final assembly.

Stark IMD Case Mod, Part 1

Maximum PC "Comic Challenge" Case Mod: The Stark IMD

This case mod was an entry in Maximum PC's "Comic Challenge" contest.
About the only criteria for the contest was that the computer case mod be based
on some form of comic (AKA "graphic novel".) The new Iron Man movie
was all the rage, but I remember some of the Iron Man comic books from my youth.
Alas, I no longer have these in my possession, and most of us back then had
no real idea that the value of those issues would do nothing but increase. On
the helpful side, marvelcomics.com has a selection of artwork and digital comics
available for entertainment, and in this case, reference. I also found a DVD
(The Invincible Iron Man: The Complete Collection by GIT Corp)
containing a comic book archive of 43 years of Iron Man, from Tales of Suspense
in 1963 through the Iron Man comics and graphic novels of December of 2006.
Between the Marvel web site and the DVD, I pulled out a couple of images to
incorporate in my design.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Iron Man's armor changed dramatically between 1963 and 2005



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided on a design that would reflect the change in his armor from the basic
riveted steel to a stylized red and gold.

Why the case mod name "Stark IMD"?

Here's the creative thought that suggested a design: what if Tony Stark had
to troubleshoot something? From that, I came up with the concept of an Iron
Man Diagnostic unit. Since Tony no longer keeps his identity secret, it means
we need to identify that the unit came from Stark Industries. Letters were cut
from sheet brass, then dots drilled, edges filed, and lines chiseled. The background
was printed on a laser printer, then glued between two sheets of 1/8" high
impact plastic. The brass letters received a soft satin finish, then were glued
to the plastic. Four small magnets (Tony has always been big on magnets, although
his are usually transistor-powered) glued to the back allow placement of the
plaque on any flat ferrous surface. (I was going to stick this on the top of
the CPU heat sink, but there wasn't enough clearance between it and the side
panel.) So that became the title - Stark IMD. So Stark Labs and "IMD"
(for Iron Man Diagnostic), and a subset of features that are used as a sub-theme
to the armor design.



 

 

The case for this project is a simple steel case that has no windows and a removable
plastic front panel.

 

 

 

Simulated body armor:

I wanted the case to incorporate aspects of several types of iron man armor,
starting with his original dull gray steel. Although rivets were not always
evident, these would add to the effect of heavy plate on the panels. Starting
with the case itself, I anchored short lengths of aluminum angle to the top
and front edges of the chassis. These were used as anchor points to attach two
curved steel panels at the bottom front and top rear of the case. To strengthen
the sheet metal, I riveted ribs of aluminum bar stock to the outer edges, using
two rows of heavy nickel wire for the pins.

To create a layered articulated armor on the top, sections of PVC plastic were
cut and then anchored to the aluminum angle with sheet metal screws. A final
PVC panel was attached to the front and a piece of foam rubber trimmed to fill
the gap between the sections. The foam was trimmed to a smooth shape with a
razor blade and then covered with a layer of epoxy thickened with powdered talc.

Sheet steel is bent and fitted to the aluminum angle strips that have been
riveted to the front of the steel case. Aluminum straps are bent and positioned
to support the steel sheet and the curved front PVC panel section. Once everything
is in place, holes are drilled through the aluminum strap and angle, and pop-rivets
are used to anchor everything in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several layers of shredded fiberglass-reinforced epoxy are built up over the
surface of the PVC, with only a light sanding in between. I wanted a ripple
effect to simulate hammered metal. I like to add pigment to the epoxy so that
if the surface gets scratched, there is a solid color exposed. The color layers
also make it easier to visualize the final effect and in some cases, can be
used as the final finish instead of paint. Aluminum powder added to the epoxy
mix gives the metallic silver appearance to the coating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the drive bay section, I wanted the effect of the cutouts seen in some
of the more recent iron man comics. To start, a section of thin PVC was fitted
in the opening between the upper panel and the lower steel one. Thick, reinforced
epoxy paste is spread over the surface. After the layer has cured, it is sanded,
and another thick layer applied.

After another sanding, a hole is cut for access to the drives. An adapter frame
is installed in the upper bay to give me an idea of width and position of the
drives when mounted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A brass insert is created to fit the opening, and two cross-plates solder on
the back to cover the unused bays. Plugs for the openings on either side of
the 3.5" bay are made with a USB header installed in the one on the right.
With the drives in place, the insert is positioned and centered properly, and
then more epoxy is used to smooth fill the gap around the insert and secure
it in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After removing the drives, the edge is ground level, everything is sanded smooth
and several thin layers of epoxy added to reduce most of the surface imperfections.

Face plates, wood ribs, and the lower steel panel are painted gold. I later
changed my mind about the gold on the lower panel and coated it with a "hammered
silver" paint. (Like metal-flake and other textured paints, hammered silver
develops a random ripple pattern as it dries, giving the surface a light planished
appearance.)



Half-round wood ribs are cut to fit the drive bay opening. Two at the top are
glued in place to the brass backplate. A third rib is attached to the front
of the DVD tray with epoxy, and the fourth rib down is attached to the front
of the DVD drive using foam mounting tape (this allows the rib to move; pressing
on the right edge opens the drive tray.) Two strong magnets are glued to the
surface of the insert, to hold the last section of ribs tightly in place.

For the bottom four ribs that conceal the floppy/card reader, I elected for
simplicity over some sort of fancy hinge system. The ribs are backed with a
piece of the steel sheet from the side panel, with a strip curled up as a handle.
The magnets hold the steel backing firmly in place when the drive, reader, or
front USB openings are not in use.

Next time: Side panels and an Iron Man mask.