How To Draw War Machine Endgame

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The War Machine Case mod was constructed by Stu King and contains a mix of both modern and ancient military characteristics. If you have a cool-looking case mod that you'd like featured on ExtremeTech, drop us a line.

Let's turn it over to Stu as he explains the inspiration and work behind this case mod.

The idea for this project spawned from my love of history and in particular, all things Roman. As a kid I read many books on the Roman Empire and have always been fascinated with accounts of their military, cultural, architectural, and engineering feats. Many cultures and institutions have borrowed images from the Romans in an attempt to convey the ideas of power and supremacy. The German military machine of the 1930's and 1940's was no exception. Some of the same symbols that are synonymous with Roman power also appear in the iconology of the Nazi party.

Check out our slideshow of one of our favorite mods: The Japanese Case Mod.

Aging the Case
With this idea fixed in my head I set out to try and create a case that was the marriage of these two eras. Mixing the ancient with the modern was a challenge I could not resist! To set the tone for the project I started by creating the logo that would be central to the mod. I started with a Lian Li V1000 case and cut matching windows into each panel using my logo design. One window was transformed into a light box and the other I backed with steel mesh to provide a view of the motherboard.

The panels were then painted with a high gloss black finish and I covered them with 1/4″ sheets of polycarbonate cut to the exact shape of the panel. Etchings were added to the inside of each polycarbonate sheet to complete the War Machine logo and I finished the panels by flame polishing the edges.

The Finished War Machine, with A Real War Machine

Now that the spit and polish portion of the project was finished I needed to add the ancient elements to my mix. I created an aged bronze look for the center of the case by applying a bronze paint finish to the aluminum chassis and aging it to appear as though it were a long forgotten piece of war machinery. I developed a technique that allowed me to achieve a faux finish that appeared to be genuine brushed bronze. I further enhanced the look by adding old engine and lamp parts as well as military style case handles.

The intake fan was replaced with a nosecone style fan painted gloss black. I added a window to the stock exhaust cowl and gave that the same glossy black finish. With the entire case assembled I feel I achieved the perfect balance of old and new. The juxtaposition of the antiqued bronze and the mirror polish of the panels set each other off in a way I could have never expected.

The final step was to add the lighting. I created the light box by sanding deep swirls into the case window and washing it in diluted bronze paint. I added two 120mm red LED fans to the blow hole and exhaust. I complimented the red with a 12″ purple cold cathode for the light box. The combination of lights fills the case with an unearthly almost molten glow.

You can see more about the War Machine and other of Stu's mods at his site: www.kikboxes.com.

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