MECHA REVIEW: Deep Space Jegan

As promised, I have started collecting and writing about how I started making this crazy project before it premieres. This article is about how I made my custom robot model for the show.

DIY Protoman Helmets

How I build Protoman Helmets

Abstract: Create Protoman Cosplay from Cheap Motorcycle Helmets

Status: Complete (This article is WIP)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YA-5JL1a94

Surprise! 4 years in the making, I'm finally sitting down to type this out and provide video and photos all in one place. It's a work-in-progress, so please give feedback.

Initial D NZXT Tempest 410 Elite PC Case Mod!

Abstract: Create a custom PC case based on the manga/anime Initial D, using actual manga.
Status: Complete (for now)
Click Here for the video or read more to see the embedded version.

Custom Arcade Controller "Super Mobile Suit Fighter IV: Jaburo"

Project: “Super Mobile Suit Fighter IV: Jaburo” Fight Stick (Xbox 360/PC Custom Arcade Controller)

Abstract: Create an Arcade Controller for Xbox/PC with a Mobile Suit/SSF4 Theme

Status: Complete (2013)

I decided at some point to create something for Jay (after the first Protoman helmet, before the Zeon NES) for Christmas 2012. That did not happen. It ended up being a nightmare-project from hell that took me weeks to work the bugs out of. I am not an electronics expert, nor am I a carpenter, but I ended up making a complete, working, reliable arcade controller using real Suzo-Happ parts, real arcade parts, real Cherry switches, and for less than $150.

One Possible Future (Part 2)

Project: One Possible Future (Part 2)

Abstract: Customize an NES in the style of a Sazabi model kit

Status: Complete

The Sazabi NES project is finally finished. In this article, I will show you the finished product and also explain how I made a game converter out of spare parts. The project really didn't need to take 8 months to finish, but the combination of burning up my last parts and my lack of free time really pushed it out. But that's all bullshit, let's take a look at the project. Warning, this is SUPER image heavy.

Project: One Possible Future (WORK IN PROGRESS 1-14-14)

Abstract: Customize an NES in the style of a Sazabi model kit, make it play all region games.

A few months ago, I posted a photoshop of a project I started planning. The idea was to customize a NES in red comet red and put a bunch of decals on it. Pretty simple. I soon found my plans to be too expensive, readjusted, and then I fried an NES board. This will serve as a basic write-up on the project. Unfortunately, this is the one project I didn't take too many photos for, so I'll do my best to summarize the process.

Kickstarting the Future

The initial idea was to build this NES for my friend Jay (who I built the Protoman helmet for and is essentially why I started this blog) for Christmas/his birthday (which are about a week apart). Jay likes games, and Gundam, so I wanted to combine those things. I also knew at the time Jay didn't have an NES of his own. Additionally, this project require a 60-72 pin FAMICOM-NES game converter. These are difficult to find, but can be had on eBay. Essentially, the Famicom and the NES are the same machine, but the US version adds 12 more pins. We need a converter to convert the Famicom cartridges up to 72 pins so they can be played in a NES.

This one.

I had a few Nintendos left over from a lot buy on eBay, and one of them was painted. Since I wanted to do a full paint job and a few mods, this was the perfect candidate. Unfortunately, it also had electrical issues, but more on that later. I disassembled her and got her ready for surgery.

Design

I photoshopped a basic idea for what I wanted. Jay really digs Char Aznable, so I figured making a NES in a Sazabi color scheme would be a cool idea. I won't be offended if you have to google 'Sazabi'. I also wanted to incorporate details from Gunpla, Gundam model kits, such as the white decals and black panel lines.

Originally, I wanted to make custom decals that said NES-002 in the same fonts as the Sazabi ones, with custom warnings and technical info on the NES. I priced them out, and it turns out they could cost up to $80.00 USD and would take 3-6 weeks to deliver. My track record with water slide decals is really, really poor, and I was too afraid I'd destroy them while applying them. I changed my plan to reproduction Sazabi 1/100 decals, and altered the paint idea slightly to eliminate the bright red/dark red/black idea I originally had to just be all red up top, gray/black/yellow accents. This cut down on hours of paint/prep time, and also price.

The original design idea. The front had technical info, like CPU speed and RAM capacity, as well as warnings for how to properly insert the game cartridge.

Getting Started on Electronics

When I started I had to do was swap out a I/O power/video box (the metal box) because it was bad, and then pulled pin #4 on the lockout chip. I did this because it wasn't working correctly, and I had planned on using mod carts or Japanese carts and that's just a hassle. This is what causes the 'blinking light' error, which is caused by the Nintendo thinking your game is not an officially licensed game. Unfortunately, even after a new pin connector, this NES thought every game was a knockoff, so the lockout chip had to be disabled.

Disabling the lockout chip. Use a de-soldering tool and a jumper puller or tweezers for best results. Be very careful to not break the pins or force them in any way, you could completely destroy this chip. They're easy to crack.

Audio
I also did the old 'pro sound' two-pot audio-out mod. This gives the Nintendo an 'unmixed stereo' audio. Because it's unmixed, it sometimes results in sound being louder on one side than the other, but it almost totally removes the weird signal noise you'll usually hear with the NES. I'm not going to get into the technical aspects of it, but I prefer the way it sounds to the regular NES audio. It sounds 'cleaner' to me. How-to below.

Here is how you add 'stereo' audio. I meant ONE capacitor each, two capacitors total. I dumbed. The positive leg of the capacitors go toward the audio outs, negative toward the R4/R3. I used 50v caps, you can use bigger ones if you like.

Exterior

Next I took the body parts, cleaned them out, and bonded a few cracks using JB Weld and/or model glue. Then I drilled two ¼ inch holes in the rear for the new audio pots. I later took the case parts into dad's shop and sanded them down with a air powered disc sander until mostly flat. I did this to both halves. I used various grits of sandpaper, but nothing too rough. After that, they were cleaned thoroughly, dried, and sprayed with PPG Plastic Bond adhesion promoter for ABS plastics. Alternatively, you could use something like the Krylon that's meant to bond to plastic.

I sprayed the bottom half matte clear, then set that aside. I originally painted the top half red, red-orange, and black. Black on the insides and vents, red on the left-hand side and door, and orange red on the upper right-hand side. Shortly after This I repainted the orange the same red color on the other side due to it looking stupid. I don't have any pictures of this because I'm a communist.

At this point, the top was red, the bottom was flat gray, and the accents were flat black. It was looking good, so I needed the decals. I found the largest sheet of decals I could on eBay. They were for a 1/100 scale Sazabi model kit, and cost about $8.00. They featured lots of 'caution' decals and 'MSN04' decals, which is what I was looking for. Those came from Hong Kong, so they took about 3 weeks to arrive. 

Problems, Bro

During this time, I decided to mod the board for the NES. Here's where the project was halted and essentially why I don't have any pictures (I thought it'd never get done). I swapped the power LED for a green one, the color of Sazabi's mono-eye, and wired up two red LEDs that pointed upward through the top vents on the NES. I was testing the LEDs, I had not sealed up the solder welds with tape yet, and I dropped a hot wire on the picture processing unit on the main board. It fried the whole goddamn motherboard. I don't have a replacement. The project was abandoned 4 days before Christmas.

Here is how I wired the LEDs...

I found the 17805 power regulator on the I/O box, found output, and tapped that for power. I then just wired two white LEDs in series, then wrapped them in colored tape. That's a good, cheap way to save on LEDs if they aren't going to be seen.

Be sure you DO NOT tap the leftmost pin for power, that's input power. Input power on a NES is actually AC power. Anything taking input power on an NES is bad news for wiring extra shit, it's the same reason you should never use a AC adapter for a NES in something like a Sega Genesis.

At this point after a bunch of trouble shooting the busted NES board, fixing it, modding it, breaking it, then troubleshooting it again, I got really angry and broke it in half. 

Because fuck you, I'm a child.

Resuming the Project

When the decals came in, I decided to go ahead and resume the project. I still don't have the electronics working, but I knew the exterior work was almost done, so I figured I should just make due with what I had. All I had to do was apply the decals, detail the unit, clear coat it, and find new innards.

To start, I wet-sanded the exterior using 1200 grit sandpaper. This evened most of paint out. I highly suggest you do this in between coats of paint, especially if you're going more than a day between coats. It evens everything out and gives the new coat of paint or clear more to stick to. It also makes it easier to stick the water slide decals on.

After sanding, I placed the decals onto the painted case then clear coated them using regular Krylon crystal clear gloss. I've never been good at dry-rub or water slide decals, but these turned out OK. If you've never done it, all you do is dip them in water, wait a few seconds, then slide them off using a moist Q-tip, then smooth out using a dry one. You will need to seal them with clear coat, as they are very brittle. After that, I painted the bottom vents on the case yellow to match the vents on the Sazabi. This wasn't in the original plan, but it makes for a nice little detail.

Status

This is currently where I have left off. I actually did take a few nice pictures of my results so far, and I apologize for how text-filled this article is.

The tape is covering the vents, which are painted flat black/layered with truck bed coating. I didn't peel it away for these pictures because I'm still working on the paint.

What's next?

The NES needs a whole new board, and I've been thinking about a big, white Neo Zeon logo up top.

After that, it needs lightly scuffed with an abrasive pad and then clear coated one more time.

I've applied a few decals to matching controllers, and I'm considering painting them red like I have in the original photoshop. I'm a little worried about the smell, stickiness, and wear that would result on a surface you touch all the time, though.

I will update when I've finished it, hopefully with more pictures.

Materials list (so far)

1 NES

1 can of bright red enamel spraypaint (Rustoleum Safety Red)

1 can of matte Krylon clear coat

1 can of gloss Krylon clear coat

1 can Rustoleum truck bed liner (used as a top coat on black)

1 can of Krylon matte black

1 can of Krylon gloss yellow

1 can of plastic adhesion promoter (borrowed)

2 white LEDs

2 standard audio connectors female

1 tube of model glue or some JB weld (only needed if your NES has cracks!)

1 sheet reproduction Sazabi Gundam model kit Decals

2 1uF 50v Electrolytic capacitors (to protect audio from surges)

Shielded wire

Electrical tape

Lots of goddamn tape

Tools

Sanding block

Power drill

Power sander

Q-Tips

Bowl of water

Soldering tool

De-soldering tool

Tweezers or jumper pullers

Screwdrivers (long Philips head)

Thanks for reading!

Poop.

Holy Crap, I have not had time for this.

Welp, I'm starting to post on here less and less, but I aim to try and develop this into a real website to host my tutorials, projects, and reviews.  I'd love to work with other people to get some articles on here eventually as well.  Whatever.


In the mean time...

I've potentially got another protoman helmet situation in the works as a part of a exhibit at University of Southern Indiana, but I'm not banking on that 100% right now due to how horribly random my brain is.

I have finally gotten a decent DSLR camera, so I can now upload brilliant HD photos and videos, so I have less of an excuse to produce How-To guides. 

I've gathered materials to build my own xbox360 street fighter style arcade controller, stay tuned for that build, because I haven't had the extra cash to set aside for it (I'm already in it for a decent amount of money).

Also, my computer is dying a slow, horrible death.  So it's that time again for me to mod and post guides up on how I build my work/play rig.  This time, it'll be water cooled. Blue and red paint will be used. As well as an NZXT Tempest 410 case.

I've also got some Gundam model kit tutorials and guides I want to post up sometime soon.  I've learned a lot online about how to paint them, but I've gotten pretty good at using shittier materials to produce as-good or almost as-good of results. 

Video game collection updates, reviews, and general chats about what to look for and how to repair game consoles will always be a part of the blog, I just haven't had time to document that sort of stuff in between binge eating pizza and pretending to be Batman.


So essentially...

In the coming months, I will be updating the blog into a real stand-alone blog site, which will feature monthly comics I draw myself, as well as articles about whatever from people I sorta know about things nerdy people will probably like.  I will make this my number one hobby time thing, which is hard because in order for it to function it requires ten other hobby type things to work. No matter, I shall press forward.

I don't have delusions of grandeur here. There are certain things I obsess over that I have a hard time locating on the internet, and there are certain tutorials and DIY projects I couldn't find and had to make them up as I went along, so I truly intend on helping out my fellow indoor-dwelling peoples.

I'm not dead/Death-Eater/Jurassic Park Claw

Hello, been super busy with classes and whatnots so I haven't had a lot of time to keep the blog up and continue to force eyeballs over to it. I've still got some irons in the fire for newer, bigger projects, and I'll eventually get some real-life DIY how-to shit on here soon, just haven't had the time or the drive to do so. Anyway.

For Halloween, I finally got a cast cut and painted for Caci's death-eater costume. Her roomie Regan was going as Dr. Grant from Jurassic Park.

Finished Master Sculp. All molds will be made from this sculpt.

Closeup. The entire mandible/cheek area was redone in fiberglass filler.

This is my quick cast off of the mold.  The mold broke twice, I shouldn't have used plaster molds...hard object inside of hard mold = you have to break the mold off with a hammer. Anyway, it damaged the mask and I had to throw the whole thing together in a few hours so the finished product isn't quite as great as it should be.

On to the raptor claw...

Found pics online, made a mock up out of cardboard from a Cheerios box

Molded modeling clay on top of the cardboard, carved out appropriate doodads

Plaster mold made on top, then carved out this side

Empty mold. I keyed it on both sides then poured a combo of resin/filler.

Primer, paint, then more paint, then strategically sanded to look old.

Texture!

 

Protoman Requests/Responsies/Ego Stroking

Hello internets. It's been quite a while since I've posted on here (the death-eater mask keeps getting pushed back because of things like Arkham City) and I thought I should post a few things that people have been asking me about.  Protoman related. Blah, blah, shit. Anyway.

1. Yes, I will build you a Protoman/Megaman/whatever helmet to your specifications. It'll probably cost you around $100 dollars, it's hard to say exactly how much because it'll be commission work.  Here's what needs to go down, though.  

EDIT:
I don't remove posts, I just edit them. I will no longer be taking helmet requests. They take to goddamn long to make and it's bullshit to make people wait to song for something. Sorry. But I will list the materials list here up and I will still answer any questions you have with my best braincells.

•   This first part is on you.  Figure out your helmet size.  If you just pick a helmet that may or may not fit, we would have just wasted a lot of money and time.
•   Ship me your helmet. I'd rather not go out and buy one and have you not pay me, or have to postpone the project and I'm left here with materials I can't use. If you get your fitment done and you find one online that you like, paypal me the money and the link for it and I'll buy it and just ship it here myself.
•   Pay me and I will work for you.  I have PayPal.  Every time I work on your helmet I will send you photos to prove to you I'm doing the work. I don't want a bad reputation, but I don't want to do work for no money either.  If you prefer to pay me a chunk of money straight up that's fine.  I'll be sending you a statement detailing exactly what I did and how many hours each step took to verify that I'm not just taking your money.
•   Pay me for materials.  I keep very good records for projects like this. I will scan receipts for you and package them in .pdf or a folder of .jpgs for you to prove to you what I'm buying.  I want everything to be completely transparent.
•   Cancellations.  If at any time you decide you don't want the helmet any more, I will request payment for the materials I've used and work I've done to even us out.  If you want your incomplete helmet back, and you've paid me up for the work I've done, I'll send it back to you.
•   Finishing the project.  I will only ship you your helmet once you have paid for everything. Projects like this take a lot of time and effort to complete, I just want to make sure I'm getting paid. When I ship you your final helmet I'll have it weighed and you can paypal me for the shipping costs.  It will most likely be packed pretty tightly and will include documents of the receipts and the full work statement included. 
•   Tell your nerdy friends.  I do enjoy having projects out there for people to see. I love having my own little blog things like this, and I intend to update it as often as I can.  Referring me to your friends will keep projects like this alive.  With your permission, I'd also like to write up a work log for the blog to show everyone else what you've ordered.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  2. Materials.  You've seen pictures of them, but I guess I've never gotten around to posting exactly what I bought. Here's an approximate list of the stuff that went into this helmet. Ignore the red text.  Well, ignore the fact it's red. Not the words.

• Helmet (derp)
• PVC ear piece (custom cut and shaped): X2
• Plastic Drain Insert (inner ear piece): X2
• Craft wood (green inserts, cut into circles)
• Double Sided Outdoor 3M tape: 1 roll
• Hot Glue: -donated-
• 18/20 ga. wire: -donated-
• On/Off switch: x1
• 9v power connector: x1 (comes in a pack of three)
• 9v battery: x1 (can buy your own, I guess)
• Small Wonderflex Sheet (21"x13"): x1 <----this is if you want the white head piece mounted to the visor as a separate piece, and it is used to make the battery compartment
• Foam Weatherstripping: x1 Roll -donated-
• Foam Padding: -donated-
• Short Strand Fiberglass Filler: -donated-
• High-Build Automotive Primer: x1 can
• Enamel Red Spray Paint: x1 can
• Krylon Flat White: x2 cans
• Lacquer Clear Coat: x1 can
• Glass Tinting: x1 Can <---Stuffs 16 dollars. If you use the stock shield on a helmet it will be clear--so we tinted Jay's. Some people use over-sized glasses; you pick.
• 400/800/1200 grit sandpaper: -most likely donated-
• Hyper Bright Green LEDs: x8 or x10
• Pack of Resistors: x1 pack (may have some left over but I'm not sure, only need 8 or 10)
• 5v Regulator: x1
• Mini Blank Circuit Board: x1 (may still have one of these too, if not they sell them at Radioshack)
• Extraneous Dremel bits that may explode during use (cutter wheels literally explode when they overheat)
• Black cloth to cover up wires/battery cover/whatever. You don't need this, but you may want it.
• Arduino programmable board
• Condenser Microphone
• RadioShack mini-amp
• Male-male audio cable

Anyway here's the two most asked questions about the project. Feel free to comment, I always hop on here and answer.

Death Eater Mask 2/Randomness

Hello, it's been a bit since I've posted in here, but I've been busy.
Firstly, I have made my first cast of the death eater mask already, and its been sitting around for a while getting worked on when I get time. Secondly, I'm devoting my money to buying useless collectible figures (DAMN YOU METAL GEAR PEACE WALKER SQUARE ENIX KAI FIGURES).

I'm also trying to secure one of those awesome FOXHOUND coats for Halloween from abbyshot.com, but the funds are low and so is morale. All of this, if it happens, will end up on here in some fashion. Also, I've been looking online for Metal Gear figures/statues/models for while, and apparently this year is the first time they've ever made them commercially available. This lead me to some geniuses who made some accurate LEGO Metal Gears, and led me to make my own TX-55 out of lego.

So it's been Metal Geary. Eh.
...

Anyway, the death-eater update.

No pic of the mold itself, but this is the glassed in mask in the mold

The mask being pulled out of the mold

After it was cut and sanded, the bottom left of the cheek is indented because theres nothing there. The mold broke as I was glassing.

I filled the broken part up there by the chin with filler

 

Pic of the mouth cut out. The line wasn't a part of the original drawing, but it was impossible with the tools I have to cut little notches in each section, so I just cut a line there.

And I even have pics of the Lego TX-55 AKA "YellowToe":

Removable nuclear warheads from the missile pak

The warheads

What's up.

comparo of the lego and the spec drawing (i drew a smiley face on it)

Ballin. Looks a bit like the MadCat from mechwarrior here

That's all the nerdy shit I got for you today. Be sure to subscribe because I'll be stepping up the posts here soon again.