Project Flustercluck by Tpbmods

[Tpbmods]

Hello Canadian Modding Competition 2020, what an absolute honor it is to be given the privilege of joining in this years festivities.
2020 has been an interesting one, and opening the competition from Apprentice to Everyone was a decision that wasnt taken lightly;
I for one am here solely for The thrill of the hunt as Fl4k would say(borderlands reference) and with that being said, im expecting some healthy competition from everyone!

This year I have gone from Fueling the fires(Project Fuel), to a gradual decline into chaos(Project Entropy) and now ive just lost my damn mind(project Flustercluck)
I decided I would go wild and step into the world of airbrushing, an art I have no business trying to learn but here we go.
My project for this years CMC as well as CMWS20 will be based on one of my favorite games of all time, Borderlands! Specifically Borderlands 3LC4 - psycho krieg and the fantastic fustercluck.

I look forward to seeing what everyone has to bring to the table; but let the bloodbath commence!

Components:
Mobo - Asus XII Extreme z490
CPU - i9 10900k
GPU - Zotac 2080ti Amp Extreme
Ram - 32gb(4x8) TeamGroup Xtreem ARGB(Sponsored)
PSU - Cooler Master v1000 Platinum
Case - Cooler Master H500p Mesh
M.2 - Samsung 970 EVO+ 500gb
SSD - TeamGroup Tforce Delta II RGB x2
Fans - EKWB X3M w/extra bumpers(Sponsored)
Lighting - Amazon special High Density UV LED strip, And a mix of EK's 200mm HD RGB Strips(Sponsored)

Watercooling(Sponsored)
CPU - EKWB Magnitude
GPU - EKWB Vector 2080ti
Pump/Res - EKWB FLT120 D5 x2
Radiators - EKWB PL 360 x2
Hardline Fittings - EKWB HTC 16mm w/rings
Softline Fittings - EKWB STC 5/8
Angled Fittings -EKWB Torque
Fluid - ModMyMods Modwater in Blue

Extras were sponsored by ModmyMods
DimasTech 16mm Latching Black Housing Blue LED
Phobya Thermometer with Digital Display - Red
Barrow G1/4" 10K Temperature Fitting Black
MMM BB's World Renowned ATX Pin Removal Tool

Cables - All Teleios sleeving wrapped around Mainframe 16awg, sponsored by Mainframe Customs.
Combs - A mix of Knuckle combs, Rake combs, and Panel combs sponsored by Clockwerk Industries.

I want to wish everyone the absolute best of luck! HAVE FUN! And thank you to all the judges who have donated their time to be here.
The sponsors who have graciously supplied such wonderful prizes.
And most importantly, Daz himself! Without that man, this amazing competition wouldnt be possible.

[Tpbmods]

Alright, time to get this party started.
The Plan: Plain and simple beginnings, Keep the original design of the case as visually stock as possible while still doing loads of cosmetic modifications.
The Basement will be converted from a repositionable 2 piece into a single 16ga shroud with pump/res, the front and top panel will be completely gutted out and 14ga expanded steel mesh installed.
The rear fan and vertical PCIE slots will have a piece cut out and riveted into place to give me a cleaner area for mounting a EK FLT120 d5 and more real estate for painting.

[Tpbmods]

"Hows the shroud coming along?" Well im glad you asked mysterious reader!
If you follow my social media pages, youd know I took a nearly 4 hour drive to my parents house just to play in my dads garage.
My old man does classic car restoration and has all the big boy fabrication tools, so I made my shroud from scratch using the 3:1 break/bender and finished off the more complex offsets by hand using traditional bodyworking tools.

[Danny79-Qc]

So many great cases showing up in that competition! Gona be a very nice build for sure!

[C0LLARD]

I totally agree! Fuel and "The first" Project Entropy are beautiful. I can't wait to see the results of this one.

[section31]

Going to be one nice build once done.

[Hooded]

Mod Master. Loving the work, keep at it!

[Kaidis86]

Git er done! Looking forward to the finished project!

[Tpbmods]

Alright, now that the weather is totally wet, frozen and windy; Ive had to resort to entirely waterbased acrylic and airbrushing/Paint pens so go easy on me.
I have been learning how to airbrush entirely on the fly, ive probably spent more time watching tutorials than I have actually modding/painting.

The CM H500p Mesh has the perfect industrial look even before mods, but I knew I needed something appropriate to represent Krieg and Borderlands
so I decided to go with an Atlas Runner/Metallic Blood inspired paint job with free hand Cel-Shading.
The Runner is iconic of the first and second borderlands as it was the only chassis available to traverse the barren wastes of Pandora.


I started off by doing a coat of Createx AutoAir bright red with 3% heavy black, this was my primer layer.
I then followed it up with 3 coats of Createx Wicked Crimson mixed with a 20% ratio of Wicked Pearlized blood red for a very bright and shiny metal look.


But this isnt about being beautiful and perfect, this is a desolate shithole where literally everything and everyone wants a piece of you
Time to get weathered, ITS TIME FOR BLOOD!
With a combination of brushes, scotchbrite pads and cardboard and a whole pallet of colors, I was able to create my first distressed look on a mod.







And lastly, the final touches before it gets sealed with a heavy matte UVLS Sealer/Clear

[Tpbmods]

Well, it wouldnt be a mod without some actual case cutting, so its time to bust out the tools!
240/280mm front rad support just aint gonna cut it for me, go big or go home crying! 2 EK PE 360 rads are getting shoved in here, so a custom rad mount needs to be created.




In sticking with the theme of using recycled materials found in a scrap pile, all the metal used has been repurposed from old case side panels.
I really didnt want to just blast a hole in the rear fan and mount a pump, thats too easy! Had to get crafty, and make a full on patch! Cant have any pesky air leakage.
Drilled out all the rivets, and even added a few extra holes to ensure a fluid fitment.

[Grinder]

That mesh really makes it look industrial. I am digging the metal work and recycling old case panels!

[Tpbmods]

Here we are, New years eve... Deadline. Ive spent the evening trying to get photos uploaded and edited just to get SOMETHING posted for everyone to see.
Back to some more chop chop, drill and file!

[Tpbmods]

Onto Painting... if you can even call it that. This year I knew I was going to run into issues trying to paint, what I wasnt expecting was to lose my work space...
Three weeks ago I was told I had to move out of the garage, as well as dismantle my covered painting area outside.
What I did get out of the ordeal was my very own modshed! Unfortunately that ate up my entire weekend, which also included a day I requested off.
Needless to say it was still way to cold and way too moist to be painting.














I wasnt happy with the way this turned out, and If I can find the time before the CMWS20 deadline, I may attempt to redo it.
Unfortunately that deadline is exactly 1 month away

[Tpbmods]

My very own 2080ti. Thank you panic sellers!

[Tpbmods]

I really wish I had of modded this to fit fans in the top... But perhaps some more rainbow strips are in order.
If I was happy with anything on this project, It was the shell of the case. After doing the fatigued cel-shaded look that borderlands is known for, I almost turned the entire project around.
But a day late, many dollars short, and commitments already made, I had to push forward.
If I decide to go any other direction with this case, its to get rid of all the "FLUSTERCLUCKYNESS" And go with a nice dirty cosmetic! Perhaps thats for another day.