Halo 2 RIG : Build Part One

This is part one of my Halo 2 rig build.

There's a large Halo 2 team tournament I am running, and I decided to do
something special for the event.

The sponsor agreed to pay for the build, so here we are! The plan is for a
custom 8 xbox setup with dedicated fast switch.

What fell into my lap is a 24 port SMC rackmount device.

No off the shelf stuff from Best Buy for us! However, it comes in a very boring
metal case and of course for the ASSEMBLER Halo 2 rig, this wouldn't do.



The idea is to have the blue halo 2 logo on a background of hammered steel.
If I was good at airbrushing, I would just airbrush the logo on top of the paint,
but given I can't airbrush for my life, I did the best I could. I painted the top
blue, masked it, and then painted the top coat. Why? The surrounding color
is a special textured paint. If the logo went on top of that, it would look lumpy.

I laid down several light coats of blue paint, let it dry for two days, and then
went on to the next step.



I searched google images and found a nice large Halo 2 logo HERE . I printed
it on heavy photo stock so the blade would have something substantial to
bite into without crumpling or ripping.

I masked the top of the swtich with blue painters tape and taped the logo
down so it wouldn't lift when I cut into it.

I cut traced the logo with the razor blade, cutting through the paper into the
tape.



I peeled away the excess painters tape and reinforced the tape over the logo.
I masked the front contol panel, fans and rear power connection.

Now for the final coats of special paint.



I used rustoleum "hammered finish,grey" paint. It doesn't show in the picture,
but the switch looks like hand beaten metal and has a great look, like hand
beaten enameled metal.

Besides looking great, it also dries super fast for such a thick paint. Unlike some
glossy paint, it doesn't stay sticky long, you can handle it in under 30 minutes.
Juggling something covered in glossy paint is a royal pain, especially in the
summer with insects blowing around. I once did a great paint job to come
back and find tiny gnats covering it.

The hammered paint also takes on a rock hard finish. This paint is great and comes in a number of colors.



Off came the tape.

To my dismay some paint had seeped under. I really should have used pinstriping tape.

However, I planned to accent the edges in black, so I mocked up the accents
for the logo with a wide black marker. I later finished the accents properly by
masking the perimeter of the accents and spray painted it black.

There's a tiny bit of blue overspray on the left of the control panel thanks to
the same crappy tape. It doesn't seem too noticable but it still bugs the hell out
of me. If anything, this has taught me that the masking media is crucial for a
good paint job.



The auto focus sucked for some reason, but you get the idea. The neons went
on the bottom, and the switch is ready to go into the TEAM ASSEMBLER Halo 2
rig.

The next part of the build is the metal framework that the switch will go into.

Thanks to Steve of team ASSEMbler for picking up the paint, and for the
pawnshop that sold me a frigging 24 port high speed rackmount switch for
$9.00!

Part two will follow shortly as the event is this weekend.

I'm taping the whole thing, so I'll post PWN highlights from the final
match.

-ASSEMbler