Sonic Team Themed Dreamcast Case Mod

Hi

I just completed my first ever case mod: a Sonic Team themed custom black Dreamcast. I made a YouTube video about it and I'd really appreciate any feedback as I plan to do more Dreamcast mods in future:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0m_7Dn5ddo

Here's a pic of the finished article:



I think my next mod will be similar, but with a larger window in the lid so the LED light can illuminate it better and also an internal VGA mod (as I have added VGA output to a different Dreamcast (see here) and the improvement in picture quality is fantastic).

Thanks for looking and please go easy on me - I'm new here :redface-new:

MintFiend

 

That looks amazing! How exactly did you make the Sonic head so detailed?

Not a criticism, but i would love to see it in blue. Black looks good too of course

 

Thank you very much for your feedback

I agree with you that I think it would be better in blue; Sonic is blue after all! Originally I actually set out to do a different mod where the plan was to fill in the indentation on the lid and then stick a big blue Dreamcast swirl decal over the top, but I mucked up filling in the lid (it looked a bit uneven after I sprayed it) so I that's when I decided to change tack and cut a window in the lid instead. I think if I had planned to cut a Sonic Team logo out from the start then I would have sprayed the case blue to begin with.

I thought I would use my Dremel to do the cutting but I just couldn't find a way to get anywhere near the kind of accuracy I needed. So I ended up using my girlfriend's jewellery saw and doing all the cutting by hand. The plastic on the Dreamcast case is actually surprisingly easy to cut (I practiced on a 2mm sheet of acrylic first and that was much harder to cut). Still, it took about 8 hours to do the cutting and sand it all down to a nice finish.

 

That is fucking amazing! I was sure you used a laser cutter or some kind of CNC to make it. It looks absolutely perfect!

I don't own a jewelry saw yet, but looking at your results I'm getting one for sure

EDIT: Is the right eye (camera right) attached to the rest of the face or is it one small piece?

 

I just kept it simple really. I marked out a circle using a compass and a pencil and carefully cut round it using the jewellery saw. The blade on the saw is really thin so fortunately it's possible to be quite accurate.

 

Thank you so much! It's not quite perfect close up, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out overall.

The whole Sonic head is two separate pieces. Most of it is one big piece including the head and the left (small) pupil. But the right (large) pupil is completely separate. So, I positioned and glued on the right (large) pupil first, and once that was in place I glued on the main head piece.

 

Now get a US dreamcast and make a Tails one

 

looks great, but im always sceptical about seeing painted controllers

hoe does it endure use and what kinda paint did you use for it ? I'd love to get my hands on something that sticks properly, all my attempts at painting controllers end up in a failure

 

lots of this.

 

I used VHT Vinyl Dye. Apparently being a dye it seeps in to the plastic rather than just sitting on top like normal paint would. I have to admit that like you I was sceptical as to whether it would work for a controller but I've got quite a few spare controllers so in the end I just went for it. I'm glad I did because it actually turned out much better than I was expecting. I've used it for about 10 hours of gaming since I sprayed it, sometimes using it for a couple of hours at a time, and it has coped with my horribly sweaty man hands with no visible marks, scratches or stickiness at all. I can definitely recommend this stuff if you ever do make another attempt at painting a controller in future.

 

Ya know I usually can't stand case mods but this is pretty damn good.

 

i was pretty much afraid you'd say vinyl dye

i've heard of the stuff, the reason im asking is because i hoped you'd have used something else, and that it would endure use.
You see, vinyl dye is not available anywhere in this whole crappy country >.<

 

import some from the uk?

 

Ah, that's a shame. I got mine from ebay.co.uk (from usauto1997 and mr.topspeed). I just checked and it looks like both of them only offer UK shipping via eBay, but maybe you could find a way to contact them directly and see if they'll post it to you for an additional fee?

 

Never seen Vinyl Dye on sale in Denmark either. I'm tempted to try it on my next project. Is there a special primer that should be used in combination with the vinyl dye?

 

Apparently dyes don't need a primer, but as with any painting project preparation is key and you want a clean surface free of dirt and grease. I cleaned the Dreamcast thoroughly using Maxiclene and then used VHT Prep Spray prior to spraying with the Vinyl Dye.

 

Looks great man, is that the satin black VHT?

 

Yep. I used satin black for the majority of the case. But I used gloss black to highlight the power/open buttons, the controller panel and the little bezel thingy on the lid ;-)

 

also the DC is textured plastic so if you want a smooth finish you could also sand it down but yeah no primer with this stuff, as its vinyl dye it wants to seep into the plastic not having anything else in it's way. you could also use some clearcoat / laquer if you're paranoid