The Sapphire PC cube has won the BAWLS Hot Mod of the Month for March of 2006.   This is a very cool contest as BAWLS is popular with just about all modders and gamers.  This is also my second time winning the Bawls HMOTM,  The first time was with the infamous MKTB's mod.  The coolest part about winning this time is I don't have to split the prize money with Brandon.  This baby is all mine, well the prize money anyways.  The case belongs to Sapphire now so they get to keep that, but the money is mine. :D

   I thank BAWLS for not only making a tasty beverage but also for supporting the mod community with their contest.

This design is directly spawned off the Sapphire cube.  
I really didn't get enough time with that case and I really wanted to do a lot more to it.
So when it came time to upgrade my LAN PC the desire was too strong to deny.
I had to make another cube.

Using Red Plex and Aluminum I created a 13" square cube to fit the hardware that Sapphire had given to me.  The Pure Innovation Motherboard and the X1800XTPE with thier red and white PCB's gave me the idea for the color scheme.

Over the past few months I had been in contact with Sapphire.  They had been wanting
to do something with me but hadn't decided what yet.  Then out of the blue it hits them: E3!

My Mission:  To create a Crowd Pleasing Modded Demo PC from Scratch for their new Flagship hardware Debut at E3.

The Enemy:  Time.  E3 was only two weeks away!!  (Que Burning Fuse and Mission Impossible music...)

Brandon Steen, A friend and Fellow Co-worker of mine who also just happens to be an excellent artist, was having some computer problems. His problem? His case was uglier than sin and an abomination to mankind.

I had been wanting to try out some things with backpainting and Brandon desperately needed a new case. So we decided to work together on a Mod. Using his awsome artwork and my modding skills. We were trying to create an artful masterpiece.  What we ended up with was sick, twisted and horrifically beautiful.

    It all started with a simple SK41G shuttle case.   All hardware was taken out of that case to be put inside my custom creation.   The case was built from Acrylic bent around the shape of a UT2004 Character.  Small, portable, completely custom and unlike anything else out there this mod was my LAN rig for over 2 years and won me second place at quakecon among many other awards.

  Want a Decal on that case window that no one else has, but don't know how to create it? In this tutorial I will explain to you how to create artwork and have it custom cut at your local Vinyl Shop. I also explain the different File Types and what the vinyl shop will need from you in order to save you time and money.

   I get asked all the time "How did you bend the Plex for your UTMod?".  After trying to explain it to people and describe what a heating element was, I finally decided to write this handy How-to.  

  This guide will show you how to do a basic bend with acrylic using a heating element.   In this example I am making a simple Motherboard tray.  Just 4 easy 90 degree bends.  Nothing insane like the UTMod, but once you get the feel for it you can bend plex into any crazy shape you would like.