Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A Worklog
Ok here begins Project Nighthawk!--I'm very excited to be creating this one-of-a-kind custom PC together with Cable Organizer.com, and would like to thank all those involved in helping to bring this awesome project to life.
Here is the basic ideas behind the concept we have developed for this project:
Project Nighthawk will be a custom computer designed as a flight simulator and gaming console. The inspiration for the design was taken from the exotic looks of the Lockheed F-117A Stealth Fighter, one of my personal favorites among millitary aircraft. The shell of the PC will have lots of angles and sleek sharp edges reminding one of the radar deflecting shapes found on the F-117A.
In the concept art below, you can see that the front of the case has the look of a cockpit, complete with the gauges you'd find on modern aircraft. I'll have to do some research to see if these can actually be integrated into the case and sync up with software such as Microsoft's Flight Simulator. There are lots of alternatives, so come back often to see how this project develops, grows and takes on a life of its own.
There will also be three 17" LCD monitors, not tewo as in the drawing below. As soon as I have my artist change the concept image I'll re-post it here.
Here are the working PC specs for the project:
*MSI K8N Neo Platinum SLi Mobo
*AMD Athlon 64 FX-55
*WD Raptor Series 74GB 10,000 RPM SATA Hard Drive
*CORSAIR XMS Xtreme Memory Speed Series, Xtra-Low Latency 184-Pin 1GB(512MBx2) DDR PC-3200
*Dual nVidia Graphics Card NX6800-TD256E SLi
*Microsoft Windows XP Professional With Service Pack 2
Here are the specs for the F-117A Stealth Fighter: :D
Primary Function: Fighter/attack
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company.
Power Plant: Two General Electric F404 engines
Length: 65 feet, 11 inches (20.3 meters)
Height: 12 feet, 5 inches (3.8 meters)
Weight: 52,500 pounds (23,625 kilograms)
Wingspan: 43 feet, 4 inches (13.3 meters)
Speed: High subsonic
Range: Unlimited with air refueling
Armament: Internal weapons carriage
Unit Cost: $45 million
Crew: One
Date Deployed: 1982
Inventory: Active force, 55; ANG, 0; Reserve, 0
To make a custom PC as intricate and engineered as this one, I'll start out with a paper model to help me get an idea of the dimensions and shape of the shell. The paper model will not be super detailed, however it will allow me to make all the proper measurements before I begin cutting the material. Architects create many cardboard 'White models" when pitching a design idea, and this is borrowed from that practice.
I took some foam board and cut a square to the proper dimensions of the ATX motherboard. I then used an old Radeon 9800 as a guide for making the two mockups of the dual video cards. I used spray mount adhesive to to glue on some colored paper to the foam board as well, to help make the model easier to see.
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
yeah must say that the mod looks great so fahr...
Have just joined TBCS today, but CrimsonSky is like a famous mann around the globe - havent seen this mod before though... looks awesome...
\\foo`
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Looks great, but no updates for a while :(
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Here are some production pics I took last week showing the interior of the "shell" and aluminum framing. Can't resist polishing the metal so there will be a combination of painted and polished metals on the frame--even though you wont see much of it from the outside, its the small details that scream "custom" :)
The Antec Neo PSU was a perfect fit. Having a paper model of the PSU was a great help in construction.
The canopy and control surfaces are in the works, and once these are finished and wired up, the interior of the shell will be reinforced with resin and fiberglass, then the rig will be painted and assembled. This entire shell breaks down into smaller parts, and can be 100% disassembled if needed. When creating a complex project like this, you really need to make everything accessable--and avoid building yourself into a corner by creating hardware/component roadblocks that prevent the rig from being altered or repaired easily in the future.
I really like the angles of this shell. Fitting all the components inside was a challenge!~
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Great job so far. Does the project have a deadline for it to be done or will it be done when it's done?
Sweet bar stool btw
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Yeah...this is an amazing piece. I cant wait to see it finished.
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Since the canopy will be on a hinge and open up for folks to peek inside the rig, I decided to pimp it out and install a Linear actuator with a 6" stroke to open and close it. Pics to come soon :D
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
While this may sound like i'm not paying attention to the mod... That is one cool looking stool u have in the background.. lol
Nice mod job too, looks awesome so far.
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
great mod. cant wait to see some updates ;)
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
This portion of the rig is the back panel. made from .0080 styrene, its very intricate in the way it fits on the case as you can see. :)
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Very awesome.
A red glow from the rear would be nice, coming out them pipes.
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crunch
Very awesome.
A red glow from the rear would be nice, coming out them pipes.
took the thoughts right out of my head...'afterbuner' look... :eek:
Re: Project Nighthawk: Skunkworks F117-A
This just makes me want to see the styrene Modders Workshop video even more. When can we expect that one?