Mod83 - Ghostbusters EGX Build

[Cre8 Modding]

Over the past couple of months, we have been working behind the scenes on the layout for our Ghostbusters themed project and are today pleased to bring you some updates on the build.

There are still plenty of parts to arrive that we will bring you more on in our next update but for now, let’s see what’s arrived.

This build will be based around the Strix X399-E Gaming kindly provided by
ASUS. It seemed the perfect motherboard given the dark theme and built-in lighting to mimic the proton streams.

Paired with an 2990WX from AMD, this will be an absolute powerhouse. It’s not the first time we will be using the 2990WX, we have one in our Phantom Gaming build that we are hoping to finish off very soon.

We also need somewhere to house this great piece of kit so be quiet! have stepped up once again to provide a Dark Base 900 Rev.2 in black.

This will be paired with their Straight Power 11 1000W PSU to provide the juice for the 2990WX.

So for now, that’s as much as we can bring you. We still have parts TBC and are awaiting the arrival of props from our partner on this build, Ben of Kent.

We will, of course, have reviews coming later on of all the components to be used in this project and hope once again you will join us for the ride. We may even bring some videos on this one, let us know what you think!

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Our new Ghostbuster build is now in full flow and we have plenty to bring you over the coming weeks.

For now, we are concentrating on the be quiet! Dark Base 900 and have stripped it down ready for weathering.


Looking at the screen used and many fan built Proton Packs, the weathering is an important and integral part of this project.

The picture below is from the GB Fans Sony Lobby reference pictures and shows just how scratched up the screen packs are, hopefully, we can replicate this a little in our case.


Credit: GBFans Sony Lobby Photo Set

To achieve such an effect for our build, less is more and I have seen this mentioned many times while trawling over the Ghostbusters fan groups and forums.

We want our build to look like it has been well used and then stored away for 25 years and forgotten about to some extent.

This is building on the theme of the returning Ghostbusters and of course to commemorate the launch of the third instalment planned for 2020.

So with our Dark Base now stripped we took it outside in the boiling heat we are having here in the UK.

The basement shroud will be a prominent part of the weathering we are trying to achieve.

We set about bashing up our brand new case from be quiet! (much to my dismay ) and have now left it out to weather.

The rest of the case also has some scrapes and bangs and we will cover those when the weathering is complete.


While the shroud features many scratches and buffs, some will be hidden by decals we have coming from Ben of Kent, one of my partners on this build.

The case then got a few coats of water during the day to hopefully start the ageing process and the next morning we have started to achieve what we set out for.

The thumbscrews have reacted perfectly and just what I was looking for. The case may take a bit longer and I may even end up using paint and chemicals to get it to the point where I am happy.


Our next update will take a look at some of the props we have from Ben of Kent and more on the weathering.

We hope you like the theme on this build so far, please let us know what you think and we can’t wait to bring you more very soon!

 

[chroniclard]

Looks like a fun build, subbed.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Thanks @chroniclard, this is our third build this year and probably the one I have been looking forward to the most as an avid fan of the first two films. Ive been to the firehouse in New York and grew up with Ghostbusters so its close to my heart and hoping I can do my partners proud on this one

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Our case has now had most of the internal weathering applied including rust, scrapes, dents and even some slime applied.

Leaving it out to the elements has helped to some extent but to help speed up the process I have used a combination of paints and household items to get the effect we were after.


We didn’t want to overdo the effects and think we have struck a good balance to get it just right.
Once a lot of the internal components are in place it should help complement the case and the props.




We have started work on the props provided by Ben of Kent and should have some news on these very soon.
Once the case has dried thoroughly we can start on the placement of these and drill and fix everything as needed.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Today’s update is more of a focus on one of our partners for this build, Ben of Kent (BOK). Founded by Benarie Smith, BOK have been making props for over 20 years and specialise in Ghostbusters Proton Packs, Traps and more.

BOK were kind enough to partner with us after submitting our idea for this build, we wanted this to be as true to the films as possible and being one of the worlds leading manufacturers, we knew working with Ben would be fantastic opportunity to showcase his prop making skills.

So lets take a look at some of the components we will be using on this build. If you are familiar with Ghostbusters then a lot of these parts may be instantly recognisable. If not then we have a screen used pack reference picture from GBFans that may be of use. This is the Venkman Hero pack used in the films.


Clippard Valves

Used on the Proton Pack and Wand. (Right middle of Proton Pack).


Cyclotron Lenses

Custom made lenses for this project to mimic the Cyclotron on the Proton Pack.


HGA

Found on the top right of the Proton Pack.


Leg Hose Mount / Crank Knob

Leg hose mount as found on the screen used uniforms and the Crank Knob from the top of the Proton Pack.


Ion Arm

The main assembly of the Ion Arm used on the top left of the Proton Pack.


The second part of the Ion Arm.




Power Cell & Injectors

Found on the middle left of the Proton Pack, this will be one of the main features of the project and be backlit as the film.


Shockmounts

Used on the bumper over the Cyclotron. We have 4 of these for use as case feet.


Assorted Decals

Various decals sent over by BOK to finish the projects and add that authentic touch.


Elbows and Hoses

Small elbows and hoses as found on the Proton Pack


Overview of Parts


Now that we have the majority of props here for the build I can move on to getting these prepped and painted. After this placement and final fit can be confirmed. We have a good idea on placement but a couple of aspects may change, this is down partly to our choice of cooling that is yet to be confirmed. Once we have that in place we can get everything put together internally.

We hope you enjoyed this update and that it gives you more of an insight of the parts involved and the mammoth task ahead!

 

[chroniclard]

What happens to these epic builds once they are done?

 

[Cre8 Modding]

This one will be staying with me for a time at least, if it turns out as expected I won't want to part with it. I'm fortunate to have many great partners working with me on this build and I have options on other projects too. If I do decide to part with it it may sell complete or be broken down to help fund other projects. There is also a caveat to this one, it will be used at EGX later this year so a lot will depend on that too, potentially attracting new partners or customers depending on how well received it is. At that point, I will see what I want to work on next and take it from there.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

We are moving on with the build again today and actually starting to get some components fitted. For this build, we have partnered with ASUS and are using their ASUS ROG Strix X399-E Gaming motherboard. This will be paired with the mighty AMD Threadripper 2990WX that they recently sent over and has been used in our previous Phantom Gaming series.



This is a feature-packed board and includes 2×2 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi 802.11AC, Bluetooth, 8 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Ports, Intel® I211-AT, support for up to 8 x DIMM Quad Channel DDR4, USB 3.1 Gen2, SupremeFX S1220A Audio Codec, 2x M.2 Slot 2242~22110, 4 x USB 3.1 Gen1, 6 x SATA 6Gb/s, Aura Sync and 1 x U.2 amongst others.




Another partner on this build is Team Group, they have supported my builds in the past and we are delighted to work with them again for this project. Today we are fitting the Team Group T-Force Delta 4x4gb DDR4 3000mhz kit at CL16-18-18-38. This Delta RAM also supports RGB and so will complement our build perfectly.





Now we have the 2990WX fitted and our motherboard ready to go, we can fit the RAM and get it all in the Dark Base 900.







Last up today is getting the front I/O and wireless charging unit back on the chassis. From here we can start thinking about internal prop placement and GPU mounting. A lot depends on the space we have available and while the Dark base 900 is a rather large case, we will soon start running out of room.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Weathering of our props from Ben of Kent continues so we thought we would share a small update on these so far. Hopefully, now you can start to see the final finish we are going for coupled with the Dark Base 900.

Today’s update includes the assembly of the Injectors and fitment of the blue acrylic window. Other small additions are also being made with stickers to the Clippard valves and some of the resistors attached to the Ion arm.

While there is still plenty to do its so satisfying to start to see this come to life and become the real-life version of my original vision. Hopefully, by the end of the week, we will be able to confirm what we plan to do cooling wise and from there this will start coming together rather quickly. Stick around and enjoy the photos!

 

[Cre8 Modding]

More paint really does start to bring this project to life as this week we have been busy adding Ghost Trap chevrons to the air vents of the Dark Base 900. The bottom, front and top case shrouds are quite easy to take apart to remove the metal vent strips. I marked up where I wanted the chevrons and then removed the metal vents ready to spray. I have also added the be quiet! Straight Power 1000W PSU ready for refitting the basement shroud later this week.




With the front side of the case all done it was time to turn my attention to the rear while also sorting out the case feet. We are using Shock Mounts from our Partner Ben of Kent for the feet, these are usually found on the Proton Pack Bumper over the 4 lights of the Cyclotron. The stock Dark Base feet required cutting down. I will be weathering and cleaning these up later and possibly adding some additional details to them. The case now sits on its new feet and is really starting to come together.







For the next update, we will hopefully be looking at internal prop placement and water cooling. A lot depends on emails that are flying around at the moment in the hope we can do something really special with this. Hope you all enjoyed today’s update!

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Not an update as such but we are delighted to welcome Alphacool to our list of partners today!



Alphacool will be supplying the cooling parts for our Ghostbusters build and we hope that this will be the start of an ongoing collaboration. Alphacool is known for providing high-quality cooling solutions and we cannot wait to get started.

We will be providing a comprehensive list of the parts to be used and unboxing pics in our next build log updates.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Another quick update on this rather large project. This is a focus on the front panel that we are modding on the Dark Base 900. It is here that we will be placing the Cyclotron Rings from Ben of Kent and one of the main features of the Proton Pack.



The idea here is to incorporate the Cyclotron Rings into the panel and backlight them using one of the RGB headers on the ASUS X399-E Gaming motherboard. This was really easy to strip down and I have enough room on the mounting plate to add the LEDs, we will cover this in another update as we progress through the build.




After paint, I am really happy with how this turned out. I’ve attached it back tot he case to see how well it fits the theme and to help assist in getting the LEDs in the right place.








Decals and additional details still need to be added along with the top case panel too. I’m working hard on this for the rest of the week while;e I await the arrival of Alphacool parts from DHL.

 

[Alan1969]

This one will be staying with me for a time at least, if it turns out as expected I won't want to part with it. I'm fortunate to have many great partners working with me on this build and I have options on other projects too. If I do decide to part with it it may sell complete or be broken down to help fund other projects. There is also a caveat to this one, it will be used at EGX later this year so a lot will depend on that too, potentially attracting new partners or customers depending on how well received it is. At that point, I will see what I want to work on next and take it from there.

how did you get asus to give you a mobo?

 

[Cre8 Modding]

A big box of goodies has landed courtesy of Alphacool for this build, I’m so pleased to have them on board for this project. We are going for a CPU and GPU loop paired with dual 360mm radiators to help keep the 2990WX under control.



Today is all about photos of the new parts they have sent over so I will leave them here and have another update coming soon as we start to prep and fit the loop.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

First up apologies for taking so long to get this next update out. I have been so busy with work that modding has taken a back seat for almost a month. Today’s update is some interior pics, its around 90% complete and I wanted to get something out.

The water cooling loop took a while to figure out, to work around the props from Ben of Kent was not easy and took almost 2 days to decide where everything should go. I still have some parts to add to the interior and then finish off the front and top of the Dark Base 900. I didn’t take any pics of the process, mainly because I was focussed on making sure it would go together and partly because I was getting so frustrated, every time I tried something, something else was in the way or didn’t look right.

So here we are, almost there. For final pics I will be giving it a right good dust off, my camera is too damn good at picking up stuff you can’t see with the naked eye!

Hope you like it!

 

[chroniclard]

Looking good. Nice to see final pics from outside too.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Looking good. Nice to see final pics from outside too.

Thanks, I hope people like it. Its fast becoming one of my most frustrating builds but I am sure it will be worth it!

 

[Alan1969]

I like the warning stickers.

 

[Cre8 Modding]

Thanks Alan, massive thanks to Ben of Kent props for helping out on this build, screen accurate and a great guys to deal with too.