Mod of the Month - September 2008

HELGHAN

by tomcatt
Worklog

We all know that I've proclaimed my love for "model" cases in the past. I think I've had a soft spot for them ever since the fantastic Doom 3 mod done by Crimson Sky, or the BlackMesa project that graced our forums before the release of Half-Life 2. Since that time, there have been quite a few good ones that have paid homage to such great titles as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Command and Conquer, just to name a couple.

And now, it seems, we can add another excellent one to the list. Belgian modder tomcatt has brought us his first major case modding project dubbed HELGHAN, which is designed around the game Killzone 2. As far as modelling goes, he's been in the trenches painstakingly choosing his materials and design to create something that is both impressive and still functional - not an easy blend.

However, it seems like he's right on track...

Tomcatt has really planned out his design well, taking some extra time in Sketchup to really make sure he thought of all the angles - including access. His planning has paid off - the carefully designed base and top allow the side panel to come off without problems. It sounds like such an obvious thing...until you see the mods that require some divine assistance to get into without breaking anything. Particularly for model-based mods, this is a hard thing to get right.

Sitting on the top of the mod is a wooden replica of one of the game's firearms of choice. Of course, it started out as nothing more than a few scraps of wood and a printout! It will double as a grille, keeping unsuspecting fingers out of the two 120mm fans underneath.

The side panels of the building are designed out of very thin strips of MDF board. Orange acrylic has been layered in for accent, which will be lit by LEDs.

Even the base has been given careful consideration, where tomcatt has decided on a distressed concrete/asphalt look. As he mentions in his mod about other things (the backlighting of the motherboard in particular), it's the little details that make all the difference. Too true, tomcatt.

The front panel is getting its own special look to it with the game's familiar mask and glowing eyes.

HELGHAN is clearly off to a great start, but there's a lot more to come. And sadly, this small glimpse of it has to skip over some great design accomplishments that he's already finished with. So why are you still reading this when you have a whole worklog to peruse?!

But before you get too far away, make sure you take a minute to vote for HELGHAN by tomcatt as this month's Mod of the Month!