ARTEK GSS BritizenCon Build

It was very much a spur of the moment idea to put together a build for BC2017 but I certainly don't regret the grind of getting it ready for the event. Like most of my other work, it is built completely of high grade furniture birch ply, CNC machined finished and coated with the AC2 paint system for a very tough, durable finish. This piece has since been to and from several events across Europe and in the interim has lived at the Foundry 42 office in Wilmslow and still looks as slick as it did when it came out of the paint shop.

How? Lots And Lots Of Reference Pictures

As this was undertaken before I started working with CIG I didn't have the luxury of starting with the in-game asset, so the first step was taking plenty of screenshots as reference pictures.

Build Process & Materials

Using the screenshots as a guide, along with a bit of guess work, I was able to re-draw the model from scratch, always considering the build method to keep the next phase as simple as possible.

The model could then be broken down and toolpaths designed with each part made of a combination of 9, 12 and 18mm birch ply.

With the toolpaths done, the milling could begin. This build had a nice balance of 2.5D and 3D parts, making the cut time not too painful.

Birch ply is a nice material to work with, tough to sand evenly due to cross laid grains, but the structural stability more than makes up for that. The unit is built in two halves to allow easier transport.

The Finishing Touches

Once it hit the paint shop it soon started to look more like the real thing, and when the decals, lights and screen are in, it really did look the part.

Al of the lights can be controllod by a remote, allowing for futureproofing and any changes to the colours.

Then To BritizenCon

All that was left was to take it to BritizenCon, following which I was awarded MVP, and here’s the moment Disco Lando announced it - sorry (not sorry) about my ingame handle Disco, its so that when I play I can play and not be “big_jr”.