Pimp my Xbox 360 faceplate contest [update 1]

101 Comments by Vladimir Cole Nov 26th 2005 7:30PM
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360

Xbox 360 faceplate plain We're thinking that our reader community is full of folks who may have fooled around with model paint at some point in the past, so we're launching a new contest. Modify a plain old Xbox 360 faceplate with paints, stickers, glue, or whatever and show us your handiwork. We'll pick a winner and send him or her three retail Xbox 360 titles from our library of titles under review (remember, we don't keep any of the products sent to us for review).

Deadline for entries: Sunday, December 4, 11:59pm ET.
Original work only: don't try passing off one of the fantastic X05 skins as your own work. By all means, use 'em for inspiration, but we think some of you are capable of doing even better.
Functional: Must still fit on an Xbox 360 and work for everyday gaming (you must submit photographic evidence that it fits with controllers plugged in and with the DVD door open).
Safe for work: Entries need to be safe for viewing in a typical work environment.

We also need enough entries to judge from. If we receive five or more serious entries, we'll consider the contest "on."

[Update 1: Winners have been selected. First place: Mike Washington's metallic flame-covered faceplate. Awful photography, but lots of skill. QBix's graffiti-styled Xbox 360 faceplate wins second place, while other faceplates of note include Jedi1354's Star-Wars faceplate, Nickboxer's freshmakin' faceplate, and tcc3's Ferarri Stradale-styled facer. Mike will be sent three Xbox 360 games, Qbix will be sent one.]

(Page 1) Reader Comments

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Well I am one of the many who stood in line waiting for a 360 and did not receieve one. And I stood for over 8 hours, and missed it not by much. However I will be getting a 360 and would still love to win games! I took a picture of a 360, and edited over the initial faceplate of what I would have made for my faceplate. Please accept my submission. I made sure to only edit parts that would be on the faceplate itself, and didn't mess with the actual system itself. I promise that if I win, I'll go and make the faceplate in real life when I get my 360.

I went for the classic NES style look many people have edited onto other systems. Your bound to see a few in this contest eventually, but I'm the first to make it!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/ElChibo/NES360.jpg

Giddieon: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Ok here is mine...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/giddieon/360suckers.jpg

bd (formerly b): Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Mark Korsak:

That's the best faceplate ever. Maybe I say it because I love Nintendo and it brings back good memories, but you still have talent. It's great. Thanks for the feelings you evoked!

James: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Don't you two (#1 & #2) read the rules? It must be functional and with photographic evidence not some photochopped job.

BlackYoshi: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

2 was obviously a fanboy creation to mock Xbox360 owners. Duh.

Einhanderkiller: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

What? We need an actual Xbox 360 faceplate?

...well, I guess no free Xbox 360 games for me.

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

yea i know you needed an actual faceplate, but i explained that I don't have a 360 and dont have a faceplate to tamper with. if i win, i promise to make it for real out of a real faceplate when i get my 360 hopefully on xmas. as for bd (formerly b) or #3, thanks for your comments. good to know that my work is appreciated.

J.T. Mill: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Too bad we couldn't Photoshop it, I think you'd get a lot of great entries from people who weren't lucky enough to get a 360 or people who wouldn't mind making a quick buck on eBay(myself included). But I don't mind, I think it's great that you're incuraging case moding.

nojok3: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

thats besides the point...mark's idea isn't even creative, it was already a design in Major Nelson's contest...the 2nd one, although didn't follow the rules, I have never seen before

Mat: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

UHmm, yeah. I'm not willing enough to sacrafice my faceplate for some contest. It's not like I have a bunch lying around my room. You guys should really think about this and modify the contest to allow photoshopped submissions. You will get MORE submissions and a more diverse variety. But hey, more props to those who decide to mess up (I mean modify/improve) their faceplate design.

vc: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Digital faceplates bore us. They've been done many times over. We're looking for some real faceplate mods.

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

well if im chosen, for being one of the two paint shop pro'ers (no photoshop! lol) with no people entering real ones, and maybe no one will, and i think im personally the better of the two, the suckers thing is a whole joke. i promise i will make it for real with the games, and then who knows, maybe if its good enough, il make more to sell. between $25-$30, depends on how hard it is to make when i make the first one. have to have it atleast $25 though cause a silver faceplate is like $18 and ya gotta make some profit.

Zubin Ghafari: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

http://img297.imageshack.us/my.php?image=conceptcopy5tk.jpg
what do you guys think? got a friend that knows how to do that shiz

Dave: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

well, here it is http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c234/david72486/joystiq.jpg

uh... i can paint fast....
alright, i photoshopped it, but hey, at least i half attempted to make it look like a picture. And, even though I don't own an xbox 360, I'll take those games off your hands for ya!

Dave: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c234/david72486/0ad6edbf.png
that has to count for something, doesn't it?

McBacon: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Well, this is me messing around in Photoshop:

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/9281/kameo0xr.jpg

And then after wasting �5 worth of sticky paper, nearlly ruining my printer and all, here is the finished product!

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/6842/photo4cf.jpg

Austin: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Lol, #14, you did not waste any of your crazy foreign money on sticky paper to photoshop that image onto another 360.

FaceOff: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Hahah, there are some idiots about hey?

"And then after wasting �5 worth of sticky paper, nearlly ruining my printer and all, here is the finished product!"

Anyway, I was lucky enough for MS to send me 2 blank faceplates, so I am gonna give it a go.

The other one is for the winner of my faceplate comp, so better get it right the first time. :D

Cheers guys.

tprzepiorka: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Someone should start a company where u send in ur photoshopped faceplated and they put em onto plastic and send it to u (for a price obviosly). That would be REAL personilisation.

twrex10: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

#17

there's actually already a place that does almost that very thing.

www.decalgirl.com

Zachary: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

I feel kinda bad for joystiq here, I mean here they are trying to give someone free games and no one really takes it seriously. C'mon people they are tryin to do something nice for you, I would enter but alas no 360.

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

#15, too bad thats not real with your kameo faceplate, because the shadowing dost match up. nice try trying to photoshop it to look real, but its not.
we havnt had one real entry so far...

Whuh?: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Dude, just go buy a $15 or $19.99 faceplace and paint it. You don't need a Xbox 360 if you don't have one. Win 3 free games before you have your Xbox 360.

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

#20 - i am taking it seriously, i actually worked hard on that NES faceplate, it took a while and about 9 layers in paint shop pro lol, yes, it took 9 layers.

#21 - All right, I don't have a job, need to conserve every bit of cash for holiday shopping so I don't dissapoint anyone, and if I pay $20 for a faceplate and mod it and it doesn't win, especially since I don't have a 360 to use it on, thats $20 wasted which I could really use.

I'll tell ya what Joystiq, if you tell me that I can win those games as long as I make the faceplate, I'll go make it as soon as u say I can win, even without having a 360, yet...

Robbie: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

well heres a few I made hope you like em...some nice 1's you made there lads fair play ;)
http://www.celticsniperclan.com/misc/360faceplate.jpg
http://www.celticsniperclan.com/misc/blaze_s360.jpg
http://www.celticsniperclan.com/misc/metal.jpg

Robbie: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

heres another i did ;)
http://www.celticsniperclan.com/misc/SirBlazes360.jpg

Pravus: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Mark, I will go and get a faceplate and make that for you. Ill pick one up after work tomorrow then stop by the Home Depot and see what i can find for good paints.

Yahto: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

#20- Decal Girl is terrible. For Xbox 360 skins go with:

www.facetags.com

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

haha #25 pravus, your gonna take my idea and make it to win the contest? lol i guess its alright though, but il tell ya what... give me the money, il make it, then since you paid for it, il send you the finished product. a faceplate is $20, and paints shouldnt be more than $5, so for about $25, and youl get an NES faceplate!

miguel: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

check it http://www.mytego.com/Tegobuilder/CustomizeFace.aspx?maskName=Microsoft_Xbox_360_1.swf&face=1

miguel: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

check it http://www.mytego.com/Tegobuilder/CustomizeFace.aspx?maskName=Microsoft_Xbox_360_1.swf&face=1

miguel: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

I had to, sorry.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d119/namjunerobot/2.jpg

Danny: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

So, say they only get 3 entries. Will each entry get a game? Also, has anyone acctually submitted an offical one that they made / painted?

Mark Korsak: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

na no ones submitted a real entry yet. theyv all been edits. but i had the first edit! lol

Michael Washington: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Here's a few shots at the contest. Its a chrome, red, and black foil on removable vinyl with some sick flames. Very functional and the drives and doors all function properly.

Here's the links:
http://i38.imagethrust.com/p/95143/pb280100_jpg.html

Will submit some more designs when I can!
What games are up for grabs?

http://i39.imagethrust.com/p/95165/pb280099_jpg.html

http://i33.imagethrust.com/p/95166/pb280095_jpg.html

Michael Washington: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

BTW:

I don't have any wired controllers, but the receiver window is uncovered and I will submit a pic with the DVD drive open-can submit pics for USB door and/or memory doors if requested.

DVD Drive:

http://i37.imagethrust.com/p/95243/pb280102_jpg.html

http://i35.imagethrust.com/p/95244/pb280108_jpg.html

Michael Washington: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Danny: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Nice, did you paint the flames? I hope to have my submission done by friday. Come on... 3 more people!

fatalhashbrown: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

working on it right now...here's some early sketches...not sure on colors yet, trying to get it done before the 4th...

http://www.imageviper.com/displayimage/19126/0/360art_001.jpg

The Llamma: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

We just got our submission together.
http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/

The face plate was completely disassembled we removed all the doors, the ring of light button and reset button for painting. We used some autobody grade Yamaha R1 blue with a metal flake silver for contrast. The blue changes from a dark midnight blue to a warm medium blue depending on how the light hits it.

photos of controllers plugged in upon request...

Gerald: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

#41-
Can anyone say, "Winner" ?

Michael Washington: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Very nice job, but I thought we were just designing faceplates! I am surely not going to hack on my Xbox 360 that I spent 12.5 hours in line in the bitter cold and paid $420 for. Maybe you can buy an Xbox 360 and have the guts to cut it up, but as far as I'm concerned, the only customization I'm gonna do is the type that falls under the Microsoft Warranty-faceplates. BTW- new design to be submitted tonight as soon as I get a chance.

DJCarbon43: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

I'd say, Llama (love ur site, read it often) and Washington both did a fantastic job. Maybe Weblogs should start a modders site, I know I'd be a regular reader.

btw, I'm about to read the article, are you going to go into detail about the paint job? I'm planning on something similar, and I could use all the advice you've got. djcarbon43 {at) gmail.com

scott Wilson: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Ok, Mine is just an idea but here it is.
Its very simple and sweet. A xbox 360 face plate with led lights and small fans inside the faceplate to cool down the sytem. The faceplate could also powered by the usb in the front. Maybe an on/off switch? and the usb could also have a small adapter/usb hub so that there would still be 2 open usb slots.
Let me know what you think,
Scott J. Wilson

chudgoo: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Ok, after some soul searching...
(it's not bad, really...most likely SFW as there is no nudity or "parts")

http://www.chudvault.com/PUBLIC/gtbx360.gif

...will start on a 'Tub-Girl' adaptation next....hehehe...

llcoolj: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

The site miguel is referring to is www.mytego.com

llcoolj: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Sorry http://www.mytego.com

Don Wilson: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

My try - http://www.imageleak.com/image/f1cac612977c546912775c5a9112f38c.jpg

Michael Washington: Dec 18th 2005; 9:06PM

Remember everyone: Submit REAL faceplates, not just Photoshops or My Tego's. Please someone else submit so we can have five contestants. I will submit another entry or two if they can be counted as contestants. Let me know Joystiq!