Custom 3DS Shell

Saix_XIII

Saix_XIII

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I was one of those people who got the pink 3DS XL a month ago. I was not thrilled with the color, but was with the price of course.

As such I bought a shell for it on ebay for $4, and while I liked it, it arrived damaged and was sent a replacement of my choosing. So I decided to try something out and bought a Zelda Triforce/Royal Emblem vinyl on ebay for $2. I then put a clear coat of spray paint on the shell and then applied the vinyl and did another clear coat.

So the total cost for the shell was $6. Wondering everyones opinion. I know it could be better, but since the shell was damaged I consider this a test run for the Silver Shell/Gold vinyl combo I waiting for in the mail.

http://i.imgur.com/h6MJxiN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/G9U41em.jpg

 
I don't think it looks half bad. How long did it take you?

Would love to have a 3DS XL with white interior. Should have attempted to snag a pink XL during that crazy sale.

 
If you include shipping time for the shell itself, then a few weeks. Being shipped from China and all that takes time. If you mean just the time to do the work (Clear Coat->Vinyl->Clear Coat) then about 5-10 minutes of actual work and 4 or so hours of dry time. I waited 2 hours to make sure each coat was dry enough to touch.

Overall I know it could be better, but overall for $6 I am very happy with it.

 
It's very nice. I'm not sure I'd trust myself on the disassembly to replace the shell of the Pink XL I recently got in a trade.I was thinking of just doing a sticker overlay on it, or tossing a Nerf case on it like my other XL.

 
Sychophantom said:
It's very nice. I'm not sure I'd trust myself on the disassembly to replace the shell of the Pink XL I recently got in a trade.I was thinking of just doing a sticker overlay on it, or tossing a Nerf case on it like my other XL.
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I didn't take anything apart. It's a shell off ebay, it just "snaps" onto the 3DS and it was $4 on ebay and it was that blue color already.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/350967561897?var=620219681102

 
Did they line them with a half decent material? I like the look of the Capcom cases (like the Ace Attorney one) which show a nice felt like lining on the inside but one has to assume they're all coming from the same factory anyways. Plus Capcom wants something like $7 shipping for, I'm sure, about the same level of packaging that led to the damage.

Your case looks pretty good. I appreciate the fact that you kept it simple since I think a lot of the busier designs you see with the decals and vinyls tend to make the product look cheap.

PS: That supposed US seller is listed as being from China on their feedback page. Just trying to avoid being skipped over in searches. Save your $2.

AA_DD_3DSXL_Case_productimage1.jpg


 
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Not Eric said:
Did they line them with a half decent material? I like the look of the Capcom cases (like the Ace Attorney one) which show a nice felt like lining on the inside but one has to assume they're all coming from the same factory anyways. Plus Capcom wants something like $7 shipping for, I'm sure, about the same level of packaging that led to the damage.

Your case looks pretty good. I appreciate the fact that you kept it simple since I think a lot of the busier designs you see with the decals and vinyls tend to make the product look cheap.

PS: That supposed US seller is listed as being from China on their feedback page. Just trying to avoid being skipped over in searches. Save your $2.

AA_DD_3DSXL_Case_productimage1.jpg
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The shell I got has a thin black felt liner. I wouldn't trust it to protect the 3ds in general. But after I removed it to apply the decal and clear coats the 3ds has not a mark on it besides some thin black threads from the felt, which early came off.
 
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Good to know. I would still be using a case, so I'm not expecting any drop protection from it, just wanted to make sure those cases you pointed out were not going to actively scratch the case themselves.

I look at those $4 cases, and then the $20 cases from somewhere like Capcom and think "Yep, they came from the exact same place." Capcom just has them throw on a decal and then raise the price.

 
Not Eric said:
Good to know. I would still be using a case, so I'm not expecting any drop protection from it, just wanted to make sure those cases you pointed out were not going to actively scratch the case themselves.

I look at those $4 cases, and then the $20 cases from somewhere like Capcom and think "Yep, they came from the exact same place." Capcom just has them throw on a decal and then raise the price.
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That is probably the situation there. They are really thin aluminum and they can bend easily, unless they are applied to the 3DS which adds stability. There are tons of decals to choose from. I actually bought some Yoshi decals for the bottom of the case and am waiting for them to arrive. Got one in Blue (Silver case) and one in Green (Blue case) for like $3 total.

So in all per case the cost break down is this:

-$4 shell

-$2 Triforce decal

-$1.50 Yoshi decal

so $7.50 total for IMO a really nice custom shell.

 
Just an update. I got my second shell a few weeks ago and made the changes to it. The photo made it look silver, but sadly it is more gray then silver. I still think it looks nice. Both are awesome, but one is more vibrant and the other is more classy IMO.

http://i.imgur.com/wXxcG7C.jpg

 
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