Thinkpads Forum

Yeah, no, Nintendo does not make ThinkPads. This is a Nintendo 3DS portable game console, with a ThinkPad-themed paint job.

Pics ahead:

The 3DS on top of my trusty T61 frankenpad. The texture looks similar, but the real ThinkPad's rubbery coating is more reflective at the right angle.




Authentic ThinkPad sticker




Asymmetric "hinges"




The shoulder buttons and SD slot cover are done in glossy paint to give it just a bit of flare.






Next to an unpainted black 3DS. The original finish is glossy with a sparkly gradient.

Nice work. What paint did you use to achieve that?

Wow! Really nice!

Very nice.

If you had the New 3DS, you also could have inserted a TrackPoint, since this one has a TrackPoint like C-Stick.

axur-delmeria wrote:Nice work. What paint did you use to achieve that?

Agreed. Very nice work. Which paint?

That is fantastic!

I'll show the wife who has a DS...

This looks GREAT! I'd also like to know what paint you used...

Bravo!
I'll paint the prospective pink 3DS for my daughter in Classic Thinkpad Black. She'll love me for it.

Yours is better than ThinkPadな任天堂DS by Fumitake Ishibashi. If you are capable of replacing the tiny LED, then it would be more impressive with green power indicator light.

Really nicely done. This gives me an idea on what to do with my 3DS since the original finish is looking a bit tired.

Did you use Plasti-Dip for the finish?

Thanks everyone!

The matte paint used here is Rust-Oleum 279179 "Camouflage 2X Ultra Cover" black spray can, found in my local Home Depot. I believe any spray paint that says "camoflage" or "ultra flat" would achieve the same result; in fact I was inspired to do this after seeing the finish of Krylon Ultra-Flat Black.

that1nerd wrote:Did you use Plasti-Dip for the finish?

I did try Plasti-Dip with the top cover, but couldn't get it smooth enough. It always came out with an "orange peel" texture, which is a shame since to the touch it feels really similar to the actual rubbery ThinkPad coating.

automobus wrote:If you are capable of replacing the tiny LED, then it would be more impressive with green power indicator light.

If I could, I would certainly make the hole bigger and put an actual ThinkPad clear plate there, so it has the correct power indicator symbol. But I'm not there yet.

Ibthink wrote:If you had the New 3DS, you also could have inserted a TrackPoint, since this one has a TrackPoint like C-Stick.

Yeah, wondering whether we can actually replace the C-stick with a TrackPoint cap. I've tried a new 3DS in shop, and the C-stick seem to require quite a bit of force. A soft rim cap would probably make it easier to use.

Twistero, kudos to you!
I always respect and appreciate makers like yourself, especially if they are thinkpad related.
Some time in future I intend to get actual wooden Japanese Shokado Bento box and put in it innards of some classic thinkpad, possibly 700 or 700C

Incredible work!

very very nice!

regards

Very cool.

It just occurred to me that an original model Game Boy might look good done up like an IBM PS/2 system. It's already halfway there, what with it being from the early '90s and everything.