By flung
WhiningDog.NET
1/6/03

Introduction

Capitalizing on the recent hits of the Marvel movie series, PC Toys has released a set of fan grills which will delight many case modders out there. The Spiderman #1 Fan Grill and the Punisher Fan Grill are the first ones available from PC Toys. These fans bring a whole new look to an otherwise boring area in PC cases. Of course you could always design your own fan grill but with these options available – perhaps you won’t. Let’s take a look at them and see what they can do to spruce up our ColorCases.com and Directron Cases. You’ll note that for this review, we also used a Trilight colored fan from Antec. You can find that review separately.

Installation

ColorCases case install

For this review, we decided to take a look at the 80mm fan grills. PC Toys manufactures 80, 92, and 120 mm fan grills for your modding pleasure. Here are the pictures of both the Punisher and Spiderman designs. I personally love the Spiderman design with the red plexiglass sculpture and the blue backing so we’ll use that grill for our initial install. Opening up the package, you’ll find a sets of screws for installing the fan grill with and without a case fan.

The Two Marvel Fans	Contents

The red plexiglass grill is wonderfully manufactured. Using a laser to cut out the design certainly pays off in this design. There’s a nice glossy finish to both sides of the plexiglass surface. The fan grills also come with small dog tags that you can attach to the fan grill using the included chains.

Spiderman and Punisher Tags	Spiderman Tag up close

Putting together the laser cut grill is straightforward. The included black spacers are there to separate the red plexiglass spidey face and the blue back portion. You slide a screw into the front of the sculpture and then slide a spacer from the back side. Here’s a shot of what I’m talking about

Black spacer installed	and then the blue backing attached

The test subject for this product was the ColorCases X series which was reviewed a few months back. Looking at the premodded case, it became obvious that the left side panel would be perfect for a little case modding. The premodded side panel has holes drilled in for a 80mm fan grill and case fan. Ahh perfect for our Spiderman test!

Side panel of the color cases case

All four screws and spacers were installed and then the blue backing was attached. This entire set was then placed on top of the case door. I took out the Antec Trilight case fan and placed it on the back side of the case panel. The last step was to screw in the screws from the front and then slide the panel into place.

Spidey installed	see the 3D look?

Directron Case install

Here’s the Punisher grill – it has the same set of screws as the Spderman fan grill and installs just as easily of course. We used the Directron Sunflower case (kingwin makes these cases) which has openings on the top of the case that would be a perfect area for the fan grill. Here are the final shots of the Punisher fan grill installation. Sorry – no lighted case fan here.

Punisher Fan Grill	Side angle

Before install	After install
Another look	With the dog tag attached

The Final Look and Summary

Here are the pictures of the colorcases case panel after the installation with the Antec trilight fan lighting things up. Looks pretty sweet to me!

Fan on	In the dark

Final view

It’s nice to see how a simple addition can add a new look to an otherwise grey (literally) case. The use of the black spacers adds a three dimensional look to the fan grill. Adding a trilight fan helps accentuate the design even further. If you’re in the market to add some spice to your case, then consider getting these PC Toys Marvel Comics Fan Grills. It helps of course to have fan grills on a system where they will be visible but you can always drill in your own holes. The fan grills aren’t the cheapest around ($24.99) but they are certainly a sight to see once installed.

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