Editor's note: Our usual disclaimers apply. This is an easy mod to do to your console, and the results are impressive but with any project patience, steady hands and pre-planning are the keys to success. We do have downloadable instructions available for these kits or by email request. Skaal-Tel did the installation without the instructions in his example below to prove how simple it is to apply this kit.

Welcome mod fans to today's installment of modding mania!

I've got a crystal xbox, less than a month old, and where I stand plain just doesnt cut it, even if the item in question is already made entirely of clear plastic.
I wanted to do something to it that would liven it up, make it really stand out and get some looks. The best part about using a vinyl is that it doesn't void any warranties, is quick (20 minutes to do tops) and also pretty cheap, when you consider that two cans of paint can run $25.

To complement the excellent selection of console skins at ADPmods.com I present a sweet pictorial step-by-step walkthrough.

For those of you who may be holding off on buying one for fear that you'd just tear the vinyl into shreds out of frustration.. I'm here to tell you that this is the most painless vinyl kit I've ever used. A combination of really thick almost cloth like vinyl and a glue that isn't so strong that you can't correct basic mistakes combine to make a vinyl kit you'd have to work really hard at to mess up.

Without further ado- the ADPmods.com Xbox skin!

Pictured is the master kit- a fair covering of every smooth piece on the xbox with an S style controller skin to boot.

There are 3 sheets inside- the main X piece with the lower strips and rear corner covers, the front panel, with upper and lower stripes and a front panel that's been segmented into 3 pieces itself. The 3rd piece is the controller skin, with a button pad piece and upper and lower vinyl.

I'll start with the controller.

It doesn't matter what order you attach the pieces in- I just work from the bottom up. You don't have to spray the work surface with water or anything- but it's a really good idea to clean the controller and xbox with a damp rag or paper towel before you start. If your gear is brand new like mine, a simple rub down to get the dust and fingerprints off is fine.

The bottom piece without a ring went on fairly easily- be sure that you don't set it so close to the pads that it rides up on the columns. It's perfectly ok to leave a little gap there- and it looks terrible when you've got a crease in the vinyl. With this piece, be sure you line it up to fit the d-pads and work from there. press down one end, or the top, and smooth it out, stretching the vinyl with your thumb. You don't have to worry about bubbles with this stuff- there's a bit of a grid under the adhesive that channels air out as you press down the sticker.

the top piece is a bit more difficult- the tiny ring is the piece to worry about here- make sure it's lined up and work from there. It helps to just touch down the tip of it and then rotate the rest of the piece around. If you touch somewhere that you don't want to- don't worry. if you're careful you can just raise the piece back up and try again. If you get it too close to the xbox logo at some point, but everywhere else is fine- try to stretch the vinyl away from it. The material is fairly flexible and can stand a little bit of movement.

The button piece is fairly easy- just maneuver one corner into place and rotate the rest to line up. I was pleased to notice that no ridges were noticeable when I used it immediately aftewards- so it shouldn't wear off as time passes.

That's it for the controller- looks good doesn't it? A snap to do and probably shouldnt absorb more than 5 minutes of your time.

For the rest of the case it's still very straightforward. Make sure your surface is clean and work in good light. I liked to set the xbox on its back so I could work on the front without having to use 3 hands.

I started with the front stripes, the easiest pieces to lay down. Set the left corner at the left end, give a couple mm of space at the end, and lay it down just like a piece of masking tape- you can guide the stripe as it goes down so that it stays in line all the way. The measurements of the cut on the piece are dead on- the raised part in the middle fits perfectly into the same thing on the xbox itself. Once it's down, as you should do with all pieces, run your thumbs out from the center to force out any air and stretch the vinyl onto the face.

The top stripes are also segmented so that you avoid the raised section you would get if covered the recessed corner.

as before, lay down a corner and guide the strip into place, the only difference this time around is that you should start on the end closest to the center, as the other end of the stripe folds around the end of the xbox. You can tell where it should start to fold around as the stripe changes size a bit there.

The center parts are fairly easy- instead of worrying about the edges lining up with the edge of the xbox you just have to make sure the cut-out holes are lined up with the numbers and controller ports. Since there are two ports- line up the vinyl with them both and spread it from one end the to other and it will be level and even. On the part that folds over, to ensure a good solid crease, run your finger up and down the edge until the vinyl folds over of its own accord.

With the front done, we move on to the sides- the bottom stripes and corner pieces.

Each stripe is cut for only one side- there is a flare that is longer and goes at the back end of the xbox, and a short flare that goes at the front. If it isn't fitting for you- try the other side!
As before, touch one end down and spread it down from there.

The corner pieces go on as pictured here:

Only on the two faces, not down into the slope you can see there. These pieces are also more than just rectangles, they've been cut to conform the design of the xbox- with the rear side of the xbox getting a slightly larger flared part of the rectangle. Again, run your finger along the bend until the vinyl curves over to keep out any air bubbles and wrinkles.

The last piece is the top X- be careful to avoid sticking the vinyl to itself as you raise it. It is possible to unstick it, but very difficult. If you are a bit careless removing it from the backing you can tear the circle at the sides.. despite the strength of the material. It's best to raise up two legs of the X at the same time and carefully work around the ring.
A third hand to hold down the paper can be helpful here.

In order to properly lay the X down I had to carefully touch one corner to the xbox in the right spot, and try to rotate the skin into place around the circle. As I mentioned, the vinyl is fairly pliable, and can actually be stretched out of round around the logo. If you stretch yours a bit dont worry about it too much- once you've got the skin down you can massage the decal around the circle into a perfect alignment. If you're having lots of trouble applying the X, and you're about to pull your hair out.. you might want to mist the xbox with a bit of water to ease the vinyl on.

Here's a couple of pictures of the areas you want to pay attention to- your clearance to the edges of the X and the ring around the circle. These areas are highlights of the xbox' design and if you mis-align the vinyl here it'll look slightly wobbly.

After maybe 20 minutes- here's my xbox!

With a few minutes effort and minimal investment you can turn your plain-jane or perhaps just faded and tired xbox into a star again! I highly reccomend this stuff- it is top notch quality!
I hope you draw what you need from this guide, and have as much success with your project as I did. Only thing left now is about 30 green leds...

-Hans Kruger (akaSkaal-tel)