Why are modelers using leds? Most movie models have a incandescent spectrum, but people are using ‘white’ leds. The leds are really somewhat blue.
That’s an easy question… A bit like why does (*) lick his (**)? 
Because they are cheap and easy to get in case of your question.
That they aren’t optimal for colour reproduction - that’s a problem that only a few people understand and care about…
What light are you using? Or maybe you’re just painting in the sunlight and do other jobs after dark?
Good luck with your modelling projects and have a nice day!
Paweł
[:|][snWow]
If you’re talking about LED lights on the models themselves, a major advantage of using LEDs as opposed to incandescent bulbs is that LEDs produce their light without producing heat. The color temperatures (2700k is the approximate color temp of the typical, “soft white” incandescent bulb) of LEDs can be changed pretty easily if you have the right LEDs and controller for them.
On a semi-related note. Instrument lighting in 1:1 aircraft is generally incandescent bulbs due to their low cost…which all have blue filters (mouse condoms) slipped over them. Can’t find a Google reference to it, but we’ve always known that color of instrument lighting as “corrected white”. The drawback to using those cheaper incandescent lamps in 1:1 aircraft is that they get hot. You can burn your fingers on incandescent annunciator/switches during day-time ops when they’re generally running full brightness. The cheaper incandescent instrument lighting can also cause prolonged-use damage to lighted bezels which are generally made of polycarbonate and styrene plastic…same materials used on models.
If its the lighting used for photography or work areas that you’re talking about…I don’t understand it either. LEDs and CFLs are readily available in more natural color temps.
Hi Eagle Cash 867:
Funny you should mention aircraft instruments. I was made aware of the heat and light problem BEFORE I got the B-25.So I had an instrument mod Shop in Ohio install indirect Lighting in my panel. Expensive-H*&^! yes but after over a total time in the air at night it really paid off.
I couldn’t help it. I loved flying at night. All the lights below. Impressed the Wife and Kids for sure. OH!, on Trans-Atlantic hops it was just the stars, the instruments and me! Very restful times, that!
O.K.Pawel:
Now you know you can get spectrum corrected L.E.D.s right? I have three in my workroom. They are corrected for Moderate sunlight. As in the sun coming through a treated piece of building glass such as the newer houses built in the last twenty five years.
OTT light advertises similar to what Bose does on Sound System radios and C.D. players they sell. Corrected to real lighting conditions. As Bose is corrected for optimal sound purity! It works too. It’s just I fine for me, If I can paint outside in real light I am happier. Some modelers cannot do that.
I was surprised when I did a Red Ferrari, With Tamiya paints. It was two shades lighter than my Model Master Ferrari Gloss Red!
[:|][snWow] is right.
I use them to save energy. I want to get a lot of light on my bench and shop. Modern LEDs come in several color temps- you have a choice. Some show venues have fluorescents, some now have LEDs, some have odd lights.
But for photography nothing beats old Sol. It is a matter of collimation, however. Collimation brings out reflection and color saturation.
Awright gentlemen, I’d like to apologize here - I tried to be amusing, after reading it a few more times I admit my e-mail wasn’t as elegant as I would like it to be… I’m sorry about that.
Then again while not really liking the way the original question was formulated (Why do people do that?) I wanted to have a vivid discussion about workplace and photograph lighting here on the forums.
TB - of couse many things can be done. Spectrum correction - cool! I even tried it once as DIY. I got a desk lamp cheap made of some 50 individual LEDs, some of them were damaged (that’s why it was steeply discounted), the ones that lived didn’t have a very nice light - too blue - so I rearranged the LEDs and replaced the burned out ones with yellow ones - the colour got a lot better. Of course still not good enough for detail painting, but made a nice general purpose light after that.
Still, without some fancy measurement equipment checking out the spectrum of a given light source is just guessing, and even with that equipment you neen some serious knowledge to evaluate it.
The question remains open if you really need star wars stuff to do some hobby modelling? Like I wrote most of the time you can do other jobs after dark - glueing, sanding, research, priming - and if that shading and spot on shade is so important for you, then invest in a very special lamp or just wait for the sun - all depending on the individual modeller.
Once again - sincerely! - good luck with your modelling projects and have a nice day
Paweł
Funny thing… The thread shouldn’t be about workspace lighting at all - it’s actually about lighting MODELS! With white LEDs at that.
I still don’t like the way the question is formulated (Why do people do that?) - but this is something I did one time - I used white LEDs for headlights of an old diesel engine. It just puked with light when operating, but the colour of that light got me minus points from the judges - of course it wasn’t realistic. The coleagues joked it was “a diesel engine with xenons”. I got those LEDs because I didn’t know any better of course - busy job, poor selection at the local electronics job, contest date closing in fast - voila! After learning my lesson I tried looking for those “sunlight” LEDs - it’s easier to find them after you know what you are looking for.
There are zillions of different LED models out there. But it’s only a very rare ocasion to be able to look at them in person while they operate before buying.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day
Paweł
[dto:]
Hi Pawel!
There is a gentleman in the Train Hobby that does Autos and Buildings for sale at train shows. They are all set up. His brand was called " Plug n Play"! This time he didn’t have a sign. But the point On his models the modern car headlights were brighter and whiter than say his 49 Ford and 56 Chevies. (Remember, those were six volt systems)
Same for his streetlights. The Modern ones were way brighter than the ones we remmber from out childhood. His buildings had a good mix of the colors you’d expect glowing out the windows. Orangy/Yellow light for apartments in the older buildings. He makes all the filters himself and also tints the LED’S himself!
I have used the system where you have a single light source and then transmit light to areas where I wanted it. Good ole Fibre-Optics, That allowed me the take a match and melt the end of the strand producing a very bright Yellowish Spotlight effect on say, the Titanic’s stacks( The Big Entex kit)