So, i bought a Revell Republic Star destroyer and i think it would look pretty nifty to lighten up the windows and things. I’ve never done anything like this before, so i thought i’d ask for help.
I think LEDs would be the best choice, as the thing has rows of windows. Of course, i’d need something to poke tiny holes in the hull with for the light to come through…
There’s plenty of space inside the model, so that will not be a problem.
Help would be nice.
First---- [#welcome] to the Forum. There are hundreds if not thousands of tips and techniques for modelers to be found here. There was an article in Finescale Moderler a while back dealing with the lighting of models.
Second---- For your ship lighting needs, take a look at fiber optics. You can find them in many different diameters and lengths. Sounds like the .5mm and 1mm diameters will fill your needs pretty well. Use a central light source ( perhaps inside the ship model or in its base). Then, you can paint the different strands ( the outer surface, NOT the ends ) to match the needs of each light location. Example, reds and greens for running lights and light yellows and no paint for portholes, etc. I found a guy on eBay selling bundles of fiber optics for about $20 a shot. I’ve seen cheap ( $10 each ) fiber optic angels and christmas trees in local dollar stores that could be salvaged.
Good luck. [:)]
Thanks for the welcome and the help. Fiber optics do seem like the best way to go. I’ll look around if i can find some.
Edit: Well, i looked around the net, and i really don’t know where i could get any.
Edit #2: I found this. The site is in Finnish, but you can see the picture. The things near the top that cost 24,90€ would work, right?
I posted a reply then deleted it because the info was bad. I THOUGHT the seller I bought my fiber optics from still had several more, but they weren’t listed. I don’t know about the place you mentioned above. I’d keep checking eBay and look in different areas such as Toys and Hobbies. That’s where I found mine. I just found a different seller named atomic_store who’s selling some different diameters in 300ft. bundles. Good luck.
Thanks, i found the seller.
I would like to know what are the pros/cons of using fiber optics or LEDs. Like i said before, space inside the model is not really a problem. I tried googling but couldn’t find a good guide or anything.
Edit: I would also like to know the approximate cost of using fiber optics, if possible. I know the fiber optics themselves are quite cheaps, but how about the light source?
Fiber Optics only need a single light source. Example: a flashlight bulb and a couple of batteries. Cover the bulb with a housing large enough to not be burned by the bulb’s surface if “on” for a long time, and small enough to be usable / portible. The ends of the fibers would be inserted, one at a time into this housing after drilling a suitable hole. A dab of glue would keep it in place. You want the light to excape through the fiber strands ONLY. All other openings should be sealed. A quick and easy housing would be to use an old flashlight; remove the clear lens; glue a flat piece of metal or plastic in place of that lens, then you’re ready to go. ( You can find a cheap flashlight for this project at some discount store) [:)] [tup] To have a particular color showing at the “output” end, just paint that strand that chosen color ( paint on the outside surface of the strand, NOT on the ends.) If the obtical strands that you get are not long enough to run to where you want it, it may be necessary to use more that one light source. If you model isn’t large enough to hid a small flashlight within–build a display base large enough to hold the light source. Use your imagination.
You asked about the costs of fiber obtics compared to LEDs–well hundreds of LEDs for all of your lighting points would be pretty high in cost. A flashlight, batteries, and a piece of scrap plastic or metal would be cheap.
Good Luck.
Thanks for telling me how to do it. [:)] I think i’ll use fiber optics.
I’m still a bit confused, though. I should get normal fiber optics, those that output the light at the ends, right? I found a shop that sells fiber optics that output light for the whole lenght of0 the thing, but those seem to be 6 mm or more in diameter.
I’m not a ship modeler and you didn’t say what scale your model is, but I’ll still take a stab at the sizes you’ll need. 6mm is about 1/4 inch in diameter, which is pretty big. I don’t think you’ll need something that large. I would think you’d need fibers of about 2mm and smaller.
Yes, fiber obtics do glow along their lengths. To prevent stay light from messing up you presentation, just coat the strands with paint so that the light concentrates at the end. Use red paint for red lights; green paint for green lights; lite yellow for soft glows; white or silver paint for bright white lights. After painting the strands and allowing them to dry, clip the ends to give clean ends to work with. You can enlarge the ends to small, bell shapes by holdiing the ends close to a heat source such as a soldering iron–or perhaps a candle. The strands will melt and curl back. Experiment some and have fun. [:D]
EDIT: I mentioned the technique of enlarging the ends with heat as a way to increase the end diameter of a small strand to better fit the output point. Example-- a larger porthole or window. This way, you don’t have to get several different sizes of strands. Just get .5mm and 2mm sizes and you should be able to match any size light point on your model.
Thanks again. Now i feel less confused. [;)]
The scale of the model? Hmm, it’s a fictional spaceship, so…
Oh, i found it. 1/2274. The “real” thing would be 1137 meter long, and the model is about 50 cm long. I think i’ll get 0.75 mm fiber optics, since i would have easy access to those and they seem to be about the right size.
Sounds like you have it in hand now. Have fun; experiment and learn; and when you’ve finished it, how about posting some pics in the “SPACE” topic area of the forum. Since it is a space ship, paint some of the fibers other colors such as blue and purple–along with the reds and greens and lite yellows, etc. [alien]
EDIT: One last thing. Go over to www.scaleautomag.com , which is another Kalmbach site and join it (it’s free, too). Do a forum search for fiber optics and you’ll get 2 pages of threads about using this material in modeling cars, trucks, etc. The techniques used there can be duplicated on your project.
Take a look at this primer on Starship LED lighting:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/mh_led.htm
You can buy fiber by the foot (e.g., 12 cents/ft for 0.75mm) with reasonable shipping at:
http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Unjacketed.htm
They have both sideglow fiber which illuminates along the length vs. endglow which is tip-to-tip.
Thanks a bunch Stan for those links. I found a lot of things on those sites that interest me. They’re now in my Favorites folder. The fiber obtics site is especially interesting. I went to the home page and man there are links to pages covering anything you’d ever want to know about that material and how to use it. I’ll be looking at ideas for my 1:1 truck and some home remodeling I’ve planned. [tup][tup][tup]