I never would have thought of cotton balls, that's a brilliant answer to diffuse the lighting. Here's some of what I mean, you'll have to try this for yourself. I'll definatley try to cotton ball thingy.
When I cast the first dome it came out crystal clear and after going through the references I felt that a diffused, or frosted set of domes would look more accurate, thus I took 400 grit sandpaper and lightly sanded both the bottom and the hemisphere of the cast part.
I'm going to be adding some styrene strip to the lower aft section of the primary hull to bring out the detail. Additionally, I'll be building up a dam and back filling with clear for a light-wave-guide.