Bandai Star Destroyer with fiber optic windows and laser

[modelerdave]

I started this build two years ago when I decided to forgo the Bandai lighting kit (horrible) and use fiber optics for all of the windows. Yes, that was crazy and after getting about halfway through I put it aside because I just couldn't stand threading anymore fiber optics. For you guys who drilled all of the holes and then threaded fibers in your Zevezda Star Destroyers, my hat is off to you.

One of the benefits of not using the Bandai lighting kit is a complete lack of the "smile" bend in the trench. This thing is totally straight.

I'm not a purist so I did my own paint thing and painted the panels by hand and then added a gloss coat to some panels to create specular highlighting between the gloss and matte finishes. I know that's more of a Star Trek thing but I think it came out okay.

I wanted to mount a functioning green laser that would use a machine gun effect to hit the Blockage Runner. To may everlasting surprise, it worked! I spent a few weeks trying to get an Adafruit sound board to match the laser fire with a Star Destroyer laser sound effect but it was my first attempt at sound and I could not make it work so I finally gave up.

Some build and final pics below and in the next few posts. It's not perfect but I'm pretty pleased with it.

 

[modelerdave]

 

[modelerdave]

The laser shots are all screen grabs from two videos since there's no real way to capture them with a single photo.

 

[modelerdave]

Here's the (very bad) video showing the laser in action. Because of the size of the kit and the amount of lighting I jammed inside this thing, the only place I could mount it was along the back wall of the hangar bay.

 

[JediMichael]

Thats cool, and seeing as how this is pretty small, thats quite a lot to cram into the thing.

 

[Mandalorian444]

Love the laser, that's a really awesome touch.

 

[INVAR]

Ahhhh, that's what I should have done with mine - but alas - already invested years in the Zvezda and really wanted an out-of-the-box build that I wrongly assumed would be cake from A Bandai kit.

The hull smile from hell haunts to this day.

 

[modelerdave]

Invar, I think it was your thread that convinced me not to go with the Bandai lighting kit! Not just the smile but the really terrible way you have to turn it on and off. I was able to really light block this and have zero leaks anywhere.

 

[StevenBills]

This is seriously cool. That laser effect is sweet! I also ditched the lighting kit/diffusers on mine and did my own thing, but my hanger bay didn't end up lighting up near as bright as I'd have hoped. Oh well! Yours looks great!

SB

 

[modelerdave]

This is seriously cool. That laser effect is sweet! I also ditched the lighting kit/diffusers on mine and did my own thing, but my hanger bay didn't end up lighting up near as bright as I'd have hoped. Oh well! Yours looks great!

SB

I used two LED strips on either side of the hangar on the bottom half of the ship, and a very small strip on the upper half positioned over the front of the bay to light that little forward open area. They were white LEDs but there's already a lot of white on the ship so I colored them with some Tamiya clear blue.

When I was testing it I thought it seemed a little dim so I added two pieces of sheet styrene to make a sort of reflective canopy over the strip LEDs to bounce more light back to the hangar bay. It really helped out.

I was honestly worried about closing up the hull because I had so many LEDs lighting the fiber optics. But it all worked out.

 

[kermet]

Great model I need to pick me one of these up super build I know how itis to do fiber optics take some time Thanks for sharing

 

[Analyzer]

very cool!

 

[Richard Baker]

Spectacular!

 

[modelerdave]

Thank you, everyone. I appreciate the comments.

 

[edge10]

Hi Dave, very nice build, as others have said.

What diameter fiber did you use?

 

[Guns Akimbo]

Love the idea of totally ditching Bandai's ill-designed internal lighting system and substituting FO's. Well done, esp. the laser!

 

[modelerdave]

Hi Dave, very nice build, as others have said.

What diameter fiber did you use?

I think it was .25 mm but I'm not positive. I bought a bunch two years ago before I moved across the country (twice!) and when I thought I needed to order more I couldn't remember where I bought it originally. Fortunately I had enough to finish. The spools weren't labeled but I'm pretty sure it was .25.

 

[wayouteast]

That's an awesome build. And the laser is perfection!

 

[Haui]

Great idea with the Laser.

 

[tdb68]

Beautiful build and such a great effort!!