I tried to mount them flush to the outside of the hull. Cut the opening, then glued a styrene ledge so the radiator strip would have something to rest up against while the CA glue set up
Fabulous job! I love the attention to detail. It's boggling to see so many styrene chips added. I also really admire the planning that must've gone into it for it to all work out with the lighting etc. It looks like a perfect execution from start to finish. No wonder it took 8 years!
Can you take us through your Fibre Optic procedure? I've never used them and want to start. What type of glue did you use, what was the sequence of final gluing vs. painting etc.
Installing the fiber optics is pretty straightforward, drill a hole slightly larger than the fiber itself, insert the fiber leaving a 5-10mm tail on the outside of the hull and then use a daub of white / carpenters glue to set the strand in place. You don't want to leave too long of a tail as it can leave shadows in your paintjob. Once the model is painted, use a sharp pair of snips (sprue cutter or cuticle scissors) to snip the end flush to the hull .
there are other techniques out there, like some people swear by using silicone to set the stands in place, but this is what I did.
I'm build it in a few weeks I think. Fibers tool o lot of work though.
And to be honest it's not finished yet.. but first working on the base now.. almost at the point of filling it with water (resin) and building the waterfall that's a first for me.
wow, i was mindblown by your detail work. excellent job.
I myself am refurbishing my venator. And being a noob in electronics is frustrating me as hell. As i want to lighten my ship.
Does your lights work on batteries or on the net??