1/2700 Star Destoyer on the kitchen table

yeah, that size can be reluctant to go where you want it to in a small space, particularly if there's a lot of it...does make great light though. The smaller stuff can be tricky to keep track of when there's a lot of it. It's like transparent horse hair, I gotta wear +350 readers to even see it and even at that if my work light isn't tilted the right way I miss some. I've bundled some of that up, stuffed and glued in the collection tube only to find that I missed a few and have to pull the bundle apart and re-do it. Or, I find that ones that I wanted in red flashing LED are bundled with the white :facepalm I have to admit, this is by far the biggest lighting project I've ever undertaken. Before it was 1/72 M/Falcons and I only used the .25 in the cockpit and .50 for everything else. At times I think I bit off more than I can chew and it's been a challenge. However, by no means am I trying to say what anyone should use for their projects, to each their own. There's plenty of troubles no matter what you do, right :lol
Yeah I was using .5mm
 
I've been using mostly .5mm and found it easy to bend and work with. I will also be using some .25mm and .75mm

You have to keep track and tape them down before gluing. I tape 5 to 10 down the way I want it and do another 10. Once I'm done an entire section I glue in place. I have been leaving the tape in place because I will go back and neatly bundle all the fibers up in several trunks to connect to the LEDs. I will also wire tie the trunks in several places and glue that down so they will not move. I like everything to be neat even though you will not see most of it when done.



20171128_080648smaller.jpg
 
looks neat an organized, as opposed to the mess I made earlier
I've been using mostly .5mm and found it easy to bend and work with. I will also be using some .25mm and .75mm

You have to keep track and tape them down before gluing. I tape 5 to 10 down the way I want it and do another 10. Once I'm done an entire section I glue in place. I have been leaving the tape in place because I will go back and neatly bundle all the fibers up in several trunks to connect to the LEDs. I will also wire tie the trunks in several places and glue that down so they will not move. I like everything to be neat even though you will not see most of it when done.



View attachment 777119
 
looks neat an organized, as opposed to the mess I made earlier


Thanks!!

I'm trying to keep it that way.......bring all the fiber back in 1 or 2 bundles on each side and 1 in the middle to individual LEDS for the bottom section

For the top section FO I hope to do the same......bring the bundles toward the back and connect to LEDs that are mounted to the underside of the top section so you will not even see the LEDs or the FO.

The only FO bundle that may be an issue to keep neat and out of the way is the one coming from the command tower..........at the most 100 to 125 FO Strands
 
That's a lot of .50mm my friend, I can only imagine the trickery of getting that much of that size tucked away in there. It's a big model yes, but....
So are you going to install the engine panel last? fix it so you can take it out if needed?
Thanks!!

I'm trying to keep it that way.......bring all the fiber back in 1 or 2 bundles on each side and 1 in the middle to individual LEDS for the bottom section

For the top section FO I hope to do the same......bring the bundles toward the back and connect to LEDs that are mounted to the underside of the top section so you will not even see the LEDs or the FO.

The only FO bundle that may be an issue to keep neat and out of the way is the one coming from the command tower..........at the most 100 to 125 FO Strands
 
I'm making the large square top panel removable and held in place with friction from the skirt I glued around the underside and neodymium magnets. The tower will be glued to it. The Fiber will be left extra long so the top can be removed without having to disconnect anything.


This whole section will be removable: Where the bottom of the command tower is supposed to be glued down to the hull I will attach a strip of styrene to the outside of each side slightly lower so it overlaps the seam where it would have been glued to the hull. I raised the little edge on the hull where the bottom of the command tower is supposed to get glued to so the strip attached to the outside will over lap that connection point which I will not need to glue. Hard to explain

20171122_120436smaller.jpg


Skirt around underside with fit tight against the edges of the opening. Magnets will keep down and stop it from loosening.



20171122_120244smaller.jpg

That is the plan I hope it works out






That's a lot of .50mm my friend, I can only imagine the trickery of getting that much of that size tucked away in there. It's a big model yes, but....
So are you going to install the engine panel last? fix it so you can take it out if needed?
 
I feel like such a dunce...I'm reading this and realized that you did outline that already, I'm sorry my friend :( I'm surprised you didn't just tell me,
"hey, look back at post #" but you were gracious enough to just tell me again. You're a good guy, I'm glad you hopped on the thread :thumbsup
I'm making the large square top panel removable and held in place with friction from the skirt I glued around the underside and neodymium magnets. The tower will be glued to it. The Fiber will be left extra long so the top can be removed without having to disconnect anything.


This whole section will be removable: Where the bottom of the command tower is supposed to be glued down to the hull I will attach a strip of styrene to the outside of each side slightly lower so it overlaps the seam where it would have been glued to the hull. I raised the little edge on the hull where the bottom of the command tower is supposed to get glued to so the strip attached to the outside will over lap that connection point which I will not need to glue. Hard to explain

View attachment 777170


Skirt around underside with fit tight against the edges of the opening. Magnets will keep down and stop it from loosening.



View attachment 777171

That is the plan I hope it works out
 
isd upper fo1.jpegisd upper fo2.jpegwell this is all I've managed to get done the past few days. Full front of the upper and down one side complete...except for any of the rear of the super structure. I cut 200 .25mm FO at 12", 20 at 15" and 70 at 10" and used all of it :eek Also did the PE on the command tower...forgot pics though. On advise from Escape, I'm attempting to keep it a bit more organized for the upper than I did the lower. so far so good
 
That looks great!

Bottom FO completed and I counted 165. For the top it will be approx. 250 and another 85 for the command tower. I've been cutting mine all long about 22" so I have most flexibility as to the placement of LEDs. The .50mm and .25mm are very cheap so I don't mind wasting to have that flexibility. I bought a roll (500ft) of each for a total of $21

I really like how your hanger bay came out with the lighting......What size LEDs did you use for the hangar bay and what color?


ISDhangar3.jpeg ISDhangar5.jpeg


I have the Falcon 3d upgrade (looks like yours too) and the hole size is 2mm and I was thinking of cool white. I'm also leaning on cool white for the interior lighting.
 
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good morning my friend and many thanks! I'm gonna hate when this one is done, too much fun doing it really

I'm right there with you, I don't mind a bit of waste as long as it turns out right :thumbsup I'm following your lead on keeping it tidy. I'm thinking of keeping all the upper hull FO tight and close to the hull, setting the LED's glued to it, wire them all together and only have the two leads with plenty of slack to tie in to the lower near the rear. So I'll have 3 lighting "modules" if you will, to tie together at the end... the upper, lower and engines. I'm hoping to have it so I can hold up the upper hull level and not see anything hanging. glue the upper and lower together and leave my engine panel removable with the battery holder attached to the forward side of the engine panel. As soon as I'm done with the upper, I need to find somewhere to place the remote sensor and in-line power down button switch. they're small so I don't foresee any problems, though I believe I'll need to hide the sensor in the trench somewhere on whatever side I decide to display it, probably the right side.
I used 2mm LED (pretty sure bright white) for the Hangar, took quite a few, then used one at the forward end where those two secondary smaller openings are. then the 4 smaller holes at the rear (2 each side) I stuffed with 1.0mm FO just so I didn't have the dark holes. have you ever tried the Laserbond? It works really good for securing the FO to the hull but you can pop it loose again if you need to, and for gluing the FO to the collector tubes. slight twist, pull out, gently peel the old glue off and can be redone, nothing to destroy taking it apart. In hindsight I think cool white is probably the way to go. Some say that an incandescent look is better matched to studio models to more closely match the movie ships, but I calculate that in a galaxy far, far away...they didn't have that. Yeah, I'm winging it :lol
That looks great!

Bottom FO completed and I counted 165. For the top it will be approx. 250 and another 85 for the command tower. I've been cutting mine all long about 22" so I have most flexibility as to the placement of LEDs. The .50mm and .25mm are very cheap so I don't mind wasting to have that flexibility. I bought a roll (500m) of each for a total of $21

I really like how your hanger bay came out with the lighting......What size LEDs did you use for the hangar bay and what color?


View attachment 777941 View attachment 777942


I have the Falcon 3d upgrade (looks like yours too) and the hole size is 2mm and I was thinking of cool white. I'm also leaning on cool white for the interior lighting.
 
you know, I can't remember if I mentioned it, but I got the Shapeways imperial shuttle pair, one in flight, one landed. I wanted to put the landed one in one of those forward secondary hangar openings in the bigger one, but the wings are too tall...any thought on that? I feel like I at least need to use one of the two, somewhere...
 
You can buy those IR sensors and put one on each side of the ship so it will work no matter which way you have it displayed. I did that for my 1/350 Enterprise Refit. You would wire from one to the other in the same sequence.......I think its 3 wires.

Let me see if I can find the link to the ones I bought and get back to you with it

I'm going to try using the magnets to hold down the top section. I already have a skit that makes it fit snug and hope the magnets keep it down flush. I don't really have to worry about light leak using the FO because the tubes the LEDs will be in will be covered in heat shrink or painted black. Any light that leaks from the LED tubes will not be enough to see through that seam. If I lit the interior then that would have been a problem. I think I will use the glue I've been using.....its strong and can be peeled off if need

Your Hanger Bay looks great the way its lit. Under each scallop it looks like light is leaking under each one to show some light wall wash on the bottom section of each one. I think that looks great!!!!

I have the 2mm cool white for the hanger bay 18 in total......I sanded the tips and edges of the LEDs to get a more diffused look.........Good idea to put FO in the unused holes



good morning my friend and many thanks! I'm gonna hate when this one is done, too much fun doing it really

I'm right there with you, I don't mind a bit of waste as long as it turns out right :thumbsup I'm following your lead on keeping it tidy. I'm thinking of keeping all the upper hull FO tight and close to the hull, setting the LED's glued to it, wire them all together and only have the two leads with plenty of slack to tie in to the lower near the rear. So I'll have 3 lighting "modules" if you will, to tie together at the end... the upper, lower and engines. I'm hoping to have it so I can hold up the upper hull level and not see anything hanging. glue the upper and lower together and leave my engine panel removable with the battery holder attached to the forward side of the engine panel. As soon as I'm done with the upper, I need to find somewhere to place the remote sensor and in-line power down button switch. they're small so I don't foresee any problems, though I believe I'll need to hide the sensor in the trench somewhere on whatever side I decide to display it, probably the right side.
I used 2mm LED (pretty sure bright white) for the Hangar, took quite a few, then used one at the forward end where those two secondary smaller openings are. then the 4 smaller holes at the rear (2 each side) I stuffed with 1.0mm FO just so I didn't have the dark holes. have you ever tried the Laserbond? It works really good for securing the FO to the hull but you can pop it loose again if you need to, and for gluing the FO to the collector tubes. slight twist, pull out, gently peel the old glue off and can be redone, nothing to destroy taking it apart. In hindsight I think cool white is probably the way to go. Some say that an incandescent look is better matched to studio models to more closely match the movie ships, but I calculate that in a galaxy far, far away...they didn't have that. Yeah, I'm winging it :lol
 
oh yeah...when I finished up last night I grabbed as much FO as I could keep together in my fingers and held it to my work lamp to see the super structure lighting on the side that's done...omg, it's gonna look sweet :thumbsup couldn't get a pic though, hands were full...I woulda asked the wife but she's on the rampage as of late :unsure
 
I do have some of those, got them on modeltrainsoftware... (per Robiwon's direction) something or other, and I did order enough to have 2 sensors per remote, but I hadn't thought to put one on either side. the remotes of course have a dim/bright feature so I can probably tone down my brighty whities. I had thought to run a separate sensor for the engines so I could dim/bright them separately. We'll see how ambitious I am when I get to that point :lol ...man is this stuff fun or what! :thumbsup
You can buy those IR sensors and put one on each side of the ship so it will work no matter which way you have it displayed. I did that for my 1/350 Enterprise Refit. You would wire from one to the other in the same sequence.......I think its 3 wires.

Let me see if I can find the link to the ones I bought and get back to you with it

I'm going to try using the magnets to hold down the top section. I already have a skit that makes it fit snug and hope the magnets keep it down flush. I don't really have to worry about light leak using the FO because the tubes the LEDs will be in will be covered in heat shrink or painted black. Any light that leaks from the LED tubes will not be enough to see through that seam. If I lit the interior then that would have been a problem. I think I will use the glue I've been using.....its strong and can be peeled off if need

Your Hanger Bay looks great the way its lit. Under each scallop it looks like light is leaking under each one to show some light wall wash on the bottom section of each one. I think that looks great!!!!

I have the 2mm cool white for the hanger bay 18 in total......I sanded the tips and edges of the LEDs to get a more diffused look.........Good idea to put FO in the unused holes
 
Hello all, finally got my FO. But now when I start planning I realise... How do you do with the holes in the trench?
Only half of the panel is on the lower platform. If I want to drill on the upper part it will be a problem when attaching the top platform. Do you just drill on the lower part and skip any FO higher up?
 
I may have to incorporate that IR dimming control with my 6 channel RF remote switch. The 6 channel RF switch can be setup to do channels 1-3 on /off and 4-6 momentary.........but no dimming

I may get the IR remote with 2 sensors to connect to main lights and hangar bay to dim if they are too bright at 12 volts and leave at that setting. Basically I will use only to set once where I like it. I read in the specs it remembers last setting and I will not be turning it on and off I will leave it on and have my RF remote control power the individual sections on and off. The IR switch will be wired in between the RF switch and the LEDs. I hope this works.

Have you tried using 2 sensors and does one interfere with the other. How close can they be without interference

Thanks
 
I haven't tried this before, no...this is the first time. I guess the thing with the on/off button switch is for the sensors not to drain the battery, always looking for a signal. That's the way I read it anyway. As far as multiple sensors, I guess they need to not be in the same line of sight to function independently with a single remote. That can be a tricky thing I suppose. I'm going to give it a whirl though. Like you I'd like to turn on everything but the engines with one sensor, dim or bright and leave it where it looks good, then the other sensor, light the engines and have the ability to dim for cruising and brighten for just before going to warp...at least I hope it'll work that way :confused
I may have to incorporate that IR dimming control with my 6 channel RF remote switch. The 6 channel RF switch can be setup to do channels 1-3 on /off and 4-6 momentary.........but no dimming

I may get the IR remote with 2 sensors to connect to main lights and hangar bay to dim if they are too bright at 12 volts and leave at that setting. Basically I will use only to set once where I like it. I read in the specs it remembers last setting and I will not be turning it on and off I will leave it on and have my RF remote control power the individual sections on and off. The IR switch will be wired in between the RF switch and the LEDs. I hope this works.

Have you tried using 2 sensors and does one interfere with the other. How close can they be without interference

Thanks
 
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