Paint after installing fiber?

riplikash · Post by **riplikash** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 11:25 am

So it seems like most people paint after installing fiber optics and lighting. Why is this? Especially when using an airbrush and applying details it seems like the free, uncut fiber is going to interfere with painting.

I'm a little worried now. On my Bird of Prey I've focused on finishing and sealing the paint first, and then I was going to go in an attach lighting. I attach pieces together as necessary using sticky tac or rubber cement, then take them apart when I need to get at something. Is there some pitfall I'm not seeing to doing it this way?

Joseph Osborn · Post by **Joseph Osborn** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 12:05 pm

I certainly don't speak for everyone else, but I like my models to be strong and resilient. If I'm putting lighting components inside, I want them secured in there with epoxy so there's no chance of them breaking loose. I leave my fibers sticking out a good inch or so and I have no trouble painting around them and later trimming them to the proper length (I've never done a Star Destroyer, though). The only things I paint before I seal up a model are the insides for light dispersion and possibly any funny angles that would be hard to point an airbrush at when the model is assembled. After I have roughed-out the lighting scheme, I run it about a day or so to see if everything works before I lock it down. I know that this burn-in won't prevent a failure, but generally anything that's gonna break will break sooner rather than later (a throwback to my old-time computer-building days).

rayra · Post by **rayra** » Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:43 am

I just stick them out ~1/8" then they don't really interfere with airbrushing much, particularly if you keep teh spray perpendicular to the surfaces. Then I just go back with some fine flush cut electronics nippers and cut the protruding fibers off. At the scales of most of the objects you'll light this way, there isn't a lot of detailed weathering to be done, so there isn't much of an issue.
Would be more of a problem with larger scale craft, lighting things like navigation lights. I'd got an imperial shuttle kit that I'll probably use fiber on for the wingtip strobes. Weathering might be a bit of extra work thten.

Glorfindel · Post by **Glorfindel** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 9:38 pm

Joseph Osborn wrote:I certainly don't speak for everyone else, but I like my models to be strong and resilient. If I'm putting lighting components inside, I want them secured in there with epoxy so there's no chance of them breaking loose. I leave my fibers sticking out a good inch or so and I have no trouble painting around them and later trimming them to the proper length (I've never done a Star Destroyer, though). The only things I paint before I seal up a model are the insides for light dispersion and possibly any funny angles that would be hard to point an airbrush at when the model is assembled. After I have roughed-out the lighting scheme, I run it about a day or so to see if everything works before I lock it down. I know that this burn-in won't prevent a failure, but generally anything that's gonna break will break sooner rather than later (a throwback to my old-time computer-building days).

Ditto. Very good sound advice.