Lighting a Revell Millenium Falcon Easy Kit

PatrikG73 · Post by **PatrikG73** » Tue Jul 30, 2013 4:28 pm

Hi guys,

I'm kinda new to all this, haven't built a model for some 20 years, but the other day I found a banged up box of a Revell Easy Kit of the Millenium Falcon, and I got a great deal on it.

My aim now is to light it up once I finish it, does anyone have any experience with lighting this model?

I figure I need to probably paint the inside with some black as it seems to be pretty transparent, anything to consider there?

I looked at the Madman lighting kit, but it will cost me close to $100 to get it to Sweden so I have to figure out something on my own. I plan to use LEDs for the engine part, 1mm fibers for the red lights, and maybe some whites for the front and down lights. For power I will probably go for a 12V, 500mA transformer.

The plan is not to get it to look super professional, just "passable" and a bit cool on my desk.

Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas?

PatrikG73 · Post by **PatrikG73** » Fri Aug 30, 2013 4:54 pm

Well, since no one is responding

, I thought I could make it into a WIP thread. Maybe it helps someone else.

So far I have mostly soldered LEDs and painted the interior of the ship.

I masked of the outside.

Some primer, which was then followed by flat black:

Next, I drilled the holes according to the lighting plan that is out there and did a test fit with my 3 mm flat tops leds and 2 4.8mm strawhat leds. I will use the flathead LEDs for the white position lights, and 1mm fiber optics for all the red lights.

All holes are also painted to avoid leakage through the plastic.

A hint, most of the LEDs will be done by parallell coupling small series of LEDs, 2 or 3 in series. This takes down the intensity and I avoid a christmas tree effect. If a series like this is still too bright I will add an extra 560 ohm resistor in series as well.

robiwon · Post by **robiwon** » Fri Aug 30, 2013 6:13 pm

Very cool. It should look nice all lit up. Looking forward to more.

On a side note, you can't post actual images on SSM, you can only post direct links to the images.

PatrikG73 · Post by **PatrikG73** » Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:14 am

I have painted the back of the enginge in flat white to get a better reflection of the light. Too gray and it will dim the light, too shiny and it will not be very ambient. Silver paint is not good if you ask me. I have used it before and it just dims the light.

PatrikG73 · Post by **PatrikG73** » Fri Sep 20, 2013 4:53 am

So I put in the LEDs with the long cables.

A hint for anyone doing this, do your setup *first* if you are going to connect several LEDs in series (which are then parallell coupled). It's a pain in the you-know-where to connect them afterwards as there's a lot of cables and space is cramped.

The LEDs are connected either as two or three in series. This is to dim down the intensity a bit.

For the front lights I repainted two small pieces on the "teeth" since they have a red dot on them. I drilled the holes for the LEDs through the body as well.

One issue I realized here is that the two small lights in the middle actually prevents the top part of the lower middle piece to be properly mounted. So they are now removed and will be switched to 2mm fiber optics instead.

MillenniumFalsehood · Post by **MillenniumFalsehood** » Mon Sep 23, 2013 2:21 pm

Links, not thumbnails or inline images.

PatrikG73 · Post by **PatrikG73** » Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:14 pm

MillenniumFalsehood wrote:Links, not thumbnails or inline images.

All pics are removed.

And so is the continuation of this thread.

Madman Lighting · Post by **Madman Lighting** » Mon Sep 23, 2013 8:02 pm

Well I have a lighting kit for that model. Its easy to use and good for newbies.

http://home.comcast.net/~johndavidcook/ ... ghter.html

Tracy White · Post by **Tracy White** » Thu Sep 26, 2013 10:23 am

and $100 to ship to Sweden.