To light or not to light

Really your call.

IIRC, there is a lighting kit out for that one or you could wire your own lighting.

Lighting kit would be easier but most likely more pricey.

Can't remember if it's Madman Lighting or VoodooFX that has the lighting kit for that.  It's around $300 though.  I've had my kit for around 5 years, collecting all the PE and detail sets for it.  I haven't decided if I'll light it or not yet.  I still have to work up the courage just to build the thing.

Getting up the courage is a factor here, too, but so is getting some of the "already-started" stash done with "The Beast" as a reward for progress is another.

I actually have 3 of these.  After I actually got to see the first and realized it was made with lighting in mind, I got a spare to be lit when I get the materials and skills together.  Then PL came out with the kit that included aztec decals and I decided I'd get one of those to be the "straight-from the box" build with one of the first two being slated for lighting, and the other to either serve as a spare or be sold later.

Be prepared for a long and difficult task if you decide to light that ship.  I bought one of those $200+ lighting kits for the 1/350 NX-01 I was building.  After reading the incomplete and confusing instructions that came with the lighting kit, and looking at its contents (several hundred loose electronic components, not even a PC board for anything), and realizing I couldn't send it back if I hooked up something wrong and blew something out, I packed it up and returned it for a refund.  And I am an electrical engineer, with a lot of experience in building prototype circuits, but I just wasn't about to get into that mess.

If you want to finish it fast... No. If you want a project to keep you busy, yes. My dad did that for my brother, lit up the  TNG enterprise. It looks awesome, but he told me nightmare stories about it... lot of work, but rewarding if you can dedicate the time to it!

Chuck, that's one of the holdups for my to-be-lit Enterprise.  Though I haven't had any bad experiences to base it on, I distrust any aftermarket lighting kits to be what's needed to get the exact results I want.  The problem is I have zilch in the way of the skills needed to design the electronics myself ( though I know enough to buy the needed parts and assemble something if I have the instructions ) and haven't found anyone yet who could design the setup for me.

Still, no huge rush.  It;s not like I'm lacking kits to keep me busy til I do get everything together, either with assistance or by actually learning what I need to do the whole thing on my own.

Hello!

I'd be willing to help with a design of such a circuit. The way I see it we need lots of LEDs giving continuous light and a few "flashers". If so, it shouldn't be hard to do. How much space inside the hull would there be? Best greetings

Paweł

To really get the functional lights and look of this ship as it appeared on screen is something that even folks with many builds in the sci-fi genre consider daunting. Frankly, few pull it off although when done "right" it is a thing of beauty! Do you frequent any of the online forums devoted to sci-fi? You can see some past efforts and glean more info derived from experience that way.

www.starshipmodeler.net

www.resinilluminati.com

www.therpf.com

I started this hobby without lighting.  I have a Millenenium Falcon lighting kit that seems to be OK from Voodoo,  but I think,  I'll go forward with the 1701 refit without.   Bless you all with your responses.