littletimmy
Just a thought...
You can only see the model/diorama from 3 sides at the same time.
Pick a side to be the "backside" of the dio, and mount a mirror to the back. ( make sure you dont pick a side that will prevent you from seeing the interior)
Now you can "hide" the battery anywhere behind the mirror.
I dont know if this fits in with what you envisioned ... feel free to ignore ... I promise not to use my " mind powers" on you.
It is a good thought,Tim. And you are right about the backside not being seen. And by design I put the power plug on the backside. I will toss your idea around some.
I thought about attacking this severals ways. I thought about scrapping the whole seeing through the sides thing and then make graphics I'd tape to the inner plexy walls. The graphics could be scenes from the movie, or pics of the cast, or even some of the fun stuff on this thread. The walls would look like movie posters. Going this route would simplify things immensely.
Currently, the plan is to make a crude sea floor. I don't foresee being able to see much of it from the outside once the interior walls are sprayed. Though, it is clear colored paint, it will diminish seeing much detail. But that is part of the plan because of wiring and things like that. Aside from painting the walls, I could leave them clear, but I just don't think it will look right with colored water on the top and clear sides. That is yet another option. Overall, with this option, I think the dio would benefit most with the walls painted. It will make the dio look like a cube of water while giving a sence of being able to peer into it.
The other part of the current plan is this. I plan on installing flickering LEDs to the base, probably mounted on rigid wires that will align the LEDs so they go into the engine nozzles. The effect I am going after is a simulation where the engines are still partially firing, or that the hot engine bells are gassing or reacting with the water. The effect will be seen from above the dio, and I am sure from the sides.
And that is the part of the plan causing me the most angst. It massivley complicates things. The question becomes in how do I wire things keeping power to a ship that can be lifted up and peered into, while not having internal wires tethered to the leds secured to the base. It's a complex problem when considering the aesthetics and keeping it functional. I came up with a plan in how to accomplish this but, is it worth the effort. This is filled with potential pitfalls and in the end, how will it look peering in from the sides and how functional will it end up being. I might not be able to pull off the believability aspect.
And another option is to do the graphics thing whereby hiding the internals, do the engine lights thing, and in this case the effect will be viewed only from above. Actually, this had been my plan from the start when I was considering the use of a shadow box. In that case, I didn't care how the internals looked. That made things so much easier. Migrating to a clear case opened a door of possibilities that of course, I HAVE TO WALK THROUGH. 
Son of a ...