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What material is best to go behind windows on light up models?

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6 replies
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  • Member since
    January 2016
Posted by Imonitmedia on Friday, January 22, 2016 9:10 AM

Hey guys, thanks all of you for your suggestions they have defintely been useful!

All I need to do next is get the right kind of paint for my new paint sprayer and prep the model for drilling :)

Cheers

  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Thursday, January 21, 2016 10:50 AM

Here's one for you !

  I have for years used Waxed paper ( the heavy kind  , It diffuses the light  better  ). I have also frosted the ends of the Fiber optic material with 600 grit sandpaper ( wet )  T.B.

  • Member since
    February 2007
Posted by mitsdude on Thursday, January 21, 2016 1:23 AM

I know many people have use nail (dental) acrylic to fill in the holes of Trek ships windows. Its an epoxy like mateial that dries opaque/clear. You block the outside part of the window with tape and on the inside you add drops of this material to fill the holes. Let dry, remove tape.

For windows I have also used (not on Trek ships) glass microscope cover slips, clear styrene, and acetate  sheets (think overhead projector transparencies). For opaque look spray with something like Testors Dullcoat.

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Cave City, KY
Posted by Watchmann on Thursday, January 14, 2016 6:35 PM

I used tissue paper on my Trek kits.  It worked very well.

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Thursday, January 14, 2016 4:11 PM

White 0.010" styrene sheet will work.  I have also been tinkering with my first lighting project, and I found that the white plastic will prevent see-through into the model, conceal the yellow SMD chip color, and eliminate the "JJ Abrams lens flare effect".

If you color the sheet plastic front or back, you can use a single light source for different colors.  I colored the backsides the tail lights of Halcyon's Aliens APC with a cyan felt marker:

https://flic.kr/p/CbmLTb] [/url]APC-52 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

https://flic.kr/p/BTNUTC] [/url]APC-54 by N.T. Izumi, on Flickr

Good luck on your Enterprise - you certainly have WAY more lights to do than I do!  I have a JJ-Prise model that I want to light, so I'll be watching your progress to crib ideas!

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    May 2009
  • From: Poland
Posted by Pawel on Thursday, January 14, 2016 1:54 PM

Hello!

I'd say paper!

Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

All comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for your honest opinions!

www.vietnam.net.pl

  • Member since
    January 2016
What material is best to go behind windows on light up models?
Posted by Imonitmedia on Thursday, January 14, 2016 6:17 AM

Hey guys!

This is my first topic after signing up... I am getting back into modelling and I have aquired one of the original fiber optic models of the Enterprise-D from STTNG. Instead of going with the fibre optics provided I have purchased an LED kit for lighting up the model instead.

I will be drilling out the windows which I want lit but what I need to know is what material is best to have on the inside of the model behind the windows so the light diffuses through but you cant see inside the model

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

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