FineMolds Falcon engine - looking for options

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PetarB
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FineMolds Falcon engine - looking for options

Post by PetarB »

I'm planning to do my FM Falcon this Christmas.
What options are there for lighting the engine? Balok on these forums (I think) was offering what looked like a really good kit for a while, but he's no longer making them.
Any thoughts? I want it blindingly bright! (well maybe not blindingly)
seam-filler
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Post by seam-filler »

You could try EL wire - here? - I've seen EL wire used for car customisation and it looks a lot more brilliant tha EL sheet.

If you lay paralel strips it'll give some texture to the glow.
"I'd just like to say that building large smooth-skinned models should be avoided at all costs. I now see why people want to stick kit-parts all over their designs as it covers up a lot of problems." - David Sisson
jwrjr

Post by jwrjr »

I am somewhat partial to Cold Cathode FLuorescent tubes (CCFL). But you have to take into consideration that they generate a little heat (especially the power pack). But that need not be a problem. I used them in my PL Refit warp nacelles and have had no problems.
Balok
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Location: Livermore, CA.

Post by Balok »

Hi PetarB,

Yeah you can do what I did too. Cut a piece of clear acrylic sheet and then light it with superbrite LEDs. Use aluminum tape stuck to the acrylic to prevent light leak. You could also paint the acrylic white to brighten the light a bit before the aluminum tape goes on. If you want to go very simply electrically, get LED strips from Oznium.com and simply power them with a 12V supply, a wall wart or battery. You could also cast the engine greeblie parts in clear resin and glue them onto the acrylic. Get some clear E-6000 glue to glue down the LEDs and possible greeblies. It certainly helps to have access to a bandsaw and a vertical sander.

There is another issue too. Point sources. If you dont mind point sources you can get three strips of LEDs across the back edge of the acrylic. You will have a bright easy built light with point sources. If you want to get anal and lessen, but not eliminate the point sources, you can shape the acrylic into a sort of parabola in section and put a single line of densely spaced LEDs at the tip. Greeblies further help the point source problem.

I plan to make a super suped up light along these lines for my FMMF. When I do that I'll post a how-to.
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deerstalker36
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Post by deerstalker36 »

I found some battery operated flourescent tubing at about 6 inches long, the sort that you can stick under the stairs etc. If you strip then down to bare essentials they may just fit, i'm trying mine in an amt falcon and running the wiring for the control board down to the base
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