# 1/350 TOS E - My Shuttle Bay Lighting Solution



## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

I realize most people are going to use PL's lighting kit for their TOS E 1/350 model, but I've been lighting models since getting Paul M. Newitt's LS//100A for my AMT Enterprise back in the '70's and have been planning my lighting solution for a large-scale E kit for ages. (Lunar models was going to do a 3' one in the 90's; Jim Key more recently - both never came to fruition). There's a lot involved in doing a custom lighting solution but this thread will focus on how I did the shuttle bay. More postings to follow.

Without having the clear parts from the lighting kit I had to make my own windows. For the control room above the doors, I drilled out the plastic and cleaned up the opening with an X-Acto blade:



I chose to use a spare white window piece from the nacelle pylon part and cut out one rectangle. Strangely, it seemed to fit rather well - just minor sanding:



I bought some white SMD LEDs from Welcome to HDAmodelworx.com! - Your source for modeling supplies! which come pre-wired with a resistor based on 12V power supply. I'm using 9V but I find that looks just right - bright but not too bright. I glued it in behind the white window and sealed the exposed wires with white liquid electrical tape:


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Next up was the coloured landing lights on the edge of the fantail. This was the trickiest modification when not having clear parts but it ended up working out really well. Using my Dremel, I cut out a pie-shaped section behind the lights and made the hole big enough that I could get a cylindrical grinding bit in there to thin the plastic of the fantail. Too thin would be bad (trust me) so I was careful to get it just thin enough that light shone through at the brightness level I was looking for. I then sanded the backside so it was smooth with 320 grit wet-and-dry sandpaper; I didn't want it 'glassy' smooth, though.

Holding the part up to the light, I coloured in from behind with Sharpie markers (green, red & orange). Once dry, I painted around them with black paint (again, holding the part up to the light so I could be sure I wasn't filling in the windows). Some acrylic flat clear coat was brushed on to seal the colours:



I glued in 3 SMD LEDs on the edge of the cutout, pointing them towards the windows, and then glued the fantail part to the assembled shuttle bay:





Finally, I saw another modeller online had cut out a channel in the secondary hull half for the two vertical amber lights and I did the same; otherwise, the bottom of the light would be covered:


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

One of my biggest worries in lighting this kit as the rear windows on the secondary hull - with the completed shuttle bay assembly in place, it blocks those windows completely. I toyed with the idea of chopping up the shuttle bay so only the front part was used, but decided that it would be too difficult. I was also concerned about the clearance of the window inserts and the shuttle bay assembly, so I ground down the outer surface of the shuttle bay with my Dremel:



I cut out the sides (after drawing in where the windows would be) to allow me to light them with some HD LED strips I picked up from ModelManTom:



The strips were glued to some plastic stock sheet cut to fit inside the openings. Lots of glue gun goop to seal the opening and keep the tape in place.

I marked the location of the 3 spine lights (green/red/green) and glued in another SMD LED, and also glued one to the dome inner piece which needs to be installed after the secondary hull halves are assembled (you can see them in the photo above). The clear inner dome insert was painted clear green on the base and clear red/amber/yellow on the 3 rods.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

With the doors glued in place, the wires for the control room & dome insert LEDs fed through a hole in the top and out the back (as well as the spine light and the strip LEDs), the lighting was done:





I was just going to use ModelManTom's LED tape for this and the saucer pylon, but I like them so much I'm lighting the whole kit with them. They're very similar to the ones in PL's lighting kit. I solder my magnet wires to the terminals rather than use the connectors; seems safer to me.

(BTW, the coloured landing lights look 'fuzzy' only because the light blocking was just roughed in on the outside; I'll use vinyl masks when painting the final hull colour)


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## kdaracal (Jan 24, 2009)

Well, that's a cool solution. Very nice!


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

kdaracal said:


> Well, that's a cool solution. Very nice!


Thanks!


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## Griffworks (Jun 24, 2002)

Nice! Doesn't look too intricate, a pretty simple solution. That's the sort of stuff that works for me - simple solution for a simple mind.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Griffworks said:


> Nice! Doesn't look too intricate, a pretty simple solution. That's the sort of stuff that works for me - simple solution for a simple mind.


Thanks Griff. Jerry's pre-wired SMD LEDs (with built-in resistor) are the key. That, and finding LED tape in the right colour (and with 3 per inch) from Tom.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Outstanding! I wish now that I'd gone this route with mine but I had the lighting kit so I went that route mostly with the exception of mounting two SMD LED's in the trench in the center of the ceiling. I still ended up having to carve out a lot of plastic on the inside of the hull to get those and the round LEDs to fit. SMD's are definitely the way to go.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

SMDs are the bomb! I don't think I could solder them like you did, Trekkrific, so the pre-wired ones were a godsend.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Great ideas!! Thanks for share. :thumbsup:


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Thanks Fernando!

After more test fitting with the hull halves, I think the SMD LED behind the shuttle bay control room window will also adaquately light the dome on the top of the secondary hull (it's right above the LED). I think I'm going to cut out the SMD I have under the inner dome insert although that means wasting it (but saving slightly on overall current draw).


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

RossW said:


> Thanks Fernando!
> 
> After more test fitting with the hull halves, I think the SMD LED behind the shuttle bay control room window will also adaquately light the dome on the top of the secondary hull (it's right above the LED). I think I'm going to cut out the SMD I have under the inner dome insert although that means wasting it (but saving slightly on overall current draw).


Yes. Any LED in the control room part will light up the dome above it. I used the rectangular Lighting Kit LED but had to file/sand it down to fit as it was way too thick.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Slightly off topic, but god I love this kit! I'm having such a blast working on it - I'm continually amazed at how well thought out and engineered this thing is.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

RossW said:


> Slightly off topic, but god I love this kit! I'm having such a blast working on it - I'm continually amazed at how well thought out and engineered this thing is.


Yeah. Although I heard some people got kits with warped parts; usually the bussard spinners or the lower saucers. I was one of the lucky ones; everything fit together just right! Sounds like you were lucky too. Wait'll you finish it and see how much it weighs! She's a beast... and a beauty!


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Trekkriffic said:


> Yes. Any LED in the control room part will light up the dome above it. I used the rectangular Lighting Kit LED but had to file/sand it down to fit as it was way too thick.


How about a lighthouse LED cutted and sanded?


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

That might work depending on how you orient it. Maybe mount it upright having the flat side facing out the control room window and the cylinder facing upwards into the dome? I forget, do the square and cylindrical parts of the LED both light up? There would still be the problem of the legs; you'd need to bend them at an extreme right angle very close to the base of the LED to get it to fit.


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Yes, the cylindrical part emits light, but I was thinking if we cut this part off and use a file to round the edge of the LED, aiming a 90º emission, would work. One of the flat sides would light the dome. I don't know.


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Fernando Mureb said:


> Yes, the cylindrical part emits light, but I was thinking if we cut this part off and use a file to round the edge of the LED, aiming a 90º emission, would work. One of the flat sides would light the dome. I don't know.


I'm just wondering if you might have to remove so much material to get it to fit that you might damage the LED and it won't light up.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

Smd! Smd! Smd!


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

RossW said:


> Smd! Smd! Smd!


:lol: . :thumbsup: . :wave:


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

*GREAT information Mr. Ross!*:thumbsup:
Is it possible to do everything that you suggested here and do the interior with the shuttle bay doors left open?
-Jim


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

JGG1701 said:


> *GREAT information Mr. Ross!*:thumbsup:
> Is it possible to do everything that you suggested here and do the interior with the shuttle bay doors left open?
> -Jim


It's possible, but you would have to make a trench for the LED tapes without actually cutting through the side pieces.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Hey Mr. Ross, did you use "white" or "warm white" lights?
Thanks,
-Jim


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

White. They match up really well with the LED tape I'm using for the windows.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Hey Ross,
Could you please update this post in some way?
I can't pull up the pictures via Photobucket.
Or if you like to, PM me the pics.
I plan on not installing the Shuttle Bay. I just want to light up the Fantail and Observation area.
Thank you for your consideration.
-Jim G.G.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Are you trying to reach the larger images at photobuckat @JGG1701? And not seeing them there, I can still see the thumbnails in each of @RossW 's posts here but it wants me to sign in to the larger sizes.

If you are not seeing the thumbnails try refreshing the page. (It may take more than once.)


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

I am logged in and
I can see the thumbnail images but they have a Photobucket logo stamped across them. When I click it, it takes me to a Photobucket link and nothing is there.
-Jim G.G.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

JGG1701 said:


> Hey Ross,
> Could you please update this post in some way?
> I can't pull up the pictures via Photobucket.
> Or if you like to, PM me the pics.
> ...


I've updated the photos to use my Flickr album, but for some reason I can't find all the original photos. I took some new ones but they're not identical (and my cutting mat is showing the worse for wear)


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Thank you Mr. Ross
Do you have a link that I can go to so that I can view and save the pictures? As far as your cutting mat, I respect that. 😁
Thank you again.
-Jim G.G.


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## RossW (Jan 12, 2000)

JGG1701 said:


> Thank you Mr. Ross
> Do you have a link that I can go to so that I can view and save the pictures? As far as your cutting mat, I respect that. 😁
> Thank you again.
> -Jim G.G.











ARCHIVE - 1/350 TOS E Project


Explore this photo album by R Waddell on Flickr!




www.flickr.com


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Thank you Mr. Ross.
-Jim G.G.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Mr. Ross,
Well I just now looked at your Flicker and I don't see the pictures in question.....???
-Jim G.G.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

The smaller images are still linked to PB. Try clicking on the larger of the 2 images and that will take you to Flickr. The first small image is just to photobucket only. No larger image to click upon for flicker.


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## JGG1701 (Nov 9, 2004)

Oh that's what he meant by saying "updated".
Thanks Mr. Milton. BTW why am I not getting email notifications on the threads that I follow? My account settings are set to notify me but I'm not getting them.
Thank you for all your help, I appreciate it. And thanks again Mr. Ross.
-Jim G.G.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

That question has been asked to VS-Admin already and we are waiting for follow up. Meaning I am not supposed to be getting email notifications for any thread after the migration either, but I still get 4 or 5 of them for from my first year here when they get bumped. I also have 255 pages of those threads in my follow folder which if I remember correctly those that still send emails are not in the follow list pages.

By default you should already be getting a similar notification within the site functions. If the circle in your avatar image at the top right is red - it means you have some type of follow up waiting to review and that list under follow should be all the threads you have ever started or posted in.

Click on your avatar image up in the top right corner and select following. This will show you what threads have been updated that you have posted in or selected to follow.

Then open your Account Settings and check the email address to make sure it is the right one. You will then see a link to preferences below that and to the far left. Check both to see those settings match up to your follow, alerts and the other preferences link.

One thing that doesnt register directly is visitor messages you still have to go to your profile page to see them but they show up as alerts.


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