# Polar Lights 1/350 Enterprise



## Steelersfan (Mar 15, 2010)

Hello everyone. This is my first post here so take it easy on the new guy.

My son seems to have a really knack for models and has been putting together models in his age group, 8 years old, for a few months now. A couple days ago I was telling him the old "when I was your age thing". I told him about my favorite model, the USS Enterprise. The one I did had a light kit in it and was pretty fun to do. He loved the story so much he wants one now. So off to internet I went. I found the model that seemed to be a good father / son project but could not find one that had the lights in it. So this leaves me stumped. I don't think the 300 dollar pre-built kit is a good deal but I am not that skilled to put a kit together without a parts list and a little guidance. 

SO…. I told you that to ask where I can find a complete lighting parts list for this ship. I looked around the forum and there are specific areas addressed but not a complete goby. Google proved to be not much better. Any help is greatly appreciated. 
Thanks in advance. 

This forum has given me plenty of really good ideas to take the kit to the next level, especially the Aztec Designs. When I painted mine the colors were not exactly perfect but hey blue is blue right.:thumbsup:The little man is bubbling with excitement for our next project together.


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## WarpCore Breach (Apr 27, 2005)

You didn't specify which version of the _Enterprise_ you built "as a kid". If it was the Original Series Big E, then there never was an included kit in any of the kits released at that time. Except maybe for the earliest versions of the old 18" model....! For the Refit, there was the Special Edition _Enterprise_ that came out more or less in conjunction with _ST:VI_ that included lights for the saucer and nav/strobe lights waaay back in 1991. That was the only kit that I know of that included any lighting as part of the box contents. 

There was a lighting kit (minus sound effects) for the Special Edition _Enterprise-D_ but the kit required considerable modification, more than the Refit required. I don't think that one was very good in it's design as that model really is tough to light up properly since you need to modify the pylons to run the wiring for the engines; kinda hard when the pylons are a single piece!

The current lighting kits for the Refit that I am aware of are all geared for the 1/350 Polar Lights model and none for the AMT Refit. You'll have to scratch build a kit for the AMT kit in any case and it's more than possible to do the same for the large PL kit. 

If it's the TOS _Enterprise_ you were referring to, DLM sells a lighting kit for the Cutaway _Enterprise_ (close enough to the AMT Refit to call it scale) and a detail set to fix many of the production shortcuts and missed details done on that kit which also includes instructions on how make your Cutaway into a non-cutaway!

Hope that helps at least a little. Some clarification as to which model you had when you were younger would be great as well! It would be easier to pin down the lighting kit and go from there.


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## Steelersfan (Mar 15, 2010)

WarpCore Breach,
Thanks for the help. I don't remember the year that I got the Enterprise but I do know that it was around the scale of the Polar Lights version that I will be working on with my son, 1/350. 
The model I had when I was a boy was the model from the Motion Picture and I think I got it around 1985 or earlier. Man I am getting old, 85 was just yesterday. The model did have a light set with it but it did not have all the lights that I have been seeing on allot of the builds that people these days are doing. After a little research I think it was the amt #S970. 
What I am looking for is a lighting goby and parts list for the Polar Lights Kit 1/350 Refit Enterprise #808 that I have purchased for my son so we can build this together. With the parts list I can go shopping and get all the wires, bulbs and boards that are needed in one shot making it a bit easier to put together with my son. 
Thanks I hope the additional info is helpful.


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

This isn't a lighting kit, but is an invaluable resource for how to light the beast.

http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipplent.html

Ian is the master of this model in every respect. If you hear of the 'Raytheon method' of lighting, this is the man.

In this WIP page, you will see the amount of lights, placement, bafffles and all sorts of related info -as well as how to accuratize the plastic and make the best possible ship.

With this build log and a scant few dollars spent acquiring leds on ebay, you can light this model in the realm of $30 instead of $300! For help, you can always ask the forum here. Everyone is happy to help.


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## John F (May 31, 2001)

The first release of the refit, the "smoothy", by AMT, came with 6 gow bulbs that lit up the windows in the saucer section. It was absolutly breathtaking 
This was the only release that had the lights, other that the special edition mentioned above. Later issues had no lights and the paneling that we all know and love.


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## Steelersfan (Mar 15, 2010)

Model Man,
Wow, can't get much better than the link you provided. Thank you. Even though his page does not show every wire and every connection it is pretty close. This will go a long way to solving many of the problems that I was thinking we were going to have with this project. Ian really does some quality work so I will have his page open during construction. While I don't believe we will come close to his standards I hope that this will put a spark in my son that may end up as a lifelong hobby for him. 

Thanks for the offer to help. As soon as we start this I am certain we will need it.


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## WarpCore Breach (Apr 27, 2005)

Glad I could help in some small way! I forgot all about those GoW bulbs in the first version! Never used those myself and it completely slipped my mind! I just wanted to cover all the bases but of course forgot one!

You've got some good lighting advice above. Have fun!


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## machgo (Feb 10, 2010)

Model Man said:


> This isn't a lighting kit, but is an invaluable resource for how to light the beast.
> 
> http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipplent.html
> 
> ...


Many thanks MM for posting this! I bookmarked his build many moons ago, but it disappeared and I couldn't find it again. I'm ready to start mine and this is invaluable. Thanks!


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

MM; 
Great link, what a build! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


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## skinnyonce (Dec 17, 2009)

Steelersfan said:


> Hello everyone. This is my first post here so take it easy on the new guy.
> 
> With a name like Steelersfan, you'll get no respect from me LOL!:tongue: I am a browns fan and always will be(even though they stink) it is my duty to harass all steeler fans, where ever i find them,,Even though BIG BEN is from my home town of findlay ohio,,
> 
> seriously !!!! welcome aboard, you'll find the best info and the nicest people here for advice GO BROWNS


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## Trekkriffic (Mar 20, 2007)

Back in '91, I bought the AMT "Special Edition U.S.S. Enterprise with Lights and Sound Effects" from a magazine ad. It came with red and green flashing GOW bulbs and a white GOW flasher for the end of each nacelle. It also had GOW bulbs for the sauceer windows. In the base was the battery box and circuit board that operated the lights and a the sound effects. A toggle switch made the phaser and photon torpedo sounds. These kits are quite rare now or so I'm told.


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## J2 builder (Apr 8, 2012)

Model Man said:


> This isn't a lighting kit, but is an invaluable resource for how to light the beast.
> 
> http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipplent.html
> 
> ...


I ran across this thread and watched the "raytheon" method of lighting. The guy did an amazing job on the model. But my concern with his method is in simulating the floodlights from the inside. The floodlight effect is suppose to simulate a solid object lit from the outside. I'm afraid this method would look like light shining though a translucent object and not be realistic.

Has anyone done this, or seen a model in the flesh, using this method? It looks good on the video, but sometimes videos are mis-leading. But if it is not done this way, I'm not sure there is any other way to do it. Where would one mount the lights to externally illuminate the hull and what type of lights? I wonder, how do the pre-engineered lighting kits handle this? I suppose the effect in the movie is done with Hollywood trickery.


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

Clip


J2 builder said:


> ... I suppose the effect in the movie is done with Hollywood trickery.


They bounced external lights off small 'dental mirrors' to highlight the body. When ILM took over for Khan, they changed the body lighting alot.

There was one guy, years ago, that lit the 1/537 Refit using all hull mounted lights, no internal glow like Raytheon and no mirrors like Dykstra did for the film. It was beautiful and very accurate work this guy did. I wish I could remember where I saw the pics of his work. It was an asian name, iirc, but that's all I've got.


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## J2 builder (Apr 8, 2012)

Model Man said:


> Clip
> 
> 
> They bounced external lights off small 'dental mirrors' to highlight the body. When ILM took over for Khan, they changed the body lighting alot.
> ...




Thanks Model Man. Does ModelersBrand have anything that might work? I thought about aiming 3MM leds through the slots on the bridge and perhaps making those slots slightly bigger, but that might not work. Will try a test and see how it goes.


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

J2 builder said:


> Thanks Model Man. Does ModelersBrand have anything that might work? I thought about aiming 3MM leds through the slots on the bridge and perhaps making those slots slightly bigger, but that might not work. Will try a test and see how it goes.


Making the holes ever so lightly bigger, grinding material away from the back side of the plastic AND shaving down the LEDs themselves to get the best possible fit and angle will get you very, very close. That is the technique I will be trying when I get to building the two I have sitting on my shelf. It's the paint job that's been scaring me more than anything else.

Modeler's Brand sells 3mm (5mm and 10mm) LED Packs that come complete with everything needed to light them except a power supply and a soldering iron. While the colors and quantities of each are fixed, the LED Packs make a great, base stock to have on hand for any model project you can name. 

Smooth or Ultra-Smooth Blue Double-Density LEDTape will give you the one of the best-looking and most-uniform engine lighting options available. 

While I don't sell any pre-wired blinkie-boards, I do have the chips to do it with if you have the desire to learn 555 and 4060 timer chips. It's not difficult, but does require learning. Otherwise, going with a pre-wired kit from one of the several after-marketeers that offers them is your better option.


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## Kit (Jul 9, 2009)

Model Man said:


> Clip
> 
> 
> There was one guy, years ago, that lit the 1/537 Refit using all hull mounted lights, no internal glow like Raytheon and no mirrors like Dykstra did for the film. It was beautiful and very accurate work this guy did. I wish I could remember where I saw the pics of his work. It was an asian name, iirc, but that's all I've got.



Here you go. Kyu-Woong Lee. Beautiful job.

http://culttvman.com/main/?p=8926

http://culttvman.com/main/?p=8926


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## Model Man (Oct 1, 2007)

Bookmarked! That's the guy! Thanks for the link!!!

If that level of work can be done on the 1/537, I believe even better can easily be achieved on the 1/350. Personally, the Raytheon Method is my default fail option, while the Kyu-Woong Method is my aspiration and primary goal now that I have these pictures again.


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## J2 builder (Apr 8, 2012)

Yeah, that's the ticket. Thanks for the link, Kit. That is what I'm going to shoot for on the lighting. If this was done in the early 90s it was pre-cheap LEDs. The train lights he mentioned I assume were incandescent.

Model Man, how old are your kits? Is the aztec pattern what scares you about the painting? The newer kits come with decals for the aztec pattern, older kits didn't. With these decals, I don't see the painting as a big deal, other than messing with all of the tiny little windows. What I don't agree with is the suggested hull color, pearlecent white. I don't see the ship as white. It looks more to me like a gray-ish, silver-ish metallic color. Even in the Raytheon video, I didn't really care for the white color he painted the ship.

Thanks for the offer on the leds, but I have plenty of those. I got carloads of them for pennies straight from Singapore off ebay. Also, electronics and soldering don't scare me none. BTW, you turned me onto cheap ebay LEDs in one of your videos which I used to light my Jupiter 2, thanks for that! :thumbsup:


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## modelguy1 (Sep 10, 2011)

*cutting down on the translucent look*

I also worship at the altar of Raytheon- his website was very inspiring when taking out the model and just getting intimidated by the scope, the scale, the unknowns. He taught me one detail at a time...

Here is my take on his technique coupled with some light-tuning to get some of the translucent effect minimized- the key seems to be when building the banks of lights to shine on the inside, add some blue, red, and yellow LEDs to the bank of lights to get a "purer" looking shine through. I can't eliminate it completely, though, I think the plastic dooms it to some level of yellowness... Also, it really helps to sand down the thickness a lot. I mean a lot a lot. 

Also, I do see that the seam lines are "dirty looking" and I will scrape those out so that none of the decals slop into those cracks and look like crap when backlit.

Sigh- always something....

Richard


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