Hello friends.
I'm sorry for these months of silence, but life has kept me busy with other things.
The last stages of building my Star Destroyer consisted of lighting.
Before closing the two halves of the fuselage, I placed 16 micro LEDs 0402, which have a size of only 1x0.5 mm. I placed them on the top of the fuselage, on the protruding tab on both side trenches. I placed 8 on each side, following the references of the original model, and to avoid their light being too direct and obvious when looking at the model from the side, I glued some small pieces of styrene that block the side light.
These LEDs were cold white and I didn't like the way they looked. So I painted them with Tamiya transparent orange and got a light temperature much closer to that of the original IL&M model.
As for the optical fiber, I will tell you that the installation process is a long and monotonous job. But a modeler must be prepared to face these tasks, which are less fun than others, but very important to achieve the final result.
I cut about 1,200 pieces of fiber Ø0.25 mm and 15 mm long. To do this I followed a discipline in which I first took 15 strands of fiber and cut them to 15 cm long. I then made a simple template that allowed me to cut this 15-strand skein into 15mm long sections. In this way, I obtained 150 pieces of fiber of the necessary length from each skein.
I also devised a procedure for coloring, with a red permanent marker, the ends of the fibers in groups of 25 or 30 units at a time. In the end, I estimate that there will be more or less 70% white fibers and 30% red.
In order not to make this work too tedious, I cut 300 pieces of fiber, colored 30% of them red, and placed them on the model. This continued in four batches until the entire model was finished.
I glued the fiber to the model with white glue. I first insert the pieces of fiber halfway along their length, then soak them with white glue, push them until they are fully inserted, and to finish, clean the area well with a damp brush.
In my opinion, the technique of using general interior lighting and inserting small pieces of fiber works perfectly. And I think it is just as valid as using large skeins of fiber that take all the light from a few LEDs. Let everyone choose which one they prefer.
Advantages and disadvantages of the technique of small pieces of fiber versus the technique of large skeins of fiber:
In favor:
- Many meters of optical fiber are saved.
- For me it is more comfortable to do it this way than to manipulate and install large skeins of fiber inside the model.
- The fiber can be installed when the model is already completely finished and painted.
- More light points can be added at any time. Even with the model finished.
Against:
- The entire model must be sealed very well to avoid light leaks.
- A greater number of LEDs are used and more energy is consumed.
- Although it is hardly noticeable, there are some areas where the light received by the fiber does not have “exactly” the same intensity as in other areas. Although this can be solved by planning the interior lighting very well.
Lastly and VERY IMPORTANT!!
Just as modellers take care of all the details and paint to respect and represent the scale of the model, the same is equally necessary with the lighting. Both the size of the light points and the intensity of the same are two crucial factors to maintain the correct scale sensation. That is why I have used the thinnest optical fibre I could obtain (Ø0.25 mm) and, above all, I have carried out many tests, using different resistor values in my circuits, to achieve the appropriate light intensity for this scale. And, if the above were not enough, I have also placed a potentiometer that allows me to regulate this intensity even more and adapt it to the ambient light conditions of each situation.
I finished my model in mid-July. And I made its corresponding display case in August. Until now, I've been waiting for an opportunity to move the model to my studio and be able to do a good photo shoot.
I always like to take good photos of my finished models because I think it's a way to get more out of so much dedication and so many hours of work.
I will not go on any longer. I hope you like the result. This is the gallery of the finished model.
Best regards.
Rafa