LED Klingon Battlecruiser planned... need some lighting advice.

[GazzaS]

HI all...   At the last model show I bought a 1991 molds Klingon Battlecruiser and I want to rig it with lights.  I'm looking at powering about 14-20 lights of either 3mm or 5mm size.

I want to take it to next year's show, so it needs to have enough power to run 3 days straight on batteries.  Because once you give them your kit, you can't touch it until after the judging.   And...   tbh, it would look cool on display with the lights on at home without having to put new batteries in it every day.

Anyway...   I don't know anything about it.  I know I'll need resistors of some sort, but I've read you can't do that until you know your power source.  So if anyone could recommend a battery holder and a voltage that will go with it...   I'd be grateful.  I don't know whether 3 D-cells would last longer than 9 AA's...   But I can make a pretty thick base in which to store the battery holder.

 

Thanks for your thoughts and recommendations.

[HubertB]

Sorry, I can’t help you much, but I know that the only thing that will last for 3 days are LEDs. 
I also know that there are some fiber optics sets. With one led as a light source you can carry light to many points on you kit. I wish I did know where to point you at for those, though

Hubert

 

[DocRob]

Cool project Gaz, I only build one model with LED lights, the Nautilus submarine, where I bought a dedicated lighting kit, because I'm not much into electronics. It was easy to install with some required extra work. Most important is to check for unwanted light emissions.
I don't know, which kit you have, but there are lighting kits out there for Klingon battlecruisers.
I can imagine that my submarine with it's maybe 15 LED's would run for three days with one 9V batterie.

Only one example: Amazon.com: Polar Lights - Star Trek Klingon K't'inga Lighting Kit 2T (Upgrades to kit POL950), 1:350 (MKA031M), White : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

Cheers Rob

[BlrwestSiR]

Gaz, check out CultTVmanshop.com 

They specialize in sci-fi kits and carry lighting kits and supplies to make your own. 

https://www.culttvmanshop.com/Lighting-Electronics_c_27.html

Here's one for the K'Tinga that you have. It's out of stock at the moment though. 

https://www.culttvmanshop.com/Lighting-Electronics_c_27-3.html

Check out Paragrafix as they have a set of LED and connectors that are supposed to the easy to use.i haven't tried them so can't confirm that. 

If you have the time Warren at Tirydium Models does custom sets that are plug and play and very reasonably priced. His sets I've used and they work as advertised.  

Hope that helps. 

Carl

 

 

 

 

[BlrwestSiR]

2 hours ago, DocRob said:

Only one example: Amazon.com: Polar Lights - Star Trek Klingon K't'inga Lighting Kit 2T (Upgrades to kit POL950), 1:350 (MKA031M), White : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

Cheers Rob

Rob, that's for the 1/350 K'Tinga and I believe Gaz has the smaller 1/537 scale version. I wouldn't mind that kit but it's big. 

Still, smaller than the 1/350 Enterprise...

Carl

[GazzaS]

11 hours ago, HubertB said:

Sorry, I can’t help you much, but I know that the only thing that will last for 3 days are LEDs. 
I also know that there are some fiber optics sets. With one led as a light source you can carry light to many points on you kit. I wish I did know where to point you at for those, though

Hubert

 

 

7 hours ago, DocRob said:

Cool project Gaz, I only build one model with LED lights, the Nautilus submarine, where I bought a dedicated lighting kit, because I'm not much into electronics. It was easy to install with some required extra work. Most important is to check for unwanted light emissions.
I don't know, which kit you have, but there are lighting kits out there for Klingon battlecruisers.
I can imagine that my submarine with it's maybe 15 LED's would run for three days with one 9V batterie.

Only one example: Amazon.com: Polar Lights - Star Trek Klingon K't'inga Lighting Kit 2T (Upgrades to kit POL950), 1:350 (MKA031M), White : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

Cheers Rob

 

4 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Gaz, check out CultTVmanshop.com 

They specialize in sci-fi kits and carry lighting kits and supplies to make your own. 

https://www.culttvmanshop.com/Lighting-Electronics_c_27.html

Here's one for the K'Tinga that you have. It's out of stock at the moment though. 

https://www.culttvmanshop.com/Lighting-Electronics_c_27-3.html

Check out Paragrafix as they have a set of LED and connectors that are supposed to the easy to use.i haven't tried them so can't confirm that. 

If you have the time Warren at Tirydium Models does custom sets that are plug and play and very reasonably priced. His sets I've used and they work as advertised.  

Hope that helps. 

Carl

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the quick response, guys.  I'm really looking more towards a cheaper DIY solution from parts I can get locally.  I have a soldering iron yet need soldering practice.  I'd like to build my skill set without spending too much.

[BlrwestSiR]

Starshipmodeler has a section devoted to lighting but you'd need to sign up. 

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewforum.php?f=58&sid=eec9b15222fb304a6233caee81bfd378

Try also RPF (Replica Prop Forum) but I'm not on there so can't say how best to navigate their site.

 

[GazzaS]

7 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

Starshipmodeler has a section devoted to lighting but you'd need to sign up. 

http://www.starshipmodeler.net/talk/viewforum.php?f=58&sid=eec9b15222fb304a6233caee81bfd378

Try also RPF (Replica Prop Forum) but I'm not on there so can't say how best to navigate their site.

 

Thank you!

[BlrwestSiR]

All this talk of Klingons and K'tingas makes me wand to get one now too. 

At least they're smaller than the Enterprise.

Carl

[GazzaS]

8 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said:

All this talk of Klingons and K'tingas makes me wand to get one now too. 

At least they're smaller than the Enterprise.

Carl

I think mine is the 1/570 scale version.  I would like to do Enterprise one day, too....   and then a couple ships from Babylon 5.