Building the Enterprise C by Don Matthys part 2
Start with part 1
INTERIOR LIGHTING
The next step is to get all of the lighting materials on and and ready to install. Seen here is the Main Deflector lighting group. On the right a Circular EL Sheet Lamp cut to size and wired. Center is a clear disc with a ring to mount the EL Lamp onto. One the left is the DLM Clear Blue Cast Deflector Dish
Seen here is the DLM Warp Nacelle Clear Blue Castings Ambassador Class 1/1400 Scale. these kit parts were modified with a connecting web across the kit grill parts. Any light source is picked up and distributed evenly across the part… for a even glow of blue light.
Flat Wire Ribbon cable from a discarded SCSI cable will carry power to the Warp Nacelles and throughout the model.
The DLM Clear Red Casting of Hydrogen Collector Bussard Units can have an effective lighting treatment by embedding two 5 mm red LEDs. Drill two 6 MM wide holes as deep as the LED is long. Glue the Red LED in with gap filling CA glue or clear epoxy. A limiting resister is soldered to the positive lead of the LED. This drops the models 6 volt s to be dropped down to the operating voltage of the LEDs 2.5 Volts DC. In this case a 160 ohm is used.
EL Lamps are tin flexible plastic sheets that when under power becomes Electroluminescent with a steady white glow. These EL sheet measures 4″ x 6″ inches form Miller Engineering. This sheet is the Jumbo size # 4601 Lamp. A trace outline of the inside of the clear cast Warp Grills were drawn as a cutting pattern. This template is transferred to the EL Lamp sheet and cut to the size of the line. Ensuring that each EL Lamp cut has the two connecting prongs that power the lamps. to the left of the EL Lamp are the power inverters 6 volts that supplies 60 to 60 volts AC to the Lamp sheet.
Warp Grills prior to installation are given a dry brush treatment of metallic brass or gold model enamels on the raise ribs of the grill castings. On the movie set miniatures… this is the appearance of the grills when not under power. After this painting step is done and the grills installed this area is masked over with tape while the rest of the model gets painted.
Shown here is the entire Warp Nacelle assembly
then comes page 3
