On The Bench 60: Enterprise B/Excelsior Project part 6 by Don Matthys

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PRIMARY HULL WIRING AND CONSTRUCTION

Wiring and construction of the Primary Hull is covered in this section of the Excelsior and Enterprise “B” projects. Methods for both the kits are virtually the same with the exception of getting light to glow through the larger Impulse Engines featured on the Enterprise model.

First item is the clear resin cast Bridge piece. This DLM replacement part will emit light though masked holes of several ports, an observation lounge and spotlights. It will also feature a working flashing white LED for the Navigational Strobe Light.

The Clear Bridge piece has a hole drilled (.030 inch dia.) from the top to accommodate a .030 dia strand of fiber optic that will run to a white LED installed inside the model. Another hole is drilled into a White LED for the end of the Fiber Optic. A countersink hole is drilled from the bottom stopping just short of the top hole of the clear Bridge piece that will allow a opaque jacket of wire insulation in as a conduit for the FO.

That jacket conduit will keep the LED flashes and light of the lamps illuminating the hull interior separate. Larger diameter Heat Shrink tubing is used over to hide the rest of the LED. The positive lead of the LED was painted red prior to the heat shrink jacket.

Finally the Clear Resin Bridge replacement piece is secured and glued in place with super glue.

Next procedure was to place in .030 inch diameter fiber optics into all the pre-drilled holes. Some holes needed cleaning and redrilling to snugly fit the FO in place. Another valuable tool that I use to slightly enlarge holes is a set of hole reamers that are available from Micromark Tools. Fiber optics can be glued in place with super glues and plastic liquid cement. The FOs on the exterior of the model is sanded down smooth to the exterior surface, The same diameter FO was also used for the Navigation Running lights. In this instance the heat flared ends are left as a small bulge to be later masked and painted with clear colors of red and green.

Plexiglas Plastic Sheet Acts as a Light Source.

To cut back on incandescent bulbs, power consumption and to avoid heat buildup I like to use clear Plexiglas to act as a light conduit form a central light source. The optical properties of the clear Plexiglas brings light all the way through the sheet to the edges of the sheet. Here shown are the two patterns used for the Excelsior and the Enterprise “B”. (This method of lighting the Primary hull was also used in the buildups of my models of the USS Reliant and the Enterprise “A”)

The Grain of Wheat lamp located center is to light up the bridge, planetary sensor array spotlights, the running lights and the ports and windows. The lamp lotted in back is to illuminate the Impulse Crystals, Impulse Engines and front of the Engineering Hulls ports and windows

Some 1/8 inch thick sheet was purchased and cut to pattern size with a band saw. Then the edges was sanded smooth to a polished finish. Slots where also cut into the sheet as marked on the pattern to accommodate the lamps and wires. Wiring once again utilized ribbon cable with the one strand painted red for the positive of the White LED. Gold connectors was also used to hook up power for the lamps and LED circuit board located in the Engineering Hull. The disk with the now wired up lamps and LED is positioned into place.

The Primary Hull is now ready for final assembly. Some double sided stick tape is applied to the hull bottom plate. This will firmly hold the Plexiglas disc after the hull halves are placed together. It falls into place and sticks it there securely. The two hull parts are glued and the seams are puttied and sanded smooth.

That is it for lighting and construction. Next BenchCams on these projects will cover masking, painting and markings.

On to part 7