Step 2 of the Star Trek Enterprise from Polar Light assembly. I’m introducing a new technique on this work, I d’ont know how to name it… maybe “internal backlight”… The idea is to simulate a light spot created by a floodlight on the hull surface of the ship. Of course, at first, a simple LED could be placed, trying to make its beam light only the hull part needed. Very difficult to obtain in my opinion : the beam wouldn’t have the correct form and how to adjust its luminosity ?
Enterprise light-up
The first thing to do when you want to reproduce a filming model is to watch carruefully the screenshots. On this one, you can easily see the light spot covering a large part of the hull, ensuring that the entire registration “USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A” is lighted. It can’t be done with a simple LED.
The trick
The trick is quite simple : painting the interior of the hull with mat black painting to absorb the light and a silver layer to reflect it inside. Do not paint the areas you want lighted. Thus, the light will filter through the plastic only at theses places. In this way, the beam light is totally controled.
Of course, an internal “flood light” shall be provided but it’s not a problem : internal light is anyway necessary to light the portholes. Then I used the same technique on all the ship areas to be lighted.
Coming soon : the Enterprise light-up kit from Trekmodeler installation.
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