Re: Classic MPC C-3PO and R2-D2 uber detail build
BIG UPDATE:
Yesterday I did a test lighting of the fiber optic panels and I gotta say, this is gonna look great. Please pardon the blurriness of the vid but it don't focus too good on the flashing lights. However, they really look awesome. Here's a quick vid of how the panels look.
Fiber Optic Light Test
Busy day today with a bit of damage control. One of the Blue LEDs that I had been using was an old one from another kit I was working on awhile back, had snapped at the base and I was scrambling because I didn't have anymore. First I figured I might be able to get away with using a white one painted blue and it looked like it would work, and then I remembered, one of the old toy circuits I was going to use at the beginning of the build had a working blue on it, and I hooked it up and it works no problem. Crisis averted and all is well with the world. I got some liquid electrical tape. This is like concentrated plastic, and works great to seal your wires. Just brush it on and let it dry. Works awesomely. I highly recommend it for anyone working on electronics in this scale. Saves alot of time.
So, my main focus today was working on the mood lights. I still had to fabricate something to hold the 2 3mm LEDs for both the front and rear mood lights. So, I looked around and racked my brain and finally came up with an answer. Using an old drinking straw I cut a couple of small pieces off (about 1/2 an inch long a peice).
Then, I wrapped them in aluminum metal duct tape to reduce the light leakage...
Then attached the ends to the backs of the mood light panels.
While testing on the lights they fit perfectly but produced a nasty hotspot that I was able to get rid of by stuffing inside the straw tube a tiny bit of cotton from a Q-Tip cotton swab. I tested it again and viola... no more hotspots.
The two leds fit perfectly inside the straw and with the little bit of cotton the light was dispersed enough to create a very solid and diffused light. Works and looks perfect. If you noticed there's a little bit of my scultping putty on the back of the "eye". That's because I went ahead and made a very subtle detail that you never really notice unless you go looking for it and it's really hard to see unless you shine a light into it. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that these panels are made out of clear blue plastic. So I made what looks like a camera iris and stuck it in behind the "eye".
It's soo hard to see I actually had to use a flashlight held up close just to get this pic. It's not perfect and very very hard to see unless you're looking for it, but it's there. Just thought it would make a little bit of a hidden detail that no one else would think of doing.
Anyway, that's all for now. This baby is coming together nicely. Most of the main problems have been figured out and the build should be going alot faster now. More to come!
