This light control board will allow you to precisely set any color from the RGB spectrum and the frequency/rate of flickering individually for the main and the secondary engines of the starship as well as the amount of white (saturation).
No assembly is required. The controller board comes pre-assembled, ready to use. The modifications required to the kit are very simple. You will need to open up the engines to allow clear parts and LED to go through. The back of the engine block kit part will need to be lightly sanded for better adhesion to the pads.
- The assembled circuit board with attached electronic components, connectors, LEDs with holders and plastic parts.
- Clear parts to transmit the light the the engines and distribute it evenly.
- A power cable.
- The board attaches to the back of the kit part with the two plastic pads and two sided tape or glue. It can be removed later if needed by unscrewing the screws that hold the plastic pads.
- Colors, frequencies and the amount of white can be adjusted by turning the trimmer potentiometers with a screwdriver.
- The board can be powered up from any DC power source 6-16V, ideally 6-9V DC. It has a protection from power surge and reversed polarity.
- It is possible adjust the lights after the hull is closed through a small opening(s) at the bottom back part of the hull.
- 3D Printed
- 50 Micron resolution
- MSRP: $95.00 USD Basic Set and $125.00 USD for Full Set.
I’m very pleased to share this new product from our friends at Falcon 3D Print in Canada. There are few goodies from them sent in as well that will be discussed in a separate entry. When I started my Revell project I made the lighting pretty much with pre-made LEDs and this set arrived a bit too late for the ongoing project. Rest assured it will be used on subsequent builds as I have planned 2 more version of the popular flag ship of the empire.
This engine lights set will fit either your Revell or Zvezda Star Destroyer as they are pretty much the same kit in different packaging. For those electronically illiterates [myself included] this set will light up your Star Destroyers without sweat. It is literally ‘peel n’ stick and plug n’ play. I left it on my desk running for the whole weekend and found it as I left it on Monday morning. It runs as expected, very cool so your engine bell won’t melt under long periods of use.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
First let me say: Kudos to Falcon 3D for the packaging. Let me tell you, they will go the extra mile to protect your order from the most careless mail carrier including Ace Ventura.
This kit currently offered in two versions hence the different prices on the table above. The base kit is to be used to light up the engines. The second set apart from including extra hardware, it also comes with 2 extra outlets for the included 8mm LEDs. This is a very nice touch because these two extra light sources will be available for your fiber optics and/or hangar lighting. Both sets will arrive to you inside anti-static bags and since the cold weather and dry air is around the corner, that’s another well thought detail from the folks at Falcon 3D Prints but nevertheless, always ground yourself.
If you are going to use the engine bells provided with the kit they have a clear 3D printed sprocket looking part that will help diffuse the light more evenly on the engine bell. Something that I found a bit tedious with regular LEDs. To compensate, I had to sand off the glossy finish on the LEDs to help diffusing but I’m sure that the provided clear parts will do a better job at that. Should you decide to go with their own 3D printed engine bells, this part slightly change and to fit on the 3D printed counterparts and they are already providing you with them -nice touch-. The LEDs provided with these in a gloss yet frost looking on the inside. In other words, they are not 100% clear.
If your Star Destroyer project will have fiber optics, it is good to know that your in the same voltage neighborhood. The set runs between 6 to 16 volts; So if you’re using pre-wired LEDs rated at 12 volts, there’s still room to play with.
POWER UP!
Although both sets share pretty much the same board -except for the extra outlets- they run on the same voltage and share the same color, hue saturation and intensity controls. However the second set will also include a 6-16 volts DC Power. This power unit comes in 2 modules which means that one power pack can be used in different countries. There’s is a ‘reset’ button on the board to go back to the factory settings instead of guessing how they were.
I am by no means an electronic guru. But the lady of the house works for Orbital ATK soldering electronics for top secret stuff on the microscopic level. In her words, ‘very basic but well executed and built piece.’
From my side and like I mentioned before, for those suffering from electronic illiteracy like me, this sets are the way to go for either an experienced or occasional builder with 0 electronics experience. Lets be honest, the Revell or Zvezda Star Destroyers are not really complicated kits. I have see this very often when a person wants a model but commissions it, or take the chance and build it themselves. Both, the model kit itself and the lighting set are easy enough for anyone to build.
Absolutely positively recommended!
My sincere thanks to Gus and Konstantin from Falcon 3D Parts for the review sample.
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