David P Williams Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I'm building a SLEC/Apache Chipmunk. It's 'sport' scale, about 1/5. It's my first proper build for quite a long time, so I've been too shy to do a build log, but I will try to do one for my next build. Anyway, I'm getting towards the end of the main construction and starting to look at some scale detail. Hopefully some of this will be of use for the planned Chipmunk mass build even though the scale is different. Chipmunk nav lights are quite a prominent feature :- The tail light is similar - I only have a decent photo of the housing :- I have high intensity LEDs and some nice moulded clear plastic hemispheres of the correct diameter - 10mm for 1/5 scale - but I'm looking for help with the bakelite housings. How would you go about making these, and what material would you use? Thanks, David Edited By David P Williams on 16/04/2014 17:59:54 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Hi David the shapes of these are very similar to the hawker items fited to the Hurricane. You can see how i did those on that thread, I think I called it the quest? Anyway the tail light was quite a challenge, but I made mine from Chemi wood with a std 5mm clear led as the glass bit. For the wing nav lights I vacformed over an led and cut away a segment. I painted one led blue and one red. A layer of aluminium tape around the base, scored at regular intervals should look pretty good? I used a ring of styrene and it was too thick really. More how to shots are in that thread. I will probably do them in a similar way for the Chippy, and who knows I may even make moulds Cheers Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Thanks Danny, I'll check back through your Hurricane thread. I have some chemiwood, and clear plastic for moulding, and a lathe, so I should be able to cobble something together. I know the full-size lenses are red and blue, and the yellow light from the bulb shines through the blue as green, but I have red and green LEDs so I'll have to check what the green looks like through blue - it might have to be green. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Hi David as you rightly say the white light of an led will keep the radiated colour blue. I take it you are making them functional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Looking back through the album shows how rubbish my memory is I used P-38 auto body filler for parts of it There are loads of ways to skin a cat I dare say Please share how you get on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 16, 2014 Author Share Posted April 16, 2014 Yes I like to have working lights on anything scaleish. The landing light will switch with the flaps if it all works out. I get my lighting stuff from here - it's a dreadful website and his pdf brochure and price list is just as confusing, but he's very helpful on the phone and the stuff is good and pretty reasonably priced. I have bright red and bright green LEDs for the nav lights so it will be green shining through blue, so may not be too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Wow. That is a spectacularly bad website... I suspect he knows a lot more about lighting than about websites. I hope so anyway! I was going to download the pdf that is mentioned, but as far as I can make out I'd have to request a copy of that! Perhaps he prints it out and sends it in the post... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cymaz Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I have used BrainCube a number of times. Very good, would recommend. I was the first customer of his rotating beacon module.....in fact my plane is featured on the product page. And no, I don't get paid to say this Edited By cymaz on 17/04/2014 11:49:10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Yes they look good Cymaz, but I'm a cheapskate on a pension and Ross's stuff is good enough and WAY cheaper. You just have to be prepared to do some soldering and stuff yourself (oh - and wrestle with his brochure and price list!) John - if you email a brochure request he will email it back to you as an attachment. Just don't expect it to be much clearer than the website. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Well I cranked up the lathe and had a play. Made a shaped D-bit to form the inside shape and attacked a piece of hardwood dowel. Result not too bad - just need to make a replica and then try to mould some lenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Posted by David P Williams on 17/04/2014 13:09:13: John - if you email a brochure request he will email it back to you as an attachment. Just don't expect it to be much clearer than the website. He really must enjoy making life difficult for himself... Why on earth would you not have the PDF as a link on the website? Or better still a decent website that doesn't need a PDF to show whatever the PDF shows! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I am with you John, was interested enough to go to the website but flaming heck does he want to sell any? And as for writing asking for a PDF when it should be on the site....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 I know, I know, but when you find your way through the thing the stuff is good - and cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Bernard Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 I contacted Ross some time ago when trying to sort out lighting for my Cherokee. Since I am involved in the management and design of computer applications I tactfully (I thought) pointed out that I found his site very hard work and thought it would put a few people off. His response was very off hand to the effect that it seemed to be doing the job and was getting him customers. Obviously it was his pride and joy! Anyway, getting back on track, for the Cherokee I carved a small balsa blank for the lens covers and used that to push a piece of heated acetate through a matching hole. Quick and effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 I spent a happy if frustrating hour or two last night trying to mould some light lenses. They need to be hemispherical on the end with a short cylindrical section attached. It seems quite a deep draw in relation to the diameter, and I haven't yet managed to produce any without creases and wrinkles, but I'll persevere with different materials. Think I need something thinner than either lemonade bottles or the offcuts I have in my bits box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David P Williams Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 A slightly better effort in chemiwood - might try to do one in aluminium so it's more robust. I don't think I'll notice the weight on a 14lb model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny Fenton Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 Looking good David CheersDanny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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