Jump to content

Gundam : Light Project


Recommended Posts

hi guys, Gundam fans,

I am planning a lit Gundam (probably one or two subjects from Gundam Seed). The items of interest to be glowing in the dark will be the [1] eye sesnor unit & [2] beam sabre.

I guess the LED will be the option for the 'eye'. It is the beam sabre that I am wondering, would be best implemented with.

Any ideas are welcome!

:thumbsup:

Link to post
Share on other sites
Which scale is your planned gundam? Actually, anything smaller than the PG size, namely 1/100 and 1/144, would have trouble finding the led or even tiny bulb to fit in the grip of the beam sabre...

hi mazinkaiser, I was actually thinking a fighting dio between the Strike and Aegis in 1/100. Come to think about it, it is not really feasible as Aegis does not carry the normal beam sabre :thumbsup:

I agree a 1/60 Perfect Grade kit will be a better scale to source for the LED and to lay the wires. (In fact, the BAN931413 kit provides the LED for the eye.) But the options in 1/60 is limited, not to mention they're expensive...

Thanks for the reply, I guess my answer depends very much on, if I am able to source for a small enough LED...

cheers,

Edited by Pumpkin
Link to post
Share on other sites

Not sure if this is any help to you but you could possibly use a length of frosted acrylic rod for the blade of the sabre.

Its also possible to get LED's which are only a couple of mm's wide called surface mount LED's, I've bought some in the past which were only 2mm wide.

:wave:

Link to post
Share on other sites
Not sure if this is any help to you but you could possibly use a length of frosted acrylic rod for the blade of the sabre.

Its also possible to get LED's which are only a couple of mm's wide called surface mount LED's, I've bought some in the past which were only 2mm wide.

hi Green-Meanie, thanks for the suggestion. Can't say I'm familiar with frosted acrylic rod. Did a search with google shows this. Is the center of these rods hollow?

Meanwhile, I found the EL Wire and the Fluorescent Fiber. The diameter is as small as 1mm and 0.25mm!

Thanks guys, much appreciated. :wave:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, depending on the scale Plastruct has smaller diamtere rod in various colors, or US Plastics has acrylic rod in many lengths and sizes.

The surface mount LED's are truely the smallest I've ever seen and would be great for a 1:100 scale mech. Running power to them could be problematic but you might be able to modify some micro pins used in computers to giver you flexible connectors.

As a BTB, one of the optional weapons kits for the PG kits had a light up beam sabre. Used a 2mm battery that fit into the handle of the sabre (or was it a heat axe?).

Cool project, keep us informed.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The rod wouldnt necessarily have to be frosted to start with, you could probably use ordinary clear rod, then spray the outside with some sort of matt varnish to give a slightly frosted effect.

The idea is just to give the LED's light something to highlight.

Another point regarding the scale and how to mount the LED's. You could consider using the base to house any lights and run fibre optics through the model to the blade, or maybe even use a length of acrylic rod bent several ways through the legs and arms then protruding out from the hand to form the blade itself.

:whistle:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Cool guys. I will be doing some feasibility studies on the old 1/100 Gundam kit and hunting for LED/Fibre Optics at the local hobby shops this weekend.

Green-Meanie, I wish to keep the idea of a fighting diorama alive. If that is possible, the subjects will probably be off the base, supported by a rod. I'll keep the laying of fibre optics from the base in value.

kylwell, by any chance, you were referring to this 1/60 Zeta Gundam? The only PG kit that mentions lit beam sabre. Unfortunately, no photo/reference to how it will look.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you're going to light a beam sword try to find LEDs that throw most of their light forward. These are clear (sometimes tinted, sometimes purely clear) so you can see the metal 'cup' assembly inside. Wrapping the sides in tinfoil will further contain any light spilling sideways.

Link to post
Share on other sites
kylwell, by any chance, you were referring to this 1/60 Zeta Gundam? The only PG kit that mentions lit beam sabre. Unfortunately, no photo/reference to how it will look.

Thanks! ;)

Sounds right. The battey used (near as I can tell) was a BR435 3V battery. Long skinny thing. The Belkin penlight PDA stylus uses one and comes with an led.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...