Hey guys, for those that visit the X Wing forums, you probably recognize my work, but I'm starting the transition to Armada. It started here with this ISD - It's just such a beautiful and iconic ship that I needed one. And as I was working on it, I grew sad that it wasn't ever going to see the table top, and started thinking about where I was going to display it - even thinking about bringing it into work to do so... And then I finished it up, and even though I have an X wing C-ROC ready to go, I really wanted to work on some more Armada ships. So I think I'm addicted now. I have a Interdictor on my workbench, and the core set on order from MM.

But anyways, here is my ISD.

Originally, I was planning on lighting the hanger portion as well, but I quickly found that I was running out of space. I put tons of fiber optics on the top command deck, and then realized that I had to carry that out throughout the entire ship. No regrets though, I think it looks better like this that it would have with less lights and a lit hanger. Plus it made using the hanger for the on/off and recharge ports super easy. I did have to bend the hull slightly to get the edges back closed, that's how much stuff I crammed in there, but I can't even tell that even though I know that's the case, so I doubt anyone else will be able to tell (except for all ya'll because I just told you).

That looks great, fantastic job

That just looks mind bendingly fantastic.

About how long and how much skill does such an endeavor take? Any chance you might do a tutorial of some sort?

5 minutes ago, Tiberius the Killer said:

That's just looks mind bendingly fantastic.

About how long and how much skill does such an endeavor take? Any chance you might do a tutorial of some sort?

Thanks man. I ended up doing this in about 20 hours spread out over 5-6 dedicated sessions. As far as actual skill, there's not a lot involved beyond the basis stuff required to do any LEDs. I've done pretty extensive write ups before on my X wing page ( https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/220901-lighting-and-repaints/ ) and it all pretty much applies here. But as far as this specific ship, lemme see if I can give a write up.

Step 1) Determine the scope of the project and game plan everything out. This WILL change as you tear it apart. I like to do some google searches for pictures of the ship to determine what I'm interested in doing. But it goes beyond just deciding what I want the end product to look like. I also decide where I'm going to put the switch, and how I'm going to recharge it. I also take this opportunity to do any research on tearing it apart if others have already done so. I make my shopping list of components I'll need at this time to make sure I have everything in advanced so I'm not waiting for something to arrive (which I end up doing anyways).

For the ISD, I decided that I wanted FOs on all hull sections, engines, and the ventral docking bay. I figured the three large engines were going to be dedicated LEDs, and the smaller would be shared either through FOs or through and ambient glow behind them. The docking bay I figured that I would either have to side light it with numerous large FOs or potentially use a side glow FO. I had no clue where I wanted the switch/recharge ports, but I figured I'd find somewhere.

Step 2) This is the first hands on step, tearing down the model. I'm not the best at this as I always end up marring the surface in some location at least, but in general, I slide a knife between the parting lines, and wiggle it back and forth. Once a post breaks apart, you should be able to locate where the other posts all are - focus your attention right at (or on either side if you can't get right on it) the post. In addition to splitting the hull in half, there are always additional components that need to be taken apart, but take a look at whether or not it needs to come off before taking it apart. Minimizing the tear down is always a good thing. Don't be afraid if something breaks - it's almost always a clean break that you can easily repair.

My research on how other people did this yielded a concern that the rear posts where a PITA. I even stumbled across someone (I believe on these forums) that ended up cracking the hull instead of the pegs. So after deciding that they weren't going to come apart, I went ahead and just cut them from the inside. There were a total of 3 small bits that ended up breaking off, but they all glued back on perfectly.

Step 3) This is where the fun begins. And I actually mean that, I enjoy these next few steps. Now that everything is opened up, it's time to start planning out where everything will go. The main thing to determine is the battery location as that is the largest item. But it's also important to take a look at wiring routings, and where the LEDs are going to go. This is also the time to determine any plasticard that'll be needed, and where that's going to go. You also have to determine what needs to go and what needs to stay. Striking the right balance is critical - remove too many and it's a PITA to put back together. Leave too much and it's a PITA to get everything in.

Well I screwed this one up. I thought that there was going to be plenty of space inside, so I didn't worry much about internal space and pretty much ignored this step, and ended up paying for it later on (which is why this step is there). After I ran the FOs for the sides, I realized that I was going to have to take out more posts than I initially intended to - and its much harder to do that when there's a ton of fragile FOs right next to the dremel location.

Step 4) Now you get to execute step 3. You WILL want a dremel for this. There's not much to be said about how to do this, you'll learn short cuts and techniques as you go. Posts are pretty easy to remove, and sections that you are opening up can typically be drilled through, and then widened with a routing bit. Finally, the engine diffusers (such as on the CR-90) are best to come from the back of it, and just take off ~1/8 of plastic until only the diffuser is left. A hobby knife can help clean up the edges to provide a crisp look. Cutting out the cockpits can be simple or difficult depending on if you want to leave the window supports. If you're fine cutting them out completely, use a cutter disc to just open up the slot. It'll make it nice and straight and level. However, if you want to leave the vertical supports in place, then you'll have to drill out enough of it to fit a small hobby knife and work very carefully to cut it out. The good news is if you mess it up, you can just cut out the vertical support anyways.

A bunch of this isn't really relevant to Armada since you're really never going to be lighting up cockpits on this scale. But this is where you'll cut out the area of the hull to create an opening between the command decks and the main part of the hull.

Step 5) Paint it black. All of it (well, just the interior). Trust me, it'll help with light seepage. And it's super easy (though time consuming) to do now instead of later. You've cut everything out that needs to be cut out, and you haven't installed anything yet.

Yup... I ignored this step too and regretted it. I ended up having to go back through at the end and paint all of the FO source LEDs black and the hull around them with the ship only 1'' apart because I was getting very concentrated yellow light seepage through the hull. It's almost like I've dealt with that issue before and have a plan as far as how to prevent it from being an issue again...

Step 6) If you're using fiber optics, this is when you want to run them. I will point out that if the ship is double walled, you will want to dremel out (in step 4) the interior wall. FO's don't go well through two walls. In general, I find that drilling from the outside in works best for FOs, it typically leaves a shaving on the inside to help you locate each hole. For sizing the FO cable, I find that I'd much rather waste extra than deal with just barely enough, so I'll run it from the location of the LED to the furthest point, and then add about 3-4 inches (depending on how far away that is). When threading through, I start at the furthest point and go back towards the LED. Once all of the FO's are wired and the cable is in the position you want it, it's time to glue them in place. DO NOT use super glue. This actually attacks and breaks the FOs. I've had good luck with just white glue (you know, the stuff you use in school?), but I used to use hot glue, but that ends up being messy. I've heard good things about silicon as well, but it seems like it'll have the same issue as the hot glue. Whatever medium you use, after you get it in place, wiggle the FO in and out a bit so the glue actually goes into the hole instead of on top of it. Once it's dried, you should be good to snip the FOs down to about an inch. I leave an inch to minimize the chance of the external FO getting caught up and pulled on anything - that will break the glue. But in case I pull it from the inside working with the rest of the installation, I still have some extra to thread through.

Yup, this is all applicable to any FO project. I've never worked on this quantity before though, so I did an additional step of combining numerous cables into a single LED source. Typically I'll use a 64-filament cable and use a single LED to light those, but I a ton of cables, partially due to the quantity, and partially due to ease-of-use aspects. I ended up cutting about 1/2'' off the LED side of the cables and using heat shrink to combine 3-4 cables into a single 5mm LED. Except that I didn't really plan out where everything was going and had the LEDs poorly placed within the ship. Another reason to execute step 3 better.

Step 7) If there's any sections that need plasticard installed, now's a good time to do it (make sure you paint it!). Though if you needed to run FO's through it first, then it would have to be at least slightly in place already. In addition, this is a good time to glue in place the diffusers as well, both on any cockpits and engines. I've found that any time you can glue the diffuser in from the back, better to go with a milk carton, but any time it would have to be a perfect fit, you're not going to get it with a milk carton, so you might as well fill it with hot glue. If you want a smooth surface at the end of the hot glue, you can use parchment paper (ask the lady for some), insert the hot glue, and then hold it upright so the parchment paper is on the bottom - the glue will drip down and cool against the paper, which should peel off afterwards.

None of this was needed for the ISD. I actually had to come up with a new way of lighting the engines. On previous projects I've always had the LED behind some sort of diffuser, but the Star Destroyers have the issue of being this large cone that's all supposed to be lit up, but only a small section is actually attached to something. So if I cut out the small section and place a diffuser there, then that's the only part that's lit up, and the rest of the cone is dark. I tried filling the cone with hot glue (with the intention of it providing a large diffused surface), but that was just a colossal failure. In the end, I found that popping the LED through into the focal point of the cone, and painting the cone with a glossy reflective paint worked really well.

Step 8) Almost done. Time to install the LEDs for all of this. I've found that it's typically easiest to solder on a length of wire to the end of the LEDs, but leave it at that for now. Green stuff is a great way to secure the LEDs and hold them in place in the center of the engine. If you're lighting up a cockpit area, drilling a small hole through the plasticard and inserting the LED through there is also a good way to secure it (and then glue/tape it to the backside). For the FOs, I use some heat shrink to hold the LED tight to the FOs and then some tape to hold everything together.

This is where I started struggling - I hadn't planned out where the LEDs for all of these FOs were going to fit. I ended up pushing all of the hull FOs along the right side of the ventral hanger, and the command deck FOs on the left side. So the LED for the command deck is actually by the bow of the ship, and all of the LEDs for the rest are back by the stern (off centered since the battery and engines were centered). This is also about the time that I abandoned any hope of lighting the hanger.

Step 9) Finally, time to snip the leads to length and solder then to the resistors and to the battery. This is also a good time to figure out where the recharge cables and switch(es) are going to go. Not much to discuss here, I've found that using bits of metal plates along with magnets are a good way to have hidden recharge cables. As are removable turrets.

By abandoning the hanger, it allowed me to make that the spot for the switch and recharge ports. I had planned on doing a dual switch arrangement so I could have it running in one of four ways - On from Battery, On from Wall, Charging + On, Charging + Off. I was still of the opinion that this was going to be exclusively a display piece so I was planning on having it on 24/7, without having to power it through the battery and continuously recharge the battery. Turns out I didn't have enough space, but oh well. Once that was abandoned due to space reasons, it was pretty straight forward to solder everything together. I like to do it in two halves, and then put them together as the final step.

Step 10) Time to put everything back together. Before gluing everything together, I like to test it for 24-48hrs or so prior to finalizing it all. I typically put glue in a couple of posts, and then in a corner or two when I've cut out a bunch of the posts in a row. This is typically an easy step. And once it's all set, you can trim the FOs flush. Plyers are the best tools normally, but sometimes you'll need a knife. And if you plan on painting it, you'll want to leave a bit of the FOs exposed so you can paint it, not worry about covering the FOs, and then cut them at the end.

This was actually a very challenging step for this ship. I packed so much into it that it didn't really want to close. Plus the only pegs left were two in the rear, which meant the sides had to be glued in place, so I couldn't even fudge it with a small non-noticeable gap. I spent several hours (though not dedicated) gluing on section, holding it secure with numerous clamps, and then moving on to another section once it dried. This was abnormal though, and if I was to do another ISD it wouldn't be as bad. And for trimming the FOs flush, I've actually migrated on to using cuticle cutters for that - they have a very fine and sharp point, allowing you to easily get right up next to the hull.

Hope this helps you get an idea of my process.

very extensive how-to, thank you so much

Here's my second Armada ship. I'm excited to put both of these on the table tonight for my first game of Armada... The Interdictor had a few personal problems that I haven't really come across in other models yet - it's a large ship with practically no space inside. That and the center channel glow needed an unique solution. I ended up buying some cheap 3V lasers to power a side glow fiber optic, which was then wrapped in reflective tape all around except for the 3 slits that I wanted light to shine through. It's a nice effect, I just hope that the laser doesn't have any longevity problems. I'm glad that I found a way to use the side glow though - I've tried it before with just a regular LED and it doesn't end up working well. I had discarded it as just too low of a power source to work. But as I've expanded my skills, I found that the smaller LEDs almost work with side glow, leading me to think it might just be a focus issue, and the laser is super focused.

I had a lovely time fitting a battery in there - I ended up having to carve out some sections above the engine to make room for my smallest LiPo (380mAh) to fit, and I used each of the gravity wells to house a different item (front two have the LEDs for the FOs, rear ones have the laser and the resistors) in order to make everything fit. Finally, for the switch, I used the bridge as both the switch and access to the on/off. On the top of the bridge tower I have the a positive and negative plate connected directly to the battery to allow it to recharge, and the front of the tower has a plate connected to all of the LEDs. Then with just a bit of conductive tape stuck to the underside of the bridge itself, it connects the battery to the LEDs, turning everything on. There's also a small magnet in the bridge that attaches to the negative plate to help hold the bridge in place.

Sadly, since I had to go with a smaller battery, it only lasts for about 3 hours, but the flip side is that at 1A, it recharges in 23 minutes, so in a tourney setting, I should be able to fully recharge the battery in between each round (with the possible exception of the elimination rounds - not like I expect to ever make it that far).

Very nice! To answer the question being asked in the image, how about Illuminati or Illuminatus ?

I wish you could have found a way to light up the grav wells themselves; I think they benefit from that sort of focus, as opposed to some of the smaller areas near the bow. I'd have been sorely tempted to put some of the necessary items in the base to pull it off.

Nevertheless, it's a fantastic ship and I hope you're proud of what you've done with it.

11 hours ago, SFC Snuffy said:

I wish you could have found a way to light up the grav wells themselves; I think they benefit from that sort of focus, as opposed to some of the smaller areas near the bow. I'd have been sorely tempted to put some of the necessary items in the base to pull it off.

Nevertheless, it's a fantastic ship and I hope you're proud of what you've done with it.

True. When I do a ship, I like to focus on what makes that ship distinct and emphasis that. The ISD is a massive ship, so the sheer size means a huge quantity of lights. Pulling from my X Wing stuff, the Raider is a menacing thing, so I emphasized the profile and guns on the top hull, while the transport is all about the engines. My upcoming Gladiator is going to focus on the hangars. Whenever I do the Quasar its going to also be about those front hangars. And the Interdictor is about the gravity stuff, which should be both the center spine and the gravity wells. I'm not a hug fan of external batteries, but that could be my background in XWM - these ships have a bit more space to make it work, surprisingly though, not that much more space. I'll have to take some measurements on a medium base, but I know the small bases won't fit even the half sized battery I used on the Interdictor - at least not without some sort of major modification to avoid all the shield dials.

But even if I went with an external battery, the grav wells would still have been extremely difficult to light up. I could have done the same thing I did with the top hull and just use an array of FOs, but I would prefer to have lit it all up, which would require cutting out the top of the grav well, cutting it uniformly down 3mm, gluing a 3D diffuser behind it, and then perfectly centering the top of the grav well again. And then each one would have to be independently back lit by its own LED. And repeat 3 more times. The number of things that could (er, would*) go wrong with that approach led me to believe that even if I had the space, I would be disappointed with the end result. I did think of two alternatives to doing that though, and perhaps if I do another one (likely a commission, I don't see ever needing two myself), I might try a compromise alternative. But would again require an external battery for space reasons. But option one would be to back light the entire grav well, ignoring just the 3mm section that's supposed to be lit. This could be accomplished by sanding down the inside surface to thin the plastic, placing a bit of plasticard on the backside lined with reflective tape, and then a dedicated LED for that well. The end result should be a red glow coming from the grav well. Or, instead of cutting the top part off and having to deal with recentering it and using 3D diffusers, I could just cut sections out, leaving supports throughout to keep the top of the grav well attached (bypassing the need to recenter the top). And then hot glue can be used from the rear as a diffuser (bypassing the need for a 3D diffuser). This would probably be the best answer. It would most accurately represent the card art, have the highest rate of success, but would probably add about 4 hours onto the total project (plus then having the external battery, which again, I didn't really consider).

But all in all, I'm pretty happy with it. I need to work on the switch a bit more - the bridge is too fickle to provide a constant on, so I'll have to probably use some plasticard to make it fit tighter. But I got them both on the field for the first time last night (my first game of Armada actually), and some poor maneuvering just showed off how much more powerful the ISD engines are.

Here's a simple LED job on the Gladiator. I basically treated each of the hangars like an engine, and then just used some various sized FOs for the engines themselves.

And a quick mod to the Raider. The hardest and most time consuming part was soldering to the micro LEDs.

So there have been some requests for shopping lists to go along with the step by step instructions I previously provided. Every job uses a slightly different list, but I'll see if I can highlight those.

First off, generic tools:

Hobby Knife w/ lots of sharp blades - This is used for a ton of stuff, I use them to open the ships up, I use them with saw blades to cut pegs, I use them with narrow blades to cut and clean any engine diffuser area (or hangars in the case of the Gladiator), and to clean up after dremeling. I started with this set from costco (when it was $20) https://www.amazon.com/Mastergrip-Craft-Hobby-Tool-Set/dp/B00H239GA8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1501596978&sr=8-9&keywords=hobby+tool+set

Dremel w/ several accessories - I use it as my general power tool, drilling the fiber optic holes, cutting out pegs to make space for content, opening up hull areas that separate them (such as the command deck from the regular hull on the ISD), and filing off bits of the fin/peg to make room for the wires. I highly recommend a variable speed dremel so you can slow it down for FOs, keep it medium speed for controlled work, and high speed for mass removal. I use this one https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-4000-2-30-120-Volt-Variable/dp/B002L3RUVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501597033&sr=8-1&keywords=dremel+variable+speed

Wire cutters - Preferably one that goes down to 30 gauge or smaller. I use https://www.amazon.com/OdiySurveil-Multifunctional-Plier-Cutter-Stripping/dp/B00R92HEU6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501597188&sr=8-3&keywords=wire+stripping+tool+30+awg

Tin snips - I use these to cut small steel squares that I use as contacts for recharging/magnets. I don't think I've needed them for any of my Armada ships yet, but I use that method quite a bit in X Wing. https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-FatMax-14-563-Straight-Aviation/dp/B00009OYFY/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501597286&sr=1-3&keywords=tin+snips

Heat Gun - I suppose this would be optional, but highly recommended. I use heat shrink for both wire joints (which could be replaced with just electrical tape) and for the joint of fiber optics to LED. Just be careful you don't melt the FOs. https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-0503059-Furno-Heat-Tool/dp/B01M020KO1/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501597376&sr=1-6&keywords=heat+gun

Tweezers - I use these for soldering so I don't melt my fingers. I use the ones from the hobby tool set linked above.

Hot glue gun - Again this is optional and I don't think I've used it in Armada yet, but it can be a good diffuser. I don't have a low temp one, but if I was to do it over, I would get it. https://www.amazon.com/Blusmart-Pieces-Sticks-Temperature-Projects/dp/B01LW8UVYJ/ref=sr_1_7?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501597706&sr=1-7&keywords=low+temp+hot+glue+gun

Clamps - For putting the ship back together. I will also occasionally use them backwards to provide pressure from the inside a ship to help break other pegs. I use a combination of 1'' and 4'' ones https://www.amazon.com/Tools-QUICK-GRIP-Spring-1-Inch-222601/dp/B0001LQY4Y/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501597855&sr=1-6&keywords=1''+clamp and https://www.amazon.com/SPRING-CLAMP-4-4pc/dp/B00FBXTAW0/ref=sr_1_8?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501597900&sr=1-8&keywords=4''+clamp Note they're much cheaper at Home Depot than online.

Battery charger - Since I use drone batteries for almost all of my applications, I need a charger for them. I personally use a 5 way recharger because I have numerous ships, but I also have one of these for game day recharging since it goes faster. https://www.amazon.com/Syma-X5C-USB-Charging-Cable/dp/B00P2XIEAI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501598281&sr=8-1&keywords=drone+charger

Helping Hand - Super useful for soldering. You often have the two pieces to hold, plus solder, plus the iron. This helps. https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Solder-Helping-Magnifying-Magnifier/dp/B00KS143QI/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1501598631&sr=1-2&keywords=helping+hand

Cuticle clippers - It sounds stupid, but I've found these to be the best tool for snipping the FOs once they're installed in the ship. https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Cuticle-Clipper-Stainless-Springs/dp/B01G6Y376W/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1501599753&sr=1-4&keywords=cuticle+nipper

And then bulk materials:

Toothpicks - Or something similar to place glue where you need it. In my case, I use the pointy tool from the tool box linked above.

Solder - I go with lead free because I'm a bad person and don't wear a respirator like I'm supposed to while soldering. https://www.amazon.com/WEmake-Lead-Free-Solder-0-031/dp/B009YKISMY/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501598041&sr=1-6&keywords=lead+free+solder

Super Glue (CA) - I use this to put the ship back together and as my go to glue for pretty much everything except FOs.

White Glue - This is what I use to secure the FOs in place. Super glue attacks the FOs, so you don't want to use it. Good 'ole Elmers glue is all you need.

Wire - I use both 24awg, 30awg, and single strands (from the 24awg). I prefer to use the 24awg because it's easier to solder, but every now and then there's not enough space for it and the 30awg is required. I also use the 30awg for all of my peg/fin/base work due to its smaller size.

Milk Carton - Next time you empty the milk, wash out the plastic container. It's a great (and free) diffuser.

Metal sheet - Used for cutting small metal squares for recharge ports.

Drill bits - Use these for FOs and engines. For the FOs you'll want something .05-.1mm larger than the filament. Be aware you WILL be breaking them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014CXSZIO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Green stuff - I use it to hold stuff in place, LEDs, switches, recharge ports... whatever! https://www.amazon.com/Green-Stuff-Yellow-Epoxy-Putty/dp/B002MB61RQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1501600279&sr=1-1&keywords=green+stuff

And consumable materials:

LEDs - Obviously the size and color depend on the purpose. I used 5mm for FOs, 3mm for the engines, 1206 SMD for the center Raider engine, 0603s for a bunch of XWM stuff, and 0402 for the side engines on the Raider (and likely the Gozanti too). I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than the 1206 until you're comfortable soldering. I get them for either Amazon or Ebay, expect about 10cents per LED.

Resistors - You'll want an assortment of them. I picked up a kit like this, and I'm only starting to run out of the more common ones. https://www.amazon.com/E-Projects-EPC-103-Value-Resistor-Kit/dp/B00E9YQQSS/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1501598851&sr=1-3&keywords=resistors+kit

Magnets - You can never have enough magnets. I use them all the time, both in the 1/8'' and the 1/16'' sizes. I'll use them for pretty much every removable joint these days (recharge, ship->fin, fin->base) https://www.amazon.com/Linlinzz-Super-Magnets-Drill-Combo/dp/B072LKGW2P/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501599027&sr=8-2&keywords=1%2F8+magnet and https://www.amazon.com/Linlinzz-Super-Magnets-Drill-Combo/dp/B072LKGW2P/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501599039&sr=1-2&keywords=1%2F16+magnet

Batteries - I use 2 sizes for Armada, 380mAh and 750mAh. The 380mAh fits PERFECTLY under a small base, and is about the largest battery you can get inside of an Interdictor. The 750mAh is preferable whenever possible for the run time. https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-380mAh-Battery-Hubsan-Spider/dp/B00HS5Y6G4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1501599109&sr=8-2&keywords=380mah+drone+battery and https://www.amazon.com/Powerextra-750mAh-Battery-Charger-V950str/dp/B071DT8487/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1501599176&sr=1-5&keywords=750mah+drone+battery Though with that said, I'm probably going to pick up some 1200mAh for even larger batteries https://www.amazon.com/HOBBYTIGER-1200mAh-Batteries-Quadcopter-Replacement/dp/B01CE5AFV2/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1501599201&sr=1-5&keywords=3.7v+drone+battery

Fiber Optics - I have a wide assortment, but the basic types are filament, cable, and side glow. Filament is an individual wire, cables are a collection of individual filaments, and then the side glow is obviously a side glow FO. Cables come in two sizes, 64/.25 (64 .25mm filaments) and 32/.5. I would recommend the 64/.25. Filaments also come in various sizes, .25mm, .5mm, .75mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2.0mm and I would recommend .75mm and maybe 1.5mm. Side glow FOs start at 2mm, but you really don't need them. I get all of my FOs from http://thefiberopticstore.com/

Switches - I use two physical switches, magnetic reed and physical toggles. The Magnetic reads are more for X wing. I also make use of circuit interruption to turn them on/off. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZRE6GM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Voltage-Current-Normally-Magnetic/dp/B00PI6TUQG/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1501600390&sr=1-2&keywords=magnetic+reed+switch

I think this is a full list of all the tools and materials I use on any given job. Note the links provided are NOT recommended purchase links - I put zero time or effort into looking for these things, and noticed on some of them the price was ridiculously high. I provided the link just to help illustrate the tool/material.

What is the typical material cost on an ISD to light it?

11 minutes ago, Darthain said:

What is the typical material cost on an ISD to light it?

My ISD used 4 Blue 5mm LEDs @10c ea, 2 White 5mm LEDs @10c ea, 2 resistors @ 10c ea, a 750mAh battery @ $5, 2 1/8'' magnets @ 20c ea, 1 switch @ 30c, and probably about 4' of 64/.25 FO cable @ 2'/ft... so the stuff that made its way inside would be about $14.50 in material cost. You can probably add another $5 in bulk material and losses, so figure $20 in material.

Finished up my first Gozanti this weekend. One more to go and I'll be all set for Gencon on Thursday! (and that one has 5/6 LEDs already installed, I ran out for the last one though)

That's crazy! How did you ever fit everything into the tiny hulls! That is talent!

7 minutes ago, Tiberius the Killer said:

That's crazy! How did you ever fit everything into the tiny hulls! That is talent!

Haha, thanks, but I didn't. The Gladiator is the smallest one that I opened up, and even that one has the battery under the base. The Raider and Gozanti just have their LEDs glued onto the back of the ship, and the wires routed along the hull, preferably in crevices to hide them from view.

Well you fooled me! They really do look fantastic!

Finished up the second Gozanti last night... The final LED was being a pain... I probably went through about 5-6 on Sunday before I ran out, and then another 4 last night... Not to mention actually gluing it on. There was absolutely no reason for it to be that difficult, but because it was, I didn't get to sleep until after midnight last night, and I also didn't get to take any scenic pictures of the two of them. I am happy with how all four Gozantis came out looking uniformed (especially since the Raider's engines are just a slightly different tint of blue - I'd be pissed if one of the Gozantis had that off color blue). To be honest, I can't remember which one was the new one...

While I was waiting on the glue for that to dry, I went ahead and made up an extra base. Don't know why I didn't do that earlier. Now the Gladiator (it only lasts ~3hrs) can get a fresh base each round as I recharge the one it was just using. The Raider/Gozantis last a much longer time, but I can top them off in between rounds (when I get killed quickly) as well, so they should last all day then. At least that's what I've done with X Wing ships and haven't had a problem with it thus far.

impressive!

Absolutely amazing work. I'm really impressed. Makes me want to try it when the Chimaera comes out.

Also, thanks for posting the guide on how it's done.

15 minutes ago, RyonOlson said:

Absolutely amazing work. I'm really impressed. Makes me want to try it when the Chimaera comes out.

Also, thanks for posting the guide on how it's done.

I'm considering itnas well on a full ridiculous repaint.

Here's another Raider that I did for a customer. The big difference between this one and the first one I did for me is actually on the peg. Since it was a one-off, having interchangable bases wasn't a concern for the customer. As such, I was able to move the resistor under the base, providing a much cleaner table top look. I kinda wish that I had taken real pictures of it to update all of my Raider pictures with this variant as it just looks so much cleaner.

Finally finished up my first Rebel ship. The Home One was a PITA to work on... The exterior engines were a PITA that still didn't come out quite right, the hangars were a b(*&# because they were right at the parting line, and the FOs were harder than expected since they're all being drilled and random angles to get them to work. Many lessons learned from working with this one that I can apply to the Liberty though.

If you ever do a Pelta please share it with us. I think the Phoenix Home would really shine with some illumination.