Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey guys i'm making a model and want it to light up (in the eyes). I remember a while ago seeing a tutorial or topic somewhere were a guy made his models light up with LEDs. I can't find any of these topics or articles anywhere. Can any one link me to these topics? Thanks.

I don't have any of the links, but lighting up your models isn't very hard. What part of it are you looking for help on?

Look up using fiber optics for modeling. People do huge ships and trucks and etc etc with short fiber optics and one LED powering them all.

Never done it, but that's how its done.

Lbursley has tried it and posted results on this forum as well.

I remember a Guy who did lit up necron warriors with teeny tiny leds in their eyes... That guy was a master compared to my clumsy LED tinkering. I searched, but cant find the link for ya- Sorry.


... oh... my clumsy attempt?





Note the unrealistic power cables, and the super unrealistic AAA battery pack powering the super bright blue LED... but WOW I still swoon over that Shield Gen effect.

Those wires are "transformer coil wrapping" wires, and are super thin and insulated, as can be seen. And there ARE 3v batteries that can fit under the models base, hidden away.

@Calaban is that a flying base being used as the shield?

Oh nonono. Its an LED powered compressed diagonal helix 2-dimensional matrix Forcefield! Anyone can make one if they just wire it right!

[lol.. yeah, its a large skimmer vehicle flying base... Tau armies tend to have extra]


LEDs are simple lighting 'systems'- take 1.5v or 3v LEDs, get batteries that match, put the shorter LED prong on the -, the longer one to the +, and presto! Heres that shield gen LED powered inhand by 2 hearing aid batteries:



3V LEDs are the brightest. For more long term lighting, its wise to include a resistor of around 155 ohms to keep the LEDS from eventually burning out due to too much current flow. So, a Battery pointing the right way, a switch of some sort, and a resistor for proper measures, and youve got lights.

I would say to try here.

"Note the unrealistic power cables, and the super unrealistic AAA battery pack powering the super bright blue LED... "

in the grim darkness of the far future there's only war... and AAA batteries!

like that shield alot!

heres one i did using promo bacardi necklaces from a bar

I did one, which you can see here

That tau shield effect is *incredible*. I'd like to build one from scratch now, incorporating the batteries into a scenic base.

Ouze wrote:I did one, which you can see here

That tau shield effect is *incredible*. I'd like to build one from scratch now, incorporating the batteries into a scenic base.

TO be fair, your model looks great, but you don't show how to do it or provide and tips (what the OP is looking for)

jabbakahut wrote:

Ouze wrote:I did one, which you can see here

That tau shield effect is *incredible*. I'd like to build one from scratch now, incorporating the batteries into a scenic base.

TO be fair, your model looks great, but you don't show how to do it or provide and tips (what the OP is looking for)

To be fair, he really didn't, actually. He posted that he saw someone did it and wanted a link, which i provided.

Your interpretation, your assumption, is that he wanted instructions, and mine is that he wanted examples. Since he has not posted to this thread otherwise, it's unknown which is accurate.

Ouze wrote:To be fair, he really didn't, actually. He posted that he saw someone did it and wanted a link, which i provided.

Your interpretation, your assumption, is that he wanted instructions, and mine is that he wanted examples. Since he has not posted to this thread otherwise, it's unknown which is accurate.

Minky wrote:Hey guys i'm making a model and want it to light up (in the eyes). I remember a while ago seeing a tutorial or topic somewhere were a guy made his models light up with LEDs. I can't find any of these topics or articles anywhere. Can any one link me to these topics? Thanks.

Dude I would love a tutorial of how you did that shield.
It is possibly the coolest thing I've seen in a while!

Seriously, please share how you did that.

That pattern reminds me of these drawing circles with teeth that I had when I was a kid. How did you do that-is a good question.

Heres a link to the tutorial of how I did the shield, for those interested. (its a copy of an old topic in Tau Online)

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/273909.page

.. and would indeed count as a simple explanation of how to add a light to a 40k model.