Adding Lighting To Model Building Interiors
Adding Lighting To Model Building Interiors
One thing that really brings a model layout or diorama to life is lighting. With miniature lights now using LED’s & SMD’s model lighting can made to fit even the smallest of models. L.E.D’s/ S.M.D’s are long lasting, are more energy-efficient, last longer, more physically durable, and are safer than incandescent lighting sources. What does LED & SMD stand for?
- LED stands for Light Emitting Diode
- SMD stands for surface-mount device light-emitting diode
These SMD / LED lights come as single lights as well as in strips of SMD /LED lights. They range in many different colours & sizes including ones that can change colour too.
We’re going to install one SMD / LED light into the 1970’s Portable Office Building kit. This building kit was featured in a recent article showing how to build it. So first thing we need to do is add some interior detail items to add some interest to when viewing this building on the layout / diorama. I’m using some of the Faller Office interior detail kit & the Scalemodelscenery.co.uk Table & Chairs kit. The links to these two kits are as follows:
The Faller office interior kit is assembled using plastic glue like Deluxe Materials Plastic Magic or similar. For the Scalemodelscenery.co.uk table & chairs kit use Deluxe Materials Roket Card Glue. Once assembled place your chosen items from the office kit & table & chairs kit inside. Either glue into place or use Deluxe Materials Taxy Wax Glue which allows the items to be re-positioned or removed. All space for the wire for the lighting to run up the wall on the inside of the building.
Lighting
For this article i’m using one of Scalemodelscenery.co.uk lighting kits the: MLS-003 designed for Lock-Up Garage kit but is ideal for any model building. The kit contains six tiny SMD / LED lights of which three are warm white light, & the other three a cool white light. These come pre-wired with the resistor already fitted so just a case of connecting the wires straight up to your power supply (6 volt to 12 volt).
What Tools Do I Need?
- Wire stripper
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- Suitable sized drill bit for hole to take the two wires from the LED light
- Super Glue like Loctite 60 Second Glue
Do I Need Any Thing Else?
- A choc block connector
- 6V to 12V Plug In Transformer for your power supply for the lighting
- Wire to connect from your transformer to your lighting (I’m using 16/0.2mm wire)
So first add your building interior details. Decide where you are going to run your wire up to the building ceiling where it’ll be difficult to spot from the outside.
Next drill the hole for the wires in your baseboard.
Carefully drill a hole through the floor of building.
Carefully strip a short section of plastic sleeve off the end of both wires of the LED light.
Glue the LED to the the removable roof / ceiling. Then once the glue has set feed the wires down through the hole in the building wall. Place the wires in such away that they can’t be seen or are difficult to see when looking inside the building.
Now carefully feed the wires through the hole that was drilled in the baseboard earlier.
With the two wires from the LED light place into a chocbloc connector & tighten the wire securing screws.
From the 12V power supply transformer run two wires to the chocbloc connector. Connect the black wire to the black wire (- Negative) & red wire to the red wire (+ Positive). Check all wires are secure & switch on.
To hide where the wire comes up through the baseboard & up into the building use a view blocker. Here an oil barrel has been carefully placed to hide the wire in the gap below the building & the baseboard surface.
If you’re wanting to add more lights inside the building repeat the fitting process above & feed the wires through the same holes drilled earlier. Connect up to the same chocblock as the other LED light, no other resistors are needed as these lights come with the resistors pre-fitted.
Two other LED lighting that may be of interest is the LED lighting strip with multiple LED lights on for lighting bigger buildings like a workshop, engine shed etc. Also a five pack of pre-wired warm colour single LED lights. Both seen on the right here. The single LED’s could even be used as flood lights, this will take a look in the next article to follow.
Happy modelling.
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