Layout In A Box – Demo Micro Layout Project (part 18) Fitting & Installing The AX021-OO (-N / -O) Bonfire Kit

We’ll start by deciding where the bonfire will be going on our layout, the location we’ve settled upon is on the waste ground in the yard. Using a small rotary tool with drill bit, a hole just big enough for the wires from the bonfire to fit through. The red positive + wire comes with a resistor pre-fitted, so you can use this bonfire on any voltage up to 12V 16V. 

Apply super phatic glue (super glue) or similar to the underside of the bonfire base. Then feed both the two wires down through the hole you’ve just drilled.Make sure the bonfire sits level on the baseboard surface. You can at this stage, paint & weather the timber on the bonfire to rep-present burnt timber. Use the likes of weather powders, weathering pastels or acrylic paints to do this.

With the wires now fed under the baseboard, we are now going to connect to a 12V transformer. we’re connecting the wires in to a chocblock connector which is being used as distribution point for the wiring to other lights on the layout. The wires come pre-striped & solder tinned, so they can be easily extended by soldering another wire on to them (as covered in the last article of this series (Part 17). However as the chocblock connector is close enough for the wires from the bonfire, the wires are simply inserted into the chocbloc connector & the grip screws tightened.

As seen in the photo right, another pair of wires is fed in from the 12v transformer & inserted into the other side of the chocbloc connector. Again the chocbloc connector grip screws are tighten to secure the wires.

In the simplified diagram opposite right, it shows two of our lighting kits wired up to the power supply. As you can see, the three flood lights are wired into one chocbloc, which in then turn then runs as two wires to the same choc bloc that the bonfire is wired into. From this chocbloc, the two wires run to a connector lead on the mains 12v transformer. The transformer is then in turn plugged into the mains. You can if so wish, fit a switch between the transformer & the lighting kits which will allow your to turn the lights on off as you wish.

All that’s left to do now, is to turn down your room lights & switch on the power supply to the bonfire & enjoy it flickering away! You can further enhance the bonfire by installing a smoke generator unit fitted under the bonfire. A hole will have to be made to allow the smoke to be able to come up through from the bottom of the bonfire kit.

Happy modelling.