Re: searchlights

yep, and the looked for machester and whitley. actually the stirling is going to be the german captured one with the burlap nose. it's too cool to not do.

named after j wellington whimpey. the stirling came from short bros.

burlap nose???????????

the germans shot one down, the nose was caved in so they covered it in burlap and used to to train fighters. pics in the squadron stirling book.

Quite right. I shall have to flagellate myself for that slip.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

I know the one you mean but I'm not sure that was burlap. How about canvas?

Bill Banaszak, MFE

careless typing....

wow, are you double jointed? (r,r,r)

In one or another book on making shadow boxes, the author uses grain-of-wheat bulbs set deep into a piece of brass tubing for spotlights. Adjusts brightness with a variable resistor.

Steve H

e wrote:

i'v played with those, but they don't really beam. i'm thinking those halogen flashlight bulbs.

Or maybe one of those high output white LEDs with a Fresnel lens in front of it...

Depending on the scale you're looking for, I seem to recall seeing searchlights mounted on flatcars in a model railroading shop someplace...and I think there may be some available though that HO scale armor outfit. I forget the brand...but i used to see them in the train stores as well - big line of stuff...should work for 1/72. You'd just have to install the lights.

Most small intense lights will work with the right mounting and reflector setup. Seems like the trick is to get a fairly collimated beam out. Maybe a Maglite flashlight and a piece of dead black inside tubing?

Just remember that those HO scale armor items are plastic, and a hot bulb will reduce them to a puddle of goo!

Bill Shuey who learned the hard way!

ain't it good for you? that good old fashioned medicated goo?

thanks bill, i'll remember that.

Follow me, ain't it good for you? My own home-grown recipe will see ya through...

Use an LED and avoid the mess.

A short lesson in elementary physics is required here. Remember that photons (light particles) travel in straight lines. You therefore won't see the light travelling through clean air unless you are looking straight down the "beam" at the source. The only way you'll see the "pillar" of light is if there's some medium suspended in the air to scatter the photons. In real life this is cloud, fog, smoke or dust, the particles of which each reflect the light in a direction other than where it's supposed to be travelling. You'll therefore have to use something to generate a medium to allow the light beam to be seen. Dry ice would be the best; dust, talc powder and the like will obviously settle on the model and make it look bloody awful. I'd also recommend placing a glass or perspex front on the diorama box to minimise the movement of air around the aircraft and stop the "fog" from swirling in a manner that's out of scale.

Also remember that if you use halogen bulbs, they generate a lot of heat, so you may need some form of ventilation.

Sounds like a cool idea, though. Might try it myself, using 2 or 3

Cheers, James V