While working on the lighting for the Star Destroyer I realized quickly that with all the LEDs I had built up over all the long years of doing this stuff I didn’t have a single bright blue LED.
I got on the phone right away and called one of my favorite people in the world. Randy Nuebert of VooDoo effects. The last thing I wanted to do was get on the net and search for LED’s or order them from someone I did know. I like to support my local businesses, friends, and hobby shops. Last resort is Amazon in China.
Randy answered with his usual happy voice and said “how can I help you?” I told him the model and he knew in an instant exactly what I needed and why. Next week I’ll have the blue lights, more 220 ohm resistors and a selection of warm white lights to simulate those incandescent lights used in those old models back in the 70’s.
He also advised me not to overlight the model as so many do these days. Don’t make them too bright either. The idea here is to make the model appear as it did in the film.
It was just great to talk to him. He’s one of the good guys and the very best.
I did a little work with placing fiber optics and making holes in the engine bells for the lighting. What I need to do before I go any further is make a base and set this model up with the microphone jack and brass pole. That’s today’s project.
I worked on the sub a bit and did a test sheet of styrene on the hull. This is going to work.
Then I put some time in on the slot car body making yet another mold on the master. From this mold I’ll make a car body to test. I’ll make another use to open up the scribed holes in it for the exhaust, seat, nose intake, gas caps and so on. I’ll add anything I missed to this body and then make another mold for production.
Mark Helmick brought a bunch of Laser Blast parts for the action figure guns and the parts for the slot car body. I’ll be molding the slot car parts next week and making production runs on them along with the bodies.
Still to do are the exhaust pipes, gas caps, and the wind screen. A lot of work goes into making a miniature car.
The Art of Steve Neill 
You have just illustrated the immense value of a local dealer who knows the product and shares the successes and pitfalls that will make your model the best it can be. Kudos to Randy. And to you as well Steve for supporting these great people, a rare and shrinking breed.
LikeLike