This Works For Me

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

This works with solid moulded lights. First (carefully) paint the light a bright silver. I use Humbrol H11 'Silver Fox'.



After at least 24hrs to dry I then (VERY carefully) paint Tamiya clear straight over the silver.



Ian

[Mossie]

I've used the same approach before, or a heavily thinned 'solid' colour sometimes does the trick.

[NARSES2]

Ian - I notice you use Clear blue, rather then green - now I've always used green but note that most builds in magazines etc will use blue, can someone tell me why, or is it purely personal prerfence ?

Just one of the many things I'm sytill learning about in this wonderful hobby of ours, and the best way to learn is ask a master.

Chris

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Thanks for the tips - will give it a go. If you look at many real aircraft they do have blue transparent covers on the starboard light - shows green with a yellow - tinged light source.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Hey Chris
Glenn is right - whenever you get close to the real thing, the stbd light is usually quite a deep blue (sometimes turquoise). Never figured-out the science behind it, just copied it !!

Ian

[Hobbes]

The lights aren't moulded in transparent plastic on this model, I take it?  

[The Rat]

If I recall correctly it is possible to fly even if one is colourblind, therefore the reason why the starboard nav light appears rather blue presents itself - if it was green then someone with red-green colourblindness would not see it easily. The same thing is done with road signals, most are now tinged with blue.

Sounds like an interesting technique Ian. Somewhere in my old attic-bound stuff there is a model which had clear solid plastic for the lights. I used a file to carve a nick into the inside corners and filled them with the appropriate colours. The result looked just like a bulb with a clear cover.    

[NARSES2]

Hey Chris
Glenn is right - whenever you get close to the real thing, the stbd light is usually quite a deep blue (sometimes turquoise). Never figured-out the science behind it, just copied it !!

Ian

Thanks Ian & Glen - guess it's time to add some Tamiya "clear blue" to the stash

Chris