Please note – All strobe/beacon kits are supplied in unpainted, clear resin. LED’s not included.
Painting Guide: I suggest using Tamiya Translucent paints (X-23 Clear Blue, X-24 Clear Yellow, X-25 Clear Green, X-26 Clear Orange and X-27 Clear Red). Paint the dome/lens first and let dry. Two coats may be needed to achieve the proper shade. After it dries, using a very fine brush, paint the base portion with an aluminum or body color of choice (I suggest Testors Silver). Be slow and patient, and I highly recommend using an optivisor. You want fresh paints, on the thinner side so as to not glop up the fine detail of the parts. Two coats is suggested to help prevent any light bleed through. Star 200BC Strobe Light is painted from the inside. Remove the part, gently hold with tweezers and apply the amber or silver (for a clear, Amtrak style) lightly inside. When dry, paint the silver mounting ring.
Mounting – For those with a long mounting pin, drill an appropriately sized hole (1.3 – 1.5mm depending on the item). Insert, mark and trim the pin to length flush with the interior. Glue your SMD LED directly to this, then apply blackout paint. Some of the items are also supplied with an indentation in the base, glue your SMD (0402) directly to this with canopy glue. You may still need to drill a small relief hole where it is being mounted to help with clearance so that it sits flush. When setting up your decoder function, be sure to turn the output way down, so as to not overpower and cause light bleed though on the base portions.
Clear Resin Note: This clear resin is highly susceptible to UV light, causing them to slightly discolor. This should not affect anything, especially when painted. Be sure to store them away from direct light. On the Stratolite and Star 200: After cleaning, it is impossible to tell if there is any lingering resin inside the part blocking the LED recess. The only way to tell, is after removing the part from the sprue. Should you receive one like this, I will happily replace it. I have yet to have an issue in any of my tests, however.