The lighting is good, as far as it goes. The engine detail with blue and violet light looks good. The side windows light OK, and the light coming from the above at the side, where it could not be blocked, is not as bad as I feared it would be. There is just a hint of the interior detail visible.
At the cockpit, it comes down to a slim bit of warm white. I could have just used translucent, frosted plastic and left it at that, and I would have used just a single, less expensive, LED rather than the three SMDs I put in there to light the control panels. None of the detail can be seen at all.
I had some problems getting the wing section to fit fully for some reason. I probably have too much paint everywhere. There are some sloppy seams, particularly on the underside.
For power, for now, I just ran two wires out and into the base (the base that came with the kit). I painted the lower part of the base black and put the AC adapter connector inside. I planned on this arrangement being temporary, but actually the wires lay all on their own neatly along the edge of the stand and are not obvious at all. I do want an on/off button at some point but this stand might just be OK as it is.
As an aside it's worth noting that this kit, with lighting added, is easily adapted for a battery. Coin batteries, perhaps even a 9v, will fit inside and the rear engine section can be left removable. I wanted to use an adaptor and plug it into the wall though so that I can use a home automation wall plug, as I did with the Enterprise.
This project didn't turn out all that well, through no fault of the kit, which is really not complicated. My version will however be suitable for illuminated display in our dimly lit media room. I understand that Mobius Models will soon release a larger scale, resigned, version of this subject. That may be one to look for in the future.
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