[T-Tech458]

Hello again!

Lighting is one of the most important factors for the display of our models but also for their safety. So, what's the ideal lighting for our display shelves? The lighting that will help in showing off your model properly, that won't damage its paint or plastic parts and that will have a reasonable price tag. White neon cathodes? L.E.Ds? etc.

Thanks!

 

[mairandeddy]

I've not got any myself, but many members have great results with the LED (warm) strips....they are very flexible and don't give off any discernable heat......

I'm sure someone else will chip in soon.....

 

[Mike K]

I think sunlight is the best, which is why my collection is in my room, that has huge windows. I put some low-wattage lamps near my shelves too.

I can't be in rooms with LED, neon, flourescent, and other such lighting. Flourescent lights give off mercury, which is poisonous, and I'm not sure if LEDs do too, but I do know they sure are ugly and give me a headache.

 

[T-Tech458]

Yes, I have my cars in my room, too. Certainly I have them on a shelf ,of course, and I was thinking of fitting some L.E.Ds above them

 

[CitroFriend]

Just use warm white,not cold white,and will be very roomy and nice

 

[tonyg54]

I love the color temp of LED's, more blue to white than standard incandescent (which gives off yellow light). Incandescent and Halogen actually converts most of its energy consumed as heat which is why those bulbs are about 700 degrees to the touch. So you will waste more energy and heat up any cabinet or model in a short amount of time. CFL's are pretty good but contain mercury which makes disposal a pain (you can't throw them in the trash). I also dislike the hue of CFL's, very low output and not as energy efficient as LED.

I use LED in my cabinets and it makes the colors sparkle the most and doesn't illuminate the room all that much. It is also very cool to the touch and lasts 10,000 to 20,000 hours (claimed). The only real drawback with LED is cost but those strips aren't very expensive. Regular household LED bulbs are though.

Just my

 

[T-Tech458]

Nice. Tony what do you suggest? L.E.Ds that produce cold white or warm white color? In my opinion cold white would be better but some guys suggested me to use warm white. What do you use? And yes I want a color which will make the models shine and sparkle. As for the CFLs I must say that I use them a lot for the whole house and recently an old ring CFL lamp which was almost dead, broke accidentally in the house. I opened the windows then...

 

[mairandeddy]

Warm are nicer IMHO...

 

[tonyg54]

I say it's your preference, I have a tendacy to like the colder white to make it seem like my cars are in a retail environment or a real 1:1 showroom, but then I have some that I use warm light on to be a bit more dramatic.

 

[T-Tech458]

Which of them shows off the paint of the cars better? I mean what's the color that makes the cars look shiny and gives a better look on the paint?