White LEDs are a great addition to the hobby. Typically they consume less power than an incandescent bulb and shine much brighter. In some applications I still prefer bulbs. I like the more yellowish hue of a standard bulb for some situations. There are many sources for White LEDs. All of mine thus far have been ordered from
Digi-Key.
The truck in this photograph is a Die Cast Models Ford. I drilled out the back of the headlamp housing and pushed the LEDs in from the rear. I trimmed the leads from the LEDs quite short, then soldered wire leads which cross along the mounting frame of the headlamps, then they disappear into the engine compartment run along the undercarriage of the truck and then come up into the truck bed. Beneath the load of logs resides a 9V battery and necessary diodes for the LEDs. I hot glued a toggle switch to the load of logs to turn the headlights on. To hide the toggle itself, I drilled out the end of a log and glued it over the toggle. You have to know which log you're looking for to turn the lights on!
Last Modified July 17, 2001