Step 14
Cranes
Time to attack the cranes ! What I've been able to gather
is that each crane had two lights. One on the
Aft and another on the Forward side.
Assemble the cranes as per the instructions in the manual.
I used the GMM
crane boom girders but salvaged the original crane booms from the kit.
The scale ratio
isn't that bad and it's easier than making them from
sprue.
Drill two holes on each crane, one facing Aft and the
other Forward. Paint and let dry.
It's easier to drill the hole by first shaving off the
plastic lamp on the cranes before drilling, this way you can drill the
hole exactly where it's supposed to go. The holes need to be drilled at
a slight angle pointing down so that they protrude the inside of the crane.
Make sure you paint the underside and interior of the cranes an opaque color like silver or aluminum so that light doesn't show through the plastic.
Next drill the holes on the hull where the fibers will
pass. The holes should go right through so the fibers
end up in the hull. I used a 1/8th" drill bit for
the larger cranes and a 3/32" drill bit for the smaller cranes. These
holes will accomodate the 1mm fibers for the large cranes and the 0.5 mm
fibers for the smaller cranes.
You may choose not to light the smaller cranes cause if
you do, the fiber running down into to the hull
will be visible through the lower deck. I chose not to
light them.
Next cut 2 3 inch strands of 1mm fiber for each
large crane.
Bend the tip of the fiber at 45 degrees so as to make
the insertion and gluing into the crane
easier and neater. The poopdeck being higher than the
rest of the ship may require longer fibers.
Experiment before gluing in order to get the best effect.
. 
Make sure you use your fingers to make the bend cause
pliers or metal objects
will damage the fiber at the bend and this will dissipate
the light being transferred.
Glue the fibers one at a time and test each fiber before
committing to gluing the crane in place.
I would also suggest you detail the crane with the railing,
hook, ladder etc. before gluing it to the hull.
It's alot easier to do while the crane is still detached
from the hull.
Here's a shot of the lighting effect .
. 
Complete all eight cranes and glue in place.
Where
to get the Fiber Optics ?
Back to Titanic
Fiber Optics