After asking a few questions, I was able to gather some components I thought would work and begin my experiment. So, we’ll work from the back of the scene to the front.
I collected: two grain of wheat bulbs from the model train shop. A battery cradle with wire from an electronics supply shop and a fiber optic strand. I know the explanation for the rigging of this will make little sense, but hopefully the photo will show enough to convey the idea.
One of the grain of wheat bulbs fit inside the lamp and was obscured by using the frosted vellum panels. I washed it with a tint of amber cell paint to soften its glow. Its wires were fed back through a drilled hole in the wall. The cigarette was created by heating up the fiber optic with a candle and stretching it like a sprue in order to get a scale thickness for a cigarette. It took several attempts but I finally succeeded in getting a length I could use. I modified the figures hand slightly to press it closer to his waist and then drilled a hole through his fingers, into his belt and out his back. I then drilled a hole in the wall at the same level and was able to insert the very thin optic through the back of the wall and out between his fingers. The other end of the fiber optic on the back side of the wall was still at its original diameter and I was able to heat it and sort of mushroom it out to better meet the other grain of wheat bulb. I used a soldering iron to connect the battery leads to the two bulbs and create a circuit, but I imagine in this case, you could twist the wires and perhaps leave it at that. I used white glue to connect the head of the grain of wheat bulb to the fiber optic and coated the two components with black paint to prevent any light leaks. I painted the cigarette end of the fiber optic white and used a red felt pen to make the glow of the ash. I attached the battery cradle to the wall with a small screw and taped the wires close to the wall. I wasn’t ambitious enough to attempt an on/off switch, so my circuit is complete only when both batteries are connected. The whole rig is not pretty to look at but it does at least work.
The laser parts:
The lamp provided, as well as the shutter hardware are cut from thin metallic paper. This provides a nice base to depict metal components with only some weathering necessary if desired. After cutting the tabs connecting the lamp to the sheet, the lamp folds together easily as it is scored along seam lines and only needs to be glued where the open edges come together. This is easily done with white glue applied with a toothpick. If you want to use the clear panes, you may want to paint the inside face of the lamp before they are glued to it and before the lamp is folded and glued together.
A dark felt pen will work for this. Again, white glue will work for attaching the panes. Although the paper may seem a little delicate to work with, it does have some attributes that something similar in metal etch would not. You’ll need no special bending tools to make the lamp, there’s no need for solder or even super glue, no attachment tabs to file off and no need for washing and priming before painting. There is also a weight advantage in attaching it cantilevered off the side of the building.
The window mullions and grates offer a couple of options for display. The mullions for the upper window can be left together, or split apart to show them slightly open. This look would require you to cut out the window opening as mentioned earlier, as the mullions would likely swing in. You also have options with the lower window grate as it can be trimmed to fit the opening at more than one position. The shutters on both windows offer flexibility as well. The hinge straps can be placed over the nail heads on the upper shutter, or left off whether it’s open or closed. The lower shutter can have the hinges if it’s open or closed, or the frame piece as an alternate look if it’s shown open. As with the lamp components, the window pieces can be painted before they’re cut from the sheet and detailed more after they’re attached with white glue. Again, because of their light weight, super glue isn’t needed.
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