Bring on the Void

Lighting up the Titan’s Sentinel Shield When the Titan Sentinel Shield first appeared at Gamestop stores, many of us were excited. McFarlane toys has been…Continue readingBring on the Void

Lighting up the Titan’s Sentinel Shield

When the Titan Sentinel Shield first appeared at Gamestop stores, many of us were excited. McFarlane toys has been putting out creative collectibles for decades, and this was one dedicated to my favorite class of Guardian. Over time, the price wound up coming down from over $100 all the way to a clearance price of $24.97. I was lucky enough to get one at that price.

Probably the biggest oversight of the shield is the fact
that it doesn’t light up. This is a void weapon after all, so we would expect
some funky purple lights. Fortunately, I’m here to tell you that I found a way
to get this thing lit up and it’s actually not that difficult or expensive.

What You’ll Need

A strip of LED lighting is going to work best. I found a brand called FlexGlo, which offers a 6’ string of lighting for just $15. The fun thing is that it comes with 16 different color options and a remote control. That means you can have your off-color Titan shield if you want to break from the norms (you know, like a non-traditional light saber color.) If you want to just stay purple, that’s as simple as a literal push of a button.

This LED strip has an adhesive backing, but I found that it wore out over time and I added a separate piece of two-sided tape. This strip isn’t battery powered. It needs a USB based power source. Fortunately, there are tons of USB power banks available at many retail stores. (You may also find them as giveaways at vendor fairs.) A portable power bank can be placed on the inside of the shield. For this, I chose to use Velcro instead of double-sided tape, so the power pack can be removed and added back after it’s removed for charging.

How to Construct It

FlexPro allows the strip to be cut to fit. In this example, I didn’t cut it. I used the whole six feet. First, I just mapped where the strip would fit. The end with the USB cable needs to be inside where the power pack will be placed. You can see in the diagram that I started there. Then, wrap the strip where it will be placed (but don’t do it with the adhesive yet.)

Check how the lighting looks before committing to the
adhesive. Make sure you’re satisfied with the look. (Test some of the other lighting
choices, too. Explore the options.) Once you’re satisfied with the way the
lights will look, go ahead and use the adhesive. To do this with the native
adhesive, simply peel off the backing. (Be careful not to pull off the adhesive
when peeling the backing.)

If you want to add the two-sided tape, cut it and apply in
intervals between the strip and the shield. Putting the tape on the back of the
strip will not block out the lighting. If you want to add the USB power pack,
you can add the Velcro to the inside of the shield where it will be hidden.
Also, wrapping the USB cable around the shield’s inside handle will keep it in
place and prevent the power adapter from coming apart.

Next Steps

Next on my list is the addition of a strap so I can easily
take the shield on and off. The strap included with the shield is pretty tight.
That can also be extended with the addition of some Velcro. The goal is to be
able to pull it off my back for photo ops at cons.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this little bit of DIY. Everyone I know really wanted this shiedl to glow. Glad I could figure it out. Hope you get to enjoy it, too.