Falcon Rebuild Diary · Part 3
2025/06/16
Drawing Stickers by Hand. All of Them.
After spending the last few weeks cleaning up the cockpit and redesigning all the panel graphics, I finally reached the point of no return — finalizing the sticker layout for printing.
This meant going full tilt into vector work:
Drawing every switch, dial, panel grid, and blinking light — one by one.
Line by line.
It was… a lot - 3000+ vector elements.
To recreate the layered light-up effect, I used a two-part system:
- One layer: full-color stickers printed on clear film
- Second layer: black vinyl, laser-cut to mask light and isolate button illumination
I marked the button holes (those little green dots) as transparent layers, and sent them along with the vinyl cutout file to a printing company.
Originally, I designed the gaps at just 0.2mm — but no one could laser cut that small.
So I widened the spacing to 0.5mm, just enough to make it feasible.
As for the fiber optic holes, they were even smaller — only about 0.25mm.
No machine can cut that reliably.
So those, I’ll drill by hand. One by one.
It’s the kind of job that probably makes people wonder, “Why not just buy the photo-etched upgrade?”
Sure. That’d be easier.
But honestly — I wanted to figure out a way to do it myself.
No shortcuts. Just careful design, test prints, adjustments, and probably some failure.
The final layout is now ready.
I’ll be sending it to print.
If everything aligns correctly, the stickers will go on top of the vinyl — and when the light hits from behind, only the selected buttons will glow.
That’s the plan, anyway.
Let’s see if reality agrees.
—
More soon.
Want to see how the lights turn out?
Subscribe to the newsletter, or follow @detoyz on Instagram.
The journey’s just warming up.
— Chong
DeToyz Notes · 2025.06.16
→ Read Part 2: Falcon Rebuild Diary · Part 2
Leave a comment