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Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) are more commonly used in model kits. The
power light on your TV set is probably an LED. LED's solve several of the problems inherent to incandescence. They are smaller, ranging from a sixteenth of an inch to a quarter inch diameter (there are larger ones,
but they're not as popular with modelers). They generate virtually no heat, at least not enough to melt plastic (unless you leave them on for days on end). The light they give is generally brighter than
incandescence. They also come pre-colored. You can buy LEDs in red, orange, yellow, green, and more recently blue LED's have come onto the market. They are also available with clear tips or colored tips, allowing
for more variations of how to work them into a kit.
The down side to LEDs is that they usually require an additional part to operate properly. Most LEDs need a resistor, a part that cuts down the incoming
voltage to a level the LED can tolerate (some LEDs have built in resistors, but they're usually more expensive than a normal LED and a resistor purchased separately).
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