Hi Lee
I sent for two sidelight bulbs and on inspection they are very good.
The wire connectors can be straightened and the white plastic casing just pulls off leaving two wires attached to resistors. Power with 12v and you have a powerful searchlight. Current should be under 100 mA as they are rated at 1W.
The metal casing is 1cm diameter and 1cm long so ideal for a 12th scale model.
The white plastic rear case could be modified to produce the rear of the searchlight and the wires can be heat shrinked and bent at 90deg.
I got two for £2.49 off ebay, post free. 2x ULTRA XENON HiD WHITE 1W HiGH POWER LED T10 501 W5W SIDELIGHT BULBS 8000K from lightec-autostyle-ltd. Look in 12v ready and select all items, then scroll down about 20 items.
I am sending for some more but they appear to have a good stock.
What type did you source.
Dave

Hi thank you for the all the response the led are on there way regards lee

Depending upon the diameter of your searchlight, why not look at butchering a cheap LED torch. Cheap available and bright enough for most uses.

The very slim ones ( keyring type) use a single led and would be happy driven by a 5v regulator ( KISS principle off the shelf electronics ( no calculations))

http://www.poundland.co.uk/leisure-and-entertainment/entertainment/car-and-bike/my-cycle-led-front-bike-light

That should give you all the LED light you need for £1

Hi Lee
If this is for the searchlight on your Solent lifeboat and you want it to perform like the real thing, then I suggest you look on e-bay at high power LEDs. You will find car sidelights for about £2 from 1 to 5 watts which will give you the desired result.
They are encased to allow for fitting to a car but it should be easy enough to remove the mounting and solder wires to the light. Make sure you do not remove the metal casing as this will be the heat sink.
Not tried this yet but my Solent has a 10mm LED and whilst you can see it the output is not really sufficient.
Hope your build is progressing well
Dave 😀

I have around 24 Models. From Billings St Canutte to caldercrafts Imara to model slipway etc etc. All most had failed or no lights. So I began a major refit / install. Through radio switching (micro servos & switches. Ok I got carried away, I admit but had just finished working. Regardless what led is used they show up great in day light. I've finished now. Enjoy the project whatever you chose. Vickers.

Hi Derek, see your point mate, but when you view the initial question and answer, they are good to experiment with, not costing a lot to make a mess of when it goes wrong. Think of the burn time of crimbo lights, on any boat they will last a long time. so why pay more for better?????

You are right about the 99p, but you get 20 LED's for that price, with the resistor's, I have them on my Amsterdam, 2x searchlights, P & S light's, 2x deck lights, plus mast lights, all running of a 2x AA battery pack

Mark

There is no need to spend too much on anything, especially if the end result is the same.

When people spend hundreds on models, I dispute when Christmas tree lights are mentioned. The one talk about start at .99p, ok each. But at least they should lady forever. But get some spares. Sorry about the rant, BUT

Hi Lee, Just had a look for your profile, your in the UK. Try having a look at B&M stores they have a sale on at the moment of Christmas LED,s different lengths and colours, some white some mixed, they also come with the resistors attached

Mark

I always recommend the 3mm led on eBay from MK shop. Built in resistor behind the led. 9-12v but work at lower. All my modern updates have them. All colours, and flashing. Best bit UK and cheap

I'd suggest building it around a white LED, choosing the size to suit the scale of your model. A standard domed-top LED gives a very focused beam. I've attached a photo of a searchlight on my 1:48 scale tug. it uses a 10mm dia LED. The back plate is a circle of styrene, and the case is 1/2" styrene tube. The legs of the LED are bent down and around, with extension wires soldered on, and then another styrene tube slipped over them to form the vertical support. The exposed wires at the back are hidden with modelling paste-type epoxy.