themeparkman25

Like the guy above me - clearing out all my old maps, brochures, and manufacturer catalogs. More than I can count or care to write down. Not looking for anything in exchange except for covering shipping. Maps, brochures, guides, catalogs ,etc B&M and Intamin circa 2009 sample

Final pictures

Continued

Continued:

After nearly four years of construction, I present Manta. Thank you for the support in completing this project.

Preview of completion

Final preview before completion.

Sorry for the pics being upside down. I'm posting from an iPad and it looks normal to me! The station is done for the most part. I need to add the fountain off the front side but other than that it is done. I am now working on the grass and path. The path is made of clay and spread out thinly to add some character to the model. The grass is being done in sheets/fabric because I thought it looked a lot more realistic. It is tougher, though, because I have to cut holes out for the supports. Let me know your thoughts!

What do you mean upside down?

The station is now complete. I am so thrilled with how the entrance to the ride and aquarium has turned out. Next up will be painting the station and then beginning to lay the grass and plant the trees. Things should come together quickly now. Let me know what you think!

Just a quick update of the station progressing.

Are you American?

Station building going up. Any interest left in this project?

Starting on the scenery

The painting is completed! I have spent the last couple of days touching up on the track and supports and now present to you the finished product. Share your thoughts! Sorry the pictures are kind of blurry...will post nice ones real soon! Next up will be the construction of the buildings followed by the groundwork shortly thereafter. Enjoy! General overview

I have had the privilege to internship at IAAPA for the three previous shows, and while it is not a full fledged internship, it has provided some wonderful opportunities to me. During the show, you get the opportunity to work side by side with many of the executives in the industry, as well as network with anyone you can imagine. I recommend checking out the website and learning more about the opportunity. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions! It was the best week of my year for three consecutive years and has lead to some of the best friends in my life. I highly recommend. IAAPA - Show Ambassadors

I always enjoy looking at other people's models and learning more about them. How long did it take you to make this? How big is it overall? Any other details you can provide would be greatly appreciated. I think it looks great. Jordan "Shameless Plug - My Models!" Darrington

The track is fully painted and I am working on the supports now.

I know I missed the update, but fun fact: Heritage Square (Not Fish N' Farm) was originally supposed to be a Disneyland which is why the main street feels like Frontierland.

^I'm in between doing it there and the lead up to the pretzel. Lets just stay tuned and figure it out after I finish the decorating because the train will be the last thing I complete. In other news, I figured out a brilliant way to paint: sponges! I got some cheap foam brushes from the Depot and cut them down to the average size between ties. Then, I dunked the sponge in the paint and applied it to the spine. Piece of cake!! So, the first coat of the paint for the spine is done! Just a little teaser below. -JD

Triggernel- Obviously, I won't make the queue inside the station house because no one will be able to see it. With that said, I will make all of the buildings, bodies of water, etc. Like I said, this model will look as identical with the real one as I can make it. Where is the wall climb? Is that the picture everyone takes immediately following the splashdown where you can get a picture of the train and sign? Thanks for following. EB-Thanks for reading and following! Hope you're well.

Triggernel-Thank you for the kind words! Keep your eyes peeled as the decorating continues. In regards to your questions, I plan on fully decorating the model with all the queue, rocks/ponds, buildings, etc. which I plan on starting once the coaster is painted. I have not considered how many trains I will make or even where I will put them. If I had to guess, I would say potentially two trains at the splashdown (if it fits) and heading into the pretzel. What are your thoughts? Yamez- Truth to be told, that is how every other model has been painted in the past. I wanted to up my game this model with the hand painting because it yields at better end product. Spray paint always tended to drip a little or be splotchy. Excellent advice though, so thank you! Mcjaco- With the beauty of hindsight, that is exactly how I would have done the painting. However, I will obviously be doing it in a more time consuming way. I look forward to hearing your feedback with each update, so thank you for your continual reading. Your trains are incredibly accurate and realistic. How long does it take to make one of them and could I interest you in making the trains for this? haha Real- I imagine train modelling is extremely time consuming. I have to admit, I do not know if I will have the time to make another model following this one. I guess time will tell! Any other feedback, tpr?

Mole- An X-Flight would be quite cool, indeed. I guess we will see once I finish Manta! Netdvn-That is exactly my plan. I will paint all of the track first and then move on to the supports. I think my solution to the small areas is to get a sponge and cut it into the right size and then dunk it 1/2 cm in paint. That way 5 sides of the brush will have paint and all I will really have to do is push it inbetween each tie. RD-Track sound be easy to make. The key is to find a solid piece of styrene, that is, not a hollow one. The reason being a hollow spine will "buckle" when you try to twist the spine: one side will stretch and one will compress, which will ruin the shape. It crossed my mind to paint before I bent the spine, but figured the paint would just fracture and spiderweb. With the knowledge of hindsight, I should have painted the spine after bending but before hanging it. You live and you learn. Awesome-Not trying to sound defensive, but I encourage you to melt the plastic and bend it perfectly...it is not easy. In a perfect world, the train goes on the splashdown, however, given the distance of track to baseboard, it will have to go elsewhere. Thanks for the compliment, though, it is also my favorite model and there is still a lot more to go! Ntweisen-Truthfully, I used google earth and the ruler tool to get most of the angles, distance, etc. At the time I drew out this model, the coaster was only a couple months old. It would have been nice to have more data. What does everyone else think?

Thanks, RD. One of the key goals for this model in particular was to make it extremely accurate, which has also elongated the time of construction. I hope to continue this level of detail with the scenery which will hopefully make it look just like the real one! A Schwarzkopf model would be really cool! You can follow the same technique of making B&M track to make yours. You're painting can and will be considerably more difficult than mine, and I think mine is pretty tough!

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I encourage you to check out the completed construction of my Manta model HERE! Stay tuned to that thread to see updates as I progress in the development of the scenery, queue and station buildings!