hillflyer

While I'm waiting for more supplies so I can continue the spiral, i decided to bring out the lift hill and begin repairs. In the past year it's been handled too much from moving it around and using it in photos, and showing it off. The red markers are the joints I have to replace or reglue depending. It is worse on the other side.

I think you did a perfect design for your first operating model. Simple and accessible so you can tweak the track if you need too. One concept I was thinking about, were i to ever tackle an operable model, is to start at the brakes and build backwards, test running the train as I build to make sure it makes it back to the station. Have you tried running a car down.

I am loving watch this come together...and so quickly. If this is one of your first models, you will do very well. And I like your little maintenance platform too!

Nice! What plans do you have for it when it's done?

Latest progress report on exactly where I am with this project. In my head, I was a little further along than what I just revealed to myself. The thought of starting to connect sections together and place them on a permanent pre-landscaped base is now in my head. In the end, I plan to have the model separate into THREE sections. I already have a primary plan as to where I'm going to have the cuts. Wanna offer an idea, you're more than welcome to.

You've come a long way! I love your station. Are you going to paint the wood or leave as is?

Don't sweat it. Few comments can be a good thing. If you enjoy doing what you're doing and IT'S GOOD, you probably won't get much feedback. That's how it was before the internet. I was really disheartened when I posted my model photos of the completed Airplane's first drop (pg 14). Some looked very real, and yet NOT ONE person made any comment about that series of photos. I figure I'd rather have a few good comments than a bunch mixed with criticisms from those who find joy in picking apart things.

Whoops, I almost forgot to add the intermediate bents (blue arrows) at the bottom of the second spiral where the coaster train shoots out and up towards the mid-course brake. I'm waiting for more plastic to arrive for the track, so in a relatively short amount of time, I was able to build the mid-course brake run. More detail will be added to the brake mechanisms. Whoops, I almost forgot to add the intermediate bents (blue arrows) at the bottom of the second spiral where the coaster train shoots out and up towards the mid-course brake. I'm waiting for more plastic to arrive for the track, so in a relatively short amount of time, I was able to build the mid-course brake run. More detail will be added to the brake mechanisms. Mid-course brake goes in for a fitting. POV for fun. I haven't railed the track yet.

I love it. Can't wait until the track begins installation. When built a quarter scale model of the Giant Dipper midsection, I used candy off of a candy necklace for footers.

One of the unusual characteristics of the Airplane structure, or any wood coaster for that matter, was the use of what I call outer facade columns. If you look at photos of the Airplane on this site, notice that there is a 2 x 8 plank connected from ground level all the way up to the track with the cartouche on top. Nearly every upright had one. The Dragon had these at one time, at least up until its latest paint job. These planks certainly gave the Airplane that "finished look". They were decorative for the time, and possibly served some structural support around the corners, keeping other connecters from breaking free from the uprights from the stress. In my case with the model, putting them on earlier (than I had been) is a good idea for it prevents MY glued joints from popping free while I'm continuing work on track et al. It also hides some of my more sloppy connections (circled in RED). The verticals with the red line are the 2 x 8 planks nailed on the OUTSIDE of the ribbon boards. This is very unusual on a coaster. Joint exposed Joint covered by outer facade column.

I'm really liking what I see so far. I like your base. This is what I was going to suggest for I-beams since the pre-fab'd ones are hard to bend. It's all laminates.

I get mine from Evergreen too. What is the number (5-131 example) size you use. I can suggest making a composite from other layers of different sized plastics to help you achieve the same look.

Nice progress! Where are you getting the plastic I-beams?

100-view update: The frame for this turn is 95% finished. I am out of supplies (mostly 2x2s) for the sub track so I'll have to work on something else while I wait. Ready to fill in the gap over the top of the hill. linking the two ends together is much easier than one would think. After I add the spine of ties. A view from underneath Still need to lay sub track on last half of the lower run. But the shape looks nice I think.

Love looking at the pictures, and I adore your station. It fits your Viking theme well. Your idea of making a prototype with paper is a great idea as it gives you an idea of the shape you want your curves to be. Looking at a plan and trying to imagine a 3-D structure out of it is very difficult. Don't become overwhelmed, take it a little at a time and always be adventurous in trying new ways to do things. I'll be following this!

100-view update: Inching the sub track up the climb leading to the 2nd helix. In real life, these strips of wood are 20' long 2x2s, just like on both California Dippers and the Rye Dragon coaster. The underside of the same climb after adding the 8' long 2x8 track ties. Adding 'feelers' ahead of the track progress to make sure my curves are generally free of kinks before further advancement.

100-view update. Motivation to get my ass in gear! So...I had to rip out 27 ledgers (yellow Y's) because they were too high. The headers that hold up the scaffolds above were 5' lower than I thought which had the distance between that and the track far, far, far too minimal (keep your hands in the car and DUCK!!) In spite of a lot of them being difficult to get to at this stage, it wasn't all that hard to unsnap them from place and reposition. With that done now, I've trimmed off some more "overstructure" so the true shape of this turn is brought out. (see before and after). I think I'm ready to continue running the track over the top of this hill. Before: The starting frame for the 2nd spiral (as of 10/2) After: The 2nd spiral, bare of any track to make it easy to concentrate on checking all connections and re-gluing if necessary. The 2nd spiral is the least-documented section of the Airplane. When all the sections are finished, I will take photos from all different angles of partial assemblies so that all the great elements of this ride can be appreciated on its own.

100 view update: STILL working on this here spiral. I was crazy to think it would only take me a month (started 9/16). I'm not too crazy about the shape of the curve up into the top though, I'll have to reanalyze it. You can't see it from this angle, but...it doesn't look right.

This weekend I added both the entrance into the spiral (green arrow) and the exit. I dropped my camera last night and now all my pictures area tad blurry. Now that the top of the 2nd spiral is in place, I can top it off by weaving more track up and over. I need to order more 2x2s. LOTS more. Just for fun, here is the Airplane being converted into an RMC creation!

Nothing much to report...another shot of the spiral, I've built-up, painted, and completed the track that comes down after that small hump. The piece in the next photo will be placed over that. The area of progress, inside the white box is some of the track I've completed. The section pictured below will cross over this part. This is the climb up into the second spiral. The area in the white box will be all cut-away so it will fit over the area in the white box pictured above. So if people ask, "How did you build the track all the way in there" you'll know! I like building my tangent areas like this because it's easier to manage and handle for touch up painting and other detailing. And it pretty much guarantees it will line up perfectly straight.

StLCPfan, Thanks~ I knew that day was coming and I could have kept it in a safer location. I tried that once, but was then unable to work on it at all, some reason I need to close by. Dennis is disabled and prone to serious panic attacks, especially when it comes to abandonment. I'm scheduling an attorney appointment to have him removed from my house as he refuses to go anywhere on his own. Anyway, here are a few photos I originally intended to post before the unfortunate incident. It does not hamper my drive to complete this model, which by the way, I have set the completion date as April17th, 2015 - Three years after this post was created! BTW, I LOVE your idea. I just might do that! This shot reminds my of a Pisces. This is the second spiral and the home-bound track that wraps around it A near pov angle Construction begins on the third-highest climb up towards the second spiral. Again, anything white will be trimmed away after I place on all the ribbons and lateral cross bracing support. Top view of the above section, I find that the horizontal "X" braces really sturdies up this piece so I can fit it in to the rest of the spiral with minimal bendage.

Just an idea, I thought I'd post a new update for every 100 views I get from my last post, regardless of where I am in the construction process! Let's start with THIS one. This is what happens when your partner tells you to leave him alone all morning, so you go out to do errands, and then he calls you pissed off because you went without him, and he demands that you come back and pick up him up in 10 minutes OR ELSE. See page 18 to see what he did to my arm. You come home and find this....a result of an "Accident" I could: A) Fix it B) Make it look like there was a fire (like Colossus) C) Place a giant reptile here like the Beast From 20000 Fathoms"

I did a good amount this weekend, including the intersecting cross over around the last spiral. Once all the prep work is done on this lower section. I run the footers for the above intersection track through the existing structure. Then I add the already built cross-over (seen on the first part of page 27). I make the posts go all the way to the ground, even if it falls right through the track's path. Then I figure out (in photos and Fred Church's telekinetic messages) what posts on the bottom part are used to support an upper header to support the upper portion after I cut off the post. It's really hard to explain all this in a way it makes sense. Another shot of the intersection with track. You can see the new headers supporting where a had to cut posts off to make way for the lower track. The final result. Still needs a lot of touch-up, but I'm please with how it came out. Now, once this second tier is tracked, I have to cover it all with yet ANOTHER tier of cross-over track.

Very nice! Makes me miss playing these games and building parks. My seriousness gave way to ride-crashing people-tumbling tactics so I gave it up. Plus, the more elaborate my parks became, the S l o w e r they became so I could never finish one. Probably updates to my computer would fix that, but I'm not all that in to computer plug ins et al.

Work continues on the second spiral. After I make the pre-track in hard-to-reach areas, I slip the stretch back out so I can paint areas like underneath. It makes painting SO much easier. I didn't set out to have this particular stretch so long but once I got started building the pre track I couldn't stop. After I paint the pre-track, I install it back where it belongs, then I add the rest of the layers of track. Then I slip it out again, paint, and reinstall. After that's finished, I can add the upper cross over that brings riders to the upper deck of track. You can see the two decks of track here. The bottom rails do a near 360 degree loop just above ground level. The upper deck brings riders pretty close to the finish line. Just an experiment shot. The track is not yet in its "perfect" settlement. TRIVIA: It takes 24 strips of plastic to make one rail. So one inch of one side of rail costs $1.96, including the tie.