ntweisen

Thanks everyone for the votes and the kind words!

Thanks for the votes everyone! I appreciate it. And for my next model...

My model was selected as one of the three finalists in Cedar Point’s K’nex Great Thrill Ride Build-Off. You can vote for your favorite creation by liking your favorite ride's photo on Cedar Point's Facebook page. Voting ends at 3:00:00 PM ET on April 12, 2011. The finalist whose photo receives the most “likes” will be the winner! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=285415&id=10625691462

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I really do appreciate and it encourages me to keep building. So what should my next project be?

The top part was pretty tricky, especially getting the timing down right between moving the car forward and synchronizing with the drop. There's wasn't a lot of room to work with and I barely had enough chain pieces. I have attached a few close-up pictures of the top, though it is kind of hard to see the slider/crank mechanism which controls the drop.

Yeah, I entered the Facebook Build Off competition. Not expecting to win but I would love to be in the top three. Thanks for the kind words. I actually attempted to build this same ride years ago. I figured out the elevator lift but I got bored after that and never finished it. When the CP contest was announced I thought it was a good time to see if I could get the whole ride to function properly. Thanks for the feedback!

My brother and I were bored one winter weekend so we decided to enter the contest. We decided to construct a recreation of Demon Drop, the first generation Intamin freefall ride which used to reside at the front of the park and has since been relocated to Dorney Park using the original K'nex roller coaster set. The ride is fully functional and contains numerous details such as the turnstiles for the queue. Let me know what you think!

Check out my latest video of the cantilevered roller coaster concept model:

Setpoint claims they can build a prototype for 6 million. I think this might be a bit optimistic but it also depends on the scale of the ride. The first one would more than likely by a smaller, shorter ride.

In reality, yes, the turns would be banked. For simulation purposes, it is much trickier to make banked turns so due to time constraints (and laziness I guess) I left them un-banked. Also, the speed of the vehicle in my simulations is not representative of what the actual ride experience would be like. This was just a quick test to make sure the model actually worked. We are working on putting together a higher quality, better representative video. Stay tuned...

Here are some new pics of the cantilevered coaster model I am working on. You can see the full track layout for this test with one of the "side knocker" effects. Overview of layout

Any pictures or review of the other racing coaster? That one looked more interesting to me than Formula Rossa.

Does Setpoint have a booth? Any news about the cantilevered coaster system?

I was actually the one who made the cantilevered coaster video. I am working on a longer track model. Here is the progress thus far: As a dark ride, I think the idea is the the CRC would be a cheaper version of Disney's Indiana Jones/Dinosaur style rides.

I can't take all the credit here. John Hogg is the one who actually invented the concept and he does hold patents for it. Check out their website. It was while reading this interview with John when I decided I was up to the challenge of trying to model this thing on the computer. My design is loosely based on some of the concept drawing from John's patents sprinkled with my own ideas. You're exactly right though, the CRC could function as either a high speed steel coaster or a slower, more thematic dark ride experience. The possibilities are endless!

Here's the latest video. Highlights the range of motion of the vehicle as well as a few possible effects.

Thanks! But you ain't seen nothing yet! Wait until I post my next video, hopefully tomorrow.

Latest cantilevered coaster simulation testing:

Yes, I was referring to any ride by any manufacturer with a wide wingspan (Furious Baco, the 4th dimension coasters). This rides all share a common complaint: too much vibration in the outer seats.

Will be interesting to see if they can solve the problem of vibrations in the outer seats.

Latest video:

Sky Rocket is amazing!

Began working on the cantilevered coaster car concept. I attached a picture of the lower chasis. Lower Chasis

Posted a few new pictures here, this time of my Pilgrims Plunge recreation.