The Airplane Model project

[DoinItForTheFame]

You're doing such a great job!! Thanks for the constant updates, and all the hard work you are putting into this project. You are leaving no detail untouched, and it is really coming together and looking good!

[viking86]

Amazing work! I feel like I'm repeating myself every time I make a comment in this topic, but I just keep being amazed at your dedication and attention to detail in this project. Keep it up!

[hillflyer]

Pouring all time time into this monster. I've added anti rollbacks up the lift hill, started the upper wall towards y the back of the station, and now I'm getting ready to expand the crossover hump.

[CoasterB]

I know its only a small thing but that antiroll back looks awesome!!!!

[hillflyer]

Here is another example of cutting through where there model is going to be divided.

This was the garage and brake run section. The upper part will get attached to the station house section. The part that has been removed...

...has become part of the first drop section.

L to R, where the train meets the final brake run, the train shed, the hump that beings riders racing towards the fan turn.

Watch for the upcoming rag, and my article about the Save the coaster committee.

[hillflyer]

So... What was I working on this week. Since the beginning I was wondering how I was going to make the cars.

 

I tried something out about a year ago but it didn't work out. A few days ago i started rolling around and the next thing I know, in just a few hours i was able to come up with this

Started with using a 2x8 for the running board. The little bundle of stocks are spacers for keeping t he cars all the same size

Spacers in place. The real bobs cars running boards are 4 feet apart, end to end. Although I can't wait, the cars will be individualized once the whole train is done.

Using my scale drawing of the cars for size accuracy.

Brought together some 2x12 to use for the chassis. That sounds thick, but I need them to be strong. Here, I've made a score where I'm going to be folding them into shape.

Folding a chair to fit in its little compartment.

Not only did the Bob cars have upstop plates, they also had downstops too. In case a car became uncoupled, the "wings" kept the front of the chassis from dropping between the rails.

Here is where I started to feel the uncontrollable urge to really get miniscule. Even making the sockets?

Even the flange that holds the axles. I had not planned to do it, but I swear I just found myself drilling little holes for the axle, to be installed once I figure out what to use for wheels.

I still need to add the seats and the upside. So far this is coming out better than I thought, I hope I can keep it up

The underside

Going down a hill... Weeeeeee! Stay tuned!

[Intimidated305]

It looks really nice so far! Good work! I could never have the patience to to anything compared to this. Keep it up, I can't wait to see it finished.

[CoasterB]

This train construction is awesome love how you have done that. Trains on coasters are always my favourite bit during construction in real life. I don't know what your thinking of using for wheels, but you can get miniature bearings online if you search around, I bought a bag of 20 which have a 1.2mm hole. And they look great as metal wheels.

 

[hillflyer]

What fun. I feel like I have a new toy. My train is coming out pretty nice I think. I still need to add the shin guards, side grab bars and the pilot piece. I have also started attaching the hump into the final brake run.

Added seat backs.

Like when Dick Van Dyke rolled a restored Chitty Chitty Bang Bang out of the garage.

I'm really wanting to take more pictures like this.

And this. I should not be posting photos like this until I'm done with the project, but. You know how it is. When I started this whole endeavor, even I didn't know it was going to get this serious.

Working on the leap up into the final brake run.

[viking86]

That train adds so much life to the model. Looks great, even though it's still work in progress.

[hillflyer]

Construction begins on the tunnel that starts up the lift hill.

[hillflyer]

Hope you all get to check it out! I hope I don't make a poor showing!

 

Watch clips!

 

http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/videos/diablo-cody-is-super-into-roller-coasters.html

 

http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/videos/the-fourth-dimension-coaster.html#hpt=vs_un

[hillflyer]

For those of you who may have missed my 39 seconds of national fame, here is a clip. Copy and paste link.

 

 

 

Also here are a few photos of the brake run into the station. The old one i made didn't work out so I decided to make a new frame, bit I can reuse the track, brakes and garage walls.

 

The sooner I get up to page 45, I'm going to post some really cool photo of the trains!!

The old garage and brake run assembly is in the fore ground next to the new frame that will replace it.

The new brake run/garage frame in between the station.

At the same time, I am semi-linking the valley of the first drop so I get a really smooth curve radius. The black line shows where the model will be separated for transport.

[skiburkesurfjay]

I've been following this project for a while now, and it's amazing. I could never do this!

[hillflyer]

Pictorial update. No big whoop.

Extended the garage an extra 5 feet per the photo

Polished up the final hump into the brake run.

Even some of the windows of the garage will be broken. Maybe I'll place a wayward baseball nearby somewhere.

[hillflyer]

I like how my coaster train turned out. The two passenger-per-car trains are Prior and Church designed and are identical to what used to run on the Giant Dippers. The Cyclone Racer and Rye Dragon also ran trains like these but those where Four-passenger-per-cars. I will make two more of these, one red and the other blue. Which ever turns out best I will keep on display outside of the model while the other two become part of the decaying site.

The seats looked so comfortable, I had to sit in one myself!

Armageddon

I can't wait until landscaping et al is done so I can take more photos like this.

The cars will pivot on a bendable wire. Note to self: use thinner wire.

It appears the ride was shut down to a mysterious fire in the start tunnel. One of many little "history give aways" that will be found throughout. The history of this ride is based on the old Belmont Park Earthquake (Also a Fred Church design) when it was shut down, and there was a fire in two of its tunnels.

Construction status as of 12/13/15.

How I wrapped the side bars.

[hillflyer]

I did some detail to my burnt tunnel. I wish I knew a long time ago I had it in me to do this.

[Paradox]

Looks amazing! Sorry if you have already answered this, but will the model be static or functional? I would love to see the trains speeding through the track!

[hillflyer]

Looks amazing! Sorry if you have already answered this, but will the model be static or functional? I would love to see the trains speeding through the track!

 

I decided to make this an accurate scale model rather than a version that operates. The two would have many stand out differences.

[MIAfan88]

Unbelievable. How did you get the wood looking so good? Like the burnt pieces.

[hillflyer]

Unbelievable. How did you get the wood looking so good? Like the burnt pieces.

.

 

Thanks! I researched some old photos I had of the burned areas on San Diego's Dipper, took a deep breath and started stabbing the tunnel wall with an exacto knife and hoped for the best.

All pieces of plastic that I wanted to make look like burned wood, I used an exacto knife and sand paper to whittle away hard corners and wooden gaps

You can see the shavings on the table.

I took more scrap pieces of plastic, whittled them down in the same manner. I painted it all flat black with some varying shades of grey and glued all the 'fallen' wood inside. I scored the roof in some strategic places before partially collapsing it. I used a white chalk pencil to draw on the white ash.

The tunnel in place. Now I need to create the same effect of the coaster wood above. The intensity of the fire turned out greater than I was planning, so now I have to expand the effect up higher into the coaster.

Someone suggested I pose the trains next to something to scale by.

[hillflyer]

"Will it actually operate?" is the #3 question I get asked most. When displayed, I want people to walk up looking to see if it runs, and eventually it becomes apparent that it's out of commission because of a fire. That happened a lot when San Diego Giant Dipper was closed. People at Sea World would see it a mile away, head on over come to find out is closed. That's the feeling I want to recreate with this.

 

I chose this area to char because it's discreet and its near a tunnel and a lot of grease. Plus, I didn't want to go back over something I already did and redo it burned.

[coasterlvr]

Hope you all get to check it out! I hope I don't make a poor showing!

 

Watch clips!

 

http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/videos/diablo-cody-is-super-into-roller-coasters.html

 

http://www.trutv.com/shows/super-into/videos/the-fourth-dimension-coaster.html#hpt=vs_un

 

pretty cool show. congratulations on the inclusion!

 

i was thinking diablo knows what's up, then alan showed up and she didn't know he was behind X2. haha

[hillflyer]

Another advantage of leaving something alone for a while is I can live with what I've done for a while and of something about it bothers me, I'll eventually go back and change it.

 

My changing the station house color scheme, again, is such an example. I switched around some colors and started permanently started added ceiling joists.

 

Just like a real coaster that's been painted multiple times, this model will also have old color schemes hiding under the top coat of paint.

[hillflyer]

I took advantage of the lighting in the coffee shop and snapped these pictures before taking the plunge and permanently gluing on the ceiling and roof!