COASTAH FREAK

Thanks!

Sorry for the triple post, but I have an update. After hours of building supports and tweaking, I have the first turnaround looking pretty good. Also, I've been in contact with the park and although a deal has yet to be made, things are looking up! Here are some pictures (still sideways for some reason ). Comments/criticisms welcome as always

Time for a small update. I got the top rails on the first half of the turnaround and its already looking a ton smoother. Haven't had a chance to experiment with strengthening the tophat yet though. Also, I don't know why my pictures keep getting flipped sideways, but i can't seem to fix it. Sorry for the neck pain

Ah, I get it now. Not a bad idea! I also think that aluminum idea is a really good one. I'll definitely look into that

Hmmm I like where you're going, but I don't really follow. How would the plastic ties be used?

Yeah, I know I'm going to have to ditch it at some point, but I'm just keeping it there to maintain the shape of the hat while I find a way to strengthen it. The track and rails alone won't be strong enough to take the train launching over it. If anyone has any ideas on how to support the tophat, PLEASE let me know. The only idea I've had so far is to heat clear plastic, bend it to shape, and glue it to the bottom of the track.

^ If you're interested in buying some CD stuff at a discount, check the forums on their website. I think there are some people selling kits for a decent price. ========================= Quick update: I got a comment on the CD forums that my trackwork doesn't look very smooth. Just wanted to say that the track placement in the first set of pictures is merely just to get the supports set where I want them. I'll be smoothing the track more as the rails get placed. That being said, here's a picture of what the tophat looks like now with the rails on.

Thanks! I know what you mean about the deadline, but given the right incentive, it can be done. If the park actually decides to buy and display the model then my friend and I will move the model to his place in Buena Park and dedicate some serious hours to it. Luckily, there's minimum scenery around the ride, so the main issues lie in the model's mechanics. I'm also starting to think that we may end up with at least a static model by the 22nd, but might have to go back and add the launch at a later date.

Thanks! Yeah, I think the shipping would be a little much, but I appreciate the thought You should definitely bust your stuff out and see what you can get done! =========================================== In other news, I added the cross support on the tower and took this picture with the disassembled toy Chevy Bel Air that will serve as a facade for the train. I forgot to mention that I have a whole plan to make a pretty accurate rendition of the train. I figure that if we have an accurate train we won't have to worry as much if we can't get the launch mechanism to work consistently since it will look schnazzy as a static model. I knew I got off at the wrong exit

Hey all, I've been dabbling with CoasterDynamix kits since I was a kid, but I never really found a good purpose for them. I was going to sell all of my stuff, but I decided that instead of selling all of my CD stuff I should put it to good use. Inspired by the Griffon model at Busch Gardens and the I305 model (which I saw in person last summer - very awesome work!), I decided that I wanted to build a model that I could sell to one of my local parks (Six Flags Magic Mountain and Knott's Berry Farm). I started building a model of Green Lantern at SFMM, but it turned out kinda "meh" because Zac Spins aren't really CD friendly. Long story short, I decided on Xcelerator at Knott's. My friend Phil (fpsphil on TPR) and I are huge fans of the park and hope that we'll be able to coax them into buying it from us for Xcelerator's 10th birthday, which is on June 22nd. If they decide that they want it, I plan on taking the model all the way through scenery and hopefully into push-button launch. If not, I'll probably still make the model, but I probably won't go all out, since its way too expensive. Maybe one of you fellow coaster dorks will dish out for it That being said, if anyone has a good connection to the people at Knott's, please help me out! Here are some pics of my progress up to now (not in order, sorry). Comments/Criticisms welcomed!

I have some amazing news to report: I went on Viper for the first time in a few years and had TWO rides completely pain free! What has this world come to...I also saw the remains of Deja Vu and although I was happy, a piece of me was still sad to see the empty space Also, Rob Dyrdek from MTV "kickflipped" a car in a stunt show this morning in the parking lot, so I got to be part of that which was really awesome. Here's a video of it for those who care:

I'm braving the wind and cold to go to the park today...I'll try to take some pictures, but I have a feeling a lot of stuff is going to be closed for high winds. Should make for an interesting day

The only reason I'm excited for this is that I live like 5 minutes away from USH and I grew up with HP, so it'll be nice. Considering I have never been to florida and have no plans on going anytime soon, it'll at least make things a little more convenient.

Gotta say, despite my bad experience last time, I had a great night yesterday! With less crowds I was able to hit 9 mazes in 1.5 hours using my front of the line pass only once for The Thing (which was still only about 20 minutes). The removal of the sheet maze on TT was a good choice and the scareactors seemed to be much more into it than last time, interacting with the guests and having a good time (except for the one Scream actor which I saw texting on the job, but whatever). The lines picked up again later in the night, but since I had already been in all the mazes I was just able to relax and hang out with some friends that didn't have FOTL passes. All in all, the event was good enough to make up for last time! The Thing and Alice cooper were astounding visually. Big props to John and his team. Also big thanks to Robb for offering the event! Well worth the extra money.

It didn't help that I was with people that weren't really willing to wait for anything whatsoever, but I'm telling you I showed up at opening and left at 1am. I got on TT first thing in like 5 minutes (it got dark really quickly, so that wasn't a problem) and by the time I was out of there the mazes were at about 30-45 minutes. I went in Hostel with about 30 min wait, got out, and everything (except for wolfman) was at 60-75 and stayed that way until I left.