54 replies to this topic

[Batwing]

Hi all!

Having been set up for several months, it was finally time for Vortex to depart for something new!



So what's next? Well in a nutshell:



For my next build, I wanted to go further than Vortex, and create something truly unique (which will hopefully work) in terms of VV. Just for fun, I'm letting you guess what exactly will be so unique about this ride! Here are some teasers - I honestly don't know whether this will be obvious, or impossible, although I suspect it'll probably be the former...
With a bit of coaster knowledge you should be able to get most of these!



In total there'll (hopefully) be:
-One never seen before feature
-2 Features unique to micro K'nex
-2 other special features!

Anway, onto construction:



Thanks to everyone's support and invaluable tips, I'll be trying to make this ride as strong as possible, which starts with the base!





Just a few pieces will be required for this ride!



What's this structure?



More!



And finally, a few tubes. Oh and catwalks, which I won't be needing for this one...

Thanks for taking the time to have a look! Enjoy guessing...

Edited by Batwing, 20 November 2015 - 04:14 PM.
to change topic title

[CowmanBearPig]

This looks like it will be very cool! Will this be automatic, or will it be turned I with a switch?

[CoasterWarriorUnlessSleeping]

It's very interesting that you have that ying-yang symbol in the corner of each picture, and fire and water in the teaser. I'm intrigued to see what the theme of this ride will be.

[-=Zach=-]

Dueling B&M flyer?!?!
Sweet.

[Jumpge]

I'm super excited to see this. Great teaser hints! An awesome introduction to the build for sure.

[sathothy]

A dueling flying coaster with an elevator lift? Very interesting.

[SCM]

Guys, c'mon. It's obviously a standup laydown coaster that has wooden supports and an elevator lift and is dueling.

[Batwing]

Thanks for all the comments! (I really wasn't expecting that many!) Anyway, you've managed to correctly guess two of the features, but I'm not going to give away any of the others yet

This looks like it will be very cool! Will this be automatic, or will it be turned I with a switch?

Thanks! As much as I'd love to be able to automate it, what I have in mind is probably a little complex for it!

It's very interesting that you have that ying-yang symbol in the corner of each picture, and fire and water in the teaser. I'm intrigued to see what the theme of this ride will be.

So it is...but tbh, I'm not yet fully decided on the theme...they were largely there to hint at the dueling aspect.

Dueling B&M flyer?!?!
Sweet.

Well, it is dueling, but unfortunately, it's not a flyer! The question is, how may new coasters can you complete in the time it takes me to build this

I'm super excited to see this. Great teaser hints! An awesome introduction to the build for sure.

Thanks a lot! I suppose I'm super excited to build it too!

A dueling flying coaster with an elevator lift? Very interesting.

I hope it will be interesting! And it will have a dual elevator lift

Guys, c'mon. It's obviously a standup laydown coaster that has wooden supports and an elevator lift and is dueling.

Dammit! How did you know? That doesn't even make sense....oh, and the wooden supports are just for elements at 'ground level' - I'll use tubes elsewhere.


New hints and new construction photos

So yes, the coaster will duel, and feature an elevator lift -pretty certain an elevator lift hasn't been attempted before with a full circuit coaster. Then again, they may be a reason for that....

The other 3 are probably harder to get, so here's a few more hints.

#1
Here are the coasters you need to know about in order to get this clue:
Cobra - La Ronde (Montréal, Québec, Canada)
Batwing - Six Flags America (Upper Marlboro, Maryland, USA)
Smiler - Alton Towers (Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK)

#2
How many sides does a strip of paper have? Is it always the same...?

#4
Just because the plane is flying does not mean it's a flying coaster! A certain pictured European fighter plane is the key to this one...


Anyway, enough of that, time for Construction



The elevator lift is very nearly at full height - just the roof to go now!



The view from the top!



Both sides of the coaster are now visible!





More track! But why is it a different colour?



And now, the big reveal! This is why the ying yang is red and green...because it represents the two sides of the track!



What do you think of the colour combination?


Thanks everyone! Keep those guesses coming...

(I will reveal the answers at some point, promise!)

[CCI]

So far I got clue 3 and 4.

3: Elevator(US) Lift(UK) so an elevator lift?
4: Its a Eurofighter Typhoon. So elements of a Eurofighter?

[Coasterman345]

This will be an amazing with the lift and all the cool things elements and whatnot you are planning on doing. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, I can't really concentrate/think right now. Go build stuff!

[CowmanBearPig]

It's looking great so far! Isn't the plane called a eurofighter? It's capable of a vertical take off, maybe that's it. I'm excited to see the track work. I believe that Maarten12 built an elevator lift with some sort of Winter theme once.

EDIT: Ah, I found it. http://www.sscoaster...605/index3.html

Edited by CowmanBearPig, 09 November 2014 - 09:29 PM.

[Batwing]

So far I got clue 3 and 4.

3: Elevator(US) Lift(UK) so an elevator lift?
4: Its a Eurofighter Typhoon. So elements of a Eurofighter?

Right on both counts sir! Now turn your attention to the rest of the clues

This will be an amazing with the lift and all the cool things elements and whatnot you are planning on doing. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, I can't really concentrate/think right now. Go build stuff!

Haha - well it made sense to me! I am indeed building more stuff!

It's looking great so far! Isn't the plane called a eurofighter? It's capable of a vertical take off, maybe that's it. I'm excited to see the track work. I believe that Maarten12 built an elevator lift with some sort of Winter theme once.

EDIT: Ah, I found it. http://www.sscoaster...605/index3.html

Thanks a lot actually -that link's been really helpful for me! At least I now know it can work....


So, it's update time, but there's good and bad news this time....I'll start with the bad I suppose!

The Bad News
-I've still got a long way to go if I'm going to make a fully functional Elevator lift...I've had chain snapping, rod warping and it's all a bit of a nightmare at the moment. But I'll pull through
-Some of my plans have had to be slightly adjusted
-I'm not going to post any more clues...you'll have to guess from the construction photos!
-I'll need some more pieces soon....

The good news!
-I'll soon be making an announcement/test video (if) once the lift is functional
-I have had some successful manual and motorised tests. I just need to consolidate the structure and add a little more hardware!
-I have new photos!



I think, I think this time it might work! Note the rod warping....



It sure does elevate! Note the smallest chains ever....the only configuration which would work!





Don't look down - 6ft tall now!



A counterweight, affectionately known as 'the cage'!



The pre-drop - not the greatest shaping from some angles, but it'll do....



Nice and compact...Oh, and I will be replacing the yellow curves once I buy some more orange ones!





Unfortunately, I will need to trim the bottom of the drop!



The tower in all its glory!



Yes, I have glow up stars on my ceiling. Get over it. We all forgot to grow up on here right



The cog system...which needs a little strengthening



Yes, it sags, but the method in the madness is to use gravity in order to keep the cogs close together!



I'll be installing this bad boy soon....



Thanks for your replies everyone! Probably one more update before Christmas. Enjoy!

Edited by Batwing, 30 November 2014 - 03:19 PM.

[Spaghetti]

I like it!

[Batwing]

^Thanks!

Update time!

Well, have I got news for you! Two major developments have occurred since I last posted, so I'll segment this update into two parts.

Firstly, the elevator lift is now (almost) fully functional! I've made amendments to the catch car (if I can call it that), eliminating a few of the irregularities which have been causing problems.
Last update was all about this feature, and I didn't get many comments, so I'll keep it brief:





What's that at the bottom of the picture...? By now you've probably figured out what the second major development has been:



Yep, it's a drop. Note the yellow track piece is a temporary installation until I get a green piece of the same length. How does it look?
Of course however, this is a dueling coaster and...






We have another drop....and this one's beyond vertical!



Another view of the 'green side's' drop - I've tried to make it a little like Expedition Geforce's first drop.



Don't look down! I'll try to create a near miss element between the two drops soon!



Here's another shot.





Does the pullout look okay? The end will be modified (and connected ) a little.


However, in light of this all, I was hoping you guys could help with a name for this ride!
So far, I have a few ideas, but am not entirely decided yet!

Compromise (sci-fi-ish theme)
Dueling Demons (a darker theme)
Strawberry-lime frutti-tutti whirl (as suggested by my sister!)

What do you reckon? The third one's my favourite so far


That's all for today folks! Hope you like it!

[CartRacer56]

i like Dueling demons the best and this this is flawless!

[CW5X]

Strawberry-lime frutti-tutti whirl for the win haha. I'm very impressed with the detail and effort (and crazy awesomeness) being put in here. Just take some cool ideas and bundle them all together into one, big ride. Sounds like a winning formula (for this anyway). I might make the pullout a little bigger for the size of the drop though.

[CowmanBearPig]

I curious to see how you deal with the track pieces on he lift meeting the pieces on the drop. I do not like the shape of the drop though, I think it should be pulled away from the lift a little especially at the bottom. If you need a draw over I'd be glad to provide one.

[The Stig]

Dueling elevator lifts? I love it. I vote for Strawberry-lime frutti-tutti Whirl. I like the crazy looking drop. It's not something you see everyday. I'm also interested in how the elevator lift is going to work.

[Gvus]

Very intersting, I really want to see a video of the lifts running.

[MrRemcoStyle]

I like projects like this, nice to see an elevator lift with vv!