Hey everyone, back with another coaster. I have been wanting to do another tube supported coaster for a while and Mindbender at Six Flags Over Georgia has been a ride Rollerfreak987 and I have been wanting to do for a while, so now that we have the space to build the coaster why not do it now! We will be constructing it with the terrain around the rides layout, which should be a fun challenge and make it look better as well. So far the break run, station, transfer area, lift hill, and first turn have been completed and the train makes it with realistic speed. We think the height of the lift hill should be enough to complete the layout, we just don't want to lose to much speed during the loops and the helix. Enjoy the pictures for this update!
Wow this looks awesome. I'm currently in need of a much bigger space for the ride I'm building so I am very jealous, haha! I'm curious to see how sturdy this goes. Can't wait for more (:
That's quite the rock solid foundation you have there. Everything looks great, shaping, supports, station, all of it. Makes me want to build. Can't wait to see all of what you do.
Wow this looks awesome. I'm currently in need of a much bigger space for the ride I'm building so I am very jealous, haha! I'm curious to see how sturdy this goes. Can't wait for more (:
Haha I'm sure you will get some more building space soon. Thank you!
I'm very jealous, I don't have the time or space for these anymore.
This is looking great so far, and I'm sure its another recreation that you will do justice.
Aww man I always look forward to you creations! I hope you enjoy this model!
That's quite the rock solid foundation you have there. Everything looks great, shaping, supports, station, all of it. Makes me want to build. Can't wait to see all of what you do.
Yeah it was a bit tricky wear to place each support for the turn and how to keep the supports stabilized but I have had a lot of practice with tube supports before!
So far the drop and loop has been completed, the speed loss is about a green rod which is pretty good considering it was difficult to keep the loop structure sturdy when the fully weighted train passes though. I attached some fishing string on each side of the loop structure to minimizing any movement and it turned out better than expected. It looks more realistic than having rods attached on the loop structure. I think I can get the train going faster though the loop when the train is warmed up a bit more. I was trying to add some more curve to the drop but it is difficult to curve the track using gray rods when there are large gaps in between each support, and using flexi rods for the whole layout would make the trains lose speed faster. Enjoy the pictures and test video!
Looks good. I always liked the Schwarzkopf type loop supports.
Thanks! Yeah same here, it was a bit tricky making sure the structure was strong enough for the forces from the train.
Looks so neat. Great start. Lots of build activity on the forums this year!
Yeah for sure, its exciting!
That loop is awesome
Thank you! It turned out better than I imagined.
Now that is a loop structure I haven't seen in 13 years!
Yeah I was inspired by that loop and thought I would give it a try. It had the loop radius I was looking for as well. It does use a lot of gray 3Ds but I should have enough to complete the coaster.
Holy sheesh, what a great look you have there. Very elegant, that timing is amazing....
Thanks, it does take a lot of patience with tube supports making sure the supports and track are strong for a weighted train but I think it looks great when the element is completed.
Sorry for the lack of updates, I have been having some issues with my train for the past few months. I took apart the cars to clean the debris out and when I put them back together the train barely made the helix and so I knew it was time to stop messing around with the plastic wheels order some wheels that are all circular and spin very well. I went with the metal ball bearing wheels but I had some issues getting them to spin well enough so I switched to the ceramic ball bearings and that was drastically better. They do cost a bit more than the metal ball bearings but I would recommend getting them as they dont require any lubrication that can mess the wheels up from spinning and have very little friction. The wheels are also more secure in their position using this new wheel assembly which help can reduce speed loss. The train does run a but faster now so their should be enough height left to complete the layout. I think the helix is the toughest part of the ride and can cause the most speed loss but each support is secured pretty well. Enjoy the pictures and test video!
I hope those new wheels give you enough speed for the second loop.
Thanks! Yeah the train is in better shape now. It was barely making the helix so I had to lower it a tad so the train can make the element every time. I figured out how to properly clean the wheels as well so the bad wheels are spinning much better which has improved the speed of the train. Its been a bit frustrating getting the wheels to spin better without using any lubrication since it will slow the bearings down so I am glad that has been resolved.
The third turn has been completed and the speed loss after the helix is really good so there should be enough height remaining to complete the rest of the layout. The base, supports, and track for each element very sturdy so there should not be an issue with losing to much height in between elements. The catwalks for the MCBRs will be installed once the layout is complete. The next update will be the last one with the second loop and completed layout. Hope you enjoy the pictures and test video!
This entire build is incredibly impressive. The base you've built for this is huge.
Thank you! Yeah for sure it get pretty difficult to construct the second loop or if you have to switch some pieces out in a hard to reach area.
Onto the final update for the coaster! I completed the second loop and final turn into the break run. The straight track before the loop is longer then I would have liked, but the loop is located in the middle of the helix and I made the drop before the loop as far as it could go. The speed loss turned out really well and the second loop looks a lot more realistic. It was pretty difficult on your legs building in that small area that's for sure. I added a small trim break before the brake run to slow the train down a bit, so it looks realistic when the train enters into the breaks. Hope to get the final video uploaded soon!
