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This is Jack Rimer from CDX Blocks (Pittsburgh native and owner of a “clone” brick company. Lol). I would like to discuss donating some of our Cyclone roller coaster kits to the LUG with the idea that maybe we can work together to build a large Kennywood Thunderbolt model. Please give me some feedback on this. Try not to flame me. Our product is actually pretty good. Haha. Thanks!
There has been some discussion among LUG members about LEGO roller coaster models. Here is the link to the CDX site: https://cdxblocks.com/
Jack, what do you think the LUG supply would need to contribute to build a Kennywood Thunderbolt?
Thanks for the reply, Greg. Since the Thunderbolt is built around terrain, I would need your help in figuring out how to create realistic terrain. I would rely on you all to build it. I would purchase the bricks. I could then come up sometime and help install the coaster structure and track. Hopefully you all have the connections in town to have it displayed somewhere. I know people at the park so perhaps we can get it on display there. I’m by no means an expert Lego builder. I can, however, build a mean roller coaster. Lol.
Subscribed. We do have a rollercoaster thread on here somewhere that got started as a result of the new Joker Manor set, and I did mention the Cyclone system as a good alternative.
Hi Jack,
I think a road block for getting this started would be not knowing how your product connects or functions. While we could build a terrain and Thunderbolt model, it doesn’t mean that your track can function on it.
Were you looking for members to be compensated for their time or just be motivated by their own interest? It’s great of you to offer to cover material costs, but I just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page with expectations.
Jack, this is a potentially awesome collaboration opportunity, but as others have mentioned, is not without challenges in scope, time commitment, etc. I’m interested to be involved in discussions, for sure!
Here’s our other Roller Coaster thread, for what it’s worth.
Thanks for the replies. Sorry I’m late to respond, but I didn’t receive notifications of your replies. The picture I posted is of a racing coaster made from 4 Cyclone kits. As far as the scope of the project, I would prefer to not have to compensate anyone for their time. I am willing to provide the materials and essentially donate the model for display around Pittsburgh. The biggest challenge as I see it is building the terrain. The Thunderbolt relies on the terrain to make it unique. I can build structure and track all day long, but I have zero experience with landscaping and creating elevation changes.
I’ll pop on over to the other thread to see what’s up….Several people have proposed amusement parks and then we get an opportunity like this, it should be a no brainer for people to jump on.
Anyway, not being familiar with the Thunderbolt, I found some rather valuable images. It seems like people have made a hobby of recreating roller coasters virtually:
So when Jack talks about terrain, I think the main challenge is that there is a dip in the middle. For this to be recreated in a display, either the middle has to be lowered below the rest of the table or the ends have to be elevated.
If this were a stand-alone display then raising the ends would be simpler. For the purposes of creating a coaster that could be incorporated into a LEGO display, it almost seems like a special table would be needed so that the ends are at a level with everything else and the middle is depressed.
If I were building it, I think I would take measurements of Jack’s coaster model and try to create a virtual version with the ends elevated first. Then I would use what I learned from making that to determine how to create a special table for the coaster.
So Jack, to start, can you tell us what the overall length, width and height of the coaster would be in inches? Also do you have a sense of how far down the dip would go from say the start/end of the loop?
It’s hard to say how large it would be until I laid it out. I’m guessing the ravine might be 12″-18″ deep. The height of the ride would be similar. Perhaps about 6′-8′ long (wide) and only 3′ deep (front to back). The top part of the ride would have flat terrain as would the turn around area. The only terrain would be the valley. I’m guessing we would build a wooden “table” and then cover it with blocks rather than build it up from all bricks.
This is cool.
Yeah, it is!
Jack, a standard LUG table is 40″ x 40″, (because standard LEGO baseplates are 10″ x 10″.) You’re proposed dimensions might require 2 to 3 full tables, depending on the actual length. Of course this would eventually be a motorized coaster, not a static model, right?
I think that the next LUG meeting is on Jan 6th. We should keep the discussion going until then, though.
I am thinking that the border should be 2×4 green bricks. DUPLO and QUATRO bricks could be really useful for filling the unseen volume of the structure.
Jack, would you be able to make the model without the terrain? Also, in which part of Pittsburgh are you located?
So, it would be a little impractical to go to your house to try laying out bricks under your model.
Actually, now that you mention it, I probably spoke with you briefly at Brickfair this past summer. 🙂
Isn’t there some type of ravine near the Thunderbolt.
Yep. The ravine is the key feature of both the Thunderbolt and the Steel Phantom/’s Revenge. It allows the Thunderbolt to start out with a drop (instead of a lift, although there is a lift partway through), and allows the *last* hill to be the largest drop instead of the first hill like most coasters. Similarly, on the Phantom, the way they broke the Guinness record for speed (and tallest drop) in the early ’90s was by using the topography – the lift at the start is something like 160′, and thus so is the first drop. Then the train already has momentum when it crests the second hill – still moving at about 15-20mph when it starts the second drop (as opposed to still being on the chain), this means it builds to a faster speed (I wanna say 85mph) than would otherwise be possible on the ~225′ drop.
Those might not be *exact* numbers, but I was a bit of a nerd about it as a kid (I know, you’re all shocked.) And of course, the records are long since shattered with the magnetic propulsion launches and whatnot. But still. Pretty ingenious for the time, and not many parks have the topography to allow that cleverness of design.
tl;dr – we totally have to build the Phantom into the ravine, too!
I like the Idea. Any way to maybe schedule a demo day for this product, either at Q4 or seperate day? If for nothing else to learn the connection points and brainstorm?
I am willing to send a kit up for someone or a group of you all to build. Just to get a feel for how the system works.
@jackrimer, I am going to send you my address through SteelCityLUG’s messaging system. To see it, you have to click on your own name in the top right corner of this screen. Then select the messages tab.
I got the roller coaster kit. Its really cool! Construction has begun. 🙂
One key design feature is that it uses 1x plates with rounded ends allowing curves in the track.
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