Screamin' Serpent

Anybody build Top Thrill Dragster out of the Screamin Serpent?
I did.

If you did, does anyone know a way for the launch to work? I have no idear ;).

Thank you.
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2005: Ride Operations

2006: General Manager

Majin Heero did, and it looks really good. I'll try to help him with some pictures.

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Ameri Coaster

I made it but couldn't fit the 270 degree spiral on the way down. I used a big rubber band thing for the launch. I took that down and changed it but kept the top hat. It now touches my ceiling and does the top hat right after the drop!

Thats really cool

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Feel the Beat

Ryan: my first attempt that I did on this ride went all the up to the ceiling (about 6 ft - I know, short ceiling), and the launch/brake track was about 3 1/2 feet long. Unfortunately, the track was like TWO INCHES too short and it made all the difference. So I took off a catwalk (went from 8 to 7), and made the launch/brake track one large piece shorter. That way the track came full-circuit.

By the way, did the rubber band work?

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2005: Ride Operator
2006: General Manager

whats screamin serpent please? and what are u making this out of?

The Screamin Serpent is the newest K'NEX roller coaster that came out a little over a year ago.

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2005: Ride Operator
2006: General Manager

Screamin' Serpent is a K'NEX snap-togther roller coaster.

I admire you guys that can build this stuff... our 4 person group at school took 2 days to build a pre-designed coaster, and an additional 2 days to get it running correctly.

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Tommy Penner
- YoYoBaybeeMan
Chrysler's new catch-phrase: "Drive & Love"... Isn't that dangerous?

Are you serious? I built my first attempt at Top Thrill Dragster (it was REALLY big) over a couple of hours on a saturday two weeks ago!

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2005: Ride Operator
2006: General Manager

It wasn't a rubber band but I don't know what to call it. It was like a bigger rubber band. When I built TTD it was like 4 ft tall. My ceiling is 8 ft.

I built a version of TTD with the screamin serpent. Although I never got around to making a launch system for it. I was planning on trying to make a launch system similar to the ones used on Schwarzkopf shuttle loopers. I used one kit so I don't think I would've had enough room for the launch. I'll probably try again in the future when I get more kits.

Here are some pictures
http://community.webshots.com/user/rllrcstrdude187

In the future I'll add more pictures of my TTD version along with some of my other designs.

Ryan: Bungee cord?

TTD: About an hour and a half for two days... it was just the standard lift-drop-loop-turn-"station" layout. Our group wasn't the most compitent either... I mean common, I spent most of fourth day building a 7-foot tall signpost that attached to the structure :)

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Tommy Penner
- YoYoBaybeeMan
Chrysler's new catch-phrase: "Drive & Love"... Isn't that dangerous?

I made a nice 7 foot version but it doesn't have a launch yet. Maybe I'll take some pics.

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Dragster "Top Thrills": 0
World's first strata-coaster!

I built one with 2 sets but its hard to get the spiral to work. For the launch just use a big rubber band, and it works with a small rubber band too. I even made a set of brakes with the gears.

You can make a hydralic launch by using the chain and a drill and a big gear and a small gear, but it's not as powerful as the rubber band.

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MikeBertram said:
whats screamin serpent please? and what are u making this out of?

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Here: http://catalog.knex.com/cgi-bin/knex/63153.html

TTD120,can you explain how you made the brakes? Mine didn't have any.

I just made a TTD model in....like....3 hours. If you know the layout, it's not that hard.

I've found that using a rubber band system is the best, but i have also used a pullstring system where you attach string to the car, and then have the string go through gears, and pull the string.
I've made brakes two ways: first you can make the track wider by not attaching the tubing to each frame piece. When the car goes over that section of widened track, it is forced to slow down. Or you can stick pieces of tape on the tubing, in one inch sections (Duct tape works the best). It will bump as it goes over the section, but it slows it down well.

Hope i helped.

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Here are some pictures
http://community.webshots.com/user/rllrcstrdude187

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Wow, this one looks just like the one on this page!

So anyway, for the launch, the most popular way seems to be the rubber-band way. So how do you do it? Do you make two strings of connected rubber bands and put one end of each at the end of the launch run and hook the other ends to the train?
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2005: Ride Operator
2006: General Manager