colmoore Posted July 3, 2013 Posted July 3, 2013 (edited) Hi all, This is the second set in my Amusement Park series - a Ferris Wheel. The wheel is turned my hand, although I have fitted a pulley on the spindle on the rear of the ride so power functions may be added at a later date. The wheel can carry up to 16 mini figures in 8 gondolas. Again, it has a ticket office with a ride operator. Firstly, I would say this model currently only exists in LDD & I have yet to establish the strength of the model in real bricks. I say this because as you will notice the 1x10 plates connecting the hub to the rim are only connected by 1 stud on each end. I anticipate (hope!) that once built the strength of all the joints together will make the ride strong enough. I already have plans for modifications, just in case. You will see I have not "themed" the set yet & decided for now to stick to a basic "rainbow" colour scheme until the themes for all the sets are finalised. I envisage the "park" covering 9 32x32 base boards in a square layout. One board will feature the main entrance & some smaller attractions/shops & the other 8 will feature a ride. Each set will also feature an additional park model as well as the ride, for example drinks stalls, ice cream carts etc. The plates when fit together will form natural paths between each attraction. Here are the first two sets laid side by side. As I said earlier I am currently holding out on adding themes to the rides until I can establish exactly what theme suits what ride. I already have some ideas, but would really appreciate suggestions. The list so far: IDEAS FOR RIDES MERRY-GO-ROUND No particular theme. Happy with this already. Tick. FERRIS WHEEL Need help with this one - have no idea what theme to do. PIRATE SHIP Easy one! INVERTER (like Pandemonium at Drayton Manor) Possibly spaceship-like capsules TEA CUPS The simple ride with the complex engineering. Reminds me of Disneyland though so would like to include it. VERTICAL DROP (like Apocalypse at Drayton Manor) This popular ride is simple to create & has a much smaller footprint than many other rides. Likely to feature. IDEAS FOR ATTRACTIONS HAUNTED HOUSE/GHOST TRAIN This would probably not be functional but a theme park isn't a theme park without one. Monster Fighters theme for this one. CROOKED HOUSE Again difficult to make it function. WILD WEST SHOOTING GALLERY Western themed rifle range PARK SHOP CAFE IDEAS FOR THEMES Western Pirate Space Castle Super Heroes Star Wars Harry Potter Indiana Jones Etc, etc... The possibilities are endless, in the true LEGO way. Again, if you have an idea for a ride/theme match-up please share. Edited July 3, 2013 by colmoore Quote
pillpod Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 They both look very nice. Bumper cars could be cool little build, and even a little train for kids; a small oval track to go with. Quote
eurotrash Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 It's looking good, but it's going to be large! Making it a square means you're might have issues reaching over to the center attractions. So, how about a long strip of 9 base plates with a cable car connecting one end of the park to the other. I like to see a log flume as an attraction, but it'd be so impractical. Good luck with it and I can't wait to see the next addition. Quote
colmoore Posted July 4, 2013 Author Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Thanks for the replies guys. I like the bumper cars idea, & the train & cable car too. I might make the train a wheeled model without a track; the sort that drives you round the park. Nice idea about making a strip with a cable car. What I will do is bear that in mind so it will work both ways. As you say Eurotrash, a Log Flume would be great, as would all the other track-based rides. It's a shame we are limited in this respect. That said, if Lego ever gave us the elements to build such rides I would probably never leave the house again! lol Edited July 4, 2013 by colmoore Quote
Kristel Posted July 4, 2013 Posted July 4, 2013 Love the ferris wheel and it looks great side by side with the merry-go-round! I'm a bit concerned that there's not much stopping the minifigs from falling out though. Quote
colmoore Posted July 4, 2013 Author Posted July 4, 2013 (edited) Hi Kristel, Thanks for the feedback. I hear what you say about the mini figures falling out. My view on it is that giving the figures the sort of barriers you would have on a real ride would make them harder to add & remove from the model. Whilst in real life these barriers wouldn't pass health & safety requirements I am using a bit of artistic licence as it's a model. Edited July 4, 2013 by colmoore Quote
AyliffeMakit Posted July 5, 2013 Posted July 5, 2013 Wow, these look absolutely brilliant! You could possibly use an adventurers theme for the ferris wheel, but it does look great as they are because they remind me of Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 so much. Keep up the good work! Quote
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