10261 LEGO Creator Expert Roller Coaster

[dr_spock]

14 hours ago, Lego Dino 500 said:

I know it's probably not entirely a popular opinion, but chances are I'll probably pick up a CDX coaster kit or two if I can. What Lego has is a really cool system, but they were kind of locked in to making the track system that they used for Joker's Manor, and now the coaster sets that are coming out. The owner of CDX bricks has talked to Lego employees and representatives at toy conventions, and from what I understand, Lego has said to him "We could never produce what you produce." The track system CoasterDynamix, and subsequently CDX Bricks uses is quite a bit more flexible, but also difficult for some to use. I'm sure had Lego not had to develop a track system usable for children, they wouldn't have been forced to use it for this set. As far as aesthetics, flexibility, and price goes, I'm loving the idea of CDX a lot more than this set, for those reasons. But they're two different systems, from two different companies, meant to fulfill different purposes with the same brick system. I can't wait to see what more cool stuff people will build with them, especially as CDX and Lego release more coaster kits in the future. Personally, I'm going with CDX though. 

You should be a man of great patience before committing to flexible coaster tracks.  It's a great kit if you can put in the time and effort required to make it work.  Like Great Ball Contraptions, you may spend way more time tweaking and debugging than building. It can be maddening but fun and rewarding for the right type of person.

3 hours ago, jus1973 said:

Just been rewatching the video, where it shows motorising it.  I know it’s boost compatible, but I don’t fancy buying that as I have a mindstorms 2.0 set in storage, which has 3 motors which can step, as well as the sensors.  Perhaps if I did succumb to buying the Ferris wheel, carousel and then eventually this beast, then I could automate the 3 together. 

Any thoughts on if this is possible or worth doing?

It is a Technic axle drive connection for the M-motor on those rides to motorize them.  I am not sure there is enough space connect a NXT servo motor against it but it is not hard to make a drive shaft system going from the NXT motor to that connection point.  You can make some buildings or truck trailers to hide the NXT motors if you don't want to see them.  The NXT would you more flexibility in control and animating your rides.  You can program it so the rides only runs if the ultrasonic sensor senses someone nearby and stuff like that.

 

[MOMAtteo79]

I’m so curious to see what modders will come up with

[Terrasher]

I think this was discussed before, but I'm not sure:

Is the base of the set 88cm long or is the whole set 88cm long? On the bottom-right side of the box art, where the measurements for the set are, the 88cm goes as far as the base of the set. There is some overhang on the left. Does that mean that it's even longer than we think?

[jus1973]

5 hours ago, dr_spock said:

It is a Technic axle drive connection for the M-motor on those rides to motorize them.  I am not sure there is enough space connect a NXT servo motor against it but it is not hard to make a drive shaft system going from the NXT motor to that connection point.  You can make some buildings or truck trailers to hide the NXT motors if you don't want to see them.  The NXT would you more flexibility in control and animating your rides.  You can program it so the rides only runs if the ultrasonic sensor senses someone nearby and stuff like that.

That’s exactly the kind of idea I thought of.  My only concern was if the motor in NXT has enough torque or perhaps too much.  Hiding them in buildings seems quite possible, and 1 NXT control could run all 3 rides.

[Lego Dino 500]

6 hours ago, dr_spock said:

You should be a man of great patience before committing to flexible coaster tracks.  It's a great kit if you can put in the time and effort required to make it work.  Like Great Ball Contraptions, you may spend way more time tweaking and debugging than building. It can be maddening but fun and rewarding for the right type of person.

Trust me, I am.  I spent six hours yesterday weaving chain maille, and I'm the kind of guy to sit down with a set and not leave until the whole thing is built in one go. I don't mind debugging or changing stuff around, and I know I'll love building with it. When I was younger I used to collect K'Nex coaster kits, although I never did get to build anything huge or fun with them because I didn't have the big coaster style track. I'd love to get back in that as well if I could find some reasonably priced sets. So I definitely have a bit of experience with the process and what goes into them.  Plus I'd love to make a big model of a wooden style coaster, with all those trusses and trellises... 

[DragonKhan]

I've heard oh so many people saying how they have patience and are good with models, just to hear them later yelling at the model how crappy it apparently is. So I'm always hesitant about suggesting these models to even experienced model builders. 
Coasterdynamix has brought out many great models (the company was founded by coaster enthusiasts after all). However they were not really successful since most people just couldn't get them to work right. It's the very reason model coasters are rare. It's almost like the holy grail of scale models. 
Especially their H0 scale wooden coaster was insane to get to work because of the small scale. I've uploaded a video of mine some years ago and I couldn't believe the hundreds(!) of people that asked me about tips and if I could construct theirs. 
The K'Nex coasters are not a very good reference. They are rather simple in comparison. Not surprisingly since they are also considered a toy.

Why am I saying all this? Well, as a warning about the frustration I guess. Even if you're certain of your ability you will come across plenty of frustration and countless hours of stupid little things you'll try to get to work.
The CDX blocks coaster is a bit easier to work with than the previous "roller coaster factory" and it's definitely a set I'd recommend for the curious, but it's still far from easy. One should definitely not try too hard or else you're really setting yourself up for frustration. Loops and crazy twists look awesome, but you're better off with just building a simple figure-8 first. 

[Fuppylodders]

So... talking of what you'd like to see people do... I've been thinking i'll be trying to make a loop, in the same manner the pirate set places those 2 pieces of track together in the alternate build to create the dip. Looking at it, it'd require 6 of those curved pieces and may likely not exactly be a circular loop, perhaps egg shaped in places... but my thoughts are wondering if there would be enough flex to have the exit offset to the entrance of the loop. The next thing will then be how high would it need to be, to create enough speed to get all the way around it. In my current living situation I doubt I'll be the first to try this, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when someone does! I'm almost positive it's possible this way... Thoughts?

[SollX]

58 minutes ago, Fuppylodders said:

So... talking of what you'd like to see people do... I've been thinking i'll be trying to make a loop, in the same manner the pirate set places those 2 pieces of track together in the alternate build to create the dip. Looking at it, it'd require 6 of those curved pieces and may likely not exactly be a circular loop, perhaps egg shaped in places... but my thoughts are wondering if there would be enough flex to have the exit offset to the entrance of the loop. The next thing will then be how high would it need to be, to create enough speed to get all the way around it. In my current living situation I doubt I'll be the first to try this, but I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when someone does! I'm almost positive it's possible this way... Thoughts?

That is a good idea. I hope that building it that way doesnt give to much friction.

Loops are never circular. Because of the g-forces at the bottom. The speed it must have to make the top of a circular loop would be to much at the bottom for people to take. 

[DragonKhan]

4 hours ago, SollX said:

...
Loops are never circular. Because of the g-forces at the bottom. The speed it must have to make the top of a circular loop would be to much at the bottom for people to take. 

Almost. It's not so much the amount of g-forces, but the rate the g-force changes. Circular loops are possible (and do exist), as long as the radius doesn't change to suddenly.
Doesn't matter for Lego figures though, they can take the forces. 

Good luck with the loop. I'm wondering myself if the offset and the entry and exit of the loop can be little enough that the twisting track can be managed by the cars. Possibly, but there's probably a lot of tweaking needed. 

[wooster]

18 hours ago, Terrasher said:

I think this was discussed before, but I'm not sure:

Is the base of the set 88cm long or is the whole set 88cm long? On the bottom-right side of the box art, where the measurements for the set are, the 88cm goes as far as the base of the set. There is some overhang on the left. Does that mean that it's even longer than we think?

The base is exactly 100 studs long (I counted), which should be about 79 cm.  So the 88 cm must include the overhang at the top of the coaster.

[DigitalDreams]

19 hours ago, Terrasher said:

Is the base of the set 88cm long or is the whole set 88cm long?

And more importantly, if you get the cars up to 88mph, do they disappear back to the future?

[Erik Leppen]

I've been following this topic with great interest, because this is basically the set I wanted TLC to make for years. Still though, I might not get it, as I have nowhere to put it! (and €300+ on a single set feels hard to justify) I would love to build it one day though.

Personaly I think it ended up perfect. I like the use of guide wheels, because I think it's the best solution for the given problem. There are real roller coasters with curved lift hills, I suspect TLC drew inspiration from those (Iike the one @DragonKhan has linked to a few posts above). I see only 2 ways they could have got rid of the wheels, and they both have problems:

• adding a small "pre-drop" directly after the lift hill (using the 16-stud-long 3-stud-height-difference "vertical S bend" piece)
• Introduce sloped curves, and use one downwards sloped curve after the lift hill instead of the normal curve

Adding a pre-drop would have made the coaster another 16 studs longer, which would really be too much. The second option would require new track pieces (a downwards-bending curve) and I don't think the train could run over such a thing. Also, both options would lose them 3 studs of height, and for scaled coaster models, potential energy is a scarce commodity you can beter use to your maximum advantage. So all in all, I think the current method is the best possible way to keep the model compact and working. Also, I think the guide wheels add some interesting technical functionality, which I like :) (It would have been even greater if it were possible to add those wheels beneath the track, rather than on the side. But the diagonal bracing of the track is in the way :( )

One thing I pity a bit is that the layout has only rightwards curves. A horizontal S-bend piece would be cool, but doing a good layout with them would have been harder. I think the current layout is the best possible within the given size. What I really like about the set is that it looks like a super cool coaster, because of that impressive first drop and the tall curve following it. Banked curves would have been cool, but simply not possible within TLC constraints (easy to build, etc.). The second half of the layout looks a bit bland, but I don think much more is possible within the given size. I like how there's track going through the support structure. Does it have headchoppers?

I think the color choice is brilliant. The red track really stands out. What I like less is the 2 x 2 round plates in the supports are gray. Why not white? This is an Expert set... Also, something in me says this set could have benefited greatly from a 2 x 2 x N round brick... (for a suitable value of N).

Anyhow, I think it's a great set, and could end up as a real icon for years to come. I'm also curious to see what AFOLs will do with the track pieces.

[danimarroquin]

this is fantastic , its every collectors dream !

[*thomas*]

I wasn't a fan of the previous amusement park themed sets, but this RC is just amazing. Brings me back to my youth when I spend (to many) hours behind my old desktop, playing roller coaster tycoon :) )... I must have for me, even with it's higher price.

[legotownlinz]

The coaster looks like a draft, not like a final product. The red tracks are ugly and do not go well with the blues of the previous fairground sets. Why couldn't they stick to the nice color scheme of the carousel and the ferris wheel?

[Terrasher]

Just now, legotownlinz said:

The coaster looks like a draft, not like a final product. The red tracks are ugly and do not go well with the blues of the previous fairground sets. Why couldn't they stick to the nice color scheme of the carousel and the ferris wheel?

IMO, I'm glad that TLG didn't use the blue-white-yellow colour scheme. Red rails bring a lot more variety to the mix. Plus, since the rollercoaster has a rather plain structure without many decorations, the red also brings more intensity.

[sed6]

On 4/28/2018 at 2:34 AM, jus1973 said:

Totally agree.  In fact it’s release has made me seriously consider collecting the creator expert fairground rides, which I’d avoided until now.

Me too! Just gotta sell my extra MF to fund it

[sed6]

On 4/29/2018 at 6:07 PM, DragonKhan said:

Especially their H0 scale wooden coaster was insane to get to work because of the small scale. I've uploaded a video of mine some years ago and I couldn't believe the hundreds(!) of people that asked me about tips and if I could construct theirs. 

Nice work! That slight incline right after the top of the hill, I wonder if that could be done on this new Lego coaster and the tires and their contraptions eliminated altogether?

[legotownlinz]

17 hours ago, Terrasher said:

IMO, I'm glad that TLG didn't use the blue-white-yellow colour scheme. Red rails bring a lot more variety to the mix. Plus, since the rollercoaster has a rather plain structure without many decorations, the red also brings more intensity.

The lack of decorations is another con.

All-white supports... Is this really the best Lego can do? Looks so boring.

[ReplicaOfLife]

20 hours ago, legotownlinz said:

The coaster looks like a draft, not like a final product. The red tracks are ugly and do not go well with the blues of the previous fairground sets. Why couldn't they stick to the nice color scheme of the carousel and the ferris wheel?

What kind of argument is that?

Fairgound rides are never color coordinated amongst each other. It's their very nature that each one is designed on its own. Heck, even in amusement parks each ride usually has a unique color-scheme.

[legotownlinz]

29 minutes ago, RogerSmith said:

What kind of argument is that?

Fairgound rides are never color coordinated amongst each other. It's their very nature that each one is designed on its own. Heck, even in amusement parks each ride usually has a unique color-scheme.

True. 

But I never thought of Lego sets as realistic models of real-world objects. So even if real rides have different color schemes, I want my Lego fairground rides to blend well which each other. That might not be realistic, but I prefer it that way.

The coaster design reminds me of the 10196 carousel, the first big carousel, which is inferior to the current 10257 carousel.

Of course it's a matter of taste, but imho red is the Lego color I like least. They should have done the tracks in yellow, dark blue, grey or black, all of them would look good beside the carousel and ferris wheel. But not red. Besides that, the design of the coaster doesn't feel complete for me, it needs more decoration. My guess is that they removed it because of the already high piece count.

 

[Fuppylodders]

2 hours ago, legotownlinz said:

True. 

But I never thought of Lego sets as realistic models of real-world objects. So even if real rides have different color schemes, I want my Lego fairground rides to blend well which each other. That might not be realistic, but I prefer it that way.

The coaster design reminds me of the 10196 carousel, the first big carousel, which is inferior to the current 10257 carousel.

Of course it's a matter of taste, but imho red is the Lego color I like least. They should have done the tracks in yellow, dark blue, grey or black, all of them would look good beside the carousel and ferris wheel. But not red. Besides that, the design of the coaster doesn't feel complete for me, it needs more decoration. My guess is that they removed it because of the already high piece count.

 

But Tlg' design team don't cater to your, or my, or any specific individual preferences. You stating yellow tracks, would then put me in the same feeling as you do about the red. I feel red goes better than yellow would. They can't please everyone. 

You're right, they're not realistic models of real world counter parts, but they are representations in some basic form that suits the style of their media used. I'd prefer my fairground wasn't all uniform and the same colours, it would get boring,  and bland very quick. Things would end up blending in with each other rather than standing out from each other. But that's just me, and my preferences. I'm actually happy they didn't add 'lights' because it gives us a blank slate to customise them on ourselves, as well as keeping the price down without them for those that aren't bothered by them.

[ReplicaOfLife]

19 hours ago, legotownlinz said:

True. 

But I never thought of Lego sets as realistic models of real-world objects. So even if real rides have different color schemes, I want my Lego fairground rides to blend well which each other. That might not be realistic, but I prefer it that way.

The coaster design reminds me of the 10196 carousel, the first big carousel, which is inferior to the current 10257 carousel.

Of course it's a matter of taste, but imho red is the Lego color I like least. They should have done the tracks in yellow, dark blue, grey or black, all of them would look good beside the carousel and ferris wheel. But not red. Besides that, the design of the coaster doesn't feel complete for me, it needs more decoration. My guess is that they removed it because of the already high piece count.

 

As @Fuppylodders already said, most of this boils down to personal taste. Red is a very common color for roller coaster track, so I don't see anything wrong with this choice. I use the classic bright red very sparsely myself because it's so intense, but in this case, it works for me.

As for more decoration, here I'm on your side. Nowadays, even some fairgound coasters have attempts at theming, and some lights really would have helped, as those have been around or ages.

[Aventador2004]

An absolute marvel! Congrats on the designer for a great model.

[Kjellevirus]

Can't wait until the 16th. Day one purchase.