[TC14] The Zapper - FINISHED! - More information added!

[mocbuild101]

After 2 months of work, I can finally present to you, The Zapper!

 

This MOC was quite a challenge to build, not only because it's the biggest thing I've ever built, but because of the numerous design changes that I made while I was building it (most of which you can see in my posts below). I'm just glad I managed to finish it before the deadline, otherwise who knows how many more design changes I would have made...

 

Video:

 

Quick stats:

• Height (to top of support structure):  30 studs (24cm / 9.45")
• Width:  32 studs (25.6cm / 10")
• Depth:  34.5 studs (27.6cm / 10.86")
• Weight (with batteries and passengers): 1968g

Now, you may look at those numbers and think that they're just measurements, but while that is true, there's also quite an amazing coincidence among them... You see, as I was typing it out, I realized that written as grams, the weight was a year - not just any year, but the EXACT year that the original Zipper (which is what The Zapper is based on) was first invented! Unbelievable, I know, but I can assure you that is the exact weight.

 

Links:

• More about The Zipper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipper_(ride)
• Bricksafe page: https://bricksafe.com/pages/mocbuild101/tc14---the-zapper
• YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxbVNoT2SOc

 

More photos:

 

All versions (from prototype to final entry):

Spoiler

Original post:

Spoiler

I thought it might be about time for me to start a WIP topic, as I've already changed my idea several times, when I really should be building something...

My original plan was to build something completely of my own design, and have it be totally different from any real-life rides.

 

Some plan that was... It turns out my idea had already been made - nearly 50 years ago:

But after reading more about it (here), I decided to just forget about making my own ride, and just build the ride that "was named by Popular Mechanics as one of the strangest amusement park rides"

 

So after about 15 minutes of building, I came up with my first prototype: (sorry for bad photo quality)

That's all I've done so far, as I'm still not quite sure about the scale to build it at yet - I think I just need to do some more "brickstorming"...

 

Edited September 7, 2018 by mocbuild101

[Rudivdk]

Ooh, another zipper project. Cool!! I see you picked a similar base setup as mine, but yours looks much more nimble. Nice start

[mocbuild101]

26 minutes ago, Rudivdk said:

yours looks much more nimble. Nice start

Thanks, I'm trying not to make it too big (mainly for structural reasons). I'm actually starting to think I should make it for minifigures rather than Technic figures...

[shadow_elenter]

Lol, the second twin of the contest! The Icestorm and I are also building a similar attraction 

 

[pagicence]

I think this ride makes people on it sick the most.

[Bublehead]

This ride is the best place to pick up spare change as it is flung from the pockets of the riders. At the county fair, the kids would stand around underneath the ride and wait for the quarters and dimes and nickels to start falling like rain. Unscrupulous carny ride operators soon figured out that if they roped the area off underneath for “safety of bystanders” they could make a little extra bank, and so no more free cotton candy money 

[mocbuild101]

Update!

I've been playing around with the old track links, as the new ones are just too big, and have found what seems to be a fairly strong way of attaching parts to them:

It uses a 1x3 tile and two clips to hold it firmly to a track link. The clips are also great building points:

Here's a quick video of a test: https://bricksafe.com/files/mocbuild101/tc14---the-zapper/wip-section/4.MP4

(and no, I have no idea why it squeaks so much...)

[Jurss]

Interesting solution.

[mocbuild101]

Update!

I've started to move away from making a Zipper replica (as I'm sure @Rudivdk will cover that), and I'm instead only going to take inspiration from it. (you may have already noticed the name change)

Yesterday I thought I'd quickly try out something in LDD:

Can you guess what it's for? (clue: it does more than just hold the rotating arm )

[pagicence]

It clearly spins around the gray and black axles, other than that... I have no idea. I'm guessing that minifigs in it will fill like they are in a blender.

[mocbuild101]

5 hours ago, pagicence said:

It clearly spins around the gray and black axles

Yes, the main rotating arm attaches to the large turntable, and the whole assembly tilts on the small turntables (the 5x7 frames are part of the support structure).

The colored axles are used as follows:

• Green = Main arm rotation (large turntable)
• Red = Whole arm tilting (small turntables)
• Orange = Chain movement (what the riders' seats are attached to)

5 hours ago, pagicence said:

I'm guessing that minifigs in it will fill like they are in a blender.

They should, at least they will if it moves how I'm imagining it... Hopefully I'll have a working model in a day or two to show how it works.

[mocbuild101]

Update!

I've finally got around to building the main arm, it ended up needing to have another chain added, as one was too weak to hold the riders' seat.

I also needed to redesign the connection to the chain, as the old version only worked with a single chain.

So far it's working well (video), though I still don't know if the tilting part will work...

Edited July 20, 2018 by mocbuild101

[mocbuild101]

Update! (finally... )

It's been a while since I last updated this, but I have been building...

It now uses EV3 motors to power it, and while they are a bit slower, they are also much stronger - the PF motors just couldn't keep the speed consistent enough.

Once again, here's a short test video: https://bricksafe.com/files/mocbuild101/tc14---the-zapper/wip-section/11.MP4

 

Anyway, now my main challenge is how I'm going to decorate it, so I'd like your opinion on how you think it should look.

Style:

1. Leave the structure bare - so all the mechanisms are visible.
2. Cover it all up with plates - like I have done on the front.
3. Cover it all up with panels - smoother and more Technic.

Color:

1. As is - black, grey, with only a bit of red.
2. Much more of one color. (either red or yellow)
3. More colors, but only for the seats.

Details:

1. As is - put more focus on the mechanisms.
2. Some small details (like railing).
3. As may details as possible.

I hope that not to many options for you...

[MangaNOID]

oh man talk about breaking necks with that over the top twist motion 

 

[mocbuild101]

3 minutes ago, MangaNOID said:

oh man talk about breaking necks with that over the top twist motion

 

Well maybe not breaking necks, but it should definitely make riders vomit twice as quickly...

Oh, and that motor is only set at half power... and the batteries are nearly flat...

[pagicence]

Here is my opinion:

• the minifig seat should be looser,
• Style: cover somethings with panels, leave something open (either way try all 3 and see, then you will decide),
• Color: each seat (or every other) in different color, color of the structure is fine, but cover panels should bi in some color of your choice,
• Details: definitely some railing and a sort of a plateau and stairs so the people can get on and off.

[mocbuild101]

16 hours ago, pagicence said:

the minifig seat should be looser,

each seat (or every other) in different color, color of the structure is fine

definitely some railing and a sort of a plateau and stairs so the people can get on and off.

The seats are built to be loose, but for some reason they don't work as well when connected to the chain...

That's what I thinking of doing, as I don't think I will be able to make every seat a different color.

Well that's what the 8x16 tile was supposed to be for, but now that I think of it, it probably would be better to have it raised up with stairs...

Edited August 13, 2018 by mocbuild101
Something is wrong with my T key....

[pagicence]

5 hours ago, mocbuild101 said:

The seats are built to be loose, but for some reason they don't work as well when connected to the chain...

Maybe you can try to connect it with axle instead of a bush. Instead of a 4L thin beam use 3L thin beam so that on your connection point with 5L red beam you can use 2L axle and it won't fall out because it will be held by 3L thin beam's cross hole and it will rotate freely inside 5L red beam. Does this make sense?

Edited August 13, 2018 by pagicence

[mocbuild101]

18 hours ago, pagicence said:

Maybe you can try to connect it with axle instead of a bush. Instead of a 4L thin beam use 3L thin beam

That might just work...

[mocbuild101]

...or maybe not

Unfortunately using axles still didn't make it any looser, but I did manage to find a solution, even though it uses non-Technic parts...

The ends of the arms attached to the parts are just long enough to fit into the holes in the 5L beams, with the half bushes acting as a spacer to prevent the seat from catching on the beams.

If you look closely, you might also notice that there is a black pin sticking out of the 5L beam, this is need to make the seat rotate on each rotation of the main arm, as the seats are not balanced enough to rotate on their own (like the original zipper's seats did).

 

As for decoration, well, you can tell me if you think it looks good or not:

I personally think it needs a bit more color, but I'm not really sure where to put it...

 

[Corrado]

I think the best choise is put some colorfull pices on midle of "rail".

[pagicence]

Too much black for me. How about this; railing in one color; stairs and platform in second color; and third color, instead of black, for technic panels 3x11, 5x11 and some beams around them. For technic parts you can even use a gray color (lbg or dbg) it will still give it some contrast and it will look lighter and better. IMO.

[BrickbyBrickTechnic]

Given the current state of the carts you have, lots of people are going to be falling out  also I fully agree with @pagicence 's color idea.

[mocbuild101]

15 hours ago, pagicence said:

Too much black for me. How about this; railing in one color; stairs and platform in second color; and third color, instead of black, for technic panels 3x11, 5x11 and some beams around them.

I would prefer to keep the colors "mixed up" as they are, but I could still try it...

Now that I think of it, though, I think using colored parts to replace the black panels would probably look much better...

 

15 hours ago, BrickbyBrickTechnic said:

Given the current state of the carts you have, lots of people are going to be falling out  

Nah, they'll be fine, they've got plenty of clutch power on their legs

[Erik Leppen]

The colored seats are fine, but the fencing on the base is really ugly, to be honest. It looks thrown together with little thought. And if you don't have system bricks, use Technic for that. I used the red and yellow axles to good effect, for example.

I'd advise to try bringing more uniformity in the color scheme. I used the same three colors, but I used each color for a different "function" (platforms vs gates vs railings).

Also, I think you can brighten things up by replacing a lot of black stuff with another, brighter, color. The rotating frame that holds the chain could be red or orange or something. It's not a super large model, so I'm sure you can get some red beams there instead of all the black it has now. I think the best way to reduce the "blackness" is not to add color, but to remove black and put color in its place. (But watch out not to create a colored mess.)