10303 Loop Coaster

[Lion King]

2 hours ago, danth said:

Anyone know if those tracks are in standard/classic yellow, or one of the myriad new shades?

I think it’s hot pink. 

 

Just kidding. 

[aeh5040]

9 hours ago, Lyichir said:

I might be wrong but I think that's why the red "stopper" is there right before the lift—it seems to only get moved out of the way when the lift has arrived back at the bottom to receive the cars again.

Yes, there definitely is!  You can see it at 0:12 in the video (it's very quick, I had to replay several times):

The mechanism for the elevator itself is also interesting.  It looks as though there is a loop of chain containing a section of tank treads.  Presumably the tank treads support the elevator when they are on either side of the loop, so the result is continuous smooth up-and-down motion with a dwell at both top and bottom.  It's a very neat way to achieve that.

There is also a sprung tyre mechanism at the side of the track just before the elevator, which seems to be driven from the main drive.  Presumably that is to catch the coaster and bring it slowly into place without a bang.

So, all in all, some very interesting mechanisms, and I'm almost certain that they enable it to be run continuously with a motor.  No sensors required! 

Edited June 9, 2022 by aeh5040

[Lyichir]

6 hours ago, aeh5040 said:

Yes, there definitely is!  You can see it at 0:12 in the video (it's very quick, I had to replay several times):

The mechanism for the elevator itself is also interesting.  It looks as though there is a loop of chain containing a section of tank treads.  Presumably the tank treads support the elevator when they are on either side of the loop, so the result is continuous smooth up-and-down motion with a dwell at both top and bottom.  It's a very neat way to achieve that.

There is also a sprung tyre mechanism at the side of the track just before the elevator, which seems to be driven from the main drive.  Presumably that is to catch the coaster and bring it slowly into place without a bang.

So, all in all, some very interesting mechanisms, and I'm almost certain that they enable it to be run continuously with a motor.  No sensors required! 

You know, I think you're right! I looked at the pictures again more closely and it definitely looks like the tower is designed for the wider section of chain to "feed" directly through to where it's going down instead of up. That's really clever, especially since as you mention it would let it stop at the top and bottom for the cars to load and unload from the lift. It's a lot more mechanically intricate than I gave it credit for.

I'm not sure whether I'll end up getting this one... love the concept but like with the previous coaster, it's expensive and takes up a lot of space. I really do appreciate how much it brings to the table, though, so die-hard roller coaster fans ought to easily be able to justify displaying both in the same park!

[R0Sch]

Here's a look at the motorized functions (different hub and motor from recommended one). I wonder how many rapid falls those weak chains will hold out.

 

[Lyichir]

2 minutes ago, R0Sch said:

Here's a look at the motorized functions (different hub and motor from recommended one). I wonder how many rapid falls those weak chains will hold out.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but the chain shouldn't be engaged by the lift as it falls, right? So it shouldn't be super affected by that.

Former Lego designer Tiago Catarino has a review up as well:

 

[R0Sch]

Seems the prices in the fictional LEGO world are just as random as the set price increases in RL. 7 units for a pretzel and only 5 for a hot dog but 9 if you want extra mustard on it?!

[TeriXeri]

Looks like an impressive set for sure, not my type of scale of set but I like this one a lot, this just needs quite a lot of space and height, not something for inside of a bookshelf.

(Pirate Rollercoaster is my little taste of LEGO rollercoaster currently)

Edited June 17, 2022 by TeriXeri

[Lion King]

3 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Looks like an impressive set for sure, not my type of scale of set but I like this one a lot, this just needs quite a lot of space and height, not something for inside of a bookshelf.

(Pirate Rollercoaster is my little taste of LEGO rollercoaster currently)

Pirate Rollercoaster? You mean the ride that has mechanically swinging pirate ship? If so, that would be very cool for sure - it’s on my list. 

[1980-Something-Space-Guy]

18 hours ago, TeriXeri said:

Looks like an impressive set for sure, not my type of scale of set but I like this one a lot, this just needs quite a lot of space and height, not something for inside of a bookshelf.

(Pirate Rollercoaster is my little taste of LEGO rollercoaster currently)

On the other side of the spectrum, I really liked the pirate roller coaster, but just found it to be too small.

[TeriXeri]

4 hours ago, 1980-Something-Space-Guy said:

On the other side of the spectrum, I really liked the pirate roller coaster, but just found it to be too small.

I agree it's small and I might just make it into pirate fort instead, I'll probably try the alternate builds first.

Edited June 18, 2022 by TeriXeri

[Lion King]

On 6/18/2022 at 11:28 AM, 1980-Something-Space-Guy said:

On the other side of the spectrum, I really liked the pirate roller coaster, but just found it to be too small.

Agreed.. 

[aeh5040]

On 6/9/2022 at 11:23 AM, aeh5040 said:

The mechanism for the elevator itself is also interesting.  It looks as though there is a loop of chain containing a section of tank treads.  Presumably the tank treads support the elevator when they are on either side of the loop, so the result is continuous smooth up-and-down motion with a dwell at both top and bottom.  It's a very neat way to achieve that.

So, looking at the latest videos, I was wrong about this bit. The elevator drops back under gravity (slowed by the counterweight), rather than getting lowered by the other side of the chain. A bit of a disappointment, but now I come to think about it, the system I was imagining would be tricky to implement, because there would be nowhere for the gear support to go...

Edited June 27, 2022 by aeh5040

[1963maniac]

Can anyone tell what is the size (in Lego) of the elements used to make the two loop? I would especially like to know the size of the arc.

Edited July 4, 2022 by 1963maniac

[PassengerJet]

On 6/8/2022 at 7:41 PM, 1980-Something-Space-Guy said:

Probably the main eye-sore for me is the big tower. I guess the cars generate so much friction that they had to make the tower very tall. However, one could argue some rides at real-world amusement parks look like this.

The coaster reminds me quite a bit of a real-life coaster called Cannibal which is at a park called Lagoon in Utah in the US

[DragonKhan]

17 hours ago, PassengerJet said:

The coaster reminds me quite a bit of a real-life coaster called Cannibal which is at a park called Lagoon in Utah in the US

Yes, I also posted this in the other thread:
https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/120925-fairground-sets-rumours-and-discussion/&page=33

There are very few coasters with an elevator lift to begin with, and Cannibal is the only one of those with inversions.
Amazing ride btw. I had the pleasure to riding it.