K'NEX Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop With Functioning Weight Drop Launch System

One of Anton Schwarzkopf's most iconic ride models recreated and rebuilt with K'nex.

This project was an interesting one. This features the first fully functional launch and braking system I have ever built. While this ride is not fully automated, both the launch and brakes were designed to be triggered by pulling on their respective fishing line. It's simple, but it works, much like the weight drop itself. The weight system is crude, janky, sloppy, and not very pretty. However it works perfectly. There are some inaccuracies with this recreation, however. Firstly, the weight drop system on the real shuttle loops is placed at the end of the forwards spike. I intended to place the system there as well, however, placing it behind the rear spike allowed for a much simpler launch mechanism and made wiring the thing much easier. Considering how prone the launch is to completely explode, making it easy to repair was a top priority. A much smaller detail is that the loop is mirrored. There is no reason for that aside from a lack of attention on my part and my unwillingness to completely rebuild the loop structure.

This coaster also features a few sections of an experimental track design I came up with a few years ago. Pulling extra pieces of rail tubing through the center hole of the crossties is a common practice used to strengthen track and help keep the crossties positioned neatly. In this track I replaced the center tubing with 1/4" aluminum wire which I bent by hand. This is present on the two spikes, but not the loop. It could've been used on the loop, but it was not necessary as the spine support structure is extremely sturdy. By using this wire, it allowed me to accurately recreate Schwarzkop's thin and flimsy looking support structure without causing any stability issues. In fact, the structure barely moves. Most of the movement you can see is the entire construction moving around on the carpeted floor as I did not use any weights to secure it. Regardless, I'd say the experiment was a success. However, I do not know how easily it can be incorporated into more complex and dynamically shaped elements. There's only one way to find out if it's possible...

Music Used:

"Rising Tide (faster)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

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