Coaster Dynamix Comet Video!!

http://www.coasterdynamix.com/video.aspx

They said that in the video the coaster is sped up somehow. So in real life its slower.

Man those are sweet corkscrewy! i have this stupid conex roller coaster and i made some changes so know it goes past 90 degrees on the first drop, into a extended loop, goes for the brake run(made that myself)goess into the sopport strucsure(sp?)and does a barroll roll. then into the station(made a geat KTS station out of lego pieces) and then back into the friction launch and does it all over agin! its great.

Now what was Moosh saying about Avalanche flying through its course?

Very cool little model. Now folks who don't have the matchsticks or time can have their very own...will soon anyway. :)

*** Edited 7/12/2005 7:58:33 PM UTC by janfrederick***

I hate the way all both of the Coaster Dynamix models move throughout the ride, its too fast and unrealistic.

-Colin-

Well with the size and weight of the train they can't make it go any other way. Gravity has the same effect on that as a real coaster. These just way a little less than a real coaster train. ;)

Or in other words "You can't scale the physical forces of the world"

The models are a mere fraction of the size of a real ride, but all the forces acting on them are the same. It has nothing to do with CoasterDynamix - any model powered by natural forces behaves this way.

(I'd give a more technical explanation, but I don't know the numbers. I just grasp the overall concept - which is enough for me :) )

It may go fast but the thing is *littered* with trim brakes (seriously).

All models require some compromises. If you can't live with the speed then perhaps an operating model is not for you.

Colin, the "unrealistic" nature of CoasterDynamix is not exclusive to our kits. All models suffer from this. It is, however, more apparent on our models because they are the closest representations of an actual coaster in terms of friction and loss numbers. Our trains accelerate and deccelerate quicker than any other model. They also can traverse longer sections of track from a given height than any other models. This is what makes them unique and, in the minds of many, more desirable as accurate representations of real coasters.

You just have to get yourself a movie camera with a high-speed option. :)

Um Gonch are the numbers your thinking of the force of gravity. If so.. 9.8 meters per second squared. I still knew something from school. Thats amazing. :)

Actually, wouldn't it be totally 'realisic', since it is really happening?

^And that is just approx. The value of "g" varies depending on your position on the earth (It's slightly different in Iowa than say Florida). 9.807 m/s^2 is the value I used in engineering school at Iowa State. We actually calculated it in a lab one day.
The friction between the trains and the track is a function of the coefficient of friction of the materials used and the weight of the train. The heavier the train, the higher the friction.

And the more surface area the train has exposed to the surrounding air, the more drag or wind resistance there will be.

Make it a great day! :)

Will it have longer trains or can trains be joined

The production train will have 3 cars.

sidenote: couldn't there be a way to somehow attach the train to the track and use a friction/windup type dealy to make it go a "real world" speed?

i'm trying to think of some little toy [don't remember exactly what it was] where the cars go through a loop / inclines / very slowly. somehow modify that system so downhill would make it go a little faster vs. other directions...

-- alan j

If you want to try to make it do that go right ahead. Slowing it down will make it less realistic. How it moves now is prbly the most realistic they have.

That would be cheating. lol.

It never fails, as soon as something as cool as this comes out, there is someone saying that "it goes too fast." Welcome to the wonderful world of models. Since my head is still spinning thanks to Acoustic Viscosity's post, I'll just toss in what I usually say at this point...

You can scale a model, but you can't scale gravity. The model may be 60:1, but gravity is still working at 1:1.

It is imperative that in order to fully appreciate the model you must see it in person. Just like a real coaster, it is much more impressive in real life. Pictures and video don't do it justice. Since there is nothing you can reference ( it is the only model of its kind) it is difficult to draw on a mental picture for comparison. For some, it is an unrealistic representation of a coaster, but many feel the fact that the model operates via gravity and has a scale appearance makes it desirable. To each his own.

I'll be getting one, no doubt. The only reason I haven't bought a Dragon or Scorpion model is that they are a bit out of my price range (for now), though I certainly feel they are worth their respective costs from what I've observed. Hell, I'm not even into models all that much, but I can certainly recognize a quality product when I see it.