Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Designing the Model
Study photographs and videos of the SheiKra roller coaster to understand its design and mechanics. Take note of the highest and lowest points of the coaster, the shape of the track and the cars.
Note the SheiKra's overall dimensions and scale them down for the model size you would like to build. For example, the SheiKra's tallest point is 200 feet high, so you could scale your model so that its tallest point is 25 inches high (1 foot in reality = 1/8-inch in the model). SheiKra's track is 3,280 feet long, which would convert to 410 inches in this formula.
Choose the building materials for your model. The SheiKra is a metal roller coaster, but most roller coaster models, even those representing metal coasters, are made of wood as this material is cheaper and easier to manipulate than metal.
Choose and purchase any decorations you would like to include alongside your coaster, such as miniature trees, benches, trash cans and people.
Make sketches of your model, noting its dimensions and where decorative elements will be placed on the platform. Draw the sketch to scale so you can use it, as a plan, while plotting out the model's construction on the platform.
Building the Model
Ready your platform for the model. Generally, a large piece of wood, big enough to contain the entire model, is used as a base. Paint, seal or apply green felt to the base so it is ready to build upon. Make sure to use paint suitable for wood or seal the wood with polyurethane or wax. If using felt, adhere it to the base with wood glue.
Measure and cut the pieces for your model. Nearly all of your pieces will be made from wooden dowels, pieces of wood and toothpicks. Mark your measurements with a pencil and cut the wood with a utility knife, saw or scissors, depending on the shape and size of the piece.
Paint your pieces to match the SheiKra. The SheiKra is royal blue with a red track and has red, yellow and blue cars.
Measure and mark areas on the base where you need to place any support beams and pieces that will touch the base. Mark these spots with a pencil and add a notation of what size piece is needed there; for example, if you need a 12-inch support beam, write "12 in." next to the pencil mark.
Drill a small indentation into each spot where a support beam will go. The hole does not need to be deep; about 1/8-inch is sufficient. The hole should be only slightly bigger than the dowel you will place in it.
Add a drop of glue into each support beam hole then stand the support beam in the hole. You will need to hold each beam in place for several seconds until the glue begins to set up.
Add all of the horizontal supports after the vertical supports are in place and the glue has dried completely. Tie the vertical supports together with string to maintain the tension between them as the glue dries and secures the horizontal supports.
Continue adding pieces to your model, starting from the most basic structure and working toward the fine details, such as the cross rails on the coaster track. Continue adding pieces to the model until all of them are installed. Allow all of the glue to dry completely.
Add cars to your coaster. You can use toy cars or marbles as simple cars, or you can construct model cars with wheels on the sides to roll them along the track. The SheiKra has open cars, which means each passenger sits on a seat attached to a platform, but the car has no front, back or sides. The passengers' legs dangle freely over the platform. Each car on the SheiKra has three rows of seats, eight seats per row.
Test your roller coaster model -- place the car at the top of the first hill and let it go. Note if the cars run smoothly through the various phases of the track and if they slow and eventually stop when they reach the end of the ride. Make any adjustments to your model as necessary.
Add final decorations to your model when the roller coaster construction is complete. Glue any additional models you want to include to the platform. Or you can simply rest the elements on the platform so they can be moved later to change the scenery's appearance. Your mini SheiKra roller coaster is now ready for display.