Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Main Frame
Assemble one foot for the model. Use blue rods with purple and blue connectors to make a two-square-by-three-square grid. Place a yellow rod diagonally across the squares to brace them. Make a second unit, and then connect the two together with more blue and yellow rods. This creates a sturdy rectangular base. Attach a red and a gray rod in a triangular shape to the four corners of the foot to give it more balance. Consult page 1 of the directions for a diagram.
Assemble the other foot, making a two-square-by-four-square grid. Leave a connector void where the four left-hand squares meet. Use a green rod to connect a yellow connector halfway up the left-hand side.
Build a ball catch chute according to page 2 of the directions. Connect that to the yellow connector on the foot.
Build the crank shaft for the chain using a dark gray rod, then attach the following pieces: a white wheel, three gray single-clips, a beige clip, two red gears, another beige clip, two more gray clips and another white wheel. Build a crank handle out of two yellow clips and a blue rod, then attach that to the end. Place the handle-end white connector on the grid.
Insert the handle-end white connector into the void on the foot wall. Follow the diagram on page 2 of the directions to assemble the rest of this foot.
Build a chute, extending the same pattern as the catch chute. The final chute should be made of five yellow rods per side, connected by yellow or white connectors (white connectors make up the bottom of the chute). Make a guide chute according to the diagram.
Use the long chute to connect the two feet together. A pair of green rods with single gray connectors connect it to the taller foot. Attach two blue rods to a red connector. Make two of these. Attach two orange connectors to two more blue rods. Attach the orange connectors a red rod, then string the L-shaped pieces on either end. Use this to connect the guide end of the chute to the shorter foot.
Build a two-square-by-three-square grid, and a two-by-two grid on top of that. Attach that to the top of the shorter foot. Make a four-by-two square grid and attach that to the other side, extending the foot upward. Consult the diagram on page 4 of the directions for a full image.
Make two one-square-by-seven-square grids, then attach them to each other with blue rods. This forms a cross-beam.
Make two two-square-by-three-square grids. But on the right side, instead of yellow cross bars, make ball tracks out of yellow connectors and blue rods, which point straight down.
Attach the downward-facing track to the top of the narrow foot. Connect the two feet again, using the cross-beam.
Extend the narrower foot upward with a one-square-by-four-square tall section. Extend the thicker foot with two squares by four; consult the diagram for where to add tracks and other brackets.
Build the drop point. Start with a three-square-by-two-square grid, then attach another square above the top left. Make a second one, and add the drop tracks. This section is diagrammed on pages 8 and 9 of the directions.
Ramps
Make a rectangle out of a green rod, two red connectors, two white rods and two more red connectors. Turn the last two connectors 90 degrees, and attach green rods to them. Push a yellow rod through the smooth hole on the red connectors, and clip an orange and a yellow connector to either end. Put a second yellow rod at the bottom of the yellow connector, parallel to the first rod. Make 20 of these units. See page 10 of the directions for more information.
Attach the orange clips at the top of one piece to the yellow rod at the bottom of the other. Make two towers of 10. Attach the two towers with white rods to complete the drop tower.
Build a catch ramp at the bottom of this, according to the directions.
Build the ball catch point at the top. Follow the diagram on page 10.
Attach the tower to the rear of the model, so the bottom ramp deposits onto the ramp at the bottom of the machine.
Build a long ramp, and attach three spinners made of yellow rods attached to white connectors. Connect this to the frame at the top.
Assemble a long ramp with a loop at the end, using the orange semi-circular connectors all the way down, and green connectors for the curve of the loop. The orange connectors have a tab on the back, which you use to install the tubing. Place the tubing along the inside of the loop to create a smooth surface for the balls. You can see the loop diagram on page 12.
Build a smooth, flat rail with a flat stop at the end. This rail is diagrammed on page 12 of the directions.
Install the loop ramp on the front of the tower. Place the smooth ramp at the bottom of the loop, so the ball can drop onto it after completing the circle.
Build the spiral staircase. You need to thread 26 single gray connectors onto a long gray rod, and 17 of them onto a long red rod for the core of the staircase. Follow the diagram on page 14 to make the core piece and the outer piece.
Attach the yellow rods of the outer part of the staircase to the gray connectors on the core. Then attach the staircase to the tower.
Build the step ramp out of seven step units. The steps are made of two pairs of red connectors attached to a white rod, then attached to a yellow rod at one end. The other end connects to two white rods and a yellow connector, with a blue rod extending toward and above the yellow rod. The steps are connected with orange connectors.
Install this on the tower, behind the loop.
Install the middle gear guide. This is a box in the middle of the tower that keeps the chain traveling straight.
Assemble and attach the flappers. These devices hang on the tall tower and flap upward when the axle gets hit by the ball. You can see the diagram for the flaps and counterweights on page 18 of the directions.
Chain and Motor
Assemble the 126 links of the chain into a single loop. Make sure the hooks are always pointing in the same direction.
Make four catch hooks. Attach two orange connectors to a pair of gray single connectors with a green rod. Attach those perpendicular to a blue rod, with beige tab connectors in between. Place a double gray connector between the beige pieces. Repeat four times.
Make four hook backs out of an orange connector and a green rod.
Unhook part of the chain and attach a hook base, pointing upward, to the chain link. Move up two links, then attach the hook back pointing downward. You always need to have one link between the two parts of the hook. Repeat with the four other hooks, placing them at equal intervals.
Hold the chain so the top link is between the upper two hooks. Unhook the bottom-most links, and place the chain through the model, between all the sets of red gears.
Build the balls out of the yellow and red halves provided. Place them at the bottom of the model, at the pickup spot.
Connect the motor, if you have one. Attach a white gear to the end of the bottom-most gear axle, and build a motor housing. Attach the motor so the worm gear touches the axle gear.
To use, switch on the motor or crank the handle. The chain will bring balls to the top, then send them down the different ramps toward the bottom of the model.