The Disintegrator Fairground Ride
Built by Santiago Plicio in January 2015
As 2014 was approaching an end with the arrival of December, on the 2nd I decided to see if I could squeeze in one new model and with that purpose in mind, I started dismantling what has been up until now, my ever largest model, The Titan.
Part of the structure of that model had given me the idea for a new model funfair ride and so I started to strip back the model, keeping the thinner part of the tower with the power unit on top and a small crown from the rotating canopy. I also kept a small arch from the loading unit thinking perhaps I might use it later.
My idea for the design of this new model was based around a large rotating round canopy with eight arms from which rows of swinging carriages or even individual seats would hang for the the funfair riders.
I then decided that each of the arms would support three dangling carriages instead of just one meaning 24 separate compartments would swing simultaneously from a canopy that would freely rest on top of the previous model’s tower, engaging the rotating hub power by the motor in its ball bearing gear with sprocket chain.
I built a completely new base and decided to increase the overall height of the towering structure by another 12” making the model over 1m in height. It certainly added a more impressive to the ride and higher looked better, but as a result of the increased height, I had no option other than to to make the main platform deck even longer with additional steps to be able to realistically reach the loading area.
Once constructed, the new canopy was fitted to the taller towers and then I started building the 24 hanging seats using 12½” and 3” strips for each one. With the seat itself, the 24 compartments took me two fairly full-on days to build the lot but I was immediately concerned that the new added weight might jeopardise the ride to rotate freely and smoothly as is of course intended.
At first the new canopy was touching the sprocket chain and gear with not enough separation between them, so I had to dismantle the inner part of the canopy and rebuild it another inch higher to miss the rotating unit, but this meant the 24 seats were now quite high over the loading area and I had no choice but to change each of them by increasing their length. But to reduce the the overall weight I decided upon removing the 12½” and 3” strips and replacing them with a new much lighter design. I tested the model and to my immense satisfaction, it worked beautifully regardless of its weight, and as fast and smoothly as I could have of hoped.
Additional dressing up of the model was carried out with the reinforcement of the base and building of the main passenger platform with different levels and steps increasing the overall length of the model but more importantly, enhancing its look and making it more striking.
The remaining saved arch was then added with with some embellishment and lights, the model was ready by the third week of December.
Due to the complications in finding effective transportation of these models, I needed to find a quick way to engage or disengage these 24 hanging units to the canopy which would add an unwanted time-consuming factor, so I came up with the idea of fitting two pins on each arms in the canopy and joining three carriages together with free movements. This way only 8 units instead of 24 would ever need undoing before transport and this can be done quickly by undoing the pins with collars or nylon rings.
The finished model is a new take on the merry-go-round-like swinging rides of the fair, but this one is not so merry. It propels its sky riders through the air at great speeds and heights to the point where their resolve is first tested and challenged until self-titled thrill seekers decide they are seeking no more.
The Disintegrator: Making it a sin to go out for a spin!