The Crusader Fairground Ride
Built by Santiago Plicio in June 2025
It wasn’t very long after finishing my last model called Momentum that I started with the development of yet another new one. You could say it was due to having gathered creative momentum that I soldiered on, or that I perhaps I am a un-fatiguing Meccano model ‘Crusader’ — one way or another the show must go on and in that way I try to constantly create something new to sail with it.
To free up the obligatory space and tied up spare parts, one of my older models had to make way, and the one named the Evil Eye was soon deconstructed, keeping just some of the features which I planned to make work with just some new modifications.
I decided to build a long arm with a boat at one end and a counterweight at the other, but to be easily removable for transportation and to be able to reconnect without too much fuss back in its place on top of the towers, mounted in the same two slots form the design of the previous model.
Those two supporting towers were firmly fixed down with as much rigour as possible to ensure they were free from any unwanted movements so as to be able to support the very heavy rotating structure.
I kept the position of the motor on top of the rear right-hand tower and three pulleys will engage to the motor with three elastic bands going round a circular plate fixed to the heavy-duty axle which freely rest on top and eight large washers bolted to this plate will secure the elastic bands from coming loose from it.
The seats for the riders have been fitted with strap facilities to comply with the necessary safety regulations of the times. Each new such addition I made such as the size of the boat and all the extra garnishing parts all made the unit extremely heavy, meaning that I also had to keep fitting more parts to the other end to keep the counterweight evenly balanced.
I’m not sure how many adjustments were made, but they were several and there were many more before the system worked perfectly smooth and rotated as nicely and easily as I wanted.
I know I have built more than a few models with the similar idea of a rotating structure mounted with either boats, cars or gondolas, and some that have been much bigger than this one, but I have always tried to ensure that they all have something original about them that makes them different to what I have previously managed.
It is a constant crusade to navigate new waters in each model design and every idea ebbs and flows and often comes to me in a torrent of waves and all I can do is to go with the tide as to where each new spark of an idea will willingly or unknowingly carry me.
‘The Crusader’ — taking cruising to a whole new and unstable level.