WELCOME!

I have always loved amusement parks, and wanted to push my skills as far as I could with building model rides. Here you will see some of my creations, along with a few of the many ideas I have recovered from the trash! I build mostly to scale so that they fit into model railroad scenes or with each other for display as a miniature park or carnival. There are only two kinds of coaster model kits available to the public by FALLER, and I have only been able to work with the Big Dipper. The result was a custom design (the factory one wasn't challenging enough for me!), and can be seen on the coaster model page as Serpent. My other coasters are scratchbuilt, and are made in various scales.

There are also many types of carnival rides out there. Known as "whirl and hurl" rides, their basic designs make the most unnerving experience out of simple physics. Some of my recreations are modified versions of kits from hobby shops. I add a great amount of detail to them including scenery, people and lights, so the end result is more realistic. The rest are scratchbuilt, which means completely building the ride from the ground up with materials I must provide. In addition to models standing alone, I have an N scale (1/160) amusement park in development, which will include operating rides, and will sit on one corner of my huge model railroad empire (which is currently packed in boxes)! The layout is set in the 60's (when railroads had their most diverse color schemes and passenger trains), so rides will include a carousel, scrambler, kangaroo, roll-o-plane, rock-o-plane, flying scooters, bayern kurve, sky ride, log flume, haunted house, rotor, trabant, bug, mine train coaster, and ferris wheel. Most of those including the ones pictured are operational. Enjoy.....

UPDATES

06/20/04: The RAPTOR is unleashed at Cedar Point. This fully operating, 1:48 scale inverted coaster is the first custom design to come out of the CoasterDynamix kits. Built for CoasterCon (an annual week-long event held at various parks), this model spans a 7 1/2' wide by 14' long footprint and faithfully recreates the world famous bird of prey, right down to the seagulls ruining the paint! The model is currently undergoing preparation for permanent display, which includes the addition of landscaping and a station. Please visit the link at left to follow progress.

1:48 Scale OPERATING B&M Inverted coaster model kits

The guys at CoasterDynamix have completed their fully functional O gauge inverted roller coaster model! Available as a motorized kit, the prototype features enough track to make a vertical loop, cobra roll, 2 air hills and a helix. The track is flexible and pieces snap together fairly easily for endless creations and re-creations of your favorite inverted coasters out there! I'm thrilled to have been among the first to test out this amazing system.

Please visit the above link for product updates, as well as ordering info. This is a MUST HAVE for every true coaster fan! It is a far cry from the difficult and inconsistent FALLER Big Dipper kit. Right now only inverted trains are available, and boy are they sweet. Colorful, accurately molded parts and smooth operation are just the beginning. No glue is required for assembly, meaning quick, easy construction and infinite layout designs. Photos of this amazing model are available HERE Reserve yours today and be a part of the most amazing model coaster system to date.

01/04: Work continues on my operating replica of the Demon looping coaster. See the link at left for more.

The 1:87th (H.O.) static model of Millbrook Park's Side Friction coaster is complete and now viewable inside the New Boston (Ohio) City Building, located on Route 52 east. See the link at left for more.

My 1:160th (N) static model of Tidal Wave is complete and was presented to Paramount's Great America on July 8th 2002 during the ride's 25th anniversary event. The coaster has moved on but the model remains. See the link at left for more.

Originally made phor the 2003 edition oph Phoenix Phall Phunfest at Knoebels, these hats phinally made their debut in 2004 (I missed 2003 due to importing a car....but more on that on the Knight Rider page!). Constructed oph posterboard, brass rod, colored tape and decals, they were my tribute to the park's phantastic set oph Phlyers. They also served as our costumes phor the parade, and won us some really cool Phoenix hats as prizes! I ended up with a couple extras, so I gave one to Mr. Knoebel as a thank you. To those who phlew with us that night, thanks for the good times!

This recent creation was a graduation present for Holiday World's Pat Koch, who received her Masters in Pastoral Ministry from Loyola University. A huge congratulations to her and a big thanks as well for what she has brought to that very special park in southern Indiana! The model sits on a homemade hat, and consists of a basswood structure with cardboard and wood cars that simulate a PTC coaster train. The knob in the hat's center was used as a footer for the curve's tension cables. The park's world famous Raven looms behind.

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ALL images copyright Brad Sherman unless noted otherwise. Logos copyright their respective sources.

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