The Twist and Whirl - A Motorized Carnival Ride

A minifig scale carnival ride made in homage to one of my favorite rides as a child; The Tilt-A-Whirl. This ride has 8 cars that spin while the platform rotates. It is designed using a solar-gear in the center, with planetary gears around it. It could easily be motorized or turned by a hand crank

Please view the following videos to see the ride in action:

This is a not-all-that-complex model that demonstrates the mechanics of gearing and movement in Lego. Deploying the ability to use a very simple gearing mechanism of a single solar gear coupled to 4 planetary gears, this model creates the thrilling movement of a carnival ride while providing a fundamental understanding to the mechanisms of adding motion to Lego, while producing a very fun and engaging toy to play with. The design of the cars, the platform, the fence, is all very simple, and can easily be customized and refined by children, adults, or the LEGO designers themselves.  If you want more amusement park sets with motion and mechanics, please support this one.