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Combining three LEGO rollers coasters

by Thita (admin) on July 13, 2018

As we discussed previously, LEGO released three roller coaster sets in a short period of time to introduce the new roller coaster track system. The three sets are the #70922 LEGO Batman Movie The Joker Manor, the #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster, and the #31084 LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Pirate Roller Coaster. You can find reviews of all three sets at the end of this post. The roller coaster tracks and cars are also available in smaller quantities in a few other sets (which we discussed in the Pirate Roller Coaster review linked below), but until LEGO releases supplemental roller coaster packs, the above-mentioned three sets appear to be the best sources for large quantities of roller coaster parts. 🙂

All three of the LEGO roller coaster sets provide a full loop of tracks, so if you want to try out the new LEGO roller coaster system, any of the three sets are a good choice. Of course, the #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster is the ultimate choice with the longest and most complex track, and even motorization options, but the other two coasters look great too.

A common question that arises with the new LEGO roller coasters, is what it would look like to combine several of the sets to make a bigger coaster? This means that the track can be made much longer, and even more complex, but is it worth it, and is it the most efficient way to build a bigger coaster? I found two videos that demonstrate how combining three of each of the #31084 LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Pirate Roller Coaster, and the #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster looks like. There are some interesting takeaways from both of these demonstrations.

In the first video, our favorite LEGO set reviewer, JANGBRiCKS, combined the track pieces from three of the #31084 LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Pirate Roller Coaster sets. He talks about the challenges faced trying to build a longer track from the pieces. It turns out that this set is not as good as a parts-pack to build a larger roller coaster as initially thought, due to the lack of straight tracks. Watch the video below for more details.

The second video by 2Ttoys demonstrates combining three of the #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster sets. The original set is massive already, and this combined monster is huge! According to the video, the dimensions are 100 cm height, 55 cm width, and 150 long (that’s 39 x 22 x 59 inches). Using so many track pieces even allowed building of a full vertical loop! Check it out in the video below.

Unfortunately, this second video doesn’t give much information about the process of combining the three sets and any challenges that came up, but it is clear that this works really well. Having so many straight tracks helps both with elevating the cars in an efficient way, and also providing the momentum on the way down for the cars to run the rest of the track. Unfortunately, combining three #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster is going to be prohibitive for many LEGO fans due to the cost involved, but it’s nice to see that a vertical loop is actually possible with the new system.

In summary, while all three of the LEGO roller coasters are great sets out of the box, and are worth purchasing, they may not be the best way to expand your LEGO roller coaster parts inventory for building larger coasters. Both the #70922 LEGO Batman Movie The Joker Manor, and the #31084 LEGO Creator 3-in-1 Pirate Roller Coaster lack straight tracks to create elevation and momentum (The Joker Manor set does have a couple of very short straight track pieces, while the Pirate Roller Coaster has none). The #10261 LEGO Creator Roller Coaster does include all the straight and curved pieces in LEGO’s inventory to build all kinds of coasters, but it is a very large and expensive set already, thus not the most suitable for being a parts-pack. If you want to build your own custom coasters it would probably be best to wait until LEGO releases track-packs similar to the currently available train track-packs. You can check out all the coaster sets at the Online LEGO Shop.

What do you think? How do you like the LEGO roller coasters and the new LEGO roller coaster track system? Have you considered combining the sets to build larger coasters, or build your own completely custom coaster? And what do you think of the two examples of combined coasters discussed here? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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Newsweek special edition dedicated to LEGO

by Thita (admin) on July 12, 2018

in Other News & Updates

LEGO has been getting a lot of coverage this year, due to the 60th anniversary of the LEGO brick, the 40th anniversary of the minifigure, and the 50th anniversary of LEGOLAND parks. Articles, books, and documentaries have been covering all aspects of the LEGO company and the LEGO hobby, and LEGO themselves released a number of special sets and promotions to commemorate the events. 🙂

The most recent collaboration to recount LEGO’s history has been between the LEGO Group and Newsweek Magazine. For the upcoming Newsweek Special Edition: LEGO – The Toy That Changed Our Lives, Newsweek journalists worked very closely with the LEGO Group, and received exclusive interviews with LEGO designers and workers in the Billund factory, plus exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of the LEGO creation process and of the sets themselves – from classic sets like the #928 LEGO Galaxy Explorer, to the latest branded ones such as Jurassic World and Harry Potter.

In this almost 100-page publication, Newsweek tells the story of the LEGO company from its earliest days making wooden toys to its current place as the world’s most beloved building material. The total of fifteen articles are peppered with interesting facts, insights, interviews, and lots of pictures. The first article, The Story of LEGO, is organized as a timeline, highlighting some of the key points in LEGO’s history. In the second article, How the Brick is Made, Henrik Østergaard Nielsen, Qualifying & Support Director at the LEGO Group, talks about how LEGO moulds and LEGO pieces are designed and moulded at the LEGO factory.

Since its inception, the LEGO system of play has been all about building elaborate worlds that people can explore, but it wasn’t until the 1970s the LEGO Group designers realized their sets were missing a key item; people. Many Faces of the Minifigure is one of the longest articles in the series, covering the history of LEGO minifigures from generic little plastic civilians with smiley faces, to highly detailed and individualized characters that are sought-after by collectors. Matthew James Ashton, Vice President of Design at the LEGO Group, shares some interesting insights about the current popularity of minifigures, and also talk about the design process each minifigure goes through.

Nathan Sawaya opened the door to LEGO bricks being taken seriously as a sculpting medium. Artist of the Brick, is an interview with Nathan about his art and what the LEGO brick means to him. While this is not the first time Nathan has been interviewed, I always appreciate his thoughtful and playful tidbits. The article also includes pictures of some of Nathan’s latest sculptures. The Brick Barons section highlights some fun facts about LEGO, that we often see in LEGO infographics; the number of LEGO minifigures currently around the world, the tallest LEGO tower, the number of tires LEGO produces each year, etc. LEGOstalgia features nice pictures of some of the most iconic LEGO sets, along with a little bit of their history.

The next article covers the LEGO Ideas platform, and the sets that came out of the collaboration between the LEGO Group and adult LEGO fans. In LEGO Brick Learning, Sarah Bouchie, Head of Learning Through Play in Early Childhood at The LEGO Foundation, and Rob Lowe, Senior Director of Kids Engagement at the LEGO Group, discuss the work of The LEGO Foundation, incorporating LEGO bricks into as many educational models as possible.

A couple of short articles mention the LEGO idea books released from the 1960s to the 1990, and the history of LEGOLAND parks. There are some nice old pictures here from various ads, brochures, and other publications. The next article, Everything is Awesome, is an interesting interview with Jill Wilfert, a LEGO executive who helped bring The LEGO Movie to the screen, and is now working on ushering in the sequel.

Rok Kobe and his team at the LEGO Group are responsible for the LEGO Architecture sets. In Real World LEGO Builds, he talks about some of the most recent LEGO Architecture sets and the challenges LEGO designers faced. Then, we are back in the LEGO factory in Billund, Denmark, discussing the exclusive LEGO Inside Tour experience in the section titled Inside a LEGO Factory.

One of the LEGO Group’s most important partnerships has been with the Star Wars franchise, which gets its own section with lots of fun facts, plus an interview with Jens K. Frekeriksen who has been involved with LEGO Star Wars since the very beginning. Finally, in The Many Worlds of the LEGO Brick section, other LEGO licenses are mentioned with fun facts, like LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Ghostbusters, LEGO The Simpsons, LEGO Indiana Jones, LEGO Minecraft, LEGO Jurassic World, LEGO Lord of the Rings, LEGO Super Heroes, and more.

Even though this entire Newsweek Special Edition is dedicated to LEGO, the whole publication is an easy read, because of the mixing of interviews, infographics, bits of interesting facts, and lots of pictures with captions. Although long-time LEGO fans would be already familiar with most of the information shared here, I think the publication is still valuable and a good summary. I would also recommend it to those who are new to the LEGO hobby, or even kids old enough to show interest in LEGO’s history.

If you are interested to pick up a copy of the magazine, the Newsweek Special Edition: LEGO – The Toy That Changed Our Lives, will be available on July 17th wherever magazines are sold and at OnNewsStandsNow.com. And you might also be interested in the following related posts:

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Combining three LEGO rollers coasters

Newsweek special edition dedicated to LEGO

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