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Faller® "Top Spin" Carnival Thrill Ride
If you have ever been to a state fair or local carnival you will recognize this marvelous tummy tumbler. Faithfully recreated in incredible detail by Faller®, their Top Spin has all the gut wrenching spins and rolls of the original ride. With a drive motor and eight gears in each of the two support towers, the computer controlled gondola and support arms spin independently through a dazzling array of gyrations that are a marvel to behold. Authentically mounted on a semi-truck trailer with rubber tires, the Top Spin appears ready to be torn down and moved on to it's next destination.
Assembly is, at times, somewhat technical and demanding and some previous model building experience is recommended before diving into this fascinating project. Once you have taken the plunge you will be amply rewarded. Top Spin is absolutely a blast to build and features some of the most varied and intriguing action of any model thrill ride. Time required for assembly should be between eight and twelve hours.
Fit and finish is exceptional. The instructions are quite good and should be read carefully and followed in the correct sequence. As always, we do have a few other helpful hints which might enhance your building experience:
1. Carefully check all the part racks for broken parts prior to assembly. There are many very small and delicate parts in this kit and you may discover some breakage. Any breaks you may find are much easier to repair prior to removing the parts from the racks.
2. We not only highly recommend using Faller® Part#170492 quick drying Expert Plastic Cement but also recommend that you have two bottles of this cement and some sort of glue solvent handy. Even if you ALWAYS replace the cap of this, or any other, glue and clean the applicator stem after each use you may still find that the very thin metal applicator will occasionally clog. If this occurs, squirt a drop or two of solvent into the cap, replace the cap, and set aside while you use the second bottle of glue to continue assembly. When this one clogs, simply repeat the process and use the previous bottle which should now be unclogged. Faller® Glue is available through our site.
3. When installing acetate windows first cut them out and set them in place before applying glue. Once in place, put a small dot of glue at several places around the edge of the acetate and allow the glue to seep into place and set.
4. Complete Steps "A" to "E" on Page 2. Skip ahead and apply the decals in Steps "H" through "L" on Page 3 while the glue drys on Steps "A" through "E".
5. When applying decals on small parts, such as Steps "I" through "L" above, leaving the parts on the rack as you apply the decals makes everything simpler to handle.
6. On Step "O" on Page 7 Part# 13/1 is miss labeled. It should be 13/3.
7. On Step "O" on Page 7 and Step "X" on Page 13 use Super Glue.
8. Make SURE that all the gears in Steps "S" through "X" on Pages 7 and 8 are well lubricated.
9. On Page 16, attach Parts# 3/1 and 3/2 to the seat assembly before attaching to Part# 6/1.
10. The brass pins in Steps "O" and "P" on Pages 10 and 11, which need to be removable, do not like to stay in place and WILL fall out. You can solve this by putting a (very) small dot of modeling clay into the pin holes.
11. You WILL need tweezers (see below) for several procedures such as installing the pins in 10 above.
12. For power, this European model requires either a conventional model train transformer or a difficult to locate 12-16VAC power supply neither of which is included by Faller®. 12-16VAC Power Supply Part# 163053 is available on our site. Good luck finding it anywhere else.
You should consider these tools and materials to aid you in your project:
- A small file, such as our Part# C0305E Blue Cushion Board , for filing off any excess plastic remaining after you have removed parts from the rack.
- A Modeling Knife , such as our # 540-5001, for removing and trimming parts.
- Faller® Resin Free Special Oiler for lubricating the gears.
- Gel Super Glue , such as our Part# KG76648R, for various applications.
- Tweezers , such as our Part# 230-500, for handling small parts.
Conclusion
The Faller® Top Spin is a highly detailed and authentic recreation of a familiar and popular real life carnival ride. Featuring great action and an entertaining and rewarding building experience, the Top Spin is about as much fun as you can have in the fascinating world of model thrill rides.
Though an age suitability rating is not suggested by the manufacturer, due to some very small parts and overall complexity we have rated this product for ages 12 and above.
We are interested in hearing about building experiences with this model and would like to share your impressions with other visitors to our site.
*Categories are rated on a scale of from one to ten where applicable and reflect only the opinions and experiences of our staff. We provide these ratings only as a guideline to aid you in your product choices. Your experience may vary.
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