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Teen Builds 36-Foot-High, 30,000-Piece K'Nex Coaster In 55 Hours
POSTED: 6:27 pm EDT July 1,
2008
UPDATED: 7:45 pm EDT July 1,
2008
BERKS COUNTY, Pa. -- The unveiling of a monster machine may earn a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.Brandon Moyer had a dream that grew out of his love of K'Nex toy pieces. His dream grew and grew because he likes a Six Flags Great Adventure roller coaster.
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Moyer, 18, got to ride Six Flags Great Adventure's signature ride, the 456-foot high Kinda Ka Roller Coaster, and he loved it.So, he said he thought, why not build a large copy out of K'Nexs. And he did, some 36 feet high, nearly 400 feet of rails, built in the parking lot of his old high school.
"I like to really challenge myself in a lot of ways. Engineering is one of those ways," Moyer, of Shillington Borough Pa., said.He said he has invested about 55 hours and used a little more than 30,000 K'Nex pieces.Moyer even has a K'Nex car piece that he wants to fire up and around the 36-foot tall tower, back down, and over a 6-foot-high K'Nex hill."We think it will go anywhere from 60 to 70 miles an hour," Moyer said.It's a labor of love and determination that hasn't quite worked just yet.It was by no means an easy feat. Local business donated the K'Nexs. A local fire company raised the K'Nex tower and friends helped in the building, just so Moyer could go for a record."K'Nex is actually trying to contact the Guinness in London. They want to fly them over. If I do get it, it will beat it by 3 feet," Moyer said.Moyer's former eighth-grade teacher came to praise his work."He's a success story. I mean, gosh, it's incredible," Sylvia Klett, Moyer's former teacher, said."After everything is said and done, I'd like to sell it on eBay for about $15,000. I'm sure some kid wants this in his back yard," Moyer said.Moyer's effort is one of the featured attractions at Schillington's 33rd annual Governor Mifflin Days this week, which isn't bad for a teen who dreams of one day designing roller coasters.
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Moyer, 18, got to ride Six Flags Great Adventure's signature ride, the 456-foot high Kinda Ka Roller Coaster, and he loved it.So, he said he thought, why not build a large copy out of K'Nexs. And he did, some 36 feet high, nearly 400 feet of rails, built in the parking lot of his old high school.
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