K’Nex Loopin’ Lightning Coaster
K’NEX – click on the image below for more information.
- Includes 615 pieces
- Builds over 3? high
- Motorized chain lift and 19+ feet of track
- Over 19? of track
- Color-coded instructions
K’NEX
Build the KNEX Loopin Lightning Coaster, an all-new vertical roller coaster building set! Standing over 3 feet high with 19+ feet of twisting, turning track, the motorized Loopin Lightning provides a building experience thats just as thrilling as its performance. This set includes 615 colorful KNEX pieces, including 2 coaster cars, motor and track. Follow the color-coded instructions to build this exciting thrill ride step-by-step. Then switch the motor on to bring the model to life. The motorized chain lift quickly carries the cars to the top. As they crest the peak, both cars accelerate through 19 feet of twists, turns and loops. Loopin Lightning is appropriate for builders and roller coaster enthusiasts ages 9 and up. This set re
K’Nex Loopin’ Lightning Coaster
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IMG_0758
Image by rossn
K’NEX Super Value Tub
K’NEX – click on the image below for more information.
- K’nex building Sets are compatible with all Lego Building Sets
- Unlimited combinations can be built with this 325 piece set
- A new toy every time you play!
- Combine K’nex and Lego pieces for added functionality and design
K’NEX
Packed with 325 K’NEX pieces and lots of open-ended building fun. Updated to include Genuine K’NEX Bricks. Building ideas for 20 models. Convenient storage tub.
K’NEX Super Value Tub
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K’nex Adding Machine
This is the binary adding machine I once built out of K’NEX. (Technically, it is a “half-adder”.) The video describes the machine and shows off my mechanical logic gate designs. It is one of the few videos on the Internet that show mechanical logic gates!
Video Rating: 4 / 5
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Loose Regulation Put Zimmer NexGen Patients At Risk
Zimmer, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of medical devices, introduced its NexGen knee replacement system in 1994, and the long line of models has largely been successful. However, the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex in particular has been the subject of some scrutiny of late. There has recently been a rash of reports of loosening, pain, and patients requiring revision surgery on their NexGen CR-Flex knee replacement systems. The model that is causing problems is a cementless model, meaning that it attaches to the thigh bone through natural bone ingrowth rather than with an adhesive.
While a defective medical device’s manufacturer must be held accountable for such defects, there are problems with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval and oversight systems. The Section 510(k) approval process, by which the NexGen CR-Flex was approved for sale to the public, allows medical devices that are “substantially similar” to an already-approved device to pass through the FDA’s offices and gain approval with no pre-market testing.
The FDA’s rationale for such a lax approval process is that it encourages companies to innovate and bring new products to market without unnecessarily restrictive overregulation. While this reasoning has some merit, there are other flaws with the FDA’s regulation of the medical device industry that cannot be excused. The United States Government Accountability Office released a report in 2009 finding that the FDA’s post-market surveillance is inadequate and the department has not regularly made the appropriate inspections of medical device manufacturing facilities. Surely, if the FDA is going to loosely regulate pre-market approval of certain medical devices through the Section 510(k) process, then it must actively oversee those devices once brought to market.
The aforementioned Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex was approved through this very process. Dr. Richard Berger, who worked as a consultant with Zimmer for roughly a decade, believes the product should not be used in patients who require knee replacement surgery. In fact, he has spearheaded much of the research into the alleged defectiveness of the product. The study he conducted with his colleagues at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found that the product was failing at rates well above established industry standards. As a long time consultant to Zimmer and an experienced knee replacement surgeon, Dr. Berger has a level of understanding of the NexGen CR-Flex that few others do.
If you have experienced a failure in your Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex knee replacement system, you might be able to file a claim. To determine whether or not you should bring a Zimmer lawsuit, contact the Rottenstein Law Group. RLG has the know-how and experience necessary to effectively take on an industry giant like Zimmer.
Fun for Everyone,
My 4-year old son was upset with me last week cause I forgot to say goodbye to him or something silly when I dropped him off at daycare. To make it up to him I searched for some project we could do together and found this. Obviously it’s way out of his age-range but he LOVES coasters and puzzles so I gave it a shot and it didn’t disappoint. We built it together in about 6 hours, mostly it was me reading the excellent full-color picture instructions and telling him which pieces to find/connect and he got the hang of it quick. Seeing the final result and switching on the motor was very rewarding for him and he’s telling anyone that’ll listen about his coaster.
I’m giving it 5 stars but there are a couple things to be aware of with this model:
1. As stated in other k’nex reviews there are no extra pieces, be careful to not misplace anything, some are smaller than your fingernail. We ended up with one missing piece and a handful of random extras. I found our important missing piece by going to the store and picking up some little $3.00 K’Nex gizmo that had what we needed.
2. Why did they put two different black pieces in the same bag? The 100 or so chain links are mixed in with about 8 other black pieces of the same size. Arg…
3. Putting the track together is most frustrating part – track pieces need to bend and typically connect to main model with one tiny connector that often can’t handle the strain until the full track is assembled. Once done though it’s not a problem. My son was thrilled by the loop.
4. The chain – I swear I used the recommended number of links but I had to adjust it a little cause it kept slipping on the gear attached to the motor and falling out of the guides on the track. It still slips a little when hauling the cars up the track.
5. One of the cars inexplicably is faster than the other – so eventually it hits the other one just going up the chain and misses the chain itself. Oh well.
One nice thing is you can go online to [...] to find another plan for these parts, though it appears much smaller than this model. Since this is considered new in their product line I hope they publish more build plans.
I plan on getting more of these – it’s fun for me too.
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|It’s OK,
This was a gift that my five year old adores, but this review is from the parents perspective.
It took two high school honors students quite a while to assemble, so don’t be in a hurry. The instructions are pretty fair, which is good considering the plethora of parts and the complexity of the build. Many of the parts are smaller than ordinary (older) K’Nex, so if you remember snapping these things together at a good clip, it ain’t gonna happen here.
Once all together, it worked. For a while. But as the coasters zipped around time after time and parts worked loose, it stopped working so well. Coasters started stopping at the top, they failed to catch the chain for the ride up, and the chain started skipping like mad when the coasters were on it. I had to wire tie one of the track supports because it would not hold on to the track at all after several runs. Overall it literally required a couple of hours of re-engineering with the parts available to get it all to work passably again, and I really feel like I shouldn’t have had to do that.
And, (again, from a parents perspective) what do you end up with once the fun (frustration?)of the building is over? Basically a modern re-invention of the old gravity-driven wooden marble races. Watch the coasters go up. Watch them come down. Watch them go up again. It’s the definition of a passive play experience.
However, cats LOVE it.
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|A small but concise starter set,
As of this writing (November 2010) there seem to be a number of K’Nex products marketed as value tubs; this review is of the 325-piece “K’Nex Super Value Tub” and its tub is black.
The pieces in this selection are small, but useful, and an enclosed booklet explains how to use them to make a dozen different transportation-oriented items like a yacht, speed racer and biplane. The directions use photos only, no words; and since every step is not portrayed some experience with three-dimensional objects is assumed. The manufacturer’s suggestion that this product be used by those seven years of age or older seems well-thought-out. For those who want to do more than follow directions, the booklet also offers hints for further projects this collection is capable of, such as a gorilla or a pterodactyl.
This is a fair, indeed even “value” price for what you get. It may be necessary, though, to buy more K’Nex pieces for more elaborate future work; be aware that some K’Nex come in a larger scale and aren’t fully compatible with what’s in this tub. What is compatible are the regular-sized Lego bricks (also Megablocks ‘Micro’) so if any are on hand, practice and a little imagination may get the modeler beyond animals and vehicles into more solid structures. As it stands alone, this is a nice invitation to modeling and open play but not a tremendously substantial one.
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|It is what it is!,
If you are familiar with K*Nex, you know all about these.
I bought these for my 6 year old who is just getting into the building kits like Lego’s, K*Nex, etc. It was a very good decision.
He LOVED getting these because it was such a big box. The pictures are sort of deceiving though because there arent NEARLY enough pieces to fill the box. You could probably fit 5 times more in the box. Not a big deal, the listing tells you how many pieces are in the box. We just use it to store all of his K*Nex kits.
I like that it gives him a good variety of pieces to start with. There are instructions for making several different projects. K*Nex, in general, are a little too old for him. He is just getting into this sort of toy and he does need alot of help with the instructions. It is very satisfying to him when he finishes one though!
The only complaint I have is more about K*Nex than this product in particular. The pieces are not that durable and are so small that they can be a choking hazard. I tend to find the pieces all over his room if I do not keep them put away until time for play.
All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who likes K*Nex no matter what level they are on.
Thanks for reading and I hope this review helps!
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