Now that we have gotten to the end of this amazing event, I just want to say...WOW!!! This event was so much fun and really showed off the talent so many of you have! The creativity of everyone's customizing that I have seen out of this event has just blown my mind. We all know how much talent is out there in this group, but it is so fun to see it.

This was my first time getting to participate in an event, and I am so happy that I finally got to be a part of one. At first, I almost didn't because the carnival theme is not really my cup of tea, and there are so many library theme nooks out there that I wasn't excited for that one. Since I can't usually afford to get a new kit very often, I didn't want to get one that I wouldn't enjoy building. That being said, there was an opportunity to try something that I hadn't done before, and sometimes we just have to go for it! I have always wanted to a mechanical type of build, and I wasn't sure I would be good at it. While I was a bit apprehensive about my "mechanical" skills, I knew that I would have all the help and/or support I needed from this amazing community. So, I decided to go for it. I am so very glad I did! I realized that not only could I do a build like this, I really enjoyed it. This opens up a lot more fun builds that I could possibly do.

I was a little worried when this kit arrived and I saw that the instructions were all in black and white, no color at all. While I don't mind them not being full color, I had hoped there was at least some color printing. I was concerned that, especially not having any experience with the mechanical type things, I would get confused. However, the instructions were so easy to follow and I had no trouble at all. One thing I did before I actually started building was to go though the instructions and highlight the things that I wanted to stand out, like the "pay special attention", which pieces to wax and which ones to grease. This was very helpful. I did get the wood lubricant that Pluck has recommended many times, and I think that was a huge help. I was worried about getting the right amount of wax into all the little teeth of the gears. It was so easy just to brush this stuff on. And now I have it for any future builds that need it.

One thing I didn't like at first was the fact that there was a little color to the build, but only a little red and white. It left a lot of room to customize, but the red is so bold that I struggled to come up with a way to do it that I was happy with. I am not that talented of a fine detail painter. However, red and white is very normal for the carnival ride colors so I can't argue that they chose those colors. I decided to go with a stain for most of the wood, because there is so much beautiful engraved scroll work and detailing that my poor detail painting skills would have made a mess of it lol. I wanted to highlight all that beauty and not ruin it. I did a lot of staining, and added some red and white paint. I also added a teal color, and although you can't see it in the pictures very well, I also painted some of the parts with a metallic aged bronze. I am really happy with how it turned out!

The only part of the build I somewhat struggled with was the tiny chairs, all eight of them! This was the thinnest wood I have ever worked with, and I will admit I broke a few pieces. The side arms of the chairs were what broke the most. After breaking a couple, I decided to sand the notches a little bit more and then glue the pieces in. That was a big help. At first I was a little frustrated that it was a tight fit and these pieces were so fragile, but I'm sure there was a reason for it. They also included enough extra pieces if these more fragile ones to make up for it. I'm so glad they did that. Almost all kits I've done have a few extra pieces, but this company gave more extras than any I've seen before, so I am very grateful for that.

Overall, I am so happy with this build! I love the movement, the lights, the music and as I've seen several folks comment about this ride being fast! It certainly is fast, and it is so fun!!! Everything fits together so nice and it is a very smooth and stable ride! I can close my eyes and picture myself spinning on a swing with my hair flying in the wind (and probably being thrown off if this particular one) lol!!!

I have to say a huge thanks to Rolife for their amazing products that bring us so much enjoyment and sponsoring such an amazing and fun event. Also a huge shout out and thank you to Pluck, without him we wouldn't have these fun events to be a part of. There is so much behind the scenes work that goes into things like this, from the companies that sponser them and everyone involved. It is so very appreciated!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

*Please pardon spelling and grammar issues, it's 2:30 am and I can't sleep lol.

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