The Hamster Wheel

I have just completed my latest fairground model, the Hamster Wheel — the 85th model I’ve built since 1999. After so many creations, it becomes increasingly difficult to find new shapes and ideas that stand apart from the rest, but somehow I always manage to discover something fresh. This one, I must say, feels like it is amongst the most special and perhaps ranks as one of my very best.

The idea came after displaying my earlier Crusader model at Hollycombe. By the end of the show, a bolt had come loose and the rotating unit needed repairing. Back home, I decided not only to fix it, but to completely dismantle the unit and rebuild it with a lighter and different design. What I didn’t expect was that this change would lead me to create a brand-new machine.

I began by moving one of the towers, placing it at the far end and attaching it securely to the existing tower. I also increased its height and experimented with new parts and shapes. Next came a redesigned rotating arm: longer, lighter, and unlike anything I had built before. I constructed two new gondolas to hang from the double tower, though balancing them proved a tricky challenge due to the weight.

To strengthen the whole structure, I added a second arch behind the main one, giving the model a distinctive new profile. I also repositioned the motor to better drive the heavy-duty axle and the rotating unit. Once assembled, I was delighted with both its performance and its bold new look.

For decoration, I introduced something unusual — two circular frames made from curved strips, bolted together and mounted at the centre of the arm. Inside them, a rubber ball spins freely as the ride turns, creating a unique and eye-catching effect like the stone boulder that chases Indiana Jones in one of his films — but in this case, one that rolls endlessly round and round while the ride is in motion, mimicking the effect of a hamster tirelessly pacing on its wheel. I also fitted two Hub 118s to the gondolas for extra detail.

Although in recent years I’ve aimed for smaller, lighter models for easier transport, The Hamster Wheel turned out to be a large and heavy model instead. With its innovative hamster wheel adaptation, it ranks up there with some of my favourite so-called ‘supermodels’.

The Hamster Wheel is an imposing, daring ride, and is certainly not for the faint-hearted.

Thrill rides come and go, and fairground rides go round and round, but sometimes the excitement of going round in circles is something we can’t run fast enough from!