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Sapporo's ESTA Perfectly Recreated as a Sled?! Wild Ride Earns Cheers: "A True Work of Art!"
We entered the Mt. Moere Wild Sled Race with our ESTA sled!
We placed 35th out of 100. I think the quality of our detailed decorations was top-tier (thanks to everyone's hard work)!
Quote from a post by @Snow_Hedgehog
Recreated with Two Friends, Down to the Smallest Detail
We spoke with one of the sled's creators, Icchan of Smile, about the creation process and their motivation for participating.
It's so incredibly detailed. How long did it take to make?
The production period was about a month, but one of our members is great at crafts, so the process went smoothly. He made a miniature paper model for us, which I think helped unify our vision. By the way, another member is talented at music, so he transcribed the ESTA theme song by ear and played it for us. We slid down the hill with that music playing during the actual event.
The ESTA sled during production. It still looks like plain cardboard here.
What was the most challenging part?
This was actually our first time participating, so we had no idea how to build one in the first place. Through trial and error, we focused on making the sled sturdy while also achieving a high level of detailed replication. Right before we finished, we added the logos and the text for the bus terminal. Because these were such fine details, we couldn't do a test run, and I was nervous about going into the real event without any practice.
Reinforcing for durability.
The exterior walls are coming together.
So this was your first time. What made you decide to enter this competition?
I saw a flyer for it from the city of Sapporo and reached out to the other two. I had gotten back in touch with them when I moved back to Sapporo from Honshu last year, and we had been talking about wanting to do something together. Finding this event was perfect timing.
The ESTA sign is attached...
And it's complete!
The Sled May Be Gone, But...
When we asked where the sled is being stored now, we were told, "It broke while we were playing with it after the race..." However, the sled born from the teamwork of these three friends became a huge topic of conversation. We can't wait to see what amazing project they'll surprise us with next!
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