The warehouse didn’t look like a theme park.
There were no blinking ride signs, no ticket booths, no crowds. Just open space and a deadline.
Inside, a team of young engineers was racing to build a fully functional roller coaster, and one of the internet’s most famous creators was counting on them.
Mark Rober, whose YouTube channel has more than 70 million subscribers, is known for viral engineering videos and elaborate creations. He tapped the team to anchor a birthday celebration with a cartoon-worthy twist: indoor snow, a rocket-powered swing and a coaster winding through it all.
For Matthew Eggers, a mechanical engineering student wrapping up his final quarter at Cal Poly, the task was equal parts dream and pressure cooker. From the first call during spring break, he and his team were given just three weeks to make it happen — all while he juggled a senior project, a job at an aerospace firm and the chance to build something seen by millions.
“It was the kind of challenge where everything had to work the first time,” he said. “There was no backup plan.”
Eggers co-founded Magictecture with his brother and the LaRochelle brothers, longtime friends who shared a deep love for themed engineering. What began as a backyard pandemic project had grown into a business known for building immersive, small-scale rides with serious ambition.
This coaster, designed for Rober’s CrunchLabs warehouse in Sunnyvale, marked a shift in their approach. For the first time, they weren’t relying on a traditional lift hill or push system — this ride vehicle would power itself.
From Model to Metal
The project began with a CAD file and a credit card.
During spring break, Rober’s team sent over a model of the warehouse. Within a day, Eggers mocked up a roller coaster that could fit the space — climbing to 9 feet at its peak so Rober could walk underneath. Then he dropped $8,000 on parts for the ride vehicle, putting the entire order on his own card.
“There was no time to wait,” he said. “We had to finalize the design, order every part and trust that everything would fit together exactly as planned.”
Unlike the team’s earlier coasters, which used traditional lift systems, this one would launch under its own power. That decision flipped their usual design logic: instead of putting the engineering into the track, they’d put it into the cart.
“The track could be dumb if the ride vehicle was smart,” Eggers explained.
He designed the vehicle to handle sharp curves and steep inclines, using four go-kart motors — though only three were active to keep the speed kid-friendly. Built in his garage and bolted together like a Lego set, the vehicle was programmed to think for itself. It could regulate speed, launch on command and respond to a pedal-triggered safety system.
The whole thing weighed 700 pounds with riders.
Once the team arrived at CrunchLabs, the pace never let up. Over seven days, they cut, bent and welded the entire track by hand. Nearly every support was custom-built. Materials arrived in waves. Team members flew in from across the country.
They worked 15-hour days, eating lunch and dinner in the warehouse and crashing after late nights of wiring, welding and painting.
“I was amazed we were able to build a coaster this fast,” said Eggers, still in disbelief.
Real Life, Animated
When the coaster was finished, it didn’t just look like a cartoon come to life — it was meant to be one.
The entire party was inspired by “Phineas and Ferb,” the animated show that opens with two stepbrothers building a roller coaster in their backyard. Rober wanted to recreate that episode — along with others — for a kid named Ethan, who was finally returning to school after a year of debilitating illness.
In the final video, Ethan steps into a warehouse filled with snow, balloons and bright red track. He’s confused at first. Then Rober hands him a coat and starts rattling off references: the roller coaster to space, the rocket-powered swing, the indoor snow days.
“This is ‘Phineas and Ferb’ in real life,” Rober said.
For Magictecture, it was a surreal moment. After a week of long hours and hands-on problem-solving, the coaster was finally ready, just in time for the cameras to start rolling. Eggers stayed on site during filming, helping manage the ride and supporting the production as the birthday surprise took shape.
“I was technically there to monitor the ride,” he said, “but I also got to have a snowball fight with Mark Rober. That’s not something I ever thought I’d say.”
The team even helped restage part of the build for the cameras. They rebuilt a fake ride vehicle and launched it from unfinished track using a lawn chair and dummy. Later, the real cart made its first full-speed run, accelerating to 15 mph and cresting the highest point before curving into a sweeping helix.
Rober’s reaction?
“This might be the coolest thing we’ve done.”
They started with a backyard dream. Now, they’ve built a viral hit — and a coaster for one of YouTube’s biggest stars that has already drawn more than 21 million views.
You can learn more about their latest projects and see what’s next at magictecture.com.
By Emily Slater
Listen to Matthew Eggers on the Dean Digs Deeper Podcast here.
