Green Lantern (Great Adventure) Goes Vertical

Looks like vertical construction has begun on Green Lantern at Six Flags Great Adventure two days ago. These are from their Facebook Account:



This is from January 12. This next one is from today:



This is looking pretty good. =D

Park Updates #4

Chang:

Looks like it is finally confirmed... after nearly a year of speculation... I give you... Chang's new home and new look!

JACKSON — Six Flags Great Adventure plans to add a new, 15-story roller coaster to its stable of thrill rides.

The new ride will be named Green Lantern, after the DC Comics superhero, and will be the 12th roller coaster featured at the park, park officials said Wednesday.

The theme park plans on a public unveiling of Green Lantern in the spring, according to spokeswoman Angel Aristone. The opening of the coaster also will coincide with the release of a motion picture based on the Green Lantern comic book character.

Designing the structure will be the Swiss-based company Bolliger & Mabillard, an engineering consulting firm that specializes in coaster construction.

Bolliger & Mabillard also is responsible for designing roller coasters such as Nitro, Bizarro, Superman-Ultimate Flight and Batman the Ride--all featured attractions at Great Adventure, park president John Fitzgerald said.

"Six Flags is home to many of the biggest roller coasters in the world, and Green Lantern brings an all new dimension of thrills,'' Fitzgerald said in a statement.

Officials said Green Lantern will stand 154 feet tall and reach speeds of up to 63 mph.

The newest coaster will offer a 2 minute ride and will begin with a 45-degree vertical drop before rocketing riders through five inversions … including a 121-foot-tall loop, a 103-foot dive loop and a 72-foot inclined loop.

Six Flags Great Adventure is home to Kingda Ka, considered the tallest and one of the fastest coasters in the world.

Green Lantern will be located in the boardwalk section of the theme park, Aristone said.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100916/STATE/100916019/What-comic-book-superhero-is-Six-Flags-Great-Adventure-s-new-roller-coaster-named-for-

And HAHA, they used No Limits for this! =P



Anyways, the colors look great! And the ride looks amazing with TWO TUNNELS!! =D

Cheetaka:

BGT continues to tease us with teaser videos... but this time, this one looks more exciting:



Someone made a Youtube video of a video they posted on the teaser site. From the looks of things... this looks like some of the POV of the coaster (from the second trench to the area before the former wet portion of Rhino Rally).

And if those colors are the official colors... that means "Yay!" for two green coasters! Seriously though, those colors look AWESOME! =D I also like how it gets close to the Skyride with those twisty-looking airtime hills! =D And the track... it looks like INTAMIN track (I am aware that Intamin was confirmed with the track piece, but I'm still in shock that I'm finally seeing an Intamin coaster in Florida). =D

Ratmead continues to excite us with cool BGT coaster pics:





These look to be from the second trench (at least I THINK that). These also seem to look like from the old wet portion of Rhino Rally.

In construction news, they've finally begun to dig the third trench (that goes under the path from Nairobi to Edge of Africa). See pics here:

http://www.orlandounited.com/forums/showthread.php?2618-Cheetaka/page52

Go to Octobers Fade's post.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Expansion:

And let me say, the Big Bad Wolf's removal last year was involved. It seems there will be an expansion involving both that area and the old Drachen Fire area. The expansion is rumored to include a drop tower (2011) and a new coaster (2012). And it seems like it will be announced TOMORROW.

Here's some reports from Screamscape for more info:

2011/2012 - Tower Ride / New Land / Flying Coaster - Rumor - (9/16/10) BGWFans has some new details about the upcoming announcement for the Williamsburg parks. In short, the drop tower is still coming, but will likely have a structure around the lower part of it like Dr. Doom in Florida. Catapult looks like it will be moved to New France, buildings revised, and coaster still on track for 2012.
(9/8/10) I’ve been told that Busch Gardens Williamsburg will make an announcement about their big plans for the next two years at both BGW and Water Country USA on September 18th.
(7/29/10) BGWFans has found the first group of numbered survey markings placed around the Katapult ride. As I’ve come to understand, numbered survey markings like this are actually the various control points that will surround the area to be surveyed… kind of a numbered sequence of markers that if you could connect the dots, you’d be able to draw an outline around the area where the construction will be taking place. Since some of the markings are inside the actual Katapult ride area, I’d guess that it is likely safe.
(7/22/10) Busch Gardens Williamsburg has put in a building permit to the local county planning office for an expansion to Germany that will include new food buildings, walkways and “a major ride and ride locations”. You can read it yourself here.
(7/11/10) Time to shake up the rumor mill… as we’ve been sent a new rumor about BGW’s next coaster project tentatively planned for 2012. According to our source the new coaster could actually come from a German company. I’m going to assume Schwartzkopf is still out of the picture, and they would likely avoid Maurer at this point given the troubles Universal has had with the Rockit coaster. This pretty much narrows things down to Mack and Gerstlauer. While Mack is mostly known for the Mouse coasters, they did make a big splash into the launched coaster market last year with Blue Fire, and their spinning coasters are very cool as well. Plus they have a long standing relationship with the Busch parks.
While Gerstlauer hasn’t been used by the former Busch parks yet, their impressive Eurofighter line of coasters (launched and vertical lift hill varieties) have already proven to be very adaptable to highly themed environments as seen with Dollywood’s Mystery Mine and Hansa Park’s Curse of Novgorod. A highly themed indoor/outdoor ride like this would be a great fit into BGW’s already impressive coaster collection.
(6/10/10) According to a report about the meeting BGW had with the local council about getting a waver to build their new drop tower ride, the park was granted their request. The few details given about the ride seemed to indicate that it may be placed on the old Big Bad Wolf site. Comments also mentioned at the meeting regarding noise issues and such seemed to indicate that the ride would not be fully enclosed either.
(4/29/10) According to the local news Busch Gardens Williamsburg has applied for a height waver to build a new “tower” style attraction, “not to exceed 260 feet above ground level”. The plans suggest that the tower will be built in the Germany section of the park next to Der Wirbelwind swing ride.
The funny thing is that I had first posted a rumor that an application for a height waver around 250 feet way back in January. And if you go back to a little over a year ago, we announced that one of Busch’s next two big thrill rides would indeed be a freestyle style drop tower ride. If the plans from one year ago remain the same, this new drop tower ride will actually be enclosed inside a dark castle themed structure, inspired by the Mystery Castle ride from Germany’s Phantasialand theme park. I’ve embedded a video below giving a unique, looking up from the ground, view of the Mystery Castle ride. This seems to offer a ride experience more like Disney’s Tower of Terror ride with speedy Up and Down movements along with special effects along the way. For comparison’s sake, the German ride is listed as being 65 meters tall, or 213 feet.
The idea of adding drop tower ride at BGW isn’t new however, as various plans have been drawn up at different times over the past decade. The first plan I had heard of was way back in 1999 when the park was coming up with plans to retheme the Hastings area into Ireland for 2001. While the only ride that made the final cut for Ireland was Corkscrew Hill, the land was actually envisioned to have a massive new signature attraction at one point, a pair of S&S Space Shot towers with the lower halves enclosed within a Castle themed structure, with the tops half of the towers poking out from a pair of tall castle spires. If this sounds familiar to anyone who has visited Florida’s big theme parks, it should, because the concept was an admitted copy of the brand new (at the time) Dr. Doom FearFall towers at Islands of Adventure.
As for this new version… I guess it’s finally time to see if the new owners are ready to build something as impressive as this could be, or if it will be stripped down in concept to be a more simply, plain and ordinary outdoor drop tower ride. More when we find out.
(1/31/10) A Screamscape reader tells us that Busch Gardens Williamsburg may have applied for a 250 ft height waver for a future attraction at the park, likely for the 2011 season. Can anyone else confirm this?
(1/25/10) One of our readers put together a little documentary video for everyone to enjoy entitled, “Say Goodbye to the Big Bad Wolf”. It was shot during a last second trip to the park to visit the Wolf one last time just days before it was to close down for good.
(12/29/09) It seems BGW’s Christmas Town event was popular enough that not only will it return in 2010, but they’ve put out a sign to say that it will expand into Italy next year. Take a look over at Behind The Thrills. Now for the bad news as I’ve been told that there is no longer any trace of the Big Bad Wolf coaster as you can see in the pictures posted here.
(12/4/09) A pic a friend gave me shows that the drop over the Rhine River is the only thing standing left from Big Bad Wolf.
(12/1/09) Christmas Town starts. Now for some bad news, almost all of the Big Bad Wolf is gone. They have the second and first lifts, and the drop over Rhine River still intact, but no sign of anything else. Shame…
(11/9/09) The Big Bad Wolf will get an exhibit.
(9/9/09) A tribute video for the Big Bad Wolf has been posted to Coaster-Net.
(9/8/09) From what I’ve been told Big Bad Wolf was pronounced dead at Busch Gardens Williamsburg last night at about 8:42pm. The lines were said to be fairly large on the last day until a spot of bad weather hit which ended up causing a good percentage of park guests to pack it in for the day early. Sunday seemed to also be a very good day for the Wolf with the average line length reported to be 60-90 minutes all day and the park extended hours to keep the Wolf running later into the night so everyone in line could get their final rides in the front row. According to one reader, the park was supposed to close at 9pm and the Wolf was running until 10:45pm on Sunday night. So sad… but I’m going to end this with a reader review of the Wolf’s final day.
“I have been riding the Wolf faithfully since she opened in 1984, and like many thousands of fans, have been saddened at her retirement. I did, however, make the most of her final season, and have enjoyed a few dozen rides on her in the past 4 weeks. I was at Busch Gardens when the gates opened this morning with my 6 year old son, and we were among the first riders of the final day to go out of the station in her first run of the day. It was awesome, and though sad, it was also a great way to pay respects to a coaster legend. It was also neat to be amongst the hundreds of other riders who were there to say so long, many of whom were in vintage t-shirts and hats that dated back to the Wolf's heyday! We will all miss her and only hope that her replacement will be half as grand as she was. Goodbye Big Bad Wolf, and retire knowing that you have thrilled millions in your 25 years! We will all miss you!”
(9/7/09) Today is supposed to be the last day for the Big Bad Wolf! Give her proper send off and for those of you who have bought the Save The Big Bad Wolf T-Shirts, lets see some pictures of you wearing them at the park! Sadly, it was already reported to me that the park has already removed the Wolf from their online park map. So sad…
(9/3/09) BGW wants to remind everyone that you only have until this Friday at 3pm to put in your bids to be one of the final 24 riders on Big Bad Wolf. The money does go to a good charity, the Busch Wildlife Conservation Fund at least. Looks like the top bidder is a huge one, having bid $27,300 for just one seat. Umm… that’s more than all the rest of the bids put together…wow… for that you could have bought every seat on the train and had a private last ride.
(9/1/09) According to the Bruce Wilson, the park’s Communication Supervisor, “anyone in line for The Big Bad Wolf prior to park closing will be able to ride. The last ride, however, will be reserved for the top 24 bidders in the auction.” So there you have it… and while I’d love to be there for the last ride myself, I’ve got to pity those who bought tickets to do so, as it could be a very very long wait for that privilege.
(8/30/09) The countdown to Save the Big Bad Wolf is on… as the last day is set for Sept. 7th. If that wasn’t bad enough, the park is trying to take advantage of enthusiasts now and is going to auction off the last seats on the last ride ever. How sad and tacky… I was hoping we could see some kind of massive crowd of people on the last night, howling all the way, filling the queue to the point that they would have to keep the Wolf open for several hours after the park closes just to give everyone a last ride. Now they’re going to try and organize it into one final ride? I just don’t see how they can do that without knowing how long the line of legit riders is going to be unless they’re going to do something extra insulting and close off the line several hours before the park even closes, thus denying the regular park guests the chance to get a last night ride in.
(8/13/09) Before it’s too late, I’ve summoned the aid of well-respected artist and coaster enthusiast JM Toussaint, to create a special T-Shirt design for our Save The Big Bad Wolf effort. JM Toussaint is a concept designer who, among other things, worked on the Dania Beach Hurricane at Boomers, the TransDemonium dark ride at Parc Asterix in France, The Cobra coaster at Admiral Vrungel's in Russia... He also created the RCDB logo and is currently working with the Dreamland Trust on plans to revive the legendary amusement park in Margate, UK. If I’m not mistaken, he is also the man responsible for nearly every cover of First Drop Magazine, the publication of the European Coaster Club.
Now please do head over to PrintFection to check out our new official Screamscape Gear store where you can view our cute Wolfie T-Shirt design. I chose PrintFection to create the shirts after hearing some good reviews for them, and also the fact that they seemed to have reasonable prices, and allowed me to put these shirts up for sale with zero mark-up from myself. So just in case anyone is wondering, I’m not making a dime off these items, they are all being sold at PrintFection’s lowest cost. Pick up a shirt and wear it to the park to show your support and love for The Big Bad Wolf!
(7/28/09) The About.com Theme Park page has posted a poll to get your opinion about the closing of the Big Bad Wolf. Meanwhile I’ve been told one of our readers make it on the air at a radio station in New York City to bring some attention to the closing of the Big Bad Wolf and our efforts to keep the coaster around for future generations. An online petition has just been started to Save The Big Bad Wolf so please do go and sign up.
(7/25/09 - Updated) I’m afraid it is official now, Busch Gardens Williamsburg has come clean with their plans to rip apart the Big Bad Wolf. Even worse, according to their press release you only have until Labor Day (Sept. 7th) to ride it, so it won’t be open through Howl-O-Scream which is a shame as a night time ride through the woods in the dark is as big a part of Howl-O-Scream to me as the haunts themselves. It’s almost funny as they say they are making the announcement now so fans can get a last ride in, but they’re only giving you a little over a month’s notice and without Howl-O-Scream rides, I know there sure is no way I’m going to be able to make it back one last time to pay my respects.
In the press release and new FAQ on the park’s website they keep saying that Big Bad Wolf has “reached the end of its service life” which is a bunch of crap. All rides need care, repair, and maintenance as they get older. The truth is that the Wolf is simply run out of “budget money.” It’s all bad timing as they want to build something nearby, want to create a better access pathway to former Drachen Fire site and with the economy the way it is, it’s just easier for them to deny the budget to make any needed preventative maintenance work.
Knowing Busch Entertainment as I do, I’ve always said that Busch has been more than willing to pay top dollar to buy the best rides and coasters they can get their hands on. As the capital for these projects comes from the corporate office, they get approval nice and easy... but for some reason Busch never has a good budget to maintain things after the fact... and the older something gets, the harder it is to push a maintenance budget for anything through the red tape, department meetings, and so on. After all the budget needed to maintain and keep Big Bad Wolf running has to go up against other things... like kitchen upgrades, new gift shops, restaurants... you know... things that make money and give a quicker Return on Investment. So when the VPs all sit around and haggle over which projects will make the budget on any given year, you can pretty much count on the ‘operations’ and ‘entertainment’ side of things getting the shaft every time since they don’t directly bring in income like Food and Merchandise departments and don’t have the ears of the corporate masters like the HR and Marketing departments do.
What almost makes this more insulting is that while they claim they have other ideas they are looking at for the Big Bad Wolf site in the future, they claim that those projects are far enough away that they haven’t been finalized yet. And yet... Big Bad Wolf has an “established timeline to dismantle this major attraction.” Sounds like they’ve had this in the works for some time to me! So why are they removing the Big Bad Wolf so early then? From what I’ve been told (off the record) it is because that when they do get around to announcing the unimpressive lackluster plan that is in place, they would rather have the Wolf be only a memory and a non-issue, rather than face the negative feedback from park guests.
So I’ve got to ask everyone... are you willing to fight for the Big Bad Wolf? Then you’ve got to write in, call in, or visit guest relations and let them know just how upset you are about this. I’ve seen coasters come and go... but something about the Big Bad Wolf has always been special to me, and I don’t think that I’m alone. Frankly, I’d rather see the Loch Ness Monster sent to the scrap-pile long before Big Bad Wolf was ever touched. While Nessie is a bit unique itself... it is not nearly as unique or as amazing as the Big Bad Wolf is. Once the Wolf is gone there will only be 3 suspended coasters left in the USA (Ninja, Flight Deck and Iron Dragon). Internationally there is also the Vortex in Canada, Vampire in the UK(which was upgraded a few years ago with new floorless trains) and Eagle’s Fortress in South Korea. On a global level, only Eagle’s Fortress has been able to give the Wolf some competition as to which one is the best in the world. There are also a small handul of Vekoma made version of the same ride system such as Grampus Jet in Japan, Sky Coaster in Thailand and Dream Catcher in Europe, the later two were both upgraded to Floorless trains as well. I really think Busch Gardens is just “missing the boat” here and not trying to upgrade and save the Big Bad Wolf for the next 25 years.
It’s just ironic that a park that is supposed to care about “preservation” and protecting “endangered species” has been so quick to sentence one of the most rare coaster designs in the world to an early death after only 25 years. The marketing folks just can’t see the value is reinventing this classic ride for another 25 years and the bean-counters are all too quick to deny the budget for it so they can pay off InBev’s debt from the purcahse of Anheuser-Busch. To be honest... had InBev never come knocking at Busch’s door with their take-over, I don’t think that this would be happening right now.
Here is the official press release from the park... read it and weep. I did...
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (July 24, 2009) – After 25 years traveling at the speed of fright, The Big Bad Wolf will take its last trip through Busch Gardens’ Bavarian village Sept. 7. “We hate to see The Big Bad Wolf go,” said John Reilly, Busch Gardens’ general manager. “We realize The Big Bad Wolf is a guest favorite. We’re making the announcement now so coaster fans can ride one last time before it closes after Labor Day.”
The world’s first suspended roller coaster took coaster design to a new level when it opened in 1984. And while it cannot claim to be the fastest or the tallest, more than 29 million guests have ridden what has become one of the park’s most beloved thrill attractions. Legions of fans—young and old alike—often cite it as their introduction to the coaster experience.
“The Big Bad Wolf offers a thrilling ride experience coupled with aggressive ride dynamics. While it remains a safe attraction, it has simply reached the end of its service life,” said Larry Giles, Busch Gardens’ vice president of engineering and design. Park officials are reviewing several design concepts for a new park attraction to replace The Big Bad Wolf, but no announcement is planned at this time.
(7/14/09) A few of you have already send off comments to the park in support of saving the Big Bad Wolf however it seems that the park has already drawn up a general reply letter where they give off the same line that we’ve heard before, “While the park's management appreciates your comment, the company has a long-held policy
against commenting on rumors or speculation concerning future park attractions.” Keep it up for now though... the battle isn’t going to be won in a day. I came up with a new idea today, one that was also suggested by a reader as well, that we come up with some kind of T-shirt design for the enthusiast crowd to wear into the park that clearly says something about saving The Big Bad Wolf as a way to let the general public know about the park’s plans to remove this world class coaster. The park can see fit to blow off enthusiast claims to keep the ride as a “minority opinion” but if we can bring this news to the attention of the rest of the park guests who will also complain, there may be a chance we can Save The Wolf!
Meanwhile one source claims that the public outcry that started earlier this summer over the leaked plans to remove the Wolf may have been enough to ensure it returns for the 2010 season, but the plans to remove it are still alive and well. I think they failed to understand how much people loved this coaster, on top of the higher upkeep costs involved with a coaster of this age. After 25 years of operation, the ride’s systems could use some upgrades and the trains are also nearing the end of their life span and need replacing. Instead of embracing the opportunity to buy new “open body” style trains that would increase the thrill of the ride as well as increase the rider’s visibility, they are instead opting to drag the old girl off into the woods on a date with a shotgun which is just sad beyond words.
(7/13/09) Bad news for the Big Bad Wolf this week. Ever since we brought the story to light to the greater public that Busch Gardens Williamsburg was possibly seeking to remove their most popular family coaster, The Big Bad Wolf, the park and all rumors about it went dead silent. All attempt to find out more information about this over the past month have been met with a brick wall… as no one associated with the park is willing to talk about it either way. In fact… no one wants to talk about the Wolf at all, which is concerning as this summer is the Big Bad Wolf’s 25th Anniversary… (1984 – 2009) and yet the park jumped at the opportunity to hail the Loch Ness Monster’s 30th Anniversary last summer.
If your luck enough at all to get a question about the future of the Big Bad Wolf off to someone who might be “in the know”, about all anyone has gotten so far is the standard “I can’t comment about future blah blah blah…” Of course as I’ve said for years, when it comes to situations like this, it’s not always what they say that matters, but sometimes what they are not saying matters just as much. If you were to ask one of the members of management if a rumor that they were going to remove Griffon next year were true, they would surely short and tell you that was complete hogwash. And yet no one is reacting that way to the rumors of The Big Bad Wolf’s demise.
I know sometime that a particular ride’s time has come… and it’s removal while sad was just a matter of time, but I don’t believe that this is the Big Bad Wolf’s time at all. If you visit the park, be sure to stop by guest relations (or e-mail them) and tell them how much you enjoy riding it. How having the Big Bad Wolf has really made every trip to Busch Gardens special for you and your family. Tell them how much your kids loving being able to ride it, as it was the only major family friendly coaster in the entire park. Let them know you care and how upset you would be if they removed it… because once the Wolf is gone… it’s gone forever. It was custom built to take advantage of the park’s terrain and there is no way it will ever be moved to a new location. Surely there has got to be a way to keep the coaster and build whatever expansion plans they have for the former Drachen Fire location.
To hell with the three little pigs… save The Big Bad Wolf!
(6/1/09) For the past week or so I’ve been trying to track down any solid leads to a very disturbing rumor about a popular ride that could be leaving the Williamsburg Park... and so far I’ve only met with silence. I’m not convinced this rumor is true so I’m going to keep digging until I find out more, but on the off chance that it is true, I feel everyone deserves a fair warning so you can start planning a trip to get your possible last ride in.
That said, the nasty rumor buzzing around the park is that this could be the last season for the Big Bad Wolf. While the coaster certainly isn’t as popular as it’s bigger and newer B&M cousins, Big Bad Wolf is still a very popular ride. On top of having a most interesting pedigree as a ride that started out under Schwarzkopf and ended as an Arrow Suspended Big Bad Wolf is generally considered to be the very best Suspended coaster ever created anywhere. For those reasons alone, I find it shocking that Busch Gardens would even consider removing this coaster, on top of the simply fact that Big Bad Wolf is the only true full scale Family Coaster they have in the park with a height limit of only 42 inches, compared with 48” for Nessie and 54” for Apollo, Alpengeist or Griffon. Personally, I know I was able to use Big Bad Wolf as a great transition coaster for my oldest son as he moved up away from the kiddie coasters and was ready to try something bigger but wasn’t 48” yet. Big Bad Wolf was the perfect kid, as a full scale awesome ride and I just can’t believe they would be so dumb as to remove it only to make room for a new access pathway to provide better access into the former Drachen Fire area for the rumored new land. There has got to be a way to keep the Wolf and add the new land, so I can only hope that this rumor is wrong wrong wrong... please let it be wrong. They wouldn’t dare... would they?
(4/16/09) Our spies tell us that the park still has big expansion plans on deck to add a new land to the park, taking over the former site of Drachen Fire. The unfortunate side of things is that many of Busch’s big plans were put on hold when InBev took over the company, so there is no telling if this plan is still moving forward or just on hold for the moment. Either way, it seems that the multi-year plan to build an entirely new country (Spain is the most likley) in still very solid. It’s all a matter of “when” and not “if” at this point from what I’m told.
In addition to adding a new train station to service this area on the line, we’ve heard about two major new attractions that will also be fighting for your attention. One would be the chain’s second B&M Flying coaster, where the design will be based on what they’re learning from Manta right now. Like many of the rides in Williamsburg, I’d expect this one to be an even bigger and longer coaster than what we’ve seen from Manta already, and given the location, I can help but wonder just how close some of it may some to Big Bad Wolf, or perhaps even diving down close to the river. The second big attraction being talked about would be actually something unique for the Busch parks, their first true “freefall” style tower ride. However don’t expect to see another Drop Zone style tower or something as basic as that. From the sound of things, they want to keep the entire experience INDOORS... offering an experience more like Mystery Castle from Phantasialand in Germany. Since this is a multi-year project, let’s assume the plan is to build up the land in complete phases, so expect one new ride with each phase if everything gets approved.
(10/30/07) The latest whisper on the wind in Williamsburg indicates that there may be a possible multi-year plans to add a new country at Busch Gardens Europe. A multi-year build plan is very likely as we’ve seen Busch do with SeaWorld Florida’s Waterfront area. Over the years different counties have been mentions as possible future projects, but some say that they’ve heard Spain mentioned specifically as a primary choice in the past. As I recall, the park currently has an old England area, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy… so there are still other options as well such as Greece.
(10/24/07) We’ve heard an interesting rumor for Busch Gardens Europe today that gives us a good location to watch for the park’s next big expansion in 2009 and possibly beyond. In short, we’ve been told to keep our eyes open for a possible fourth train station to be added to the line, this time in the German area of the park. Things get interesting when you realize that the best place to put down a new train depot in Germany would be back along the existing tracks near the old Drachen Fire spot, which is a fairly large and undeveloped area currently being used for the three back-to-back Never After haunt experiences. Given the massive size of this area alone, it could be used for anything from a massive new coaster to a large new themed land. Of course the bigger the size of the development, the bigger the chance that this could become a project that will take more than one year to build out, so 2009 may just be the beginning.

BTW, some reports I added/edited the quote, because of its involvement with the expansion (I forgot what was quoted, and that's why I edited).

As for the coaster, I have this strange feeling that it could be one of these possibilities:

CHEETAKA CLONE:

Usually when BGT adds a new coaster, BGW adds something similar (Montu to Alpengeist, SheiKra to Griffon). I have this feeling that they may clone Cheetaka if it is successful.

But say that tradition is broken (Blackstone ownership), then there's always...

B&M Flying Coaster:

If you look at an early report, it seems like one of the possibilities of a new coaster is a B&M Flying Coaster that swoops down the Rhine River (with the design based on Manta). That's why I think it's possible.

MACK Launch:

Now this one is one I hope comes true (or the B&M Flyer/Cheetaka clone rumor). I rode Blue Fire at Europa Park last summer, and it was EPIC!

Gerstlauer Eurofighter:

I haven't been on an Eurofighter yet, but they DO look cool.

So who knows what coaster? But I do know that it will most likely take over the old Big Bad Wolf spot (from an article).

Rockit Problems:

http://www.wftv.com/news/25052714/detail.html?treets=orlc&tml=orlc_break&ts=T&tmi=orlc_break_1_12160109172010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- One of Universal Orlando's most popular rides has been closed for days. WFTV spent Friday working to find out if Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit's closure is because the manufacturer issued a service bulletin (read it) about one of the ride's parts.

A Universal spokesman told WFTV the roller coaster's closed due to maintenance.

The ride is a wildly-popular roller coaster at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, but for three days it has gone nowhere.

"What happened when you got up there and you couldn't go on it?" WFTV reporter Ryan Hughes asked a park guest Friday.

"We were leaving, it was closed, that sort of thing. Go on to a new ride," the guest said.

Universal officials cited maintenance as the reason for the closure, but it comes in the midst of a recall involving one of the ride's parts.

The ride's manufacturer says the coupling bars on the coaster's vehicles can become loose over time; they're used to keep the rider inside the car.

Universal spokesman Tom Schroder insisted that is not the reason why the roller coaster is closed. In a statement to WFTV, he wrote, "We are obsessive about safety. We have aggressive inspection and safety programs in place for all our rides and attractions. Those programs meet or exceed all manufacturer guidelines. Anything in a September 2nd manufacturer’s advisory would have been dealt with weeks ago. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is temporarily closed for unrelated maintenance."

Schroder would not confirm if the ride had the defect in the past, but chatter on Internet blogs indicates it could have something to do with the shut down.

The service bulletin, issued by Maurer Söhne on September 2, 2010, identifies issues with "the coupling bar of our X-Car vehicle." According to the bulletin, the company will have to revise the design of the coupling bar and the "repair solution or new design will be available in approx. 2-3 months."

The bulletin was very specific that operation of rides using Maurer Söhne's X-Car Coaster must immediately stop.

"Any operation of the Sky Loop or X-Car Coaster with tandem train must be immediately and strictly stopped until the examination has been evaluated!" the company wrote in the service bulletin.

Rip Ride Rockit opened in August 2009. It's considered an "X-Car Coaster" that was designed by Maurer Söhne, who at the time it opened called it the largest roller coaster of its kind in the world.

Visitors were turned away at the entrance to the roller coaster Friday. A spokesman told WFTV rides are inspected every day at Universal and closures are common. He added that the theme park is obsessive about safety.

A ride attendant told WFTV reporter Ryan Hughes the roller coaster will be closed until further notice.

AHHH!!! Okay... these problems are giving me an awful headache! I had a nightmare at one time (took place in the future): I was visiting Universal and I noticed they were tearing the ride down. I really don't want that to happen because of this!!!!

I pray this will be up by Thanksgiving.

GASM Nearly Gone

I found this pic from Kaiser at GADV.com:



It looks weird to see the only thing standing from GASM being the first loop. I'd say it may come down soon...

Chang Update #13

Okay, so recently, what's been going on at Six Flags Great Adventure?

August 25, 2010 - One of the trains from Riddler's Revenge has arrived in the backstage area by Nitro (the park's B&M hypercoaster).

August 26, 2010 - One of Chang's trains has appeared behind the Fly Me To the Moon theater.

September 3, 2010 - Chang's lift motor has appeared in the backstage area by Nitro. GASM's lift hill is gone.

September 11, 2010 - A holding area has been made by Kingda Ka for track. A spiral staircase has appeared in the construction site (from the block brake portion). A new generator is placed in the employee parking lot.

The loop and some of the drop from GASM remains.

And from Screamscape:

Park News - (8/27/10) From what I’m hearing, Riddler’s Revenge may have been missing it’s 3rd train for months now, as a source in the Chicago area reported seeing it at SFGAm along with Chang’s two trains last Spring. These trains are now being moved to New Jersey for SFGAdv. That’s all fine and dandy for the new “Chang Lantern” coaster there, but will Riddler be getting a replacement train at The Mountain anytime soon?

2011 - Chang / Green Lantern - Semi-Confirmed - (8/27/10) From what I’m hearing, Riddler’s Revenge may have been missing it’s 3rd train for months now, as a source in the Chicago area reported seeing it at SFGAm along with Chang’s two trains last Spring. These trains are now being moved to New Jersey for SFGAdv. That’s all fine and dandy for the new “Chang Lantern” coaster there, but will Riddler be getting a replacement train at The Mountain anytime soon?
Also, a new update on CoasterFusion shows off one of Chang’s trains having just arrived on site. While the restraints certainly look new, I have to disagree with their assessment about the paint job. It doesn’t look new to me… just cleaned.
(8/26/10) CoasterFusion has posted a pair of pictures showing off a trains for Chang that has arrived at the park, but something isn’t quite right. From the look of it, the train may actually have been borrowed from Riddler’s Revenge at SF Magic Mountain. Anyone know if Riddler is currently missing a train? (According to a quick request on Twitter, a reader report sthat they did notice only 2 trains on Riddler the other day.) On a side note, I was informed long ago that when Chang was moved to it’s new park, they were wanting to obtain a 3rd train for it. I had assumed they were looking for a new one, but perhaps they went for a used one. Chang’s trains also only had 7 rows per train, compared to the standard 8 cars per train normally used, and from what I’m told, there are only 7 cars on site.

More GASM Demolition

As of August 10, 2010, more of the lift hill has come down, and the park rented a crane. During dismantling, the Parachute Training Center and erUption were down. When dismantling stopped for the day, they were back open. Here is the update from CoasterFusion:

http://coasterfusion.com/page.php?477.0

Now I've got to wonder how long it will be till that first loop gets the axe. XD

A Nasty Pic of the Second Loop for GASM Coming Down

Just thought I'd post this pic from Cruxis at Gadv.com (taken July 29):



I never thought they could actually take down a loop like that... just tipping it over... in a FEW MINUTES!! I know they are going to scrap it, but just whoa...

Two Coasters

Hersheypark:

From Screamscape:

2011/2012 - Attraction 2012 - (8/7/10) Apparently the hint Hersheypark posted on their Facebook account may not have been a hint about the new attraction at all. I’m told it was followed up by a second posting that said, “Now get ready to see Hershey from your own two feet! Get ready for the first Hershey Half Marathon on Sunday, October 3. ” Bummer… but then again this is Hersheypark we’re talking about, and they’ve proven to be quite innovative about how they drop hints and tease about a new attraction in the past. (Ahem… Nantimi anyone?)
(8/6/10) Pictures of new Survey markings have been posted to Keystone Thills this week. Stakes are starting to show up this week and I’m told that there is a local meeting at the township slated for August 19th where they will discuss a proposal from Hersheypark for something big enough to need a height limit waver for something bigger than 200 feet tall, but no taller than 350 ft. So far they’ve only identfyed it as ‘Attraction 2012”. This brings us to a unique hint Hersheypark dropped as well as on their Facebook page that said: “Youve seen Hershey from the Kissing Tower.....Youve Seen Hershey from Storm Runner.....now get ready to see Hershey from......” It seems in indicate that something tall is on the way for sure.

http://keystonethrills.megabb.com/hersheypark-happenings-discussion-f18/attraction-2012-rumor-and-news-discussion-t157-255.htm#2074 (the Keystone Thrills update)

Sounds like something along the lines of a hyper (of some type) or a giga (like Intimidator 305) could be on the way for this park.

And according to the update from Keystone Thrills, it seems like the station will be built on the site of the Tilt-a-Whirl attraction. It also shows that trees are being cut down behind Comet, which seems to indicate that a pathway will go up, detouring guests while the rumored area is under heavy construction.

And from Ccron10 at Keystone Thrills:

From the way it seems, they could possibly be doing a detour path or even a brand new path to access Comet Hollow. I'm betting that they are doing this so that they can work on the path between Skyview and Comet. I don't think we will be walking on this path until October or November though.

Chang:

From Jackson Online:

Jackson, NJ – JTOWN today got a first glimpse of the new steel roller coaster that will be replacing the Great American Scream Machine at Jackson’s Six Flags Great Adventure. Documents on file show the new coaster’s footprint and a top down view of the coaster, currently set to open during the 2011 season. On documents submitted to the Township of Jackson, pre-dated for Saturday, July 7, 2010, Arnold Grodzinski, Manager of Construction and Facility at Six Flags were filed requesting administrative approval for a “new steel roller coaster in the Theme Park. The new coaster will replace the Great American Scream Machine and will be constructed on the same site.

The footprint of the new steel coaster will expand upon the currently designated footprint that had been allocated for the Great American Scream Machine, which officially shutdown last month and is in the process of being dismantled. The only portion of the old ride that will remain is the queueing entry station. Six Flags is requesting permission from the township to remove 205 parking spaces that currently exist on the northern side of the Superman roller coaster to make room for the new coaster’s extended incline and drop. Total parking capacity will drop from 9,266 spaces down to 9,061. Six Flags expressed their confidence in their new site plan and did not feel the loss of those spaces would compromise the parking capacity of the park.

The company also mentioned the 2005 approval of a hotel on the property which has yet to be built. Sources within Jackson Township, which shall remain unidentified speculated that the delay in the hotel was most likely the result of well water and septic services on the site and lack of city sewer and water facilities. The 2005 hotel plan called for the loss of a larger amount of parking spaces to accomodate the construction of the proposed hotel.

In a letter submitted this week to the Jackson Township Planning Board, Owen Little & Associates, an engineering firm from Beachwood representing Six Flags requested that the planning board hears and reviews the application at their earliest convenience. The company submitted a conceptual site plan of the coaster was a preliminary rendering. A more formal engineering site plan would be provided by the group at a later date once administrative approval is granted.

On Monday night, the plan was presented to the planning board. Township Planning Board President Todd Porter stated “We heard their administrative approval and it was approved by a vote of 9-0″ he added “for a new roller coaster to replace the Scream Machine, the theme and name of which is not known.”

The township planning board next meets on Monday, August 16th at 7:30 pm in the main meeting hall at the township administrative building.

http://www.jacksonnjonline.com/2010/08/05/exclusive-first-look-at-six-flags-great-adventures-new-rollercoaster/

And here's a pic of the layout from that site:



I always thought that Chang would be better in SFGAdv than in SFGAm (but I still like SFA and SFStL better, though it does seems to fit nice in SFGAdv).

As for the ride it's replacing... the lift hill, first drop, and first loop are the only track pieces remaining. And on August 6th, they've removed the top of the lift hill.

And from Ro11erC0ast3r at CoasterFusion:

On the way out I got into a very heated discussion with Joe on how I think the lift hill and remaining loop will be removed. I think there are three possible scenarios with one of them being my pick:

1 - The park closes Parachutes & Twister because they rent a crane to remove the track and supports during park hours. You wouldn't want to risk falling track pieces from a ride onto other nearby rides. Remember when they were building Superman Ultimate Flight and one of the supports slipped out of the cranes grasp?

2 - After the park closes and it is called CLEAR the crews will begin to dismantle the ride in the dark and then begin clearing the debris during the day. This way would eliminate having to close the nearby rides like Twister & Parachutes.

3 - The park goes to weekends and during the week the crews remove the lift hill and remaining loop.

Out of the three scenarios above I think number 3 sounds the most reasonable to me. We haven't seen any track removal in a couple of days which leads me to believe that the park is waiting to remove the rest when they go to off season hours. It is only a month away.

It seems like Scenario 1 is the option they're taking, though Parachutes and Twister are still open while they're taking down GASM.

GASM Update

Well, they started taking down track after the final corkscrew for Great American Scream Machine.

That's pretty much the update, though I want to pass this crappy info (Wikipedia):

On July 5, 2010, Six Flags Great Adventure informally announced on their official [[Facebook]] page that the Great American Scream Machine would be closed on July 18, 2010 permanently to "make room for a major new attraction in 2011."{{Ref|1}}Immediately after the final run and the last riders had made their way out the exit on July 18, 2010, the power was cut to the ride area and deconstruction began immediately on the trains and ride area fences, where the park began to place "under construction" fencing and signs.{{Ref|2}} It is possible that this ride will be reloacted to [[Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom]] in 2011.

Now this is just Wikipedia crap, because I've seen GASM getting demolished, and it looks to be getting scrapped. The trains are also for sale, which gives it a 0% chance of getting relocated.

Anyway, I edited back to normal.

Chang Update #12

It seems that Chang will indeed go up in SFGAdv replacing the Great American Scream Machine, with the lift hill side-to-side with Superman: Ultimate Flight, and the coaster may be coming to the park with some friends that are from Kentucky Kingdom too (according to Ro11erC0ast3r at CoasterFusion):

For those of you looking for new photos today, there are none as I was not able to get to the park this morning. However, I ran into someone who works at the park & we struck up conversation about the removal of Scream Machine as well as plans for the park in 2011:

Why Scream Machine Is Being Removed
We all know that The Great American Scream Machine was built in 1989 and with age comes repair. This coaster isn't your Runaway Mine Train Ride that only reaches a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour. Scream Machine is a seven looping 60 mph beast that has areas of the track where the train is a rockin' & a rollin'. Well with that rockin & rollin comes needed repairs. We have confirmed that the REAL reason GASM is coming down is not because of low throughput, or lack of parts, but more along the lines of track cracking that almost occurs on a weekly basis. Maintenance & mechanics would weld over already welded areas of track each week and eventually it couldn't be done anymore.

What "New Attraction" Is Coming For 2011
Remember the rumor that we had posted about Chang from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom coming to Six Flags Great Adventure. Well we are happy to confirm this rumor is TRUE! Chang will in fact find it's new home at SFGAdv in GASMs' old spot. The lift hill will hug the lift hill of Superman Ultimate Flight. So the area of preferred parking lot that is never used should be coming up at any moment.

What About Those Rumored Flat Rides
Remember when we also stated the park would be receiving a bundle of flat rides for the 2011 season? Well we can also confirm that the park will be installing close to ten flat rides from Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. As of right now, no details were provided to us about the specific flat rides. We were also told that a new swing ride would also be finding it's way over to SFGAdv. Now for those of you who don't remember, Great Adventure did have Fantasy Wave and it seems they will finally be getting this back, but brand new!

Now I bet you're wondering, where would they put some flat rides at SFGAdv. Well, it seems that Chang will not take up all of the GASM area. Could the remainder of the old GASM area be home to a Golden Kingdom expansion, including those flats? Just stay tuned to my blog...

Another August Announcement

From CstrzRock at CoasterForce:

I was at the ERT event last night. Six Flags was really nice and catered the event, had stiltwalkers with shiny american flag themed outfits, and had a band (pop punk cover band that was pretty awful, but oh well). They also had a silent auction of some construction photos and first press photos.

I did catch something when I was eavesdropping after the last ride. I heard some ACErs joking with one of the managers. They said "What's the new ride going to be called? Revenge of Chang?" and she laughed and then replied "What about P.F. Chang?" There was a lot of wink, wink, nod, nod going on there. While she didn't confirm completely that Chang was coming, it was pretty obvious that was what she was trying to say without explicitly saying it. She did confirm that an announcement would be made in August. She also wouldn't confirm what would happen to GASM.

I don't know why GAdv would get a stand-up. They already had Shockwave back in the day and that coaster has been in storage at Darien Lake since 2006. I don't know if it is actually still in storage or what. Did Six Flags also sell that coaster when they sold Darien Lake? I mean I guess they only had Shockwave for 2 years so it makes sense maybe.

Guess Cedar Point isn't the only one with an announcement this August. It seems Six Flags Great Adventure is announcing their 2011 addition this August as well.

Stay tuned for more news!

Great American Scream Machine Deconstruction/Chang Construction Begins

Right after the final ride, the power was cut and the dismantling of the trains/ride fences of the now closed Great American Scream Machine coaster had begun. As people got out, they can no longer see it from the parking lot.

http://coasterfusion.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9492.last

According to this link, the following has been reported today about the coaster's deconstruction...

12:15 pm - The lot next to the old GASM coaster has been blocked off by cones and trash cans.

12:35 pm - The trains have been removed from the ride (the train shown is the one with axe twist ads on it a.k.a. the white train) and are scattered around the ride area.

12:51 pm - Jersey Central Power & Light is on site removing lights from the coaster.

That's all what was reported so far. No track is removed/demolished yet.

R.I.P. Great American Scream Machine 1989-2010

Well, today's the last day for the Arrow Mega-looper at Six Flags Great Adventure, Great American Scream Machine. After today, the ride is no more. Just a heads up, get your last rides in while you can!

And for memories for you Great Adventure fans, here's a POV of GASM by wwwCOASTERFORCEcom:



Great American Scream Machine

1989-2010

R.I.P.

Park Updates #2

Six Flags Great Adventure:

Tomorrow is the last day for the Great American Scream Machine coaster, as after that... it's gone (but thankfully a cool looking replacement is rumored to be on the way). If I were you (people who usually visit SFGAdv), I'd go to the park tomorrow for one last ride, because after that... like I said, it's gone.

And it looks like the ride has 0% chance of getting relocated, because according to this link...

http://www.irmpri.com/product.htm

...the trains are for sale (which indicates that the ride will be scrapped). Yup... pretty sad. This quote makes it sadder...:

The only constant in life is change - and this season, Great Adventure is in for a big change. The Great American Scream Machine, the anchor of Great Adventure for years, will be closed on July 18th after a special send-off event, and taken down.

When the ride opened in 1989, it was the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster until Magnum XL-200 opened about a month later, but it remained the tallest and fastest looping coaster for a whole season. It was Great Adventure's most popular roller coaster for several years, and had the most inversions in the park of any roller coaster, even to its final season. When it first opened, its long queue was always filled due to its strategic location in front of the parking lot, and at the time, it was one of the smoothest, coolest roller coasters in the world.

But over the years, the ride has aged badly and is now considered one of the more rough coasters in the park, and even on the most crowded days, it is avoided by the general public due to its often-times rough ride. However, this ride will sometimes give you a smooth ride, and lately, it's been doing this, perhaps as a final parting gift to its adoring fans. While I find it rough, somehow, it always finds its way into my routine when I visit the park, and even if it was rough, I never regretted riding it.

While the coaster is not very popular now-a-days, it deserves both this video and a good send-off event because of its tremendous importance to Great Adventure. Great Adventure's attendance was at all time lows during the late 80's, and Great American Scream Machine saved the park from an untimely closing.

Not only this, but the Scream Machine is also very important to me because it was the first roller coaster I rode at Six Flags Great Adventure.

So, thank you Scream Machine, for all the memories, and for saving our park. You'll be dearly missed.

Tch! I wish I'd ride it, but I don't see myself going to New Jersey soon (because of this HORRIBLE economy).

Busch Gardens Tampa:

More sheet piles seem to be driven in, right in front of the old Monorail station. It seems that there will be another trench for the 2011 coaster. Half of the old platform of the monorail is gone.

Something tells me that this coaster will be just sick! =D

Gardaland:

Gardaland's 2011 B&M prototype is revealed... X-Raptor. Here's some facts:

- The station will be underground
- 800m long track
- 30m tall
- 90° high speed turn
- Close encounters with objects
- Will go over water with special water effects added
- 2 elements where passengers will feel zero gravity

And here's concept art:



That looks incredible! =D Hopefully one of these comes to America.

Cedar Point:

From Screamscape:

2011 - Thrill Ride - Semi-Confirmed - (7/15/10) There have been a ton of crazy rumors swirling about just what may be on the way to Cedar Point in 2011. While many of the early rumors suggested that it could be a new coaster from Intamin, the latest batch of rumors suggest that this new Intamin ride may actually not be a coaster at all. If the latest rumors are true, we could be seeing them install a new Intamin version of a Star Flyer style tower ride. Given that this is The Point we can probably count on it being ridiculously huge, perhaps somewhere between Power Tower and Top Thrill Dragster in height.
Of course, this hasn’t stopped the coaster rumors, as rumors of new wooden coaster are still swirling in a revival of the old “boardwalk’ rumors from years ago, talking about placing a new woodie along the beachside of the park near Wicked Twister and Disaster Transport. Point Pixels has posted new pictures of the survey markings which are now close to the Ocean Motion and the Extreme Sports Stadium near Wicked Twister’s rear spike, as well as stakes right in the beach sand too. Now all we really need is someone to mark out where all these are on an overhead photo of the park so we can see just how large an area they’re marking off.

Turns out that there might be a wooden coaster going up by Wicked Twister and Disaster Transport. I actually had this theory...

Last year Cedar Point has removed their Demon Drop ride (it's now open at Dorney Park). That space seems big enough for a queue line. A station can go up behind that building between the entrance and the old Demon Drop site. The lift can go up by Disaster Transport. The majority of the layout could go up behind Wicked Twister and Disaster Transport, while the rest can go up behind the old Demon Drop site and by Disaster Transport, and maybe an overbanked turn over the entrance of the ride.

As for the wooden coaster rumor, keep in mind this quote:

(7/7/10) Screamscape sources tell us that we may see more new wood coasters built at a Cedar Fair parks in the next few years. So far the results have been good and with the rising cost of steel in the world marketplace, they are looking more attractive than ever.

That heightens the possibility of a woodie going up at Cedar Point.

And from DrAwsome at Orlando United:

I have done som looking around and here is the info that i have found out about the new attraction.
1) it will be located near the beach
2) it will bring back memories
3) it will be a thrill ride targeting the teen market
4) An announcement will be made in August
5) It will NOT be built by Intamin/Intaride
This info was REPORTEDLY in the local news paper but not available online. Didn't if you guys knew all of these little bits.

Expect an announcement this August for Cedar Point 2011.

Legoland Florida:

Well, an open house was held on July 8. Here's the list of rides of the new Legoland Florida (from Tbad556 at Orlando United):

With all of the information already released, I figured I would try to gather and organize all of the attractions, shows, etc. into one post. Here's what I got:

Rides
-Observatory Tower (Fun Town)
-TECHNIC Coaster (Extreme)
-Wave Racers (Extreme)
-Dragon Coaster (Castle)
-Royal Joust (Castle)
-Kid Power Towers (Imagination Zone)
-Unnamed Boat Attraction (LEGO City)
-Beetle Bounce (Land of Adventure)
-Lost Kingdom Adventure (Land of Adventure)
-Unnamed Wooden Roller Coaster (Land of Adventure)

Shows/Other Attractions
-LEGO Factory Tour (Fun Town)
-A Clutch Powers 4D Adventure (Fun Town)
-LEGOLAND Stunt and Water Ski Show (Extreme)
-The Hideaways [Play Area] (Castle)
-LEGO MINDSTORMS (Imagination Zone)
-Build and Test (Imagination Zone)
-Driving School (LEGO City)
-Fun Town Fire Academy (LEGO City)

Shops
-The Big Shop (The Beginning)

Miniland USA Models
-Las Vegas
-New York City
-Washington D.C.
-Kennedy Space Center
-Daytona Speedway

Another quote from Tbad:

* Starliner is confirmed to be getting disassembled but preserved to be sold.
* The "Unnamed Wooden Coaster" in Land of Adventure is Triple Hurricane from Cypress Gardens. It still has no name from what I currently have heard.
* Demolition to start Monday

From rewster at Orlando United (July 15):

Cranes have begun the disassembling of the Starliner today, sadly.

Buh-bye Starliner.

I'm Back From Switzerland

I went to Switzerland from June 16-July 6. Now I'm back. Anyways, lot's of stuff happened while I was gone (BTW, I've updated my old Manta rumors post)...

Chang:

It has been reported by Screamscape that Chang will NOT go up in SFGAm as planned, and instead there will be a water park expansion, and Chang will go to Six Flags Great Adventure instead (replacing the Great American Scream Machine). I'll let the article speak for itself...

2011 - Waterpark Expansion - Semi-Confirmed - (6/22/10) Screamscape sources have confirmed that Chang is now no longer being planned for the park in 2011. New expansion plans are currently in the works and seem to involve the same basic plot of land… but with a focus on expanding Hurricane Harbor instead. Nothing has been finalized yet it seems, as all the plans are still in the air, though we have heard of one plan to add a water-coaster style slide to the park, possibly similar in style to the Wildebeest slide added to Holiday World this year. More as we find out.
(6/21/10) A new rumor has come up over the weekend at SFGAdv (New Jersey) that claims that the park may now be planning to replace their Great American Scream Machine coaster with CHANG. Up until now Chang has been all but confirmed for Six Flags Great America, with even a few pieces and the trains already spotted on site. The meetings to obtain the needed height variance permit are all but over... with the final approval meeting expected to take place today... Monday, June 21st.
While I haven’t seen it myself, I’ve heard a rumor that the Six Flags issue may have been unexpectedly removed from the agenda for tonight’s meeting, which only adds fuel to the fire that Chang could now be looking for a new home. Of course the online version of the agenda still shows it there, waiting to be finalized. I had been told that as soon as Al Weber took control of Six Flags, he began to made huge and immediate changes to the plans set in place for the 2011 season by Shaprio. I guess we’ll know more once the Monday meeting is over if the proposal to add Chang has been dropped or not. Stay tuned!

2011 - Chang - Semi-Confirmed - (6/22/10) Screamscape sources tell us that the rumors from this past weekend are true and that not only is GASM set to end it’s life at Six Flags Great Adventure on July 1st, but Chang will indeed be coming to the park to take up it’s place in 2011. As for that mystery 5D project... it’s dead for now.

(6/28/10) Anyone have an update about Superman at Six Flags Great Adventure? As of last week, so far the ride had yet to reopen for the season. In other news, the rumors about GASM coming down continue to hold true, however there is apparently a bogus ‘reason’ being handed down from park management to the lower-end staff.
I’ve heard from a few insiders who have been told that the ride’s time was simply up because it had become impossible to buy spare parts for the old Arrow coaster anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth as S&S purchased Arrow several years ago primarily for their lucrative ‘spare parts’ division and checking into this rumor I’ve been assured that there was “no truth whatsoever” to this crazy rumor.
(6/21/10) A new rumor has come up over the weekend that may anger more than a few fans of Six Flags Great Adventure. If there is any truth to it, the new management calling the shots may be considering removing the park’s infamous Great American Scream Machine coaster. While at first the move seems shocking… keep in mind that GASM’s sister ride, Shockwave at the Chicago park, also met with a similar fate a few years ago. Of course it’s also well know that Shockwave, the first of the three Arrow made Six Flags Megaloopers (Viper at SF Magic Mountain was the final one) did suffer from a fair share of problems that the other two did not.
So the next question would obviously be to ask what reason there would be to remove such an iconic ride? According to the discussion going on at CoasterFusion, plans have been spotted at the park that now place CHANG… the B&M Stand-Up Coaster from Kentucky Kingdom, as possibly going into GASM’s spot. Up until now Chang has been all but confirmed for Six Flags Great America near Chicago… with a few pieces and the trains already spotted on site. Meetings have been taking place with the local government as well to get a height variance permit to build the ride there as well, with the final approval meeting expected to take place on Monday, June 21st.
While I haven’t seen it myself, I’ve heard a rumor that the Six Flags issue may have been unexpectedly removed from the agenda for tonight’s meeting, which only adds fuel to the fire that Chang could now be looking for a new home. Of course the online version of the agenda still shows it there, waiting to be finalized tonight. I had been told that as soon as Al Weber took control of Six Flags, he began to made huge and immediate changes to the plans set in place for the 2011 season by Shaprio. I guess we’ll know more once the Monday meeting is over if the proposal to add Chang has been dropped or not. Stay tuned!

Great American Scream Machine's removal has been confirmed by SFGAdv (through Facebook) on July 5. The removal date will be July 18, and there will be a send-off event. From SFGAdv Facebook:

Hey guys, Scream Machine will close July 18 to make room for a major new attraction in 2011. We'll offer double rides on GASM July 11 & 18. We'll host an ERT (Exclusive Ride Time) event on July 18, 10 p.m.-11:30 p.m. to invited guests; to be invited, see this contest>>http://ow.ly/27be9 [see more below]

Date:
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Time:
10:00pm - 11:30pm
Location:
1 Six Flags Blvd., Jackson NJ 08527

•WHO: 25 winners will be chosen; winners may bring a guest.

•WHAT: Show us your biggest SCREAM face! Post a photo or
video of you screaming as though you were on Great American Scream Machine at www.facebook.com/sixflagsgreatadventure. Guests that shoot a SCREAM video or include patriotic items are more likely to be chosen as winners. There is no limit to the amount of entries. Winners will be announced July 15, 2010. Be creative, have fun and keep it clean :)

•WHEN: 10 p.m.-11:30 p.m., July 18, 2010

•WHERE: Great American Scream Machine at Six Flags Great
Adventure.

•WHY: To make room for a new attraction in 2011, we’re
celebrating Scream Machine with the send off it deserves!

•Event Details:Guests invited to the event will receive ERT (exclusive
ride time) from 10 p.m.-11 p.m. Seats on the front and back row of the last train of the last ride (dispatched at 11 p.m.) will be auctioned off; other seats during the last ride will be $50 each—details TBA—and all proceeds will benefit the NRCMA (National Roller Coaster Museum & Archives)!

So with two Arrow Megaloopers gone from Six Flags parks... Viper's (SF Magic Mountain) the only one of those three left.

BGT 2011 Coaster:

The Skyride is now down to the end of the year, and both the temporary path behind the Clydesdale (June 16) and the path from Nairobi to Edge of Africa (June 29) are now open. By the second bridge of the EOA path (which is not technically a "bridge" yet as the trench hasn't been dug yet), you see footers like Maverick (which adds more fuel to the fire that this coaster's from Intamin). In the south side, the old path from KaTonga to Egypt is closed and demolished (but meanwhile the Clydesdale Hamlet is still standing...) and the old control booth of the monorail is removed, as well as half of the platform, as the old monorail station is starting to become a coaster station. Construction walls are also starting to go up in front of the Crown Colony (it is said that the whole Crown Colony section will get a face lift to fit the new theming). The old Edge of Africa Gift Shop is gutted out (I came up with the theory of that becoming the coaster's gift shop/on-ride photo booth). Meanwhile on the construction walls, teasers have gone up saying "Feel the spirit. Feel the speed." There is also a new website for the coaster project:

http://buschgardens2011.com/

It has some cool videos. =)

And Screamscape continues to update us with coaster rumors:

(6/28/10) Busch Gardens Tampa has launched a new preview teaser site for the 2011 coaster… aka: Cheetaka. As part of this the park is also posting QR codes on the construction walls that will lead you to this same site and a preview video. QR codes are those square digital barcodes your starting to see here and there that are readable by most barcode scanner programs you can load into your smart phones (Android & iPhones). If you want to view it on your PC, just go to BuschGardens2011.com.
Of course the latest rumors for Cheetaka are quite interesting, claiming that the ride may feature inversions after all as well as a new style vertical tower element. I’ve also heard that the trains put to use here will be a one car longer than what Cedar Point put on Maverick… offering 4 cars (4 seats each) per train.
You can also see some construction updates at RCPro
(6/23/10) A new construction update can be found at BGT Guide this week, but it was also pointed out last week on Johnny Upsidedown’s update that it looks like the first coaster footers have been poured. Now… about this Cheetaka coaster project itself… I’ve heard that perhaps we don’t have all the details on it yet. Perhaps there is a chance that it may have a buried inversion or two in the trenches… as well as a vertical plunge at one point. More as we find out.
(6/21/10) A teaser poster for the 2011 attraction has been posted in the park with the tagline, “Feel the spirit. Feel the Speed. Coming Spring 2011”. While this could very well still be a hint about the rumored Cheetah theme, another rumor coming in from BGT Guide shows off a piece of artwork said to have been designed as a proposed promotion for the ride in Puerto Rico which clearly shows off a Cheetah theme. Of course it also shows off a photograph of a wooden coaster as well, which this ride definitely will not be, so you can only trust this one so far. Still, the artwork used here does look professionally done.
Meanwhile you can also find some new construction pictures posted over at BGT Nation. More as we get it.

Why do I have this strange feeling that "Cheetaka" will actually be the name...? Okay let's see... buried inversions, a new type of vertical tower element, three launches, vertical plunge... yep, it's gonna rock. =D

Gwazi:

Screamscape also reported this:

(6/24/10) A few months back you might recall that Busch Gardens Tampa was testing a borrowed GCI Millennium Flyer train on one side of Gwazi. If the latest rumor is true, it must have impressed them (how could it not?) and the park is now rumored to have put in orders for all new trains to replace the current PTC trains. Don’t look for these to go online until at least the end of the year or next spring.

That's nice to hear! =D Now if they do that and keep the noise... I'll be happy (even though I didn't mind Gwazi's roughness).

Hulk:

Okay, recently the Incredible Hulk Coaster has been reported to get incredibly (pun) rusty and rough. I've seen pictures, and I felt like I was going to puke. But fear not Hulk fans, Screamscape has reported this:

(7/6/10) While most of the attention at Universal’s Islands of Adventure park has been focused on the Wizarding World lately, they did take the time to spruce up several other park attractions as well. Unfortunately, as this article points out, the Incredible Hulk coaster was the one high profile ride that apparently was left-off the list of things to be spruced up. On top of looking a bit ulgy, the ride is apparently rubbing some fans the wrong way with a rougher than normal ride experience as well.
All is not lost however, as I have heard a few rumors being tossed around Universal campus claiming that there may be plans afoot to take what Universal has learned from the Hollywood Rockit and Hollywood Dream coasters (onboard lights & sounds system) and may apply it towards building some new themed trains packed with lights and sounds to take the Hulk to the next level. Cross your fingers…

Here's a similar rumor I've read from Screamscape:

2011 to 2014 - Island Refurbishment - Rumor - (10/16/09) Once the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens next year, Universal’s next step for Islands of Adventure may be to begin a series of “refresh and refurbishment” projects to the rest of the Islands over the next couple of years. With the success of the light up panels on the Rockit coaster, there is now a plan in place to go back and add green lighting to the Hulk trains as was promised way back when the park was first announced. If the rumors about audio being added to Dragon’s Challenge are true, I would count on seeing it added to Hulk as well. There is also a rumored plan to “upgrade” Spiderman, by adding a new scene or two by replacing a couple of scenes that don’t work as well as the rest. Seuss may just get repainted, possibly some new scenic elements, and there has been talk about adding a new attraction to the Jurassic Park area for years. What about the remains of Lost Continent? I think we could see something happen here as well, though would it be an expansion of Potter’s Wizarding World or something brand new?

All I can say is... I hope this is true! Hulk would look so cool at night with LEDs (and possibly LED the outside of the gamma tube. Speaking of which, a new light effect is inside the gamma tube)! =D

Cedar Point 2011:

From Screamscape:

2011 - Thrill Ride - Semi-Confirmed - (7/9/10) According to this article the announcement for the 2011 attraction will take place in mid August. Dick Kinzel has hinted that, “It's going to bring back a lot of memories for people that follow Cedar Point”. Makes it sound like a throw-back ride… or a recreation of something popular long ago but lost. While one source tell us that it may actually be a flat ride coming to the park, it was also pointed out that The Point has seen a fair share of wooden coaster come and go over the years… 8 in fact according to RCDB. With our last leak claiming that Cedar Fair was looking more favorable at building new wooden coasters again… could this be a possibility? Certainly the early announcement date also seems to indicate that work on the project may become visible before the end of the season as well. More as we find out.
(7/7/10) The latest rumors about Cedar Point’s next big project claim it will be a coaster from Intamin once again… despite all the various technical problems The Point has had with rides from them. According to another source, this new Intamin creation may be a new prototype creation we haven’t seen anywhere else before. Stay Tuned!

An Intamin prototype would be incredible! =D Hopefully it comes true...

Hersheypark 2012:

I've heard that once again, Hersheypark will go with Intamin, and the project has been delayed to 2012. From Screamscape:

2011/2012 - New Coaster - (7/7/10) Some may be thinking back to the coaster project that got away from Hersheypark… Turbulence (aka: Frequent Faller), as a possible inspiration for the park to buy a ZacSpin coaster from Intamin. However it has also been pointed out that the overall project area contained within the known survey points is really far too large for a ZacSpin, so we’ve got to think bigger. Could Hersheypark be thinking of building the first Mega-Lite coaster in the US perhaps? We know they have been a huge hit internationally. Of course Intamin also has a few other tricks we have yet to see in the US like the Wingwalker coaster, the new Spinning Coaster or even the infamous AquaTrax system. So far all we have is very mild rumors and lots of speculation. Time to do some digging.
(7/6/10) While nothing more have been firmed up, the latest rumor going around the park does seem to indicate that the next coaster at Hersheypark will likely be from Intamin again.
(6/14/10) The latest rumors swirling around Hersheypark’s next big coaster project actually now throw Premier Rides into the mix with Intamin as well… and hint that B&M is now more unlikely. Many also seem to think that the project may not be until the 2012 season, though with surveying going on right now, anything can happen.
As for those markers, I’ve been contacted by a reader with some professional experience as an actual surveyor and was told that the markings we’ve seen so far have nothing at all to do with the layout of the project. All of the triangle markings found so far have a “Mag Nail” driven into the asphalt in the center and are actually “Control Points”, which are then usually number sequentially as they are created. These points mark the locations the surveyors use to work from... and not the location of the project itself. If people look hard enough, there should be more of these Control Points discovered around the site, as they are set up in a loop around the actual area where the work will be done. So once all the different Control Points are discovered, we should have a large loop surrounding the overall location of the new project area. However the loop could be quite large... much larger than the actual project itself, as I’m told that the permitter loop would also include any and all sites where other infrastructure work (electric, water, sewer, roads, walkways, etc) will also be modifed or tied into.
So really the best thing to do right now, other than to find more markers, would be to also create an overhead map showing off the location of each discovered and numbered marker as time goes on.

Something tells me that these "control points" are starting to get fun. =D

And if you scroll down this page, you can see a map of where the markings are located:

http://keystonethrills.megabb.com/hersheypark-happenings-discussion-f18/2011-2012-new-coaster-rumor-discussion-t157-30.htm

According to the second map, the lift looks to be behind Traffic Jam and Helicopters (right by Comet).

Guess this should be an interesting project to look at...

Chang Update #11

From Screamscape:

2011 - Chang / B&M Stand-Up Coaster - Semi-Confirmed - (5/22/10) According to the local Gurnee meeting hotline system the hearing issue from Six Flags taking place on May 26th is to approve the variance for a new roller coaster up to 150.17 feet tall that will be located in the “Space Port area”. Essentially this matches Chang, which was listed on RCDB as 154 feet tall, but may have been padded at that point in time for SFKK for marketing purposes as it was a follow-up to Mantis which is listed as being 145 ft. What is also interesting is the long in the tooth rumor claiming that Chang will be converted into a Floorless coaster, and hand over it’s old trains to run on Iron Wolf is still alive and kicking. Months ago a source of mine said it wasn’t going to happen… but it does still make more sense than putting two stand-up coasters into the same park. Plus if they went the Floorless route, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took some inspiration from the conversion of SFGAdv’s Medusa into Bizarro and got a train with an audio system this time around.

So Chang may still be converted to a floorless. And the trains may still be on Iron Wolf. That's nice to hear! They'll probably install them on Iron Wolf during reconstruction of Chang. Another quote from Screamscape:

Park News - (5/20/10) Signs have been posted around the park announcing that a public hearing involving a zoning variance request from the park for a future attraction is coming soon. No big surprise here, as every tall ride that goes into the park has to receive permission from Gurnee, so I guess this is just the final legal step for them to install Chang in the park next year.

It's close to an announcement!!!!

Chang Update #10

From Screamscape:

2011 - Chang / B&M Stand-Up Coaster - Rumor - (4/27/10) According to our sources, with Chang not set to open at SFGAm until 2011, they were in no hurry to transport the entire ride at the Chicago area right away, so they were taking the slow and steady approach. In other words, the pieces found in Kentucky just haven’t been shipped yet. Don’t believe in the theories that the pieces were brought back due to an unknown court order or something… that didn’t happen. These pieces should vanish soon enough as well.

HA! Take that Kentucky State Fair!

Chang Update #9

http://www.kicentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21273&hl=kentucky%20kingdom&st=0

These track pieces remind me of Chang. Yeah... but maybe they are Chang!!!!

The only Chang piece at SFGAm is a lone blue support beam, with a staircase and the trains. What will become of these pieces? SFGAm? Another SF park? Back to SFKK?

Stay tuned!

No Chang Trains on Iron Wolf

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4325577&id=10583866355

Well, looks like Iron Wolf is ready for 2010. You can see that there are no Chang trains on it. Dang it! **bangs head** I just hope they convert Chang to a floorless (or send it to another park) and put the Chang trains on Iron Wolf later (2011?).

So unless they add the trains later to Iron Wolf... looks like B&M's first coaster is doomed. I just hope that if they remove it, they relocate it to another park, and they do not scrap it. It's a legend. Yeah it's rough from what I've heard... but IT'S A DANG LEGEND!!!!!

Chang Update #8

From Screamscape:

"2011 - Chang / B&M Stand-Up Coaster - Rumor - (3/26/10) Okay… lets go back and look at that Six Flags Great America news video I posted one more time. I missed it the first time through, but an eagle-eyed reader noticed somevery very family off to the side of the video at the 1:05 mark. Check out this screen capture (cropped and zoomed in for your benefit) and notice anything familiar about that black/yellow/red thing on the left side of the screen. Okay… now take a look at this picture at RCDB. Yep… it looks like we’ve found the first proof that one of Chang’s trains are now on site at SFGAm."





















This is a screen capture from the video, courtesy of Screamscape.

Ummm... HA! TAKE THAT KENTUCKY STATE FAIR!

Anyway, some people speculate...

* That they will use this train on Iron Wolf, and Chang will be a floorless coaster replacing Space Shuttle America (which was demolished last December and was SBNO since 2007).

OR...

* That Chang is temporarily being stored in Great America and will relocate to another Six Flags park for 2011 (kinda like AstroWorld's Vekoma SLC which was stored in Great Escape in New York state after AstroWorld's closure in 2005, and is going up in La Ronde in Montréal for 2010).

My thoughts: If they will convert Chang to a floorless and send it to SFGAm for 2011, then so be it. But if they leave Chang a stand-up, then just send it to another park!

Just my $0.02. =)

View of Chang Now...

As of February 23, 2010, WLKY News took a helicopter over the former Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom theme park. You want to see how Chang's footprint looks...















Well, here it is. Heh, this kinda reminds me of Dominator's footprint at Geauga Lake.

See a video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWUe9my3qUU&feature=channel

At the point of 0:14-0:28.