I'm Back From Another Amazing Trip...

Last year, I visited 3 parks (Carowinds, Kings Dominion, and Cedar Point)... this year I visited 5 PARKS (BGT, Kings Dominion, Hersheypark, Cedar Point, and Six Flags Great Adventure)... and yeah, pretty chill... or should I say SUPER AWESOME COMBO!

I've probably ridden around 50 coasters in this trip, including Hersheypark's newest addition, Skyrush (which on the wings is just a whip of an experience! I really loved it)! These last 4 weeks rocked (I came back Wednesday July 11th, and the trip started on June 16th)! Visited BGT on June 17th, Kings Dominion on June 20th, Hersheypark on June 22nd, Cedar Point on June 26th, and Six Flags Great Adventure on June 30th. I visited Hershey again on July 9th (just last Monday).

So for my ride lists:

BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA (6/17/2012)

Here we have just spent it as a normal BGT day, except we didn't go south... but north...:

1. Gwazi (Lion) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling)
2. Gwazi (Tiger) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling)
3. SheiKra - B&M Dive Machine
4. Tanganyika Tidal Wave (2x) - Intamin Shoot-the-Chutes
5. SheiKra (2nd time) - B&M Dive Machine
6. Kumba (2x) - B&M Sit-Down Coaster
7. Ubanga Banga Bumper Cars - Bumper cars ride
8. Skyride - Vonroll Sky ride
9. Cheetah Hunt - Intamin LSM Blitz
10. Montu - B&M Inverted Coaster
11. Phoenix - Intamin swinging ship ride
12. SheiKra (2x) - B&M Dive Machine

KINGS DOMINION (6/20/2012)

Last time we were here was last year. This year, we rode Eiffel Tower (so I now know how an observation tower in a park is, as this is my first one), we dug further into the water park (Pipeline Peak), and completed the ride collection credits with Crypt and the two water rides (Shenandoah Lumber Company and White Water Landing). We also knew what not to waste our time on (Anaconda) from last time. We also rode their WindSeeker (which opened this year):

1. Eiffel Tower - Observation tower
2. Intimidator 305 - Intamin Giga Coaster
3. Volcano - Intamin LSM Inverted
4. Crypt - HUSS Top Spin
5. Intimidator 305 (2nd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster
6. Scrambler - Scrambler ride
7. Baja Bends - Water slide combo
8. Pipeline Peak - Tubed/non-tubed water slide combo
9. Tornado - ProSlide Tornado
10. Triple Spin - Orbitron ride
11. Shockwave - TOGO Stand-Up Coaster
12. Drop Tower - Intamin Gyro Drop
13. WindSeeker - Mondial Wind Seeker
14. Hurler - Intl Coasters Wooden Coaster
15. Grizzly - TAG Wooden Coaster
16. Shenandoah Lumber Company - Log flume
17. White Water Landing - River rapids
18. Rebel Yell - PTC Wooden Coaster (back row just pushed this ride up from a 2-Star, to a high 2-Star! Just insane)
19. Dominator - B&M Floorless Coaster
20. Volcano (2nd time) - Intamin LSM Inverted
21. Crypt (2nd time) - HUSS Top Spin
22. Flight of Fear - Premier Indoor Poltergiest layout
23. Intimidator 305 (3rd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster

HERSHEYPARK (6/22/2012)

Huzzah! New park, new credits (very nice park BTW)! However, that day, it was raining around the area, and we ended up not doing everything we wanted, so we got an "after-sunset pass" and came back July 9th (towards the end of the trip) after 5:00 pm. This was a good day though. Skyrush was a great ride that day, but the restraints weren't changed (yes, they added more padding later) so it was kind of bad for the legs. After two rides, the restraints became too much to bear, and we ended up saying "no third Skyrush ride." But the airtime, speed, and whipping rocked (especially when you get the winged seats)! Next time however (July 9)... well, you'll see. After our second Skyrush ride, it ended up raining, so we watched "Rock the Jukebox" in Chevrolet Music Theater. Then we rode Fahrenheit, and it was great! It was forceful, and even had some nice airtime in the middle! Afterwards, the water park (which became my favorite water park at this point). Awesome slides, and Tidal Force won the award for "Through My Eyes' Best Water Ride). TF guarantees you get soaked with a giant splash which rains down on you after the splashdown. Then it rained, and everything was down for the rest of the day (well, other than the Music Express, a few others, and the Hershey Factory Tour). =( I liked the place though. Definitely a recommended place:

1. Skyrush - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
2. Sooperdooperlooper - Schwarzkopf Looping Coaster
3. Great Bear - B&M Inverted Coaster
4. Skyrush (2nd time) - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster
5. Chevrolet Music Theater (Rock the Jukebox) - Musical
6. Fahrenheit (2x) - Intamin Vertical Lift
7. Vortex - Proslide Bowl
8. Whirlwind - Proslide Tornado
9. Tidal Force (2x) - Shoot-the-Chutes (AWESOME RIDE!!)
10. Hershey Chocolate World - Dark ride (outside the park)

CEDAR POINT (6/26/2012)

Here, we focused the day on riding our favorite coasters (Top Thrill Dragster, Millennium Force, Maverick, Magnum, etc). Also finally rode MaxAir (OMG, this ride kicked butt), Skyhawk (kicked butt too, but not as much as MaxAir!), and Power Tower (great drop tower combo). Also, like in KD, we avoided the crap rides (like Disaster Transport, though I did visit the area to take pics of new markings for the 2013 coaster)! However, some rides we just forgot or just didn't have time (like Blue Streak. =( I liked it last time). Maverick was down for a while, but went back up. Amazing as usual. Couldn't ride TTD at the end of the day, but this is the first time during the day! =) So we wrapped it up with Millennium Force (just as great!). Also got a new credit (Mine ride):

1. Raptor - B&M Inverted Coaster
2. MaxAir - HUSS Giant Frisbee
3. Troika - Troika ride
4. Wicked Twister - Intamin LSM Impulse
5. WindSeeker - Mondial Wind Seeker
6. Mantis - B&M Stand-Up Coaster
7. Top Thrill Dragster - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
8. Millennium Force - Intamin Giga Coaster
9. Maverick - Intamin LSM Blitz
10. Mean Streak - Dinn Wooden Coaster
11. Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Arrow Mine Train
12. Skyhawk - S&S Screamin' Swing
13. Gemini - Arrow Hybrid Coaster
14. Magnum - Arrow Hyper Coaster
15. Power Tower - S&S Combo Drop Tower
16. MaxAir (2nd time) - HUSS Giant Frisbee
17. Millennium Force (2nd time) - Intamin Giga Coaster

SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE (6/30/2012)

So we were in New York City, and we went to another new park, filled with more new credits! Their best coasters, however, blow me away (Kingda Ka, El Toro, and Nitro)! Kingda Ka was short, but that launch packs a great punch! It was just super (probably, dare I say this, my favorite coaster. Smooth, forceful, insane speed and height. Could be longer but... the launch just makes it)! El Toro is a wooden coaster, but here's a twist! It's really smooth and packs an awesome punch (and AIRTIME)! I love my rough woodies, but El Toro just devoured every wooden coaster I've been on! Intamin Plug n' Play, come to Florida!! BGT I'm looking at you (big Timbuktu refurbishment maybe squeezing in one of these, destroying Rhino Rally even more (and relocate Phoenix and Scorpion)? YES PLEASE!)! Nitro = amazing Hypercoaster w/ AMAZING AIRTIME! Overall, great park. Also, in this SF park trip, we've been on 19 rides (counting re-rides), the most we've done at any Six Flags park! SFMM was 9 rides (counting re-rides) and SFOG was 4 rides (lines were awful there, but it was after BOA so...). SFGAdv = Epic win. Only issue is the water rides... the log flume was okay... the river rapids was just awful and stupid! I didn't get wet that much... probably least favorite in this park. If you're looking to waste your time, ride Congo Rapids! XP :

1. Kingda Ka - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
2. El Toro - Intamin Plug n' Play Wooden Coaster
3. Rolling Thunder - Rosser/Cobb Wooden Coaster (lame ride...)
4. Kingda Ka (2x) - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)
5. Skyride - Vonroll Sky Ride
6. Congo Rapids - River rapids ride (WORST RIVER RAPIDS EVER!)
7. Nitro - B&M Hypercoaster
8. Batman: The Ride - B&M Inverted Coaster
9. Dark Knight - MACK Wild Mouse (indoors)
10. Skull Mountain - Intamin Custom (indoors)
11. Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train - Zierer Kiddie Coaster
12. Saw Mill Log Flume - Log flume ride
13. Bizarro - B&M Floorless Coaster
14. Superman: Ultimate Flight - B&M Flying Coaster
15. Green Lantern - B&M Stand-Up Coaster (formerly Chang at Kentucky Kingdom. This is a nice ride!)
16. Nitro (2nd time) - B&M Hypercoaster
17. El Toro (2nd time) - Intamin Plug n' Play Wooden Coaster
18. Kingda Ka (4th time) - Intamin Accelerator (Strata)

HERSHEYPARK (7/9/2012)

So, here we had unfinished business. We accomplished a lot more that day! We first rode the ones we didn't ride. Also, Skyrush's new restraints (while they could still work on it a little) were much better. Afterwards, Skyrush took the throne as Hershey's best, as it should have (...so for the final phase of destroying Rhino Rally, we should tear out the whole ride for a version of Skyrush, but taller. Also, for a WindSeeker and a dark ride, all in a new area of BGT...):

1. Storm Runner - Intamin Accelerator
2. Sidewinder - Vekoma Boomerang
3. Tidal Force - Shoot-the-Chutes
4. Coastline Plunge - Water slide combo (w/ Vortex and Whirlwind)
           Riptide - Water slide
           Vortex - Proslide Bowl
           Surge - Water slide
           Whirlwind - Proslide Tornado
5. Wildcat - GCI Wooden Coaster
6. Lightning Racer (Thunder) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling) (Lightning won)
7. Lightning Racer (Lightning) - GCI Wooden Coaster (dueling) (Lightning won! Haha!)
8. Fahrenheit - Intamin Vertical Lift
9. Skyrush - Intamin Winged Hyper Coaster

Overall, GREAT TRIP! Go to these parks, they are wonderful! =)

Six Flags Ride Rotation Rumors

From JJ2K at Great Adventure History forums:

The mumblings I'm hearing from within the park all seem to be pointing to this season quite possibly being the last season for Bizarro. From what I have been able to piece together and again I can't confirm any of this but it does come from a collection of reliable sources is that all of the parks in the SF chain were asked to submit to corporate a coaster to be put on the "list" for ride rotation. Gadv was told they could not submit SUF because Gam had already put their SUF on the list so there was absolutely no other choice that could be made Bizarro was pretty much forced on the list.

More things I'm hearing suggest that the five "big parks": Gadv, MM, Gam, oT & oG are all required to give a coaster to the ride rotation program once every 5 years....Gam & MM have already done so. One source of mine claims however that gadv, MM & Gam have three coasters on their 5 year plans. The push that seems to be getting made right now for this year is that Bizarro is out...IMO its likely destination is between SFstl & SFoT. And 2013 we will be getting an all new B&M coaster in its spot.....I have my fingers crossed its a B&M 4D and NOT a wing rider.....but the hurtful pit in the bottom of my stomach tells me its a wing rider which makes me angry cause I've been actively posting that I wanted a B&M 4D since 2003! And you know if we get a wing rider it means you can kiss a B&M 4D goodbye

This kind of makes me worried about some of the rides at SFMM... hopefully X2, Riddler (though it's likely), Goliath, and Tatsu (very unlikely) stay far away from the list. And for SFOG, I don't want their Goliath on the list either (though it's very unlikely, since it's the signature ride of SFOG).

As of this moment, SFMM has submitted Deja Vu into the list (Goliath at SFNE) and SFGAm also submitted a coaster, Iron Wolf (Apocalypse at SFA). Now Bizarro (SFGAdv) may be removed as well. So here's some speculation from yours truly (with the bold meaning confirmed and italic meaning rumored):

SFMM: Deja Vu, Scream, and Riddler
SFGAdv: Bizarro... not so sure about the others
SFOT: Mr. Freeze, Flashback, and Pandemonium
SFOG: Georgia Scorcher... IDK about the others on this one either
SFGAm: Iron Wolf, Superman: Ultimate Flight, and Rajin' Cajun

I'm not sure that I like the concept of this that much. Some of the rides listed above (SFOG, SFMM) are either ones I like, or are ones (or ONE) that I haven't ridden yet, however I was in the park.

It should be interesting though to see where these rides end up (or if these rides even get moved). I'm also curious as to wondering what SFGAdv has in mind for Bizarro's plot. Could we be seeing another Wing Coaster or something new entirely (or even one of the other rides listed above)?

Six Flags Updates

Six Flags Great Adventure:

From Screamscape:

2012 - New Flat Ride Package or Medium Thrill Ride - Rumor - (6/24/11) According to the latest rumors, Six Flags Great Adventure definitely seems to be leaning towards adding a Sky Screamer in 2012. While I don’t have a firm lock on the location (ie: a new site or replacing the Parachute tower ride) it does seem that everyone agrees that if SFGAdv gets one, it better be a damn tall ride. How tall exactly? Wouldn’t it be fun to be eye level with Kingda Ka? Just an idea… stay tuned.
(6/14/11) Yesterday we talked about a possible flat ride package in the works for Six Flags Great Adventure, though now I’m told that is just one of a couple of possible plans under consideration. Another plan is to bring in a Sky Screamer style ride (Star Flyer) as we’ve seen already become instant hits at Six Flags St. Louis and Discovery Kingdom this summer. While they could drop this ride in just about anywhere, there is one rumor claiming that they may consider removing the old parachute tower for it as well, but again… nothing is confirmed. Just ideas being thrown around at this point, so stay tuned.

I would rather put SkyScreamer in another place in the park other than the parachutes. I'd rather see expansion than replacement. I also hope there are other flats too. ;)

But on the subject on SkyScreamer, ever since the WindSeekers (Cedar Point, Kings Island, Knott's Berry Farm, and Canada's Wonderland), I'm getting a bit obsessed with Star Flyers and WindSeekers. SkyScreamer would be a wicked addition to SFGAdv! =)

Six Flags Magic Mountain:

From Screamscape:

2012 - New Thrill Ride - Rumor - (6/24/11) Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been sent a few rumors suggesting that Six Flags Magic Mountain may be working on adding their own version of the Sky Screamer (Star Flyer) to the park for 2012, which would be a big crazy with Knott’s putting in Windseeker just to the south. I’m happy to report that Screamscape sources have confirmed that this is a bogus rumor… something is in the works for SFMM for 2012, but not a Sky Screamer.

I don't really think it matters about Star Flyers and WindSeekers being too close. I mean, SFMM and Knott's both have B&M Inverted Coasters: Batman and Silver Bullet.

However, with SkyScreamer out of the rumor mill for SFMM, I will keep my fingers crossed for a really tall drop tower. I actually rode KD's Drop Tower (Intamin Gyro Drop) and I tied it with Dr. Doom as the best drop tower I've ridden. A Gyro Drop would look amazing at SFMM! =D

Six Flags America:

No Iron Wolf for 2012 after all it seems (Screamscape):

2012 - New Attraction - Rumor - (6/16/11) Good news for everyone it seems… as SFGAm’s Guest Services is quickly trying to put out the fire that Iron Wolf could be leaving their park anytime soon. According to letters sent out by the park, Iron Wolf “will be around for your enjoyment for years to come. There is no truth to the rumor that the Iron Wolf will be taken down or moved anytime in the near future.”
So good news for SFGAm and even better news for SFA… which seems to indicate that the new 2012 coaster may be a brand new ride instead of a hand-me down. Stay tuned!

So Iron Wolf is safe... for now. And this gives me new hopes that SFA will get a B&M Floorless or Wing Coaster! =D

Some Really Big Six Flags Rumors

Screamscape posted updates about 3 Six Flags parks getting new rides for 2012. And when I say "rides," I mean one gets a coaster and two get some flat rides. So those three: Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Great Adventure, and Six Flags America.

Six Flags Magic Mountain:

2012 - New Thrill Ride - Rumor - (6/13/11) While I don’t know too many details, I’m hearing that a new thrill ride is on the way to Magic Mountain for 2012 for sure. However… this will not be a coaster, or so I’m told. Since the park has been lacking a good tower ride for some time now, I’m kind of hoping they install a three or four leg S&S Space Shot / Combo tower creation myself as I think anything less may just lack the capacity needed here.

So Screamscape is reporting a SFMM 2012 thrill ride, and will not be a coaster. For some reason, this quote from Screamscape seems to shed some light on the subject:

(7/27/10) The latest rumors suggest that the clearing in the old Sierra Twist spot is for a new restaurant location only and not a new ride. Even more bad news… I’m hearing rumors suggesting that not only is Thrill Shot going to be removed later this year, but this may be the last season for Tidal Wave as well. Between the removed Tidal Wave and the former Freefall location, that does open up a large spot of land for something new at least.

Of course, Thrill Shot is still in the park, but rumors are still spreading about its demise:

(2/21/11) The one rumor that keeps coming back over and over to me is that a new track for the Go-Karts may possibly be added to a section of the old Bugs Bunny National Park area. I’m not 100% of this one, so keep your eyes peeled for any activity in that area as spring approaches. One more odd rumor has come in as well, claiming that the park could be looking at bringing in the S&S Thrill Shot from SF Magic Mountain as well later this season.
On a side note, I’ve also heard a rumor that the old Great America Raceway (antique cars) ride may also not operate for the 2011 season. Given that the cars run around perimeter of the former shoot the chutes ride removed a couple of seasons ago, I’ve got a feeling that if this is true, this is likely going to be the site of the rumored 2012 coaster project.

Well, the Thrill Shot spot seems perfect for a drop tower or SkyScreamer clone. I would prefer a drop tower, but those SkyScreamers sound sick (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Six Flags St. Louis).

Six Flags Great Adventure:

2012 - New Flat Ride Package - Rumor - (6/13/11) The latest buzz on Six Flags Great Adventure claims that the park may be looking to obtain a nice small Flat Ride package for the 2012 season to help offset some of the lost capacity as various other rides have been removed over the past several years.

Hmmm... I wonder if they are going to fill in some empty spaces in the park. I hope for bumper cars or something.

Six Flags America:

2012 - New Attraction - Rumor - (6/13/11) I’m really not too sure about this particular rumor… so take this with a grain of salt, but one e-mail sent in claims that Iron Wolf may be moved from SFGAm and sent to SFA as the new coaster for 2012, where I believe it would fit into the site rather easily. I’m just not sure if SFGAm is ready to let go of another coaster just yet, unless they’re getting something better to replace it, so for now just keep this one in the back of your mind.
(5/24/11) I’m not sure how solid this rumor is, but I’ve heard it said that B&M may be in talks with Six Flags America about a future project. Earlier this year we did hear that the park was on the short-list of parks for consideration for a new coaster as early as 2012. Stay tuned.
(4/18/11) I don’t have any details, but the early rumors suggest that Six Flags America may finally get a much needed new addition to the park in 2012. Stay tuned!

Park News - (6/10/11) In a surprising bit of news, Six Flags America has announced that Skull Mountain, the flume ride formerly known as the Typhoon Sea Coaster, will close forever after July 10th to make way for a large new attraction in 2012.The park will put on a few special opportunities to bid the ride farewell, such as placing a boat on the midway for pictures and a special Fair Thee Well Weekend sendoff on July 9-10, special pirate makeovers and even a “Last Ride” auction with the proceeds going to fund the National Roller Coaster Museum. You’ve been warned… so get to the park now for one last ride before Skull Mountain is forced to “Walk the plank!”
While we’re on the subject of Six Flags America, CoasterFusion has also published a very detailed trip report from the park this week, so click here and take a look at what’s going on this season at the park.

While I'd rather see a brand new B&M at Six Flags America than a relocated one, I've always thought (since the Chang fiasco at SFGAm) that if Iron Wolf were to be removed, it should be relocated, not scrapped. At least SFA is finally getting something related to a new coaster (relocated counts to me). =)

I kind of feel a little bad for SFGAm though... =/

X-Raptor No More, Green Lantern Update (Gadv and Magic Mountain), and Krake Update

X-Raptor is now Raptor:

Guess the name "X-Raptor" was temporary, as the name has now been changed to "Raptor."

http://www.gardalandraptor.it/index.php

And another interesting thing is a pic from the bottom left of this page which looks like a Wing-Rider/4D type train:

http://www.gardaland.it/it/genetix_lab/

And the LA3 Info:

Prot. RP/LP/GWC/2010
INFORMAZIONI CONFIDENZIALI

Costituzione forza di intervento

Il Comitato Scientifico di controllo del Progetto Genetix, riunitosi in data 15 novembre 2010, delibera quanta segue:

Premesso che...

1) I lavori legati al cantiere di Gardaland, in cui è in corso la construzione delle più imponenti ed estreme montagne russe d'Italia, hanno disturbato il sonno millenario di una misteriosa creatura sotterranea. La creatura, risvegliata dall'antico letargo, ha iniziato a devastare l'area circostante. La riattivazione delle sue funzioni vitali ha inoltre alterato i parametri ambientali di tutta la zona. Il Parco si è rivolto agli X-Labs affinché inviasse un team di scienziati con il compito di indagare sui sopracitati fenomeni. E' stato installato un laboratorio mobile nel perimetro del cantiere e un sofisticato sistema di videosorveglianza.

2) Rilevamenti ed analizi hanno portato alla scoperta di numerose uova nel terreno del cantiere. L'area è stata sottoposta a bonifica. Si ritiene che le uova siano state deposte dalla creatura alata. L'essere, di natura ancora sconosciuta, ha devastato ulteriormente l'area, procurando numerosi danni alle nostre installazioni e apparecchiature.

3) Alcune uova sono sfuggite all'attività di bonifica e hanno iniziato a schiudersi. Ogni uovo ha dato origine ad un componente organico. Nell'area del cantiere ha iniziato a formarsi lo scheletro di quello che sembra un organismo vivente di livello superiore. Nessuna ulteriore presenza di uova rilevata. Esiste la ragionevole certezza che la creatura abbia iniziato a deporre fuori da Gardaland le rimanenti uova necessarie per completare l'organismo vivente.

Tutto cio' premesso si delibera

1) La costituzione in data odierna di una "task force" di persone che possano sfidare e contrastare la maestosa creatura in fase di formazione a Gardaland. Il nome in codice della forza d'attacco sarà "Brave Bugs."

2) I componenti di tale task force, che si distingueranno per particolare audacia e coraggio, verranno reluctati con specifiche selezioni presso Gardaland - Parco di Divertimenti nonché in alcune città d'Italia. Il comitato si riserva, inoltre, la facoltà di valutare eventuali altre modalità di selezione.

3) Compiti principali della task force saranno: a) coadiuvare gli scienziati X-Labs nell'attività di "ritrovamento e distruzione" delle uova deposte sul territorio dalla creatura alata b) ingaggiare e sfidare per prime la maestosa creatura.

4) Il reclutamento e le successive missioni avverranno con l'ausilio di un laboratorio mobile oppurtunamente equipaggiato.

5) Viene affidato il comando della task force al pluridecorato Col. Raymond Schwartz, il quale avrà la massima autorità e libertà nel definire caratteristiche e modalità di intervento della particolare forza d'attacco.

Translated:

Prot RP/LP/GWC/2010
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

Constitution intervention force

The Scientific Committee of the Project Control Genetix, which met on 15 November 2010, resolved as follows:

Given that ...

1) The work related to the construction site of Gardaland, which is ongoing construction of the most impressive and extreme roller coaster of Italy, have disturbed the sleep of a mysterious creature millennial underground. The creature, from the ancient awakened dormant, began to devastate the surrounding area. Reactivation of vital functions has also altered the environmental parameters of the whole area. The park is for X-Labs to send a team of scientists with the task to investigate the above phenomena. It 'was a mobile laboratory installed in the perimeter of the yard and a sophisticated video surveillance system.

2) Measure and analyze led to the discovery of numerous eggs in the soil of the yard. The area has been subject to reclamation. It is believed that the eggs are laid by the winged creature. The being of nature is still unknown, further devastated the area, providing a lot of damage to our facilities and equipment.

3) Some eggs have escaped the remediation and have started to hatch. Each egg has given rise to an organic component. In the yard began to form the skeleton of what looks like a living organism to the next level. No further detected the presence of eggs. There is reasonable assurance that the creature has begun to lay the remaining eggs out of Ben needed to complete the living organism.

All that 'circumstances are acting

1) The establishment today of a task force of people who can challenge and counter the majestic creature in training at Gardaland. The code name for the strike force will be "Brave Bugs."

2) The components of this task force, which will be distinguished by particular bravery and courage, will reluctati with specific selections at Gardaland - Amusement Park as well as in some cities of Italy. The committee also reserves the right to assess any other mode of selection.

3) Main tasks of the task force will be: a) assist the scientists in the activity of X-Labs' discovery and destruction of eggs laid in the territory of the winged creature b) engage and challenge for the first majestic creature.

4) The recruitment and subsequent missions will be done with the help of a mobile laboratory equipped opportunely.

5) The command of the task force is given to the highly decorated Col. Raymond Schwartz, who will be the highest authority and freedom to define the characteristics and mode of action of the special strike force.

Interesting, interesting. S=)

Green Lantern Gadv:

The lift hill has been topped off as of today:

http://www.gadv.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17924&st=300&p=421709&#entry421709

This is from Christian at Gadv.com:



This looks huge! I just hope they put grass underneath it... *cough*Scream at Magic Mountain*cough* (still a fun ride, just saying).

Can't wait to see how the skyline will look with the other parts of the ride! =D

Green Lantern Magic Mountain:

http://www.sixflags.com/magicMountain/rides/GreenLanternLA.aspx

Looks like construction has begun on SoCal's Green Lantern (Intamin ZacSpin). ZacSpins looks so fun, and this one is looking cool (which is why I hope the Orlando Thrill Park comes true)! =D

Krake:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=56511&start=110#p990772

Since vertical construction has started on the station track and FBR, they put up the immelmann, the splash down, the airtime hill, and the lift hill. This is it as of today:



Looks kind of short compared to SheiKra (but not as short as Oblivion)... but eh, at least there's an airtime hill, and not to mention, it's a dive machine! =D

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 #5

Green Lantern:

http://coasterfusion.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?9492.210

So it seems that green track (aka Chang track with a new look) is on site (and has been for a 2-3 weeks). It seems to be in a fenced off portion of the parking lot by Kingda Ka. They also seem to have closed off some of the premium parking lot for work on the area soon to hold Green Lantern's lift hill to begin (it will be parallel to Superman Ultimate Flight). In fact, from the looks of those pics, they seem to have already begun tearing out some of the concrete on the parking lot.

Cheetaka:

It seems that the 4th teaser video has been released (October 4th), showing the part of the ride entering the old wet portion of Rhino Rally. It includes an inversion (a heartline roll over the railroad), two straight-aways, a near-miss with a waterfall, and some trick tracks. It also seems that after the 3rd launch, you go up a massive (literally massive) airtime hill as you head back to the station. And here's this neat theory from Shellemonster at Orlando United:

Interesting indeed, Busch is really trying something new here. It's like a terrain coaster with launches. I love how this takes us in and around the veldt because what isn't shown in these videos is the fact that we will be flying close by through animal exhibits.

Like at SeaWorld where you become the manta ray on Manta, it seems like we will become a cheetah on Cheetaka. You prowl out of the station, jump up to get a good vantage point to select your prey (figure8 tower), launch off chasing the prey, circle it, and wrestle it to death in the valley, then return from the kill. Maybe I'm reading too much into this...

And as for construction, it seems that some bars were installed in the second trench (currently being excavated), and it seems that work has begun on tearing out the old wet portion of Rhino Rally.

Meanwhile, check this out:

Next week, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Discovery Cove in Orlando will both announce major new attractions coming to the parks in 2011.

But this message will be shared in a different way than many of the parks’ previous new attraction announcements. In an effort to grow and support its eager online Fan base, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove will announce the new attractions on their Facebook pages FIRST via video messages from the parks’ executives the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 13.

Stay tuned to these Facebook pages (make sure you "Like" them!) and you will be amongst the first to receive the big news:

www.Facebook.com/BuschGardensTampaBay

www.Facebook.com/DiscoveryCove

http://www.seaworldparksblog.com/busch-gardens-and-discovery-cove-make-major-announcements-next-week

Hmmm... isn't BGT rumored for a new addition in 2011...? Yep, it's pretty much safe to say that this announcement will be for Cheetaka. BTW, as for Discovery Cove, they are building an expansion, but I'm more excited for Cheetaka. =D

X-Raptor:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=56021&start=190

Vertical construction has begun on X-Raptor. It seems that station track is up, as well as some of the break run and final turn. Now I'm just wondering when the trains will be revealed and what the layout is. =D

Heide Park:

From Screamscape:

2011 - B&M Coaster - Rumor - (10/8/10) Now this may be an odd shot in the dark here, but I’m starting to really think we may be seeing something new and unique about this Heide Park B&M coaster. In addition to this being listed as a Dive Machine style coaster, but using what appears to be standard sized coaster track, something else seems to be sticking out as being different. Take a look again at the picture of the track found on site previously and take a good look at those two straight track pieces… with what looks like fins sticking up on them.
A few others have pointed this out before, but these seem to be magnetic brake fins, not unlike the style of brake fins we’ve seen Intamin using for the past few years. Others have pointed this out as well, that this is new for B&M as every other B&M coaster with magnetic brakes uses a very different system that has a horizonal fin run through the magnetic braking channels mounted close to the center of the tracks. (See Here)
B&M doesn’t experiment or change things lightly so there has to be a reason for switching to this new narrow-profile system, putting the fins on the tracks instead. I wouldn’t think adding the mag-brake units to the trains was a benefit, as they have to be heavier than the fins, so the real purpose here must have been to open up some space under the center of the train for something new perhaps. About the only thing I can think of that would go there would be hardware for either a new style lift system (cable lift?) or could we be seeing brand new B&M launch system technology put to use here?

So could we be seeing the first launched B&M Dive Machine???? *drops jaw* If that's the case, I might just have to visit this place soon... =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.