Attraction 2012 Construction Begins

From Magnum PA at Theme Park Review (January 21, 2011):

Drove past the park today. Five observations I made about the proposed coaster site.

1) It looks like the creek has been pretty much drained, not a whole lot of water in it at this point. Don't know if that's typical for this time of the year or if it means construction is starting soon.

2) It looks as if a path is being constructed from Comet Hollow, under the Comet, and back into that area. I think a walking path from Comet Hollow to the park entrance would be a great idea.

3) There is a crane inside the park near the stroller rental, which, of course, is right next to the construction site.

4) A new wider double gate has been added to the park's fence along Park Blvd. I don't remember seeing it before, and it's all shiny and new. I'm assuming it will be the construction entrance for the area, as there are tire tracks all over the ground there.

5) Finally, there was a man running what looked like electric wire through the area near the dam.

It seems to me that we can expect construction to begin soon, if it hasn't already.

There's also a video/photo update here:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42955&start=660#p990503

Looks like an interesting project to follow. I'm still betting on either a B&M Dive Machine, Wing Coaster, Flying Coaster, or Hypercoaster, or an expanded Intamin Mega Lite!

Six Flags Magic Mountain 2011 News

Superman:

From Screamscape:

2011 - Superman: Escape From Krypton - (1/15/11) According to the latest rumor to come my way, a new monkey wrench may have been thrown into Intamin’s latest project: Superman: Escape from Krypton. I’m not exactly sure where the exact problem area is, but I’ve been told that the new cars are apparently a little bit bigger. While they fit on the track just fine, the proper clearance envelope needed for an outstretched rider’s arm to fit safely through the launch tunnel has now been compromised either on the sides or the top.
At this point there are only two ways to fix the problem: widen the tunnel or restrict the riders arm movements. The quick and dirty fix idea under consideration is to attach some kind of “cage” where needed to keep your arms down. Personally I was hoping they would opt to fix the tunnel, taking the time to extend it and maybe add some lighting and fog effects as well.

Ouch... hopefully this gets resolved soon. That ride looks fun!

The park has confirmed the reopening as March 19 (though with the problems, I'm not sure...). The ride has also been repainted as of December 21, 2010. I saw it when I went to SFMM recently, and the colors look cool.

Green Lantern:

http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=983615#p983615

Markers have been found in Batman's extended queue, where Green Lantern will go up. It also looks like some land clearing is already occurring.

This is pretty exciting! I haven't been on a ZacSpin before, but Insane at Gröna Land looks cool, and so does Green Lantern.

Also, as of yesterday, they might have taken out a statue by Batman for Green Lantern construction (according to a post on TPR).

Little Flash:

They've recently torn out the Sierra Falls, where Little Flash will go up. I expect them to start vertical construction soon (with the pieces on site since April).

EDIT: About the Superman thing, looks like they've started testing (from coolrider560):



Guess the problem rumor is false (unless the other side is the one with the problem).

More BGT News

Cheetah Hunt:

It looks like they put up half of the parabola hill as of yesterday. I've got to admit, after seeing RCPro's pictures, it looks like it screams "AIRTIME!!" =)

I also remember seeing some of the teasers a few months back, and the parabola hill looked big, and full of airtime. I love airtime, and I hope this gives plenty of it. =D

Gwazi:

Looks like they've started testing both sides of the ride, and put up a cool-looking Millennium Flyer fence on the train. It looks very cool... I had to drool looking at it... lol. XD

I hope once the ride opens, it will be dueling like nuts again (last two times, Tiger was down, and it wasn't dueling as much the other times. I don't remember. =/). It will be pretty cool! =D

More Cheetah Hunt Vertical Activity and Gwazi Update

Yesterday, they put up the inversion for Cheetah Hunt, which doesn't look like a heartline roll, but a corkscrew.

These are from RCPro's latest update:












































































This looks fantastic! =D My best guess as to what will go up next is either the Parabola which also goes over the train or the track going out of third trench and into the inversion. Either way, this looks very impressive!

As for Gwazi, according to the update, water dummies are now on the new trains, which indicates that testing is right around the corner. This pic is also from the RCPro update:



















I hope I can put up my pics from the day I was there, because I got some awesome angles of the Windcatcher Tower! =D

Anyways, I'll keep you updated!

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

Gwazi Millenium Flyers Confirmed!

http://www.seaworldparksblog.com/gwazi-opens-new-trains-busch-gardens-tampa-bay

In 1999, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay unleashed Gwazi, the Southeast’s largest and fastest double wooden roller coaster featuring 1.25 million feet of twisting lumber. On Saturday, Jan. 22, Gwazi will reopen to fans outfitted with new Millennium Flyer trains designed by Great Coasters International, Inc., the coaster’s original manufacturer.

The new trains provide the smoothest way to ride a wooden coaster and arehighly regarded for their spacious, cushioned seats and individual row designthat resembles wooden roller coasters trains from the early 1900s. The open sides of the new cars will provide unobstructed views of the 7,000-plus combined feet of Gwazi’s two twisted tracks.

SPECIAL OFFERS FOR THRILL SEEKERS:

To celebrate Gwazi’s reopening, any guest who rides Gwazi on Saturday,
Jan. 22 will receive a coupon valid for a 30 percent food and beverage discount at any culinary location, including all restaurants and snack carts. Also, any coaster riders who wear a Gwazi, American Coaster Enthusiast or Florida Coaster Club shirt will receive a free commemorative ride photo. Click here for details on our web site.

And this is just the beginning, as Busch Gardens is keeping the fast-paced thrills coming all year long. Experience a new breed of speed with Cheetah Hunt, a one-of-a-kind multiple launch coaster opening spring 2011.

With a 2011 Fun Card, you can pay for a day and come back all year to challenge all of the world-class coasters at Busch Gardens. It’s the best value for again-and-again access to all of the amazing animal encounters, world-class thrill rides, exciting big-name entertainment and family adventure Busch Gardens has to offer.

For more park information, visit BuschGardens.com.

Well, this looks like a great addition to Gwazi! As much as I liked how Gwazi was, these look to be changing it for the better.

Either way, I trust BGT to create an AWESOME ride experience... and to get them dueling like when it first opened! =D

Recently...

I came back from California recently, so I'm going to be looking at the things that have happened since my last update.

Cheetah Hunt:

Vertical construction has restarted, as they recently put up the third launch, some of the airtime "parabola" after it, the rest of the midcourse, and part of the heartline roll.

I got to see this beast for myself on Jan 2, and oh my, it is looking very impressive! =D Unfortunately, I've ridden Rhino Rally and it has been degraded due to the recent removal of the wet portion... =( But at least we're getting something worthwhile! I hope once the coaster is done, they will redo Rhino Rally with a new thrill portion (with a more reliable manufacturer this time), new Rally cars, and new animal displays.

But one thing that interested me during my ride on Rhino Rally, was that right before the fork that used to go to the wet portion, I saw a backhoe and orange line fences. Now, this could be anything, but hmmm...

Anyways, from what I read on the forums, it seems that the reopening date for the Skyride is locked in as APRIL 22! If this is the case, I'd be willing to bet the ride will be nearly ready by then, with a Memorial Day opening.

Gwazi:

Just a day after I left BGT, Gwazi was reported to be down until the end of the month, with retracking occurring on one of the camelback hill. Recently there have been rumors that the supposed Millennium Flyers are ready to be added. On January 7th, Screamscape Twitter reported this:

Anyone @ BGT? Word is they were unloading new green coaster cars this morning near GWAZI. Millennium Flyers at last?

Yesterday, they were installing the anti-rollbacks supposedly from when they were tested the borrowed Millennium Flyers back in March of last year. As of today, the retracking seems to be complete, and an interesting sign and banner has appeared in front of Gwazi:

http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/updates/bgt1.11.11/index1.shtml

If this involves the Millennium Flyer rumor, we may be seeing the new trains in a matter of days.

Krake:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=56511&start=80#p983938

Vertical construction has begun on the Krake Dive Machine at Heide Park. I gotta say, "so far, so good." =D

I can't wait to see how this turns out...

Ocean Park Stand-Up:

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=48745&start=1210#p982627

Looks like Ocean Park, China, is getting the first B&M Stand-Up since Georgia Scorcher at SFOG in 1999. And from the looks of it... it looks exactly like the mysterious yellow B&M track that appeared in 2009, and has been in the speculation station ever since. I've got to say I'm pretty impressed! =D I've recently ridden Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and I thought it was so fun! It's great that stand-ups are back in production! =D

And from the looks of things, this may be B&M's first attempt at a zero-g-roll on a stand-up. Okay, so first a vertical loop on a flyer (Starry Night Ripper), a dive loop on an invert (Parc Asterix 2012), a 4D coaster (X Raptor), and a zero-g-roll (?) on a Dive Machine (Krake). Now this! =D

I pray a stand-up comes to Florida... =D So in short... NOW the mystery of the yellow B&M is history...

SeaWorld San Diego 2012:

From Screamscape:

2012 - Manta Coaster Attraction and Exhibit - In Development - (1/10/11) One of our readers has dug up a little more info on the 2012 Manta themed coaster project going in. According to this link the project is out for bidding through to Jan. 21st and is officially listed as “Sea World Manta Exhibit & Ride Attraction 2012”.
(1/7/11) I received a strange e-mail today that contained a few very wonderful images that claim to be what SeaWorld California has in store for 2012. If I had to guess, it looks like the former 2010 coaster project that the park once had in development (Project: Abyss/ Project: Reef Runner) with Premier Rides has went in a new direction with a new company. Judging from the one drawing of the train itself and the indications of two separate launches on the layout drawings, I’d say without a doubt we are looking at the next Mack Launched Coaster. Though in this case, a much smaller sibling to the amazing BlueFire coaster system that premiered at Europa Park in 2009. It also looks like they’re adding a small little “Manta” style Sting Ray decoration piece to the front of the train, so at least we know the theme they are going for as well.
The layout has two clearly labeled launch zones, one right after the train turns to the right out of the station area, and the other about half way through the ride. I’m not sure if there are any inversions on this ride or not, though I see a spot that could be a zero-g roll or corkscrew possibly, though the old 2010 concept did not have any inversions. And like the old concept, I’m assuming that this new ride may feature both indoor and outdoor elements, but I’m not sure if they will attempt a splash-down effect at some point or not.
Looking back at the old artwork and layouts I had for the former coaster project, if we assume the park is still looking to locate this new coaster in the same basic location, I can plop down the layout drawing over an aerial picture of the park to get a pretty good idea of just about where the 2012 coaster project will be located. As before, putting the old empty ‘bowl’ site across from the Skyride to good use, as well as seeming to involve the demolition of the park’s very old former Japanese Village building, about the only thing remaining from the old Pearl Dive show from the 70’s to mid 80’s. The location of the nearby Forbidden Reef Ray and Eel caverns also fits right in with a Manta style theme as well. Of course this is all assumption that they are using the same site as the cancelled 2010 coaster project from Premier Rides, but given that these two projects share numerous design similarities, I’d say it’s a pretty good bet I’m on the right track. More as I dig it up and keep your eyes open in the park, as I assume they’ll have to begin construction on a project this size within the next 3-4 months to get it open in time for 2012.

BTW, I found the link to the Manta exhibit permit! =D

Anyways, this also seems interesting... I would love to see another MACK Launch coaster like Blue Fire! =D BTW, I just want to point something out, the SeaWorld parks are really getting into multi-launch coasters:

1. Cheetah Hunt (BGT) (Intamin Blitz) (2011)
2. Manta (??) (SWSD) (MACK LSM) (2012)
3. ?? (BGW) (??) (2012)

Just wanted to point it out...

So yeah, I find this interesting. =D Here are some older updates, to give you a general idea:

(3/1/10) Remember that coaster that indoor/outdoor launched coaster project that was put on hold for SeaWorld San Diego? I’ve heard that “Project: Reef Runner” may be back on the 5 year Masterplan, but not to look for it until around 2014 at this point. Given the amount of time involved and the fact that there are new owners in charge too, I’d look for the track layout to likely be modified as well from the drawings that were previously leaked for this adventure ride down into a deep abyss…
(7/18/08) Bad news from SeaWorld San Diego for the coaster enthusiasts. That wonderful looking 2010 themed coaster project has been put on hold while all the InBev issues are settled and we find out about if they will attempt to sell off the Busch parks to a new owner. Instead in 2010 the park will apparently bump up their plans to renovate the long running Dolphin show instead. Given the changes that the SeaWorld parks have already made to their Dolphin shows in Texas and Florida in the last few years (Viva in Texas and Blue Horizons in Florida) where try to mix a little Cirque with their Dolphin fun, I’d say to look for this new show to move along this same basic concept.
(6/3/08) Today we get to sneak a peek at the new thrill ride that SeaWorld has planned for 2010 with the aid of a proposed layout for the new attraction. From the look of things it appears to be an indoor and outdoor coaster attraction as previously rumored. Given that our last rumor indicated that Premier Rides may be behind this attraction, the design seems very similar to what we’ve seen Premier do for Universal’s Mummy coasters, including what I’m guessing are slow dark ride sections, a backwards drop and at least one LIM launch. I’ve also included a current aerial image showing off the area of the park where this attraction will go.
(10/25/07) Another name has also dropped into the swirling rumor pot for SeaWorld’s 2010 thrill ride... and this one comes with a reputation - Premier Rides. Yes... Premier Rides, the company known primarily for their LIM launched steel roller coasters. From more family oriented rides like the Italian Job coasters, to the indoor unique Revenge of the Mummy coasters up to your standard outdoor unthemed giant launched coasters (Mr. Freeze, Speed: The Ride). The common trait for virtually every Premier Ride coaster however is a magnetic LIM launch system... something they really wrote the book on. Given the land issues involved at SeaWorld California, a LIM coaster would be the perfect space saving solution.

BGW 2012:

From Screamscape:

2012 - New Multi-Launch Coaster - (1/6/11) A meeting about the new coaster took place with the local planning commission. From what I’ve been told, the park confirmed that the coaster would reuse the old Big Bad Wolf station building, and the first of several launches would be inside the ‘event building’. The coaster itself was described as following a similar pattern as Big Bad Wolf towards the end. The large themed bridge part of the project will also go in near the old BBW brake run. The meeting took place on January 5th and I’m told we can expect to see a video of the meeting posted here in the near future.
(1/5/11) Busch Gardens Williamsburg sent out a survey earlier today that asks a question about their big 2012 coaster plans. The survey first gives a brief theme description of the coaster: “See if you can brave the Black Forest on Busch Garden’s all-new roller coaster in the Germany area. What starts as a nice ride through the countryside quickly launches into a lightning-fast, multi-sensory dash through crazy turns, hidden hazards and heart-pounding drops. Inspired by the famed autobahn, the ride combines fast launches, special effects and indoor and outdoor elements to makei t a one-of-a-kind coaster experience.”
They then ask for the guests to vote on the following four names: Revenge of the Black Forest, Uber Bahn, Black Forest Turbo or Verbolten. Maybe it’s me, but other than Verbolten, the other names just leave me cold. Maybe Uber Bahn would work too, but it sounds more like the next album from Rammstein. Hmmm… I think I stumbled onto something. Wouldn’t Rammstein make a great coaster name too?

I prefer Verbolten as a name.

Anyways, I think it is a pretty safe bet that this may be similar to Cheetah Hunt, except with indoor portions, which will be cool! =D

EDIT: Looks like the yellow B&M will be a floorless coaster and be called "Hair Raiser."