2

2/4/2010 7:35:10 PM

You should really get on that twitter Eric.

http://twitter.com/CarowindsPR/status/8644281455

2/4/2010 8:29:14 PM

Looking good. Love that B&M roar too

The other Intimidator is looking good too.







[Edited on February 4, 2010 at 10:10 PM. Reason : t]

2/4/2010 10:10:34 PM

dang just when i get a six flags season pass, paramount goes nuts. anything interesting going on at the six flags parks? at least i have a bunch to choose from.

2/4/2010 10:22:13 PM

Paramount doesn't own any of the parks anymore. Cedar Fair, who own Cedar Point as well as others, bought the Paramount parks a few years ago now. What Six Flags parks are you thinking of visiting?

2/4/2010 10:33:58 PM

ahhhh love the sound of a good coaster

2/4/2010 10:39:42 PM

I plan on visiting every six flags. already been to atlanta.

Cedar fair buying the parks explains why good rides are finally being built. Wish I had known, i would've just bought a cedar fair pass instead. But you can't really beat 60 bucks for one and a half seasons and like 18 parks.

2/4/2010 10:47:31 PM

No you can't. It's a way better deal, considering the Platinum Pass for Cedar Fair is $160. That includes parking and all though. In 2008 a friend and I bought PP's and road tripped from Carowinds to Kings Dominion to Cedar Point to Kings Island. We also took a couple extra trips to Carowinds and KD. It was worth every cent.

It's worth the money so long as you plan on actually using it, which it sounds like you are. Good luck visiting every park. They have quite a few. Be sure not to miss Great Adventure.

2/4/2010 11:03:23 PM

Quote :

"You should really get on that twitter Eric. http://twitter.com/CarowindsPR/status/8644281455"

Twitter is blocked at work, plus it's stupid.

2/6/2010 2:36:13 PM

Question for Vulcan

How are roller coasters built?

Are the constructed at some places factory, tested, and then torn down to be built up again? Or are they only constructed at the theme park

2/6/2010 3:09:57 PM

The pieces are manufactured at a normal steel fabrication facility and shipped to the park where they are assembled for the first time.

Very very rarely is a ride built in a separate location first, although it has happened before with some prototypes.

Obviously it is a different story with portable fair type rides, as they are made to be quickly assembled and brought down again.

2/6/2010 4:37:16 PM

Looks like Carowinds Intimidator has passed state inspection. Lucky bastards from construction crews and park officials (I would assume):

2/21/2010 1:12:05 AM

From a construction tour at Carowinds today:













Less than 2 weeks until it's time to ride!

3/13/2010 7:52:53 PM

^awesome

In other news, testing has started on I305 at KD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b51xGRaI2w&feature=player_embedded#

3/14/2010 8:57:07 PM

I-305 restraints = FAIL.



Sad, this had potential to be a great ride. I'll still looking forward to going up there next month to ride it, but I'm not expecting much.

3/17/2010 4:30:12 PM

Why did they not just use the same restraints as MF and let it be?

3/17/2010 11:21:51 PM

Well, IIRC..

Those same lapbars were on Superman at Six Flags New England, and someone died.
Those same lapbars were on Hydro in the UK, and someone died.
Those same lapbars were on Perilous Plunge at Knotts Berry Farm, and someone died.
Those same lapbars were on Superman at Darien Lake and someone was thrown from the ride but survived.

And in all those cases, the rider was too large to fit safely.

3/17/2010 11:59:49 PM

So design a new lapbar that is impossible to come out of, like EVERY OTHER MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD has done.

3/18/2010 12:03:12 AM

I saw that. Those are gonna suck. They may be worse than Arrow's old headbangers. Seriously, those restraints are the only thing I dislike about Maverick.

Quick turns at high speeds and Intamin otsr restraints do not go well together.

3/18/2010 12:06:58 AM

^^I agree that should be the solution, but obviously Cedar Fair is trying to play it safe as possible, at the expense of the ride experience.

[Edited on March 18, 2010 at 12:09 AM. Reason : ^]

3/18/2010 12:08:04 AM

I don't think it's Cedar Fair, but Intamin. They recommend those restraints now for all their rides. Probably an insurance thing.

3/18/2010 12:11:13 AM

I'm planning on going to Carowinds on their opening day, but I'm a little bit concerned about which way it will go:

Since it's the opening day, will it be crowded as fuck, or do the crowds not really get extreme until later in the season?

3/18/2010 12:22:01 AM

No one really knows. Usually opening day is not very crowded, but with Intimidator opening, it could be absolutely jammed. I know we're planning to be there an hour or hour and a half early to wait for them to open the gates.

Of course I'll be getting all the rides I want at media day Friday.

3/18/2010 12:31:03 AM

I'm glad Carowinds got the B&M instead of the Intamin Intimidator.

Why don't you brag about media day a little more? <jealous>

Seriously, we need to do breakfast covertly this time.

3/18/2010 9:04:34 AM

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Got 8 rides at the media preview today, and I'm gonna have to say this is probably my 3rd favorite steel coaster, and I've been on 237 of them. Will upload some more pics shortly.

Looks like somebody took a POV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtTMnEK8XvU



[Edited on March 26, 2010 at 3:21 PM. Reason : video]

3/26/2010 3:13:47 PM

good christ, that's a lot of coasters!

3/26/2010 6:37:01 PM

237 more than me, in fact

3/26/2010 7:43:47 PM

It sucks that I couldn't make opening day Hope you guys had a good time.

3/27/2010 7:24:40 PM

K last post on Intimidator at Carowinds.

Some videos:

Kerry Earnhardt riding lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnepuz6dKgE
Lots of footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ngsr6BfUU
Front seat POV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtTMnEK8XvU

Some of my pictures from media day and opening day:













Now changing subjects, the Harry Potter ride (and area) at Islands of Adventure sounds amazing:

http://www.mugglenet.com/erichpfjreview.shtml

Quote :

"Mr. Woodbury then spoke at length about the Forbidden Journey itself, and here is what he had to say. The Forbidden Journey ride is going to be an excursion into the world of Harry Potter - bringing with it "all of the chaos of his world". It's a new story, a new adventure where the guests, as Muggles, are invited to witness the goings-on of Harry, Ron and Hermione as they experience an adventure that takes them through many of the vast locations across Harry's world. Although the fan-site heads had heard several times by this point that the ride experience was going to be "nothing like before" - we at this point asked for further clarification, and got it. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey will be a "360 degree filmatic experience" with the biggest in special effects by which he means physical effects of all. Other rides at Universal, such as Twister or The Mummy which utilize real flames or wind that you can feel the heat of, wouldn't begin to describe the sorts of physical effects Mr. Woodbury hints at. Signs in the queue for the ride itself warn riders that they will be pushed, pulled, dropped, lifted, stopped, turned around and all but thrown (although I'm reciting from memory; I don't recall them promising that we wouldn't be thrown). We asked Mr. Woodbury about fire, smoke, steam, as examples of physical effects, and he very seriously stated that there would be "all those, more, more, and more on top of that." While interviewing Mr. Woodbury, he gave us a run-down of the locations that we would get to see on the Forbidden Journey ride itself, and its story. Once you step inside the castle where the ride itself is housed, you are welcomed by Dumbledore and soon acquainted with Harry, Ron and Hermione, who scheme to escape a particularly boring lecture of Professor Binns' and ask you to meet them in the Room of Requirement. The ride begins in the Room of Requirement, and takes you to a Quidditch match, which features Ron, Harry and Draco (presumably all playing Quidditch at the same time). You witness Quidditch first-hand, from next to Harry, once again while the ride is utilizing never-before-existant technology to make the environment real. At one point, Mr. Woodbury was asked if the Forbidden Journey ride would actually travel outside of Hogwarts Castle (in the park). He very seriously replied, that when guests are on the ride, they will have a "very hard time distinguishing between what is actually outside and what is not." I wouldn't believe him if he wasn't so serious about it. But he was. Reiteration. This ride is gonna do all new things. Also mentioned about the ride journey itself is an encounter with Dementors, the Whomping Willow, and a ride on the Floo Network thanks to Hermione. The press release issued by Universal later today will no doubt include a more concise ordering of these locations. Another big game-changer that will set "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" apart from other rides is its queue. Since the ride is set deep within Hogwarts Castle, you've got to literally travel through the castle to get on the ride, simple enough. However, the queue for the castle is so interactive that there is extra space in the queue to stay and watch a certain event happening in a particular part of the castle, as well as an opportunity to tour the castle without actually riding the ride. The queue inside the Hogwarts castle at the theme park is astonishing, and it is my great pleasure to announce that the web-site heads in attendance today got to enter Hogwarts Castle at the Wizarding World theme park and see it. You enter through the gates of Hogwarts with the winged boars (exact replicas of the movie) with Hogwarts Castle domineering above you. Looking up, you can see the towers and the bridge that make the movie images so beautiful. Entering the castle, the queue (and your journey) begins in the dungeons. Here there is a scary statue of the One-Eyed Witch and the Mirror of Erised, stowed away. You then travel upwards and outside, through the greenhouses of Hogwarts. Further on is the entrance hall, where the single coolest statue I've ever seen stands tall - it is a statue of the Architect of Hogwarts - standing with a map and a miniature Hogwarts in his hands, with a lion and a badger at his feet and a hat atop his head. Very cool. Walking on you see the Hogwarts House Jewels in hourglasses - it is hooked up to gears so I am wondering if these jewels will actually move/drop over time. Up ahead is the Golden Eagle entrance to Dumbledore's Office, which you walk past to enter. Lasers. Here you are greeted by Albus Dumbledore (portrayed cunningly by Michael Gambon) introducing you to Hogwarts school, welcoming the Muggles and offering some good advice about what is to come. To call Dumbledore a hologram would not do him justice. This laser technology which places Dumbledore on the balcony overlooking the queue has definition and the third dimension to it. He looks and sounds appropriately real. Moving further into the castle, you soon find yourself in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom where Harry, Hermione and Ron greet you as well. They plan to escape a boring lecture of Professor Binns' by escaping under the Invisibility Cloak and offer to meet you in the Room of Requirement. It is a great introduction and leads you even further into the castle. The next chamber is the portrait gallery; it is a very tall room perhaps only ten feet wide. On each of the four walls? Portraits of each of the four founders of Hogwarts.... and they move. And they talk. These portraits are unlike anything I thought was possible to do outside of the movies. For the portraits move, but their surface looks like dried oil on canvas. Also, they travel. Other portraits in this hall leave their frames and enter the portraits of others', often generating an immediate response of reproach from whoever is being disturbed. It is clever, and well-synced. It is J.K. Rowling's books brought to life. All of the chambers in the castle, whether you go through the express queue, the regular cue or are just looking around, are so richly detailed and accurately aged that it's hard not to count as a ride in itself. Meeting the Fat Lady and getting to read the latest posts on the board of the Gryffindor Common Room are among the simple delights this castle has to offer. After what is a long and detailed journey, you enter the final chamber before getting on the ride where two separate scenes are waiting to greet you. There are three portraits, all alive, which explain a little bit more about the ride itself. You will sit in what they describe as "enchanted benches" and fly through Harry's world as such. The portraits argue with each other and question each other's competence to instruct as well as other humorous moments. This chamber is also where the exit lies for the queue if you are not riding the ride. We did take the exit which led us down stairs and another portrait gallery, featuring the Founders again but this time having a totally different conversation than they were before. Prior to leaving, we saw the final character you meet before getting on the ride (in the Room of Requirement): The Sorting Hat. He speaks and gives one final warning about safety and physical conditions that may prevent the ride from being enjoyable. As I mentioned before, signs from the greenhouses onward dictate that you will be dropped, spun, twisted, pulled, pushed and otherwise. Whatever happens during this ride, it's going to be intense."

3/29/2010 5:06:57 PM

Nice job working the Flyers into a picture of Intimidator

3/29/2010 7:53:33 PM

bttt

Quote :

"I'm gonna have to say this is probably my 3rd favorite steel coaster"

That's great to hear. How does it compare to other B&M hypers?

Quote :

"the Harry Potter ride (and area) at Islands of Adventure sounds amazing"

Speaking of which, here is a video where Ellen takes two kids inside the land for a look around. There are a few good sneak peaks inside some of the buildings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwK4uMEBPKY&feature=player_embedded

Kennywood has started vertical construction on Sky Rocket




And I-305 has opened at KD. Early reports are good. I can't wait to get up there to ride it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7E_oIL8fPs&feature=related

It's about that time of year again


If someone could embed the videos plz, that would be sweet.

[Edited on April 6, 2010 at 2:09 PM. Reason : b]

4/6/2010 2:07:15 PM

Quote :

"That's great to hear. How does it compare to other B&M hypers?"

I have not been on Behemoth or Diamondback (will very soon) yet, and those are the two that should compare the most to it. Of the ones I have been on, though, I rank them like this:

Intimidator
Apollo's Chariot (first two could be swapped, though; I need to go ride AC again soon)
Goliath (Georgia)
Nitro
Silver Star
Raging Bull


I can't wait to go ride I-305 sometime this month. I just hope I get there before they tame it down, which I am almost certain they will do. Apparently nearly everyone is greying out in the first turn, so I fully expect them to slow down the lift at the top so it doesn't hit it quite as fast.

4/6/2010 2:19:24 PM

I've heard similar things as well. Knowing CF, that seems like the inevitable next step. That lift is like fast though (the vid definitely makes it look faster than MF's lift). Regardless, I can't wait to ride it.

4/6/2010 2:33:42 PM

Rode Intimidator 305 today. Overall, it's an excellent ride but not top tier (I far prefer the Carowinds one). The second half of the ride is a bit boring and some of the turns really beat the hell out of my neck. The first drop is incredible though, and the first turn is by far the most intense moment I have ever seen on a coaster. I blacked out almost completely every single time we rode, and came to near the top of the following hill. We were looking at the on-ride photos after the ride once, and a kid was passed out completely with his head in his lap. I'm having a hard time seeing this lasting very long without them putting a trim brake on the drop or slowing down the lift drastically (it is by far the fastest lift ever; comically fast even).

4/24/2010 11:42:08 PM

Quote :

"We were looking at the on-ride photos after the ride once, and a kid was passed out completely with his head in his lap."

Ha Ha! Awesome!

4/25/2010 2:22:33 PM

Just saw on Screamscape that there is a new test seat in front of I-305.



Looks like the picture of the restraints I posted on page 1

5/18/2010 12:03:26 AM

Went to Kings Dominion last weekend. KD is quite weak in terms of design and atmosphere, but the crowds were sparse, so there basically no lines all day. I-350 was a blast. Its definitely in contention for my favorite roller coaster ever.

5/18/2010 12:40:09 AM

According to their FB page, Kennywood just topped off Sky Rocket earlier today. I can't wait to get up there in August. This ride looks like it's going to exceed the expectations I had when they first announced it. Capacity is still going to be shit, but that just means more PR and Thunderbolt time for me



A couple of other recent pics:

5/18/2010 2:50:25 PM

Vulcan, have you ever been to Six Flags Over Texas? I'm about a block away for the next two months, so I figure I'll end up checking it out at some point. Any coasters worth talking about there?

5/23/2010 3:37:31 PM

I've never been there, but Shockwave, Titan, and Mr. Freeze are supposed to be pretty good rides. Unfortunately Texas Giant is closed for the whole year while they completely rebuild the track. Over Texas is one of the better Six Flags parks from what I'm told.

I'm working at Cedar Point this summer. Been here for 3 weeks; it's pretty crazy. I know I'm going to be sick of this place by the time I leave though.

On another note, Intimidator 305 now has a trim all the way down the first drop and the ride has been completely ruined from all accounts. Glad I got up there before they neutered it.

[Edited on May 24, 2010 at 3:04 PM. Reason : .]

5/24/2010 2:57:52 PM

Well that didn't take long...


Trim brakes already. Pfft. Sounds like the new test seat I posted was taken away as well.

5/24/2010 3:06:12 PM

^^ Good to hear, I'll probably check it out at some point within the next two weeks.

What's the point of trim brakes? Reducing stress/extending life of the coaster?

5/24/2010 7:57:38 PM

Yeah, basically. With I-305, it's two things. One, everyone is blacking out in the first turn, which is obviously not something you want. Two, they are changing the wheels every day sometimes multiple times because they are melting.

5/24/2010 9:39:29 PM

Melting wheels?!? Awesome!!!

Why did they not just slow down the lift and see if that worked first?

5/24/2010 11:10:33 PM

I always enjoy these threads

Question:

Has Carowinds and Kings Dominion stopped being ghetto as hell? Last time I went to either of those was in the early 90s and they were just downright gross and the people there were . That's a big part of the reason my family started going to Busch Gardens and we never bothered going back to the other parks.

5/24/2010 11:16:19 PM

I think Kings Dominion and Carowinds are fine parks. They have improved since the 90s IMO, but I never thought they were "ghetto" to begin with, so I dunno what you will think of them. They definitely are not on the same level as Busch Gardens when it comes to theming and beauty, but they have never intended to be.

5/25/2010 12:07:04 AM

This thread reminds me of

5/25/2010 12:39:51 AM

Haha I'll post in here because me and the lady friend went to KD this weekend and rode the I-305 and the first drop is crucial, but i def understand the first turn after the drop being a doozy. I def saw some stars for a split second the first time i rode it...as for the park being "ghetto" every time i go to any theme park i feel more and more like society as a whole is going to hell in a handbasket and that's all i will say on the subject.

5/25/2010 12:45:30 AM

I-305's top speed after the new brakes is 79.5 MPH, as opposed to the original 94. It just went from one of the fastest coasters in the world to well out of the top 10. Fail.

5/30/2010 7:32:47 PM

dale's rolling over

5/30/2010 7:38:40 PM