Coaster Enthusiasts!

[Joel]

Its now called Flight Deck. Also, the Vortex? C'mon, I know its cool because it goes up in the mountain of Wonderland but how about the Great Canadian Mine Buster or the BEHEMOTH?

I haven't been there in I think 6 years. Like I said, I'm a pansy . And I bet Vortex was way cooler 6 years ago than it would be now. I'm trying to remember some of the other coasters there. OH RIGHT! Great Canadian Mine Buster, I remember that one, that's a great coaster!

 

[astrosdude91]

What do you guys think of this? Flippin SCARY!!

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

What do you guys think of this? Flippin SCARY!!

That coaster was my link.

 

[Blitz187]

Real coaster addiction started in high school on a trip to Busch Gardens in Tampa. Last time I was there, though, Kumba was brand new. They've since built Gwazi, Montu, and Sheikra. Scorpion is a great ride, especially for such a small coaster. Don't walk by it and think, "Nah, never mind." That endless spiral at the end is worth getting back in line a few times. There was also one called Python that no longer exists, first coaster I rode that the first drop wasn't straight ahead, and while it didn't loop, it did have a corkscrew section that went over three times, I think.

Cool!! I grew up in St. Pete and went to Busch Gardens regularly and right before I moved back to Holland at age 16 The Kumba was new Thats about 13 years ago... I havent been back in recent years so the new ones you named are unknown to me. The Python however I did ride a lot and you are correct... it had a corkcrew in it... pity to hear its gone now though... What kind of coasters are the new ones??? Also inverted? or what kind of gimmicks do they use?

 

[astrosdude91]

That coaster was my link.

I know. I put that video up, because it shows a guy leaning over the edge. I thought it was pretty crazy.

 

[wfooshee]

What kind of coasters are the new ones??? Also inverted? or what kind of gimmicks do they use?

Gwazi is a dueling coaster, large wooden structure, like Dueling Dragons at Universal. Twin trains, they pass each other 6 times during the ride.

Sheikra has a vertical first drop and finishes in a pool with a water brake. You don't get wet, but it throws water up behind the train.

Montu is an inverted coaster, fastest inverted in the world when it opened (60 mph.)

 

[CAMikaze]

La Vibora:
This rollercoaster is unique in the fact that it has no actual track. It's just a slide basically.

I never went to Six Flags Great Adventure, but I remember they at one time had a coaster similar to that and was called the Sarajevo Bobsled Run. I dunno if the setup of that ride came close to replicating the real-life bobsled run that inspired the name, but I bet it was a blast to ride.

What do you guys think of this? Flippin SCARY!!

I hope the guy taking the pics had a safety harness on...

I wonder when we'll be seeing videos of people riding Alton Towers new coaster Th13teen from the riders POV.

 

[Blitz187]

Gwazi is a dueling coaster, large wooden structure, like Dueling Dragons at Universal. Twin trains, they pass each other 6 times during the ride.

Sheikra has a vertical first drop and finishes in a pool with a water brake. You don't get wet, but it throws water up behind the train.

Montu is an inverted coaster, fastest inverted in the world when it opened (60 mph.)

Ah yes... It was Montu that was new before I left the states... The Kumba had been around for a while already... So only the Sheikra and Gwazi are new to me.... 👍 If I do head out to Tampa again I'm definitely going to visit good ole Busch Gardens and Adventure Island..

 

[FoolKiller]

Well news broke today that the State Fair Board is prepared to accept bids for a new park operator for Kentucky Kingdom, and while the litigation with Six Flags is still going on they hope having a new operator in place will move things along more smoothly.

At a minimum they say the park will not open until next year, and even that has some questions due to the amount of clean up necessary at this point.

So, maybe I will have a new coaster to ride next year. Personally, I am hoping that Cedar Fair will jump in.

 

[lbsf1]

What do you guys think of this? Flippin SCARY!!

That looks abit like stealth at thorpe park except in a different colour.

Has any noticed on a coaster like that when it brakes suddenly the lap bar tightens and it crushes your balls and legs or is it just my imagination.

 

[astrosdude91]

Well news broke today that the State Fair Board is prepared to accept bids for a new park operator for Kentucky Kingdom, and while the litigation with Six Flags is still going on they hope having a new operator in place will move things along more smoothly.

At a minimum they say the park will not open until next year, and even that has some questions due to the amount of clean up necessary at this point.

So, maybe I will have a new coaster to ride next year. Personally, I am hoping that Cedar Fair will jump in.

That's good news for you, FK. Kentucky Kingdom is pretty close to you, just down I-64. Cedar Fair would be a good choice, they really know how to run a theme park. PARC is a possible candidate too. In the last few years, they've bought alot of former Six Flags properties, including Elitch Gardens in Denver; Darien Lake in New York; and a bunch of waterparks including Splashtown right here in Houston. Too bad nobody bought Astroworld, I could be riding Texas Cyclone right now!

 

[astrosdude91]

More Rollercoaster goodies! Tonight, I'll focus on Knotts Berry Farm, near LA.

GhostRider:

Silver Bullet:

Xcelerator

 

[astrosdude91]

It's been a few days, so I'll bring this thread back. Today I'll focus on Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey.

Bizzaro:
This was Medusa, but last year the ride was repainted, rethemed, and renamed after the Superman villian Bizzaro.

El Toro:

Kingda Ka:
This is the World's tallest rollercoaster. It was also the world's fastest when it opened.

Nitro:

Superman Ultimate Flight:

 

[Blitz187]

I just read somewhere that the Ferrari Theme Park in Dubai Abu Dhabi is going to have the fastest coaster in the world.... 0-96khp in 2.0 seconds... Let me go look for a clip or link!!

-edit: Found it!!




-edit 2: After some more research I dont think this will be the fastest coaster nor the highest or anything like that.... Kingda Ka is higher and the Ring Racer at the Nurburgring is WAY faster it seems... 0-217kph in 2.5 seconds... WWWHUUUU!??!? Link: http://www.rcdb.com/m/nl/4161.htm

 

[astrosdude91]

So, I'm going to Colorado this summer, and there is an Amusement park on the westside of Denver, called Lakeside Amusement Park. They have a wooden roller coaster called "Cyclone." It's been in operation since 1940. I hope to ride it this summer.

 

[Joel]

My parents just told me they're taking me out of school for a couple days in June and we're going to go to Cedar Point! I'm beyond excited, but I'm worried I'll pansy out at TTD... :/


Still pumped

 

[FoolKiller]

My parents just told me they're taking me out of school for a couple days in June and we're going to go to Cedar Point! I'm beyond excited, but I'm worried I'll pansy out at TTD... :/

There is nothing to worry about on that one. In all honesty, there is more anxiety going into Millenium Force and Magnum XL200 because they have the huge lift hill. With TTD, by the time you start to question it you are already doing 100+ mph. That is assuming of course that the launch goes without a hitch.

The secret to knowing when it will launch (spoilered if you don't want to know):

Spoiler

When the train rolls forward to the light tree it will then roll back to lock into the launching mechanism. When you stop rolling backward and hear the clank (you might not depending on noise levels) you have four seconds until launch. I've ridden it enough to count it.

One pointer I like to give, when the light tree starts changing you have about a second to suck in a breath. If it launches while you have exhaled you might feel like you are struggling to breathe.




On my local front:

Kentucky Kingdom has a new owner/operator lined up. Well, not quite new. Ed Hart, the man that owned the park before Six Flags bought it, is back. He pulled it out of bankruptcy before and had it bringing in over a million customers every summer. Unfortunately, I think he is planning to focus on a larger water park. But the plan is to have it open next year. 👍

 

[Joel]

Trip to Cedar Point has exceeded all expectations! Such a great time! We went for a two day trip at the park, and hit all the big rides. On Friday, we started with Maverick, moved on to Mean Streak, Gemini, and then my younger brother pressured me to face my fears of big Roller Coasters and go on Magnum XL-200. Before I got on the ride, I was terrified, I mean beyond scared. After the ride though, the first thing I did was go right back on again! All it took was to get my brother to pressure me into going on the Magnum once, and then all the anxiety was gone. After Magnum, we went to the stand up Mantis, which was fun, and then on to Millenium Force!


Millenium Force is an absolute rush, unbelievable ride. The first drop is just incredible, and after you get off the ride, you have trouble walking a straight line! After Millenium Force, it was on to Top Thrill Dragster. TTD was an incredible rush. Just insane, one second you're on the ground, one later you're doing 100 MPH, one second later you're 420 feet in the air. Incredible rush.


After TTD, there was no line at Magnum XL-200, so my brother and I went on 5 times more. Today, we went for a few hours, got on Raptor, Blue Streak, and Millenium Force, and then went back to the hotel for a rest. As soon as my dad wakes up from his nap, we're going to head back and stay until the park closes.


Final ride count for the "big coasters" (TTD, M XL 200, Millenium Force) stands at....

Magnum XL-200 - 7
Millenium Force - 3
Top Thrill Dragster - 1


Pretty good, considering before the trip I wasn't even sure I'd get on Magnum XL-200, let alone Millenium Force.


EDIT: after going back to the park, we got on Raptor, and Millenium Force, and my Dad and I were one train away from getting on Magnum XL-200 when it started raining hard and they shut all the rides down.

 

[FoolKiller]

Sounds like you had a most excellent trip. I love Cedar Point.

When I go I try to go in May, before the local public schools close so that there is almost no one there, and then I still do a two-day ticket. We usually get in at least 10 rides on Magnum.

 

[Joel]

It was an amzing trip, first time I ever got the balls to go on a "big coaster", and I had a blast. Friday wasn't too busy, but there were lots of elementary school trips that day. Still, I got on Magnum 7 times that day. On Saturday, it was much more crowded during the day, but a mid afternoon shower brought crowds down. Millenium Force was a 15 minute wait that night, and Magnum was practically a walk on, but unfortunately just as our train pulled into the station, they shut down Magnum and pretty much everything else because of the rain + thunderstorms. All in all, amazingly fun trip. I imagine it would be more fun with a group of friends who would be more "go,go,go" than my family, but I'm not complaining. Sure beats two days wasted on pointless exam review at school!

 

[astrosdude91]

Well I've got the coaster kick once again. So I'm bringing this thread back to discuss roller coasters. Anyone else like em?

I went to Six Flags Over Texas on sunday. Absolute joy. The overcast kept the crowds down. And even though it rained the latter part of the day, we still got plenty of coaster action in. Highlights include riding the New Texas Giant. And Titan seven times in a row.