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After riding Twisted Cyclone, I’ve developed an appreciation for RMC’s that take more time to do less. Wildfire is another great example of this. I think Iron Gwazi looks to fall into that category of RMC, so I’m super excited for it. Twisted Colossus, Steel Vengeance, Storm Chaser, Untamed, etc, while all being crazy and impressive coasters, pack in one compact element after the other and the result feels like I’m constantly getting punch in the gut in the name of “airtime.” I know these coasters have their die-hard fans, but I’m personally glad Gwazi appears to deviate from that formula a bit. For the record, my favorite coasters are El Toro, SkyRush, and I305, so I clearly love being thrown around and into the sky. I just don’t think RMC has mastered the art of it...yet.

Sending lots of good vibes Josh's way. whatever is going on, I hope everyone comes thru it ok.

Don't know the details but hoping for the best from a quality contributor. Feel free to pass our wishes along to him.

Totally! Busch will rival any park in the country for the best quality coasters award!

Oh, I am so sorry to hear Josh is going through some struggles, had no idea. I will definitely keep him in my thoughts. He messaged me back at the start of the "delayed" season to kindly inquire about my son's ride placement for the year and how he was liking it; and to correct/confirm something I had posted, which I appreciated immensely.

Mack showing off their new spinning hardware on Bluefire. https://youtu.be/SBnlt0Nxr-Q

While not completely related to the operation of Canada's Wonderland, the park was used in a completely different way earlier this week to keep a tradition alive due to current COVID-19 restrictions in the Greater Toronto Area and the Province of Ontario. Since 1905, the Toronto Santa Claus Parade has drawn many spectators along the downtown streets in the city of Toronto. Due to current restrictions, they had to figure out a way to bring the parade to spectators in a safe manner. Instead of using the traditional street route, they headed north to the City of Vaughan and used Canada's Wonderland as their parade route! Below is a link to an article looking at how the Toronto Santa Claus Parade was able to produce a made for TV parade safely on the grounds of Canada's Wonderland. There are some photos of the park included in the article during the filming of the parade. This year's edition of the Toronto Santa Claus parade is to air on CTV channels on December 5th at 7pm EST. It is nice to see the park come alive even if it isn't open to park visitors or an event created/hosted by the park! Link to article: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2020/11/17/photos-santa-claus-is-coming-to-your-tv-screen-heres-a-sneak-peek-of-torontos-parade-this-year.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I like how they build a roller coaster in the same time it took them to built new lockers for Harry Potter.

I know what you mean about those crazy S&S Free Spin coasters. I though Arashi at Spaland was, indeed, fun--but one and done for me.

I was debating whether or not to say anything. Josh and I text on a regular basis. I've received updates from his parents lately. Josh used to be a big contributor here, including posting behind the scene reports. As a passionate employee of the park, he cut back on posting over the last few years, due to the negativity. He's a great guy. Please keep him in your thoughts and/or prayers.

I have mixed feelings about the prevalence of IPs at the parks now. The nostalgic side of me is a bit sad how the lines of distinction between each of the parks has been blurred and how we used to have e-tickets that became franchises and not the other way round. But the realistic side of me says money talks, get over it. Re: Epcot, I did love the idea that Imagineers couldn't include Disney characters hence we ended up with hidden Mickeys and Figment, but I always felt that the park was a good idea poorly executed and that places like Futurascope do the whole edu-tainment thing better. I don't know why, but everything there (buildings, attractions etc) seems to be so timeless and exciting, whereas at Epcot, they seem to be having this constant fight for relevance. Having said all that, I do have a huge soft spot for Epcot. Even though I think Diagon Alley is a more accurate representation of the UK than the World Showcase, I do love doing the wine walk and doing the food festivals there. And I have always loved the kitchness of it. It's quite cute really. Even though I would have been as happy (or even happier) for Guardians to be a coaster with space projections and a slight educational edge to it, the reality is that Guardians is a cash cow for which Disney paid a lot of money for, and they will milk it until its proverbial udders are on fire.

Best ride ever:

What do Navi River Journey and Flight of Passage have to do with animals? Should they replace them with a petting zoo or something? What do gas powered cars have to do with the future? What does a creepy haunted mansion have to do with a magical kingdom? Epcot purists are the most pretentious people in the theme park fandom and you can't convince me otherwise. I know a lot of people won't agree with me on this and that's okay but I don't like Epcot at all, at least not when you compare it to the other parks at WDW. I feel like as a passholder I would enjoy it because it's a great place to walk, there are great dining options and there are some okay rides in Future World that never have lines. Also, there ARE a couple of rides there that I really do like (like Frozen and Test Track) but as someone who needs to buy a ticket and can't park hop there is no effing way I would go there. It's Disney Springs plus 2 stand-out rides with a $130 cover charge except that I actually think Disney Springs is nicer looking (Future World is hideous). Epcot needs better rides desperately and I'm absolutely thrilled that this coaster is a thing (and Ratatouille which isn't mind-blowing but it's a lot of fun and will be one of the better rides at Epcot by default). The great news is that every complaint I just listed is something that Disney is currently working on. I could see me loving Epcot in 5-10 years. I know people like different things but I can't wrap my head around the fact that people are mad about this awesome ride with a great IP replacing a ride where Ellen and Bill Nye taught you about the future of energy (Which for a long time was sponsored by ExxonMobil because lol). Now THAT was education! Then again these are the same people who thought that Frozen Ever After didn't belong on Norway because rock trolls and a talking snowman weren't as educational as three-headed-trolls and a talking tree.

If it takes away from the experience and the surprise for you then why watch them?

I never really have an issue watching a POV, having an expectation and the ride meeting said expectation. As in, it is rare a ride is vastly different than I expect from watching the POV. For example, Steel Vengeance was actually a bit "worse" than I expected, while a ride like Silverstar was better than expected. Was it Drastic? Absolutely not. They met the expectation plus or minus some small fun points. Being on enough rides, you kind of just know what B&M's, GCI's, RMC's and so on will feel like. It's rare that a ride does something totally unexpected from what I think a specific element or transition will 'feel' like. This is also the reason it's very rare for me to be 'blown away' by rides anymore, because of the great POV's and animations taking away any unknowns like in the past before the YouTube era. An exception for me as of late was Taron at Phantasialand. I knew it would be an epic ride, but in person with the theming, amazing trains, etc... It just made that 'experience' better. These days, the things that will catch me off guard will be theming and small details that make up the experience, not so much the ride itself per say. If that makes sense.

Holy crap you nerds are a tough crowd. It looks like a coaster that will make me hoot and holler the entire time I'm on it while simultaneously trying to throw my fat ass as far from the train as possible. I'm so damn sold.

I also tend to agree with the sentiment that many RMCs feel similar. However, I have not ridden Steel Vengeance and, obviously, not Iron Gwazi - those could be different animals. But based on my experiences with the smaller-to-medium RMCs (Twisted Timbers, Twisted Cyclone, Wicked Cyclone, Joker, Twisted Colossus), they tend to feel quite similar in style. Based on POVs, I think I would prefer Iron Gwazi over Steel Vengeance. Despite it being shorter, it looks to have a less-repetitive layout. Back-to-back, repetitive ejector pops really don't do much for me. Instead this one just has wacky, awesome elements. That outer-bank over the station looks wild. And that diving roll.... dang. But like always, all judgement reserved until riding. I am still more drawn to VelociCoaster personally. But a Florida trip within the next few years is on my radar now more than ever.

I know the video was overlaid with typical cheesy coaster music, but the lift doesn't seem to be obnoxiously loud like other hybrid conversions. Steel Vengeance is full of a ton of rapid transitions and short bursts of ejector airtime. The whole ride feels like the back half of Storm Chaser to me, to an extent. Iron Gwazi looks like it doesn't have as many of those intense elements. I see a lot of somewhat typical overbanked turns. The shorter ride also makes it less of an endurance challenge. I have a feeling I'll like Iron Gwazi a lot more than Steel Vengeance.

Wait, there is actually going to be a safari-themed ride in Safari Village? Is that allowed?

Yes, Josh was a fantastic poster. Never met him, but was always looking at the park to see if I might catch him on my limited trips back to St. Louis. Definitely spreading the love and prayers from Baltimore area. Keep us posted on progress or areas we can help. The world needs more people like Josh!

Hey everyone, its been awhile since I've done much more than browse the board, but I wanted to ask everyone here for some deep hard prayers for Josh (HWFan)... Some of you may already know whats going on, but I'm not going to get in to specifics out of respect to Josh and his family, just asking for prayers. So big prayers to you Josh and your family