Gav

There is one way we can confirm that it wont be an Invert. A piece in the background curves inwards and as such wouldn't work on an inverted coaster. The track piece actually looks like one used on a loop:

I'd have my doubts for it going to Dreamworld. The park has a long term capital spending target of $6 Mil AUD per year (According to the MLT financial releases), so they have a bit less headroom compared to WVTP in that respect. Anyhow, their current strategy seems to be boosting per capita spending with all those upcharge things they are putting in at the moment. Plus anyhow, Dreamworld getting a B&M is one of those recurriing rumours that never go away. Superman cost $16 Mil AUD in 2005, though back then our exchange rate was much more favourable with the USD. Our most expensive ride cost $20 Mil. B&Ms certainly aren't out of the question...It's not so much what the park can afford, but rather what will bring a return on investment, so B&Ms or whatever aren't out of the question, so long as they could bring in the returns. But getting back to the topic, I can only really see this being a flyer, sitting or floorless coaster (Or Stand-up, but who builds them?). The track shaping, and a few of the specific segments, rule out any other style.

Just wondering though, have you ever attempted to write a letter to the park with the assistance of someone who is fluent in Japanese to see the sort of response you get?

Well, MDMC as you would be aware is nothing special, but Jet Rescue has turned out to be a real gem, and one you should definitely do next time you are on the GC. I'd say it would probably slip into #3 for my Australian coaster rankings (Behind Superman and SDSC)

3rd of January...Finally getting to ride Dueling Dragons. It was freezing cold, first run of the morning, with only 3 other people in the train. I was very happy I was able to finally ride it after years of wanting to visit.

Yeah, you are right...rccb said that Matterhorn Blitz is identical (after the elevator) to the larger KD, CW, Legoland etc ones. And of course on the other hand, Scooby Doo is just based on the smaller 'normal' design.

^They can't be the same layout though.....After the backwards drop the layout is virtually the same as a standard mack mouse. On the other hand Matterhorn Blitz is 100% custom, with an odd sort of triangular layout and more random turns (On the upper and lower part of the layout) : Credit goes to the Mack website, Coastergrotto, and europaparc.skyrock.com

Nah, not the same layout (Matterhorn blitz doesn't even have a backwards drop or turntable) the only common element is that weird tipping lift. Mack actually have an image of the layout of Scooby Doo on their website: http://www.mack-rides.com/lang-en/c121/default.html So basically the first half plays out as a ghost train with a few dips, then its the vertical lift, then you drop out backwards into a huge dark "warehouse' with tons of lasers and a rock version of the Scooby Doo theme blaring, and the rest of the layout is like a standard wild mouse. At the end however it has a little suprise.... If you weren't well ridden then it could potentially be your #1 (It was my #2, behind Superman Escape prior to my trip to the US) so now it is just my #2 Australian coaster. So I'd struggle to put it at #1 by any means, but it is definitley one of those 'surprise' coasters. Edit: I had a search through the ballots to see where people put it, one person had it at #2 out of about 300 coasters (George from bannister.org)....I think it is a case that not many people with large track records have been able to place it.

It opened today, and I got on the first public train out (Not really a special achievement anyway given probably only 16 people bothered to mill around the ride entrance anyway at opening) But yeah, the ride is a win. Obviously its no substitute for a large thrill ride, only clocking in at about 32 seconds in length, but it still is really quite good, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The quick pacing, sharp turns, sudden directional changes and low to the ground layout create this really cool ride that leaves you a little bit light headed at the end. I think the jet ski trains genuinely add to the experience in this case. You climb over, and your feet go into these rectangular slots, its a simple lap bar you pull down (no seatbelt) and it sits comfortably over your hips. But what makes it great is that your torso is virtually unrestrained, with only a small backrest, so when you go through the rapid fire transitions you can sway side to side and enjoy it without neck bashing. Its also really cool when you enter a turn...it didn't seem as heartlined as other Intamins, so its like you get flicked sideways, and it feels like your head is about to get conked into the rocks around the ride. As for the actual experience...there is a tiny queue area (This is an Australian park remember) and there is a video where Trevor Long (Director of Marine Sciences at SW) informs you that a sealion is trapped in a blowhole, and a storm is rolling in. A team of Jet skis has been assembled for your mission. So you load in, hear the gurgle of the jet ski starting up, then you launch towards rapidly into a highly banked 270* helix, (with your head nearly scraping the rocks and you go through), you then turn a bit, hop over the launch (not much air) dip and do an S bend and enter the cave, without stopping you surge forward even faster, catch a glimpse of the trapped sealion, and then burst out of the cave through a cloud of mist, is then a tight u turn, double s bend, another tight u turn, another double s bend (the whole time you are being flung from side to side, very close to the rocks), you then breeze past the sealion, who is on a rock by the track happily nodding. Its a quick 90 turn, then a u turn into a part brake run that trims some of the speed, before the last turn and the main brake. What is funny with this is that the ride broke down for a little while, and the last two cars are on an angle because the whole train doesn't fit in the brakes. The ride has separate load and unload, and the second train was moving to the load just as the first train enters the cave. The queue moved very quickly, and in fact the longest wait later in the day was to get a locker (The ride has a strict no loose items policy) The person I was with described the situation as a cluster..... Only 38 lockers available, with one control station, epic fail. But overall, the ride is quite good, and does what it aims to do very well. The theming around the ride is nice...the only improvement I want to see is more landscaping around the entrance as the area is very bland. Some crap videos but they show what it does(I didn't realise the camera was on lower res) http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TkWHhZ4W9YY http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=gC1OF5qPs2E The back half of the ride is virtually impossible to see. If you are after photos, I have whole bunch at http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Rescue/page14.html And http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Rescue/page15.html

I know what you mean, but its not a real issue on Flyers because the rows don't hang so far down as the inverteds, so there isn't that issue of them getting too close together. Anyway, the entry to a pretzel loop is, in effect, the same as the entry to a straight drop, so there is no reason a straight drop couldn't be done.....using a bit of imagination you can see how this is the case:

^^Whoever sent that first email to you evidently didn't like a zip.

Is there a joke I'm missing with the 'signs of the economy" moonta one?

An observation I have made is that often people start their threads with something like "I did a search and nothing came up", which to me suggests people are quite fearful of the consequences of accidentally starting a duplicate thread, and to be honest it doesn't create a nice tone if people are apologising in advance. Re the multiple threads thing, if its a piece of news, new ride etc then there is obviously sense in having one thread on the topic, because you can step through and use it as a reference. As for polls, I don't think it matters as much, if there is a poll that hasn't been active for a year or two it is kind of awkward posting in it. But I mean, you guys are pretty on the ball when it comes to locking stuff, and it is a bit of a LOL when you see the same piece of news get posted by someone directly below an already active thread on the topic. I just think you need to keep a very neutral tone, avoid 'yelling' at them. I think also that moving posts is a better solution in many cases. I think one thread locking I was dissapointed with though was the 2008 US election result one being locked straight away. I understand they have the potential for arguments, but serious/defining topics are a nice break from the usual "What is your favourite pizza" type threads. I'm willing to accept the debate and disagreement that occurs in them. You can always just not post, and I don't feel I really need to be 'protected' from these types of topics by a mod.

I'll be sorely disappointed if there isn't a nail gun 3D effect

^ Re Elissas initial point, I would actually say that more people are better for the results because a larger sample size is more accurate, and it better reflects the thoughts of 'typical' enthusiasts who haven't necessarily ridden large numbers of coasters all over the world. Just my little idea, but I think a good method is to use the CF helper to get everything in a rough order, but at the final step save the txt file when given the option instead of just emailing it off, and then in the txt go through and fine tune the numbers (for example if you want to have multiple coasters with even rankings) That way you spend less time on the tedious steps like going through and typing y's an n's, and more time on the rankings themselves. Then once everything is done, email it yourself.

I was down at the park yesterday and was able to get another update. The trains are being put on the track now, and there is a fair bit of landscaping happening around the ride: http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Rescue/page12.html http://www.parkz.com.au/photos/AU/Gold_Coast/Sea_World/433-Jet_Rescue/page11.html

Haha, obviously have never encountered a Vekoma SLC before. Those rides are infamous for their headbanging. It basically comes down to the train design, so MW would have to look at doing that if they wanted to make it comfortable. I'm surprised about the day you had too, normally I have found MW to have better staff. Shame Scooby Doo was shut too because that is a really good ride you missed out on. What sort of incidents were happening with the Food & Bev staff, and the ride operators, other than the LW ones yelling?

^Relax, the whole spider and creepy animal thing is just a bit of a misconception, somewhat perpetuated by Aussies who get a laugh out of scaring people. A lot of these creatures only live in wilderness and bushland areas, you and wont likely encounter them in towns and cities.

I don't think you guys are understanding. It's not a flying spinning coaster. It is just a mechanically simplified method for loading flying coasters. Normally with flying coasters the seats swing back and get locked in place (or in the case of a Vekoma, they recline back) The disadvantage of this arrangement is that you need heavy duty (expensive) hydraulics swinging the seats back into the flying position. What this patent does is just has the groups of seats on a rotating ring (A bit like what is used on a spinning coaster) so that way, you can do away with the troublesome hydraulics, and just have a simple electric motor. The track in the station isn't inverted like on a normal B&M flyer, but is actually sideways. So when a train full of riders comes back to the station they would all be lying on their sides, but to unload the group of seats rotate 90 degrees, which would turn the riders 'straight' again. You would then disembark by walking away from the track. In this arrangement the station would only be one sided. When the train is ready to be dispatched the seats would spin 90 degrees, get locked in that position, and away you go. The only place the seats will spin is in the station.

I have seen this patent before, its not a spinning or 4d flying coaster or anything cool like that unfortunately. Its just a 'normal' flying coaster. Essentially it is just an alternative method for loading flying coasters, instead of those lifting bars in the station the cars just rotate 90 degrees on a sideways section of track. If you translate the description the key points are: But most importantly: So the advantages are: Seems like a nice idea, It could help reduce the costs of flying coasters, since the mechanical requirements are simplified, plus it helps speed up loading. I'll be interested to see whether they actually adopt this system, or are just holding onto the patent to stop another manufacturer attempting this style of system.

^How many replies will this thread get with people thinking this is being built at the Coney Island in New York? As for the slides, well they seem pretty standard fare to me...Probably really only of interest to locals.

I'd definitley say that the Singaporean park will have space issues, it is part of a larger development, and will have stuff built around it, and it is in it for the long term, so it would pay for them not to waste space they don't need to. The most logical way to do things would be to design a ride capable of fitting into USH, and then just port the ride straight across to USS. A good comparison would be with Jurassic Park. the original at USH was clearly designed with a layout that would fit in with the hillside site it is built on. But subsequent clones have just been the same layout, even though the are just on flat sites without the same limitations. I don't think there is a reason to be too cynical about this one, mainly because there are major differences between a themed coaster, and a highly story driven Spiderman type ride. With the two ROTM coasters it is mainly styrofoam theming, a large section in a big black room, and a handful of other nifty effects. It probably wouldn't be too difficult to make changes between the two rides as the theming is a bit 'mish mash'. On the other hand Spiderman has a clear plot, so if you go cutting scenes and scaling it back the attraction the ride wouldn't make sense. More to the point, the 3D screens are a major aspect, and I'm sure most of you are aware of the way each scene is animated acording the the path the vehicles follow and the focal point of the viewers. If you go changing the layout then you would end up having to re animate everything...costs go up, and you negate any benefits of building a clone in the first place. Yeah, its just some art to show the idea of the ride. The vehicles don't have the side walls that make you look forwards either.

Usually most parks have a 'how to get here page' and Thorpe is no exception: http://www.thorpepark.com/getting-here.php There are links on that page to various rail operators that serve stations near the park.

For me the way it had massive spans of unsupported track was pretty cool....Had the ride not suffered it's technical problems the potential could have been there for it to be installed in parks with difficult terrain, or in environments normally reserved for things like skyrides/gondolas (Imagine one of these rides going over a deep gorge for instance) Of course, it would never be a particularly intense sort of ride, but swooping through the air at speed would be a pleasant experience. That said, I'm not too bummed I missed out on this since it was never on my must do list, I feel sorry for the park though given they had the guts to try something new, but have had nothing problems as a result.

TPP have done another update on it, with some great aerial shots: http://themeparkphotography.com/TPP_Js101008.html The majority of the layout appears to be done, though I can't help but think the first section will be really short.