montezooma

Oops, sorry about that, I forgot to change it from private to public. It has been corrected now and available for your viewing pleasure. -Shane

Well I just rechecked it and it is still there. Give it another try.

Arrow Dynamics presents: "The Big Bad Wolf" As promised here is the second promotional video from Arrow, "The Big Bad Wolf". While this one is not as good as the (no narraration, no slo-mo porn money shots and no 70's style soundtrack) there are some pretty good shots of the ride in action. One thing to notice is how fast the train cruises thru the brakes and up the second lift.

^^ Great post "Drag on Kahn" But I am still loving Chanauka on Dalonega PS- Tattoo would not be tall enough to ride Tatsu

Well I am out of scary postcards so I have to get a little creative to continue posting... Here is the "Ghost of Shockwave"

In the model, beautiful btw, they have removed those ugly blue scream 1/2 tunnels and the Mickey behind the loop. Does that mean that they will actually be removed? Anyone?

I did tell you that. I knew that was the basic story, but since Scott had actually talked with Ron, I was hoping to get all the juicy details. How you doin' Moose???? What good times we had in Europe!!!

Best Entry Ever: "Chanukah on the Dahlonega" I actually did "Laugh out Loud" I also loved "Happy Trees" Zburns999 you are only 18 years old, how do you even know about bob Ross? Classic!!!!!

Where can I find that interview? I would love to know more about how Big Bad Wolf fell out of Schwarzkopf hands and into Arrows.

Why is it called "Zac" spin?

Touche

Yes Seawhippet...when is the new season going to start???? It's like waiting for the new season of Lost.

Arrow Dynamics presents... The Legend of the Loch Ness Monster Today in Shane's Retro VCR is an early video from Arrow Dynamics. Probablly the 2nd best know coaster of the early steel coaster revolution was the Loch Ness Monster.(the first, of course, was the Revolution) Arrow Dynamics first venture into the custom coaster arena wa a huge hit and to this day is still one of their best creations. That fact should probablly be credited to Busch Gardens for keeping it running so well over the last thirty years. Here is a promotional video that Arrow used at IAAPA to sell custom coasters. The video was given personally to me by Ron Toomer. Each year as I attended the IAAPA convention as a child I would stop by the Arrow booth and watch their videos. As they were packing up their booth at the end of the show, I passed by and Ron pulled me aside. He noticed my facsination with the rides and he slipped me a copy of this video and also one for the Big Bad Wolf. He sometimes takes a beating in the coaster community for his "bent hanger" designs, but what a great guy his is! The Loch Ness Monster has my favorite inverted elements...the interlocking loops. It is too bad that this element is underutilized today. There is nothing more visual on a coaster than to see two trains pass through interlocking loops at the same time. Enjoy these great slow motion shots of the Loch Ness Monster and in a couple of days the Big Bad Wolf. -Shane

I rode that Gladiator's Gauntlet at Busch Gardens. It was in the Italian section. I loved that ride, I thought it was a cool fit and quite a spectacular ride to watch. It was really fun to see the other half of the platform split away from you then come rushing back at you. Not sure how long this ride was at the park or why it was removed. Anyone have the story?

^ that gets the prize for the best SCAREadise postcard!!!

OK...back on topic. I am running low on scary themes. I think the eyes on the logo are kind of spooky. I rode this ride opening season. OMFG was that drop incredible! Those of us that were lucky enough to experience it will never forget it. Those of you that missed it, sorry you missed out on one of the best roller coaster experiences!!!! The Rattler in it's true form. Fiesta Texas opening season

WOW, great eye. I went back and looked at the pictures of the Whirlwind model and figured out that they are from two different years. The first picture clearly shows a transfer track and two trains on the model. The second picture is from a later year and both the transfer track and the second train have been removed from the model. They must have planned on selling the ride with two trains and then decided it was more of a one train ride. The following year the transfer track has been removed and only one train, which is now red, is on the lift. Here you can see the transfer track and two green trains on the ride. One in the corkscrew and one in the station.

I rode the Red Devil back when it was a new addition to the park. It is one of the weirdest rides I have ever been on. The location, the manufacturer, the train, the loop and the layout...all very strange. I have a video of the ride that I will be posting to my thread soon.

Forgive me for straying from the "SCAREadise" theme, but how could I not post this GREAT post card. Hello, TPR screen name! Ladies & Gentleman I give you Montezooma's Revenge in it's original, beuatiful form!! At this time, I worked at Astroworld on Greezed Lightnin' and I meant to send this card to the crew, guess I never got around to it. No Jaguar, Sidewinder or Silver Bullet crowding it's space. Just PURE montezooma goodness!

^ Give that man a prize!!! Thanks for that info Mark. I always wondered who built the wheel at SFGADv. As a huge Schwarzkopf fan I am embarrassed I didn't know the answer.

I have a hard time navigating to the TPRTV page. Is there an easy way that I am not finding? And once I get there I try to download a video and it keeps telling me that I am using the wrong format. I have tried 3 different formats .mp4 .mov .mv4 Is there an easier way? Someone please help. Shane "I still use a rotary phone" Huish

Here is two more that I forgot. Vekoma also made (and still does) Giant Ferris Wheels.

1. I see all videos (3) 2. Mozilla Firefox 3. Stream perfectly! --Shane I can't wait to start using this feature!

That Demon postcard is from the California park. You can tell the difference in the rock work. You can see that the California Demon had black and more rounded, jagged rocks. The one in Chicago has rocks that are brown and they are more square shaped. The rocks around the 2nd loop in the California park were removed during the Paramount days. I was the creative director for the park back then and I fought to keep the rocks there but the maintenance director said that the rebar structure under the concrete was rusted and was in pretty bad shape. There were plans to rebuild the rocks but obviously the money went elsewhere.

VEKOMA Back in the 70's there were two major suppliers of steel coasters; Arrow Dynamics and Schwarzkopf/Intamin. Sometime in the 80's a new company, named Vekoma, came onto the scene. They had a license agreement with Arrow to design and build their rides in Europe. They used Arrow trains and designed and built a longer, transportable version of the Corkscrew. Then they started to do variations to come up with more compact designs. They were moderatly successful with several installations across Europe. Then they hit the Jackpot! Again nothing new or original but a variation on Arrow's & Schwarzkopf's shuttle loop design, they called it the "Boomerang" The Boomerang was an instant success and the rides started popping up all over the world. The first Boomerang to come to the States was the Sea Serpent at Mariner's Landing. The early rides are known for their roughness and somewhat boring layouts. I find it funny that of all the three major steel coaster companies Vekoma is the one that survived. This is a look back at the early years of Vekoma and the rides they produced. You will see fliers, stats and models of their portable Corkscrew coasters and the original flier for the Boomerang. There is some other good stuff thrown in there also. After looking at all this old stuff I am glad to see the direction Vekoma is going in now. I think they finally realized that their rides were rough and when compared to other rides (B&M, INTAMIN) the GP don't really like to re-ride the rough coasters. The following year it sported a different paint job. The original model on display at the IAAPA convention I believe they only sold two of these models, one is in Japan and the other is in Belgium (pictured) The Vekoma suspended coaster was no where as good as Arrow's version! the following year they had a couple up and running so they could use an actual photo of the ride The original flier for the Boomerang. Notice it was only a rendering the actual shots are from one of their corkscrew coasters Parachute tower model at the IAAPA trade show. The not as successful variation of the Boomerang was the Invertigo. They didn't sell as many but it is a much better ride. an old Vekoma newsletter