Tanks4me05

Only six more months... *squeals and claps hands giddy pleasure.*

When I was six, I joined this online K'nex club. I liked tanks back then (I still do; but I have taken more of a liking to the A-10 Thunderbolt recently) so I thought of my name Tanks4me. (Tanks for me; I wished to acquire tanks.) I kept the name for everything else I joined. When I joined thrillnetwork in 2005, I added the 05 to my name to denote the year. I kept that version when I came over to TPR. I was considering changing my username to JBoss (an acronym of my real name, Jeremy Bossert, and my famous nickname in high school) but I didn't feel like going through changing it.

^Coney Island is about $165 all according to Elissa for the New Hotness; she estimates $80 for the day and $85 for the extra hotel night. Dorney is $215 because it's the cost for the whole trip, not just the tickets. The same goes for all the other trip options. I'm hyper meticulous with this stuff. Also, Coney Island and Dorney Park are actually two completely separate trips. I'd do DP at the end of June to hold myself over until August when New Hotness starts, and then NYC is the add on on 7/30 and 7/31. If you want details as to why I'm spending so much money for Dorney: 6/21/12 -Leave for Len’s (Kutztown, PA) by 10:00 AM -Arrive at Len’s by 2:30 PM Distance from home to to Len’s: Approx. 229.9 miles Gas money at $4.50/Gallon: Approx. $52.85 (the car I'll use, a 2005 Toyota Sienna, gets 19.5 mpg) -Go shooting with Len at about 4:00-ish 6/22/12 -Leave for Dorney Park (3830 Dorney Park Road, Allentown PA) by 9:30 AM -Arrive at Dorney Park by 10:00 AM Distance from Len’s to Dorney Park: Approx. 14 miles Parking: $10 Entrance Ticket: Approx. $42.39 with tax Food: $50 -Leave for Len’s by 10:00 PM -Arrive at Len’s by 10:30 PM Distance from Dorney Park to Len’s: Approx. 13.7 miles Gas money at $4.50/Gallon: Approx. $6.40 6/23/12 -Leave for home whenever -Arrive at home whenever -Distance from Len’s to home: Approx. 231.8 miles Gas money at $4.50/Gallon: $53.50 Total Money: $215.14

Alright, seeing as I'd be going nearly the whole summer before I ended up doing anything coaster related, I know I'd be getting crazy coaster withdrawals because I'd be waiting 2.5 months between the time I get out of college for the summer and New Hotness, and that would be a total of just under a full year without coasters because the last park I went to was Dorney Park in early August of 2011. It's only been four or five months and I'm getting cabin fever already. I have about $1100, so I can technically go for the most expensive option, but I'm hesitant because I want to save up for future trips, and $500+ takes a big chunk out of my remaining cash I have (New Hotness is officially fully paid for, so I don't have to worry about that.) I *RARELY* buy anything, and I am still under my parents' legal care, so I can technically blow my money completely if I want because there is nothing else I have to spend money on (undergrad degree is completely paid for by my parents; I am quite thankful for that) but it's still a huge chunk of change. It will be money very well spent (IMO) but it's still a huge chunk of change. Here are my ideas: 1: NYC Add-on: Pros: -By far the cheapest of my options, estimated at about $165 as per Elissa's best guesses at this point. -It will make the New Hotness trip a full two weeks for me. -Being a Mechanical Engineering student, I like watching and riding crazy flat rides, and the Zamperla Air Race looks epic. -I haven't been on the Wonder Wheel yet. -The pizza tour. I... love... pizza. -More time with enthusiasts like me from at least seven different countries; interacting with people from other cultures is always a fun experience for me. Cons: -It will make the New Hotness trip a full two weeks for me. I have never done a trip even half this length before. I'm not sure if I would have the stamina. I could very well be able to, but I won't know for sure. -No world class coasters are there. Yeah Cyclone is a classic, and the portable Zamperla models are fun (I've been on clones) but they aren't top ten material, as opposed to Talon which made my #4 steel. -I'd still be waiting the whole summer before I get to go on any coasters. 2: Dorney Park Pros: -I will do this trip at the end of June, so I will be able to have something to calm me down for a while. -I get to see my uncle, and he is awesome; he lives only 20 minutes away from the park. Now that I am in college, family all of a sudden became a lot more important to me. -I won't need a hotel so this option is $215, making it the second cheapest option. -My uncle has dogs that are awesome. -My uncle is also an awesome cook, so I'll have good food and I'll only have to pay for a meal or two for the whole trip, as I only live four hours away from him. -Stinger is new to me. I have never been on an Invertigo, but my experience with Boomerangs has always been positive, so I'm looking forward to it. -Talon. -Demon Drop is my second favorite style drop tower (though I consider it a credit personally) short of the ARM and Larson models. -There was a new laser maze that I wanted to try last year but decided not to for some reason. -I'd go shooting with my uncle at the nearby range to shoot these puppies, for he owns them and I like guns almost as much as coasters: Though I'm old enough to buy a rifle in New York State, my mom won't allow me to have guns in the house, so this will be one of my few opportunities to shoot until I get my own place. Cons; -I have gone to Dorney a LOT, and as much as I love the place, I was thinking of taking a break for three or four years. It's a big downside. -You know that funny, tickly, HOLY CRAP feeling you get in your stomach when you go down a major airtime filled coaster when you haven't in a while? There aren't really any coasters that deliver crazy airtime (Steel Force is definitely fun, but the airtime is similar to a B&M) at Dorney Park, so my body will get used to coasters and I won't get that oh so special feeling; it takes months for my body to "forget" what riding a coaster is like. 3: NYC add-on and DP: Pros: -I will be able to see my uncle, ride a top ten coaster (Talon) a great drop tower (Demon Drop) shoot some guns, pizza tour, Coney Island, and I won't have to wait the whole summer for coasters. Cons: It's pretty expensive at about $380. I can afford it, but it is taking a relatively large chunk out of my remaining money. 4: Waldameer and Kennywood: Pros: -Ravine Flyer II is my # 3 wooden coaster as of now. -XScream is an ARM/Larson drop tower. Need I say more? -I have never been to Kennywood before and I wanted to go there for years. -Phantom's Revenge -Sky Rocket -Thunderbolt -Jack Rabbit -Thanks to Ravine Flyer II, XScream and Phantom's Revenge, I will have PLENTY of airtime to get that awesome feeling (the only way I can describe it is like a full body orgasm. It goes away on coasters, but for some reason, it doesn't when I ride the ARM or Larson drop towers.) -This will mean I will get to ride two Larson drop towers this year (there's one at Lake Winnie.) Cons: -The second most expensive option at about $427. -The most amount of driving out of the options: I'd drive 4.5 hours in the morning of the first day to go to Waldameer, another 2 hours south to Pittsburgh for a hotel for two nights, half an hour to Kennywood from the hotel, and then six hours or so back home the third day. 5: MarineLand and Canada's Wonderland Pros: -The last time I went to MarineLand was in 1997. I was four. All I remember was the kiddie coaster, walking through the animal area, the ferris weel, and getting scared out of my mind on the Huss Condor. It's essentially a new park for me. -Say what you want about Dragon Mountain, I am intrigued by the ride. -Leviathan; a brand spankin' new giga, and B&M's first one at that. -Behemoth -Sky Rider: Yeah, I actually had a lot of fun on this. -Wild Beast: Yeah, I actually loved this ride too. -Minebuster: Seriously, these rides aren't as bad as people keep saying. -Shock Wave, a Top Scan, is probably one of the craziest flat rides I have ever been on. -Sledgehammer is a wondrous ride to look at. Not the most intense in the world, but if I had to choose what flat ride I could gaze at for a whole day, it would be Sledgehammer. Cons: -I already went to CW. -With New Hotness, I'm already going to KD and Carowinds. Since the three of them are former Paramount Parks, they have a LOT of the same coasters, so New Hotness won't be as unique (and I've already been to CW and KD before; they're good parks, but they are really similar.) -By far the most expensive option at about $547. -The second day will be a long day. I'd have to get up at 8:30, and to save money from an extra hotel night because I'd be doing the fast lane pass, (even with two hours of ERT at an ACE event four years ago, I was just barely able to get on all the rides that I wanted) I'd be ready and at the park by 10:00, and I'd leave by 10:00 PM and get back home by 2:30 AM the next day. I've been in college, and I regularly stay up until 3:00 or 4:00 AM anyway, so I'm used to that kind of schedule, but it is still pretty grueling.

Did anyone else notice the "LOL" where I placed the red arrows? That doesn't look like a 101 to me.

To be honest, this actually looks like a REALLY good idea for carnivals. It would have to be modified so that the negative G's when someone goes upside down on the drop would be legal, though.

... jumped off the nearby cliff into the sea, using the bat as a flotation device (it was a very low density wood) in order to escape the weirdness that was licking peanut butter off of Doc Brown's finger. However, there was no way to get back up for miles, so after a few hours of swimming, Robb found out...

Drop Tower: XScream at Waldameer (basically any ARM or Larson drop tower.) Non-Drop Towers: Mind Warp at Martin's Fantasy Island, Top Scan at Canada's Wonderland, Chaos at Cedar Point.

^^^IMO Boomerang doesn't really need the new trains. Of the six boomerangs I've been on, I loved them all. Mind Eraser, however, could definitely benefit.

^^Underwater tunnel wouldn't work, at least with lakes. Raising any of the lakes by 15 feet would flood a huge portion of the park. The only way that would be possible is if they did it Diving Coaster Vanish style (going under a pool) but that will be hard to pull off well. The giant pool would have to be extensively themed. Lake Erie Monster does seem interesting though. I like the idea. I always would love to see a dark blue track and black support color scheme on it.

^I think that some patriotic influence would be good here and there, but IMO a mix of Canadian woodland/wildlife and Americana would be interesting, tapping into the natural theme while keeping some consistency with Dollywood and SDC which both have mainly regional wildlife/woodland themes with slight patriotic undertones. IMO, renaming Predator to Grizzly or Ursus would be a fitting idea. Mind Eraser could be Peregrine (native bird), Boomerang could be Tomahawk (Native American weaponry,) Moto Coaster could be something along the lines of Watkins Glen Coaster or something (one of the largest raceways in the state, though it's about an hour and a half away from Darien Lake) and Viper could be renamed Copperhead (native snake in New York state.) For RoS, to be honest, a patriotic theme does seem to fit well. It already has red and blue in the color scheme. But alas, I can't think of a name for that.

^The issue is that they are almost landlocked. They just recently purchased six acres just west of Stinger, Thunderhawk and Steel Force, but that's not a lot of land for an expansion; Mean Streak takes up about six acres. So, if they got another wooden coaster, my guess is that it would be around the size of Boardwalk Bullet or Thunderbird at best, (though you can fit plenty in that amount of space) and they would only be able to put a few more rides in, probably half a dozen or less is my best guess. And they need a sit down restaurant on that side of the park; most of the food options are between Talon, Wild Mouse and Hydra (the eastern half of the park for those who never went there before) and there's only one or two fast food stations near the west end.

^The El Loco seems to be too big (I can't confirm that though; none of the parks that have El Locos have new enough imagery on Google Earth for me to measure them) and Darien Lake needs a family level coaster desperately. Moto Coaster is going to stay for a while, and frankly, I think it's a great coaster for a family ride, even if the restraints are somewhat uncomfortable.

^Well, there won't be a direct return in investment: https://www.plantatreeusa.com/individual/myweb.php?hls=97 I was just referring to the possibility, not necessarily the practicality, of such a concept.

^Repaint and rename it, plant a bunch of trees, and add theming. Though that means I better go next year and get my fair share of parking lot pics if they actually do it. There's plenty of gorgeous views I can get that I haven't bothered with in the past three years. I think this is a great start. Hopefully they will eventually add more to it so that there's more in the logo like Dollywood's butterfly and SDC's log and ax, once a theme is more established.

I know they are G force limits. I have been using the charts for months for my own NL creations. However, I just realized that there isn't a "drop down" from 2 to 1 G like there is from 4 - 3 G's after the 2 second mark.

^ http://www.hfecorp.com/properties/ Wild Adventures, SDC, and DW fall under "theme parks" while DL and Elitch now fall under "managed parks." Those are the only amusement parks that HFE owns. DL and EG were just acquired a few months ago, so I wouldn't say anything definitively in regards to whether or not it will be themed. I'm staying optimistic and believe that DL is labeled a managed park because it doesn't have a theme yet, so it still doesn't fall under the definition of a theme park. What exactly did they do to Wild Adventures? (I never went there.)

http://nolimits-exchange.com/upload/news/35/definitiveggraphpositiv.jpg I'm trying to interpret the Vertical G's chart at the bottom. Does it mean that after 40 seconds, nothing above 2G's is permitted, thus meaning that anything from 1 - 1.9 G's is indefinite? Or does this mean that anything above 1 G is not permitted after 40 seconds?

^I disagree. HFE is making a new logo to try and fit with SDC and DW, but since DL doesn't really have an established theme throughout the park yet, they have to make it more generic for the time being, yet still have to make it a product more consistent with the chain's two best parks. My guess is that they'll change the logo again in a few years once the theme is more prevalent, word on amusementgraffixintl.com (mainly due to those three rumored rides) is that they're going for a Canadian deep woods theme, which isn't too far detached from what DW and SDC are, but still applicable to this region.

Storm Runner all the way. And not just for accelerators: Storm Runner has been my favorite steel coaster since I first went on it in 2005. The great thing about it is that it has a little bit of everything. The launch is insane (although not to the duration of TTD or KK, it's at the same intensity) the G's throughout the Cobra Loop and the top hat are intense, the airtime on top of the top hat and at the beginning of the flying snake dive is hard core ejector, rapid transitions at the end, and the flying snake dive itself is a brand new element that still hasn't been used on another coaster. Yeah, it's short, but it's just long enough so that you feel you have had a decent experience, but still short that you keep wanting more and more, so one ride just won't cut it.

1: Inefficient ride ops. My criteria for ride ops is as follows: < 1 minute: Fantastic. 1 - 2.5 minutes: Acceptable. 2.5 - 3.5 minutes: Slow. > 3.5 minutes: unacceptable. 2: One train on crowded days. Combined with # 1, when I went to SFNE in 2007, S:ROS (it wasn't Bizarro yet) could have had a 45 minute or so wait if they had all trains running and a 90 second dispatch. But it was one train with 5 minute dispatches, so it turned into a 2.5 hour wait. 3: Girls that scream incessantly on a ride, especially tunnels. I get it if you're scared, but you can tell when they are legitimately panicking, and when they are being obnoxious, particularly when on Viper at Darien Lake, it's relatively quiet for most of the ride, but then they scream their heads off in the tunnel during the helix... every... single... time. 4: Line jumpers. Generally, I don't want to start a fight, so I just let them go, but I think I should try to be a bit more assertive. 5: Walls of gum, particularly at the foot of Predator's stairs. I mean, it's better than choking to death on the ride, but still. There are trash bins around you know. Kennywood's idea of making it a game to get your gum onto a bullseye is absolutely ingenious, however. 6: Parents who think that bringing their three year old that is six inches too short to ride is a good idea. (TGE, Canyon Blaster.) 7: Spitting. If you honestly have a loogie you have to bring up, just swallow it. It already came up from there, it can go back down. But those who spit for the heck of it, dude, that's just gross. 8: Mounds of trash. However, I will make exceptions for those whose plates of food have been overtaken by bees. That's happened to me several times and I just get out of their way. (I'm not allergic, nor do I have a true fear of them, but they still make me a bit nervous.) 9: Fluffy fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo. Especially the amount of money I have to fork up for it. Yes, I get that it speeds up the line, but that not only robs me of $10 - $15+ I needn't have spent throughout the rest of the day, but then I can't take any pictures in the queue line, which is maddening, because there are many points in queue lines that have absolutely GORGEOUS photo ops. 10: People that took my seat when I put my stuff in the bin. This happened to me two or three times. 11: Not being allowed to remain on the exit ramp so I can take my pictures of the ride, (on coasters with bins.) I honestly don't see what the issue is, because I'm not barging back into the station, and I move aside when other people move past me. I would very much appreciate it if some ride op members could enlighten me as to why some parks do this.

Oh yeah, I had crocodile at Knoebels. That was actually really good. It tastes like a mix between scallops and chicken.

I'd probably have to say that the weirdest thing I ingested was Bubble Tea. That stuff is weird. The drink itself was okay, but those little gooey balls at the bottom are just... odd.

^Were there any A-10's? Those are my favorite planes by far.

The upload quality actually turned out a lot better than I expected. I am also adding it to my .nltrack upload post in this thread. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94GbkUuFrR8