Tanks4me05

^^ Interesting layout, but IMO what I don't like about mostly everyone that upload designs is that they think "just like the designers." They don't think out of the box. They don't let their true creativity show. Anyway, I'm not sure what you are trying to say, but I think what you are trying to say is that the train doesn't stop in the station on the second time around. If that is the problem, make the final brake run and the station brakes stronger. (I would say 2 - 3 G's, if you really need to, make them 4 G deceleration - the strongest deceleration NL allows.)

Hersheypark PTR! PARK REPORT: I took a four hour drive with my mom, dad, and sister to my Uncle’s house, who lives an hour and a half from HP. (My mom, dad, and sister were visiting colleges, so my uncle brought me along to HP with one of his friend’s kids.) We got in the park quite soon after it opened for the day, and it seemed that it had rained earlier that morning, before the park opened. Luckily, everything was running eventually. (I never had to wait – LR and Wildcat were open by the time I got to that end of the park.) We were greeted by the amazing smell of chocolate and the screams of riders and an abundance of trees. The architecture in Tudor Square – the shopping area at the front of the park is of Pennsylvania Dutch architecture, very nice around that area. First was Comet, as that tends to get a crowd later in the day. Comet: 7.7/10 It’s a nice, fun ride. Slightly rough, and although the airtime doesn’t get much more than floater for the most part, it’s pretty well paced, and the first drop is probably the best of any wooden coaster I have been on. Not bad for a 60 (now 61) year old wooden coaster. I think Schmeck is my favorite “classic” designer. The line wasn’t that bad, only around 15 – 20 minutes at most, and I had a great view of probably one of the most underrated B&M’s out there – Great Bear. Once that ride had completed, I had traveled over to Sooperdooperlooper. Sooperdooperlooper: 7.5/10 Yeah, it is a family looper, but still, never underestimate any Schwarzkopf. The loop is still quite intense. The line was about ten minutes as always, and right before I went on, they added a second train, which took an additional fifteen minutes. But, I still got the front seat. It’s probably the only coaster I know of other than Bear Trax at Seabreeze in which the chain lift starts in the station. A classic lap bar only Schwarzkopf looper is always fun. There is a nice mid course tunnel, and for some reason, right after the MCBR, the dip reminds me of Cyclone at Toshimaen, although I have never been out of the GMT – 5 time zone in my life. Yet. (I’m planning to pretty much go to almost every single non kiddie park on the planet – obviously this goal will take a couple of decades.) Anyway, yeah it was fun. So, next was some B&M awesomeness. Great Bear: 8.5/10 Yeah, the ending is slow, but the rest of the ride is great, and it would have been VERY difficult to put in some more track at the end without modifying or destroying any rides, which HP never plans on doing. (Heck, Storm Runner was advertised during the press release that it intersected three different rides.) Even though I chose the fourth row, it was still very forceful. The helix was great, probably the most unique drop on any coaster I have been on. The inversions were forceful, and the cool thing about the flat spin is that there is almost a section of trick track – but it’s done subtly so it’s not easy to spot. You feel that you are banking to the left, but in reality, that corkscrew is a right hand turn, which I find very disorienting and very fun. Flying Falcon was next and the first flat ride of the day. Flying Falcon: 8.3/10 Probably one of the best Huss Condors I have been on, it is also the only ride that I actually get scared when I go on it. I mean, come on! You are swinging almost horizontally in a scrambler like motion, and all that is keeping you from falling 80 – 100 feet to your death is a couple metal hinges and bolts. Not only do you spin forwards, but backwards as well. Dang, this ride is awesome. All around this area is very nicely shaded and the whole place has a great atmosphere. This is easily one of my favorite parks, right up there with Cedar Point, IOA and believe it or not, the diminutive, very little known, Sylvan Beach. So, I got hungry, and I decided to eat at the Gourmet Grille, where I had a nice ham and cheese Panini, with some Barbeque Chips. It was good, a little expensive, at about $7, but it was pretty good, and still a bit bigger than DL’s Cheeseburger combo I had that cost almost twice as much. After the food, we headed over to the best ride in the park – Storm Runner. Storm Runner: 10/10 I have only two words that can suffice to easily and accurately summarize this amusement ride: Holy crap. As my number 1 steel coaster tied with S:ROS @ SFNE, (it has been number one since my first ride in 2005.) The line was okay at about twenty – five minutes, and I waited for the back seat. The kid that my uncle and I brought along started feeling sick to his stomach, so he skipped Storm Runner. In the back, the launch was unbelievable! The Gs on the top hat were insane, the airtime on the top hat was fun (although a little slow) the G’s on the Cobra Loop were insane, the Flying Snake Dive was insane, and the weird double up was insane! A little short, but it was still amazing. My god that ride rules. Up next, Sidewinder. Sidewinder: 7.5/10 I never found this ride to be rough, IMO it is fun. The wait was average at about 25 minutes. Once again, this Boomerang is surprisingly smooth. Oh well. If everyone calls this ride a rough piece of crap, then less lines for me. As always, the 5.2 G’s of happiness gray me out once again, but the friend that was brought along still felt sick. Next, we went over to Midway America. Midway America is a nice place. Although there are very few trees in this area (deliberately planned by the park) it has a fun atmosphere, nonetheless. Plus, the temperatures weren’t that bad. We then decided to go over to Wild Mouse. Wild Mouse: 7.5/10 Although known as one of the wildest wild mice around, I found it to not be as intense as last time I went back in 2005. Sadly, they used the trims. However, it was still fun, and still better than most mice I have been on. The line was about 15 minutes, and what is unique about this is that the trains do not stop in the station, so if you have something like a video camera you have to put in the case, you must do so, and fast. I got in just in time, (although it wasn’t really fast, probably only about 1 – 3 mph). There was some nice airtime on the bunny hops in the second half of the ride, and the laterals proved formidable. Next, came Wildcat in its shiny new Millennium Flyers. Wildcat: 9/10 Holy crap. Those Millennium Flyers helped A LOT! In the middle seat, 2005, it hurt like crazy. It was one of the worst wooden coasters I had ever experienced. Now, in 2007, in the back seat, it made it into my top 5 wooden coasters. The only bad part was the final turn, which was only a little rough. Other than that, it was great. As GCII’s first coaster, it is a very intense and fast ride. No wonder why they are world renowned. But, on the plus side, at least the signature “Laughing Elephant Brakes” were not changed. (If you have been to Hersheypark and on Wildcat, you will know what I mean.) The line was only about 10 to 15 minutes, and a cool thing is that I saw a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter flying over the park, which it had done so five times that day. (There is an air force base a few minutes away from Hersheypark.) Now, if the staff of Darien Lake reads this review of Wildcat, they will hopefully realize how much of a difference a new set of trains can make, especially on Predator. Then we headed over to Lightning Racer. Lightning Racer: 9.4/10 Dang, this ride is fun. Both lines were only about five minutes in length, which I was still surprised, because this is a great coaster. The airtime is great, the pacing is great, the shakiness is very prevalent but it is only “bouncy” so it is not rough at all. Also, looking to the right from the lift shows the beauty of this ride gracefully twisting around each other. Holy crap, this ride is just unbelievable! Plus, for some reason, when you drive up to Lightning Racer and Wildcat, they seem a lot taller than they really are, they seem to be around 120 – 130 feet tall instead of 85 and 90 feet tall. Then, I went to the bathroom, and then we headed over to The Claw. The Claw: 7.9/10 Although the line was about 30 minutes and it was getting rather high in temperature at that time, it was still fun. There is a nice amount of G’s, and some fun floater air. I liked it. My Uncle, however, can’t take spinning rides, so he had to sit out on this one. We had then traveled over towards Music Box Way for the Capital BlueCross Monorail. Capital BlueCross Monorail: 7/10 A nice monorail tour of the park, chocolate factory and Zoo America. There are some great views of Storm Runner, which I had some film spots for. Next up was Kissing Tower for the views. Kissing Tower: 7/10 Simply an observation tower, but once again, the views of Great Bear and Sooperdooperlooper was amazing, and I took a picture of them, which it is now on the disc label for disc 1 of my coaster DVD. After that, we did re rides on Storm Runner, Comet, and two on Great Bear. I ate dinner at Craftbarn Kitchen in Founder’s Circle, and then as I was eating, a small park roaming band was playing. As we left, we bought some fudge in I believe the Chocolate House in Tudor Square. We left at probably around 7:30 or so. Overall, it was a great day. Overall “park rating”: 8.10833333/10 Now, on to the pics! I see Wildcat! I see Great Bear! (And Kissing Tower, if you look hard.) Happy 30th (now 31st) birthday, Sooperdooperlooper! Ahh, Comet, in all its Schmeck awesomeness. Great Bear - THROUGH THE COMET QUEUE LINE COVERING! Can someone say "awesome"? The B&M Helix of awesomeness. Hey Derek. More Great Bear in all its underrated glory. Here is a picture for all those lift hill enthusiasts. Zoom, Zoom, Zoom! This reminds me of Toshimaen for some reason. Maybe because Sooperdooperlooper looks a lot like Cyclone in this pic. Kill! Kill! Here is Great Bear with some unusual support structures. A chain lift in the station. Something I don't see that often. W00T! Two trains in one picture! Sooperdooperlooper - IN FRONT OF THE TREES! The two best steel coasters in the park in one picture. Wow, Great Bear really does have weird supports. Now in NL, people can't downrate for my supporting anymore, because this proves that A - frames are not the only way to support a coaster. I am getting tired of posting caption after caption after caption. It's getting very boring. But, I must put a caption for every photo so my PTR is of high quality. I mean, everyone just looks at the pictures. So why the heck am I posting all these captions? (Unless people, like me, actually read the captions.) But, at least this kills a lot of time. Hey Derek. (Again.) If a helix was threaded through Sooperdooperlooper's loop, and some bunny hill stuff would be put in at the end, Great Bear would not be underrated. Support forest. Support Forrest Gump for president. Get it? It's a joke! Must... move... toward... the light. This picture is on the front of my coaster DVD. Storm Runner in its Storm Runnerness. Again, Storm Runner in its Storm Runnerness. A Storm over Storm Runner. How interesting. (Although it was really just clouds.) This is Storm Runner. *Runs away with Caption of the Year Award.* See the caption above this one. See the caption above this one. Trailblazer, my first coaster larger than a kiddie coaster, all the way back in 2000. An abundance of trees around Trailblazer. Sidewinder in all its Sidewinderness. Hey Derek. (Again.) Now that's big. True, I went on TTD, but still, it’s as big as a B-2 Bomber. If you can count the amount of trees in this picture, email Dan! Hairtime! Yo, wuddup G? (Get it? Because the coaster pulls G's at this point. It's a joke!) This picture is also on my DVD. Ahh, but where is Great Bear? Oh, yeah, that's why it's not on there, because it's a super underrated B&M. Dang, a CH-47 Chinook! This one did at least five trips over HP, probably because there is an air force base about five minutes from the park. Awesome flat ride and awesome coaster in one picture! Zero G's. A Flying Scooter. More Storm Runner. Wildcat went from my least favorite coaster to #4 ONLY because of new trains. If Darien Lake staff is reading this caption, they now have a good reason why they should give Predator new PTCs. Why Lightning Racer never got a line more than five minutes for each coaster, I don't know. This ride is quite frankly amazing. Midway America really does look like a classic amusement park. This Ferris Wheel has a really great view of Lightning Racer. This thing is so big, I need two pics to show it all. Here is the other part. Why SFGAM is tearing down Deja Vu for an enclosed (and probably heavily trimmed) version of this, I don't know. Hersheypark has a lot of loops. Cobra Roll. Here's another Wildcat pic. Here is another Lightning Racer pic. Seneca Knoll Days (a TINY carnival in my hometown) is next! I will upload it later tonight.

Oh for crying out loud. And then the guy who introduced the segment said "how safe are waterparks?" That's rather sad. Can anyone say "idiots?"

One very important question: What program is reccomended for me to change my DVD files into video files (WMV, AVI, etc.) enough so that it fits within the size parameters? (The longest one is over 8 minutes long, but those are two songs in length, I can always edit out the second "song".)

^ Wow, that reply came rather fast. They are small because they weren't taken with my Nikon, they are screenshots from my video. I opened the DVD file on Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3, and the window that I use to edit the video is only 320 x 240, so that's why they are so small. The rest are big, though, as they were taken by the Nikon.

Ok, since I’m trying to keep myself occupied for the rest of Christmas vacation, I decided to post my photos that I took over the summer. These from Darien Lake are really screenshots from my video because it was a school trip, and since my parents didn’t chaperone, they didn’t want me to bring both the video camera and the picture camera to Darien Lake without someone to carry my stuff, because they didn't want anyone stealing both cameras. PARK TRIP REPORT: We left the school at about 8:00 AM, and arrived at Darien Lake at 10:30, but I didn’t get in until fifteen minutes later because there was only one adult that handed out the tickets to all the one hundred – fifty 8th and 9th graders on the trip. (I was an 8th grader, now 9th.) Anyway, since we were not required to have a “buddy” (THANK GOD!) I was able to roam the park at my own pace. I didn’t see Predator running, so I asked one of the park staff members near the Swings. He didn’t know, so I just went over anyway, and luckily Predator was running, but it may have not looked that way because the ride ops were dispatching the (one) train every five minutes – turning a ten or fifteen minute line into a twenty – five minute line. Predator: 6.5/10 The first time I rode it, I went in the first car, second row. Oh, did my ribs feel it. That was rough. But the second time, I sat one row behind – second car, first row, and it was much less rough. There were only about three or four spots of moderate roughness, compared to most of the ride with extreme roughness just one row ahead. In that second time, I actually felt airtime, and quite a bit of it. If Darien Lake just buys some new PTCs for Predator, the ride will be, IMO, about as good as Dania Beach Hurricane at Boomers. The trains are just bad. After that, I decided to head over to Ride of Steel. Ride of Steel: 9/10 Wow, this ride is great! Easily the best steel coaster in the state. (Hey, a rhyme!) Anyway, with a twenty to thirty minute line, I was able to get in the back seat by about 12:30 – 12:40 PM. The ride actually has about as much airtime as S:ROS @ SFNE, but there aren’t as many hills on RoS. Also, so what if it has an Intamin rattle? It’s painless, and if anything, it makes the flat section after the first helix (somewhat) relatively exciting. The G’s on the helices, although about two hundred feet wide, are still rather high – which they can be enhanced by a style of “riding etiquette” I had discovered: Lean in the opposite direction that the helix is heading (lean right for Helix #1, and left for Helix #2) to maximize the amount of lateral forces. I almost grayed out on the helices. Also, both trains were running as the blue one was finally fixed. Once the train returned to the station, I decided to head over to Boomerang. The park actually is pretty nice for the most part. The back area near Twister (the park’s Top Spin) the Go Karts, and the Batman building that’s rumored to get an indoor themed spinning coaster next year – needs some extra foliage. Also, the little lot behind the Potato Works food place right next to Shipwreck Falls needs some path maintenance. Other than that, the place is pretty well shaded, and actually rather nice. Boomerang Coast to Coaster: 8/10 IMO, this ride is very fun. Call me crazy, but I think Boomerangs are great. This one is (relatively) smooth, and besides, where else can you readily find a coaster that pulls 5.2 G’s, other than the finest Schwarzkopf loopers and Tower of Terror at Gold Reef City? I had grayed out on the loop, most notably on the backwards run. Also, the lift is actually very relaxing for some reason (probably because the cable lift system is very quiet, and the signature kerchunk sound wasn’t that bad) and there is a nice view of the rest of the park. Then, I decided to go on Viper. Viper: 8.5/10 For a twenty – five (now twenty – six) year old Arrow multi looper, it is actually VERY smooth. It’s just that the restraints need to be made of a softer material. The line, (which I had never seen get this large before) had filled up the entire station. A random person asked to join my car, and a few of his friends were with him. One of them was drunk, holding a large, empty Souvenir cup. Although I can not remember specifically what the drunk guy said, I remember that it was pretty funny. The lift was loud, and there was a surprise pop of air on the pre drop. Even though the seventy – five foot drop is a little over half of Viper’s total height of 121 feet, it still provided some airtime, and the ride overall was pretty intense, probably pulling 3.8 – 4.5 G’s. On this one, I had almost grayed out as well. Then, it was time for Ranger. Ranger: 7/10 This was a fun, old ride. With no head rests, and a relatively slow rotational speed, the ride has a different “fall out of your seat” feeling you get on those types of rides. It had a lot of mechanical problems the year before, although it ran fine the day I went last year in late August, 2006. The line was only one ride cycle. After I got off, I headed over to Mind Eraser. Mind Eraser: 6.8/10 While in line, I met up with one of my friends who got a ride to Darien Lake from his parents, who had only gone on Viper and Predator before, so Mind Eraser, Boomerang and Superman were new to him. I thought it was fun, but rough. My friend thought it was amazing, but rough. (I know what a real Invert is like after riding that big beautiful B&M known as Montu the month before.) Even though it was rough, it still had a compact layout and was quite intense. If it gets retrofitted with the new trains, I will be very happy. I wish the mist was still used on Mind Eraser, like I saw on one of the pics on rcdb. After that, we headed over to Potato Works for lunch. I got a cheeseburger about the size of a CD, a bunch of cheese fries in about the same amount, and a medium lemonade for $12.42 (yeah, just a little expensive.) Then, we wandered around for ten minutes as I was trying to find the shooting gallery, where I got a bunch of tickets. We then went to Viper, which had not much of a line, where we saw some more friends. That was fun, as always. Up next was Twister. Twister: 7/10 Twister is DL’s Top Spin. It runs a pretty good program, and I think I saw three people have their hats or shoes fly off that day. After that, we ran a lap around the park, riding Boomerang and RoS, which were also new to my friend, and he thought they were amazing. (Well, duh, they are.) As we approached RoS, I saw a good film spot for Predator when I was next to the grass sitting areas for the laser light show. Then at about 3:30 he went with some more of his friends to other places in the park when I got on The Giant Wheel for some aerial filming, which the ride ops only allow when the ride isn’t moving – loading passengers. The Giant Wheel: 7/10 It’s just a Ferris Wheel, but it’s one of the largest on the continent, and it provides a great view of the park. Then, I decided to go on the three “mid park flat rides”- Rodeo, UFO (hey, another rhyme!) and Silver Bullet. Rodeo: 6.5/10 A somewhat forceful, “nearly retro” family ride. The line was short like mostly everything else in the park, at probably around a five or ten minute wait. UFO: 7/10 It’s basically like a Suspended Round Up (No, it’s not floorless, the “cages” are positioned below the main ring instead of above.) It’s okay, and runs an average length program. Silver Bullet: 7.5/10 Like most, if not all other Enterprises, this one runs a short program. But it is extra special because it is one of the few remaining Heintz – Fahtze Enterprises. (Possibly the only remaining Heintz – Fahtze Enterprise.) After that, I went over to Boomerang for two more re rides, and then went to the Chicken Ranch Café next to Boomerang for dinner, but I didn’t have enough money (I brought “only” $25 for two meals and a $1 shooting gallery.) So then I ate some Pizza at the Waterfront Boardwalk near Skycoaster and The Giant Wheel, instead. I found I still had time to ride Boomerang again, so I did that, and then proceeded to the front gates and arrived thereat about 5:40, roughly five minutes before we were told to be there. So, I went outside the front gates and into the parking lot, where I thought we were going to just get on the bus. But the bus drivers weren’t there. So I walked around waiting, and I looked at Mind Eraser for a few minutes to pass the time. So after a bit, I went back to the entrance, and everyone was instead conducting attendance inside the gates, and I didn’t get my hand stamped for re entry, so I just stayed right outside the gates, still well within eye and earshot of the chaperones. We headed for home at about 6:00 PM and got home at about 8:00 PM. Since I didn’t bring anything for the trip, I got rather bored, and watched a DVD that one of my friends was watching on his portable DVD player (a few other kids were watching.) Okay, now on to the pics! (Technically video screenshots.) "Togo, Togo, I love Togo. Almost as good as Vekoma." Silver Bullet in all of its awesome Heintz - Fahtzeness. Ride of Steel - THROUGH THE STATION! Grrrr! I'm Predator. I just got out of rehab, now gimme some candy! It might just be able to get back up there if it gets some new PTCs. The sun shines its happiness upon Boomerang because it is so awesome. I'm 160 feet tall and awesome. Hey Derek. Viper - THROUGH THE SKYCOASTER! If it's not at Seabreeze or Great Escape, it's not a Pirate Ship that's awesome. Kill! Kill! I'm a 45 degree drop that looks like a double up from this angle. Old and awesome Arrow multilooper - THROUGH THE BUSHES! Up and down and round and round. SLC - closed. Hey, Dave. How's it going? Frontloop. (Instead of Sideloop. Get it? It's a joke! I continually laugh at myself.) It almost looks like the person on the inside is trying to imitate the "Weirdo Japanese Coaster Dance". Either that, or try to pull himself to the top of the arm of the ride. Get ready to get Dan really ticked in three.. two... one... ZERO!!!!!!! Here is Ride of Steel, seen through the lift hill supports. Hairtime! Here is Predator. Here is Predator again. Hairtime! Again. OMGINTAMIN! A random tree, a non random Intamin Hyper Coaster. Camelbacks of awesomeness. That's big. That's really big. Those Barrels are rolling. Oh, and it opened. The SLC is twisting. Here is proof that Mind Eraser is running two trains. See? This train is red and the other train is blue. Sideloop Sidewinder. The A frame support got hungry and decided to eat the train. All you see here (minus the hat, and the cheese fries are almost eaten) cost me $12.42 You would have thought that Darien Lake would have revised this manhole covering a few times. Sidewinder - THROUGH THE INANIMATE CARBON DIOXIDE BREATHING LIFE FORMS! An EXTREME closeup of Boomerang. Did you know that the acronym for all three of these rides names is BCTCSTGW? (Yes, I'm running out of caption ideas.) Ooooooh, pretty. Here's another slice of airtime pie. Must... buy... new... PTCs! I don't know what to call this ride - I say a mix between a Himalaya, Spinning Tea Cups, and a Tilt - A - Whirl. 68 degrees, 205 feet, and 73 mph of awesomeness. Predator - THROUGH ITSELF! A true Sideloop. This Arrow is awesome. No question about it. Easily my favorite Arrow, and I have been on seven Arrows so I have something to compare it to. I like Vekoma Spaghetti. I will finally ride this and Skycoaster next May, because I will finally bring money for it. The helix may be about as wide as the ride is tall, but it is still forceful. Here is a nice Arrow helix. I heart Vekoma Rollovers. OMGINTAMIN! OMGARROW! Overall "park rating": 7.34545455/10 Ok, next up is Hersheypark!

Lightning Racer? Wild Cat? Long lines? What the heck are you talking about? Sure, once Wildcat got a 30 minute wait a while ago, but that's nothing. (Maybe I just go on good days.) Lightning Racer never had a line more than 5 minutes whenever I went. (The end of June/early July seems like a GREAT time for parks.) IMO, Boomerangs are fun. Besides, they are the only things that you can comonly find that pull 5.2 G's. Comet is reccommended to ride first, which then you should only get lines at about 20 minutes. I have never tried this before, but I suggest to possibly try something different - start at the opposite end of the park (Lightning Racer) and see what happens - going to the opposite end of the park. Plus, going on rides in the mid afternoon is usually a good idea because people tend to either eat lunch or go to the waterpark. But whenever I go, the lines are pretty short, so it really doesn't matter for myself.

Or even better, Kennywood. They have the terrain. (I know, they wouldn't build anything that big at this time.)

Schade für dich. Ja, wir haben ein paar Zentimeter Schnee (Die Temperatur war gestern ungefähr 50 Grade Fahrenheit – sehr warm für Dezember - viel Schnee hat geschmolzen.) Frohe Weinachten für dich auch. Entschuldigung für meine Deutsch – Ich habe Deutsch gelehrt für nur zwei Jahre. -Tanks "Deutsch ist sehr spaß zu sprechen" 4me05.

Let's take a look at my Arrow/Vekoma track record: Arrow: 1: Trailblazer - Hersheypark First rode in: 2000 Last rode in: 2003 Will ride again in: Possibly 2008 - I might go to DP. Counts on Trailblazer: 2 Overall roughness - this one was somewhat rough. Not too bad, though. Rating: 5.5/10 2: Corkscrew - Cedar Point First rode in: 2004 Last rode in: 2004 Will ride again in: 2008 Counts on Corkscrew: 1 Overall roughness: Pretty smooth Rating: 6.5/10 2: Gemini - Cedar Point First rode in: 2004 Last rode in: 2004 Will ride again in: 2008 Counts on Gemini: 1 on Blue Overall roughness - very smooth - a small bump on the bottom of the first drop, but otherwise great. Rating: 6.8/10 3: Iron Dragon - Cedar Point First rode in: 2004 Last rode in: 2004 Will ride again in: 2008 Counts on Iron Dragon: 1 Overall roughness - Ouch, this one hurt. Rating: 3.9/10 4: Viper - Darien Lake First rode in: 2004 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: 2008 Counts on Viper: Approximately 7 Overall roughness: The restraints were kind of hard, but the track was VERY smooth - for something soon to be 26 years old, it is probably one of the smoothest Arrows out there, and it's pretty intense, too. Rating: 8/10 5: Steamin' Demon - The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom First rode in: 2006 Last rode in: 2006 Will ride again in: unknown - probably in 2010 or 2011. Counts on Steamin' Demon: 2 Overall roughness: This one is also pretty smooth, like Viper, but the restraints are still bad. Rating: 7/10 6: Canyon Blaster - The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom First rode in: 2006 Last rode in: 2006 Will ride again in: unknown - probably in 2010 or 2011. Counts on Canyon Blaster: 1 or 2 Overall roughness: Still not too bad. But the line was pretty long. Rating: 5.7/10 Arrow's Overall "Company Rating": 5.23/10 Vekoma: 1: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Walt Disney World - MGM Studios First rode in: 2003 Last rode in: 2005 Will ride again in: unknown - probably in either 2009 or 2010. Counts on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster: 3 Overall roughness: This one is easily the smoothest Vekoma I have been on so far. A nice and intense, well themed ride. I just wish the coaster was outside because that would equal for some really nice pictures and video shots. Rating: 8/10 2: Mind Eraser - Darien Lake First rode in: 2004 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: 2008 Counts on Mind Eraser: 3 or 4 Overall roughness: Not to good, but still not the worst I have been on. Rating: 6/10 3: Flying Unicorn - Universal Studios Islands of Adventure First rode in: 2005 Last rode in: 2005 Will ride again in: probably either 2009 or 2010. Counts on Flying Unicorn: 1 Overall roughness - pretty smooth. Luckily there are no OTSRs so it's not bad. Rating: 7.5/10 (It's very well themed.) 4: Sidewinder - Hersheypark First rode in: 2005 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: Possibly in 2008 - I might go to DP. Counts on Sidewinder: 2 or 3 Overall roughness: Of all five Boomerangs I have been on - all of them were smooth. There was some headbanging in the back seat, but it's easily bearable and I can probably ride them at least six times in a row or more before getting a head ache. Rating: 7/10 5: Boomerang - The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom First rode in: 2006 Last rode in: 2006 Will ride again in: unknown - possibly around 2010 or 2011. Counts on Boomerang: About 3 Overall roughness: Still smooth. This one is probably my favorite Boomerangs - and with the Adirondack Mountains, it is also the nicest looking Boomerang I have seen in person so far. Rating: 8/10 6: Boomerang - Darien Lake First rode in: 2006 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: 2008 Counts on Boomerang: At least 4or 5 Overall roughness: Once again, this one was smooth, as well. Rating: 7.5/10 7: Okeechobee Rampage - Cypress Gardens First rode in: 2007 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: unknown Counts on Okeechobee Rampage: Approximately 2 or 3 Ovrall roughness: Quite smooth and surprisingly forceful, and the ride op gave us two runs in a row - which was done on every coaster except for Galaxy Spin and the kiddie coaster (Starliner was still under construction when I was there.) Rating: 6.5/10 8: Swamp Thing - Cypress Gardens First rode in: 2007 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: unknown Counts on Swamp Thing: 1 Overall roughness: This is so far the only Vekoma Coaster that I didn't like - the only one that really hurt. Rating: 4/10 9: Zoomerang - Lake Compounce First rode in: 2007 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: unknown Counts on Zoomerang: Approximately 3 or 4 Overall roughness: Once again, this Boomerang, even in back seat, doesn't hurt that much. Rating: 7/10 10: Mind Eraser - Six Flags New England First rode in: 2007 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: unknown Counts on Mind Eraser: 1 Overall roughness: What???? I heard so much about this coaster being one of the worst SLC's out there! I was expecting a world of hurt, and yes the wheel assembly was bad, but the restraints were really soft, and the ride had basically no headbanging. I almost put it in my top 10. Definitely my favorite Vekoma. Rating: 8.8/10 11: Flashback - Six Flags New England First rode in: 2007 Last rode in: 2007 Will ride again in: unknown Overall roughness: It's also pretty smooth. Rating: 7/10 Overall "company rating": 7.0273/10 Overall, I like Vekoma better, but I have been on almost twice as many Vekomas as Arrows. Overall, I think they are both good.

In Sea World in Australia, there is a closed SDC Galaxi that has been up for sale for the past five years - but it's only $50,000 USD. Yeah. A freaking roller coaster for less than the price of a 2006 Chevy Corvette Z06. According to rcdb it has still not yet been sold.

The Kemah Boardwalk has a Margarita stand literally 5 feet from the entrance of the Boardwalk Bullet. I've personally seen a few drunks ride it. -GG At first I thought "you got to be kidding me" about the whole Beer thing for SFOT, but then I remembered all the times I saw Beer being sold at other parks. There was a guy who sat behind me on Viper at DL carrying a rather large empty cup of some sort of Beer last may, and he was probably what I would call "moderately drunk." Quite frankly, he was hilarious. Anyway, my dad ordered a Beer at CP when we went in 2004, so since a lot of parks sell Beear already, I'm thinking this is a good move, as it will probably bring slightly more adults into the parks. Hey, when Shapiro said the whole family should be catered to, I guess he really meant it, not just the little kids.

You know, with an official credit count of 5, Nickelodeon Universe can have bragging rights of most coasters in an indoor amusement park - Galaxyland, the next largest indoor park, has 3 coasters, although Mindbender is much taller.

Although Zamperla Volares are small and cheap, the popular opinion is that they are by far the worst of the three types of Flyers (B&M, Vekoma, Zamperla.)

Other than capacity issues, this looks like a really cool ride. Besides, their Motorbikes were well received, EE is well received, their new SLC trains are said to be great, their new Boomerang trains are said to be great, I think that Vekoma is finally being a good company now. Besides, I'm happy someone is still making Flying Coasters.

^^Somewhat similar, but not quite. This "Steel Hawg Roll" as I call it because rcdb didn't give a name for it yet - banks in the opposite direction of the "Lie to Fly Roll" - the Steel Hawg Roll banks to the right/outside instead of the left/inside - and it does a complete inversion and 180 degree turn instead of a "half inversion" and a 90 degree turn.

^ Actually, it's not. Silver Comet never had blue trains - it always had a purple train. I can see that you would confuse that for the double down portion of Silver Comet, but the cars don't even have the head rests. Plus, not only have I looked at pictures of it on rcdb to aid in my proof, in August of 2006, I rode it three times, took pictures and a video of MFI. Proof of Silver Comet's trains purple, "headrestless" trains: http://rcdb.com/ig548.htm?picture=6

Ok, now that I see the true size of this thing, I can say that I am looking forward to this ride opening.

Hmm, interesting. A Looping Waterslide, and a Boulder Dash/Expedition Everest style wooden coaster are the highlights of what I saw. Although those drawings should have been animations as I can't tell if that red thing in the first pic is a waterslide or a roller coaster.

It's okay. I have never heard of a SINGLE corrupt/virus account. Someone would have reported it on the forums, and I would have read that thread. Besides, it's from Germany, and Germany rules! Especially their traveling fairs. -Tanks "Ich denke Deutschland ist die allerbeste aber Ich bin Amerikaner" 4me05.

Hey, I have Aspergers, too. But I guess FL's "mental disability policy" is a bit different than upstate NY, as I have never been in anything other than a normal classroom. (Unless I have the definition of full inclusion class wrong - which I assume it is somewhere between a normal class and a special ed class) Then again, I am one who posses a very high intelligence along with a sophisticated knowledge in the english language. (Und die Deutsche Sprache, auch. ) But so does Einstein. And Bill Gates. And Thomas Jefferson. And Isaac Newton. But seeing with that lower income coming into the factors, I can easily see that those kids would simply be really jealous - as their parents can't take them to Disney World. As for the whole aspect of bringing your lunch isn't cool - once again, easily understandable as you said that a lot of them have free lunches themselves, therefore basically are forced to eat what (assuming) sub par food is served at the cafeteria. Personally, I very rarely brought my own lunch, but that is because I actually like the foods at the cafeterias at school. Maybe that means that the food in upstate New York is actually good, or I'm just plain food crazed and will eat almost anything. Which I think it's the latter because I have been lately putting Mustard, Ketchup, BBQ Sauce and Salsa (when its a Taco day, because the Tacos are really the only meal that they serve and I don't like) on my Cheeseburgers ... So, I bet it's just jealousy, seeing as I basically have supreme bragging rights throughout my entire school career as not only had I gone to WDW a good 4 times, but I have been on a total of 84 roller coasters across six states and Ontario..

Ok, first off, I like the layout. This one was unique. Except, you could have made the airtime hills a bit more intense, and the helices tighter so the G's would be higher. But the brake run segments needed to be straightened, and the pacing at the end didn't die, the hill just needed to be smaller and more sharply banked, like the other airtime hills to be more exciting (then maybe making it two hills) Plus adding in a couple more inversions would have been good. It was pretty smooth until after the Overbanked Turn, then there was a lot of "snapping" of the train. Not good. But overall, it was not bad. Overall rating: 6.95/10

^I'll second that. I know you two have Kristen to deal with, real jobs and planning all those super awesome trips that I can't go on until I'm older because my parents aren't enthusiasts and they aren't willing to spend 4 grand on me and a "chaperone", but still...

Although it may have been quite smooth, and it was realistic, the thing I hate about NL uploads is that they seem to so rarely break the mold. People keep thinking "just like the designers", which if you really look at them, they aren't that twisted up (with the exception of Premier LIM Bowls, of course.) I wish people made more innovations.

(agreeing with post above me) Actually, he is right. Vekoma Boomerangs pull 5.2 G's, and Tower of Terror at Gold Reef City in South Africa is the record holder at 6.3 G's. So, if anything has 6.3 vertical G's or less, I deem it safe G's, as it has already been done in real life. The layout was okay, not too good, (unless you intended the ride to be of a "Japanese style" then it was good - the drops were rather of a shallow grade like many Japanese coasters seem to have) but the G's I liked. I like yellow G's. Besides, if you had the choice between a 4 G B&M and a 5.5 G B&M, which one would you choose? My point exactly. in fact, I intentionally keep my G's as close to red as possible (+5.3) to stay extreme, yet safe. Kudos for the Arrow style lift supports, those are a real pain to make. (I tried it once, and although I did it, it took forever.) However, the rest of the ride was undersupported. Make them a size 3 instead of 2 or 1 (whatever you used.) Otherwise, it wasn't that bad. The Corkscrews seemed a little squished, which I would have used Barrel Rolls or something else that is unique instead. There were a lot of little pumps throughout the whole ride, but the worst ones were before the MCBR, most notably on your "Reverse Sidewinder"/Immelmann. Overall scoring: 6.8/10