scooterdoug

There is no special entrance for early ERT, you can enter through any of the 3 entrances. If you are staying at Hotel Breakers, then you will be a short 2 minute walk from the Magnum entrance. Personally, I prefer to go to that entrance, run for Maverick, get a few rides in, then head to MF after about 30 minutes of riding. Then, before the gates open for the rest of the park guests, head to TTD. This is a good way to beat the crowds, but bear in mind that TTD can take a while to "wake up" in the morning. They don't let people on until all of the trains clear the top hat in test runs(at least that's how it was when I was there last). Have fun at the Point, I miss it! -Doug

That would make me VERY happy, as I now live someplace where I can actually attend a Bash without having to drive 3+ hours (or get on a plane). I'll keep my fingers crossed that another Bay Area Bash happens in the near future. Glad to see you all had a good time at SFMM and KBF!

Giant Dipper @ Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, opened 1924. I was shocked at how smooth the thing was. They really take good care of it.

Looks identical to Eejanaika (not that it's a bad thing). Though, I have to agree, it would be nice to see some differentiation in layouts. Also, I too wonder where Eejanaika and this one get the "14 inversions" claim from...especially since Eejanaika got into the Guinness Book of World Records for that precise reason. I've ridden it, and I can attest that it does NOT go upside down 14 times. It goes upside down maybe 5 times (1. Half back flip right out of the station, 2. Front flip after the first drop, 3. Back flip on top of the Raven Turn, 4. Half-Half after the overbank turn, 5. Half-Half into the brake run). The last two inversions are speculative on my part, as they were very disorienting, so I'm giving Eejanaika the benefit of the doubt there. Still, the world record is definitely a mystery, as its inversion count falls FAR short of the claim of 14. -Doug

The park is closed, so "we" only can provide "us" good quality of photos and videos ONLY if the park wants. And the park is very strict when it comes to providing photographs or videos from inside the park. Personally I am very surprised to see the quality of video and photos we have today of the coaster. But the rest of the time, the photos must be taken from far away and only from certain points, so the low quality of most of the photos. That certainly wasn't a swipe at you, egiptologo. I understand from previous posts that the park is very strict about photos. I was just saying that the update was fantastic. Even the blurry photo was great, as it showed significant, visible progress. I look forward to seeing the completed drop, as well as hills and turn-arounds.

Now THAT is an update I can get excited about! Those are some very cool shots of great progress. I'm definitely interested to see what the finished product looks like. Even if it is another forceless, cookie cutter Beemer, I still think that B&M hypers are gorgeous to behold. -Doug "More updates like this, please" Heim

I think that another reason this project isn't getting much attention on these forums (aside from the reasons listed previously) is that it is going up at a painfully slow pace. After 2 months, all there is to see is a lift hill and brake run. It's kind of tough to get excited over that. I imagine that the enthusiasm level will go up once some curves begin to show. -Doug

I'll echo what most here are saying. If you want roller coasters, then go to SFMM. If you want a more thorough "theme park" experience, then go to Knott's. Xcelerator is indeed awesome (the launch is very intense), but I'd take Tatsu over Xcelerator any day. Also, if crowds are a concern for you (and if spending a significant chunk of extra cash isn't), SFMM has the FlashPass. But, keep in mind that it's rather pricey. Still, honestly, you can't go wrong either way.

I highly doubt that there will be a new coaster at KBF this year. If there were plans for a new 2012 coaster, they would have made an announcement by now.

These are both good options, so it kind of depends on what you're looking for in your experience. Are you in it primarily for coasters, or do you want more of a variety of attractions? If you want solely coasters, then I would personally choose CP, but by a somewhat narrow margin. As Chadster said, there are many "ride once for the credit" rides there. However, there are standout rides that I could ride all day and never tire of. SFMM has, IMO, a better variety of coasters. X2 is breathtaking, Tatsu rocks, Riddler's is the best of the B&M stand-ups, Goliath is always fun, and there are plenty of other coasters that I would happily re-ride. However, I would still take Millennium Force (my favorite at CP) and Maverick over anything else at SFMM any day. Also, the west coast has this bizarre lack of airtime, while CP will have your butt out of your seat all day long. Now, if you're looking for a variety of different attractions, then go to LA, no doubt. You have the coaster mecca that is SFMM, the awesomely immersive experience of USH, and the in-between coolness of KBF. Knott's definitely has that "homey" feel, excellent theming, and a very solid coaster collection (Xcelerator's launch is no joke, and Montezooma's Revenge is one of the last of the Schwarzkopf shuttle launches). Also bear in mind, like Chadster said, that you'll spend quite a bit of time in your car in LA...expect a total of 3-4 hours between the 3 parks (assuming that the freeways are nice to you and aren't too crowded). So, adding on Kings Island in Ohio could be a great option, making the coaster choice that much easier. Those are my 2 cents. Either way, you can't really go wrong. Also, with SFMM, you have the luxury of a FlashPass if it's crowded. Can't say the same for CP, which can get frighteningly crowded. Enjoy your trip next summer, I'm jealous! -Doug

I'm usually not into going to a park opening day (especially when a new ride opens) due to ridiculous crowds. However, if a mini TPR meet-up happens, I'd be up to it. It would be cool to meet some of you. Who's up to gate-crashing with me?

No, no, no, no, and NO!!! I've never waited that long for a ride in my entire life! The most I waited was 2 hours for Bizarro at SFNE...and that sucked (the line, most certainly not the ride...which was the polar opposite of suck). I simply don't have it in me to wait too long for a ride (1 hour is usually my limit), let alone 5 f#%king hours! Going to a park on a day that lines are that long is a nightmare situation for me. This is why I go out of my way to go to parks on off days.

Responses to TR>TR>actual exhibit. While the exhibit indeed looks like a waste of money ($20!?! Ha, you fools!!!), I was strangely entertained by your TR of said underwhelming exhibit. Or, perhaps I'm simply amused by your's and Bryan's self-inflicted suffering. Yeah, it's probably the second option...

I went 2 Sundays this month (December 4th and 11th). The place was absolutely dead. Medusa was a 1-3 train wait for the front (walk on for all other rows), ditto for V2. Both Kong and Roar were station waits, though they were both running only 1 train. Pandemonium was a 5 minute wait. Never bothered to check out Boomerang, as I'm not a huge fan of concussions. I'm not sure how it will be now that schools are on winter break, but the park was gloriously empty on those two Sundays that I went.

Done! This is my first time participating in a the Mitch Hawker poll. That fool-proof drag-n'-drop n00bie ballot creator is a genius creation. Now that I know that exists, I will participate in this poll from now on.

I used to own Fist of the Northstar...though I don't know what happened to it. That movie was awesome! Also, back in high school, a friend told me I simply HAD to watch the most amazing movie called Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend. So, one day I was in a Tower Records, and saw the video. Of course, my naive a$$ bought it, took it home, and popped it into the VCR. Well, that was an interesting experience. I was permanently scarred by the naughty tentacles. I threw it in a drawer and never watched it again. Years later, while I was away at college, my father happened upon it. He told me that he curiously put it in the VCR, was horrified, and promptly threw it in the trash. I laughed so hard as I imagined him watching that demented movie. He wasn't nearly as amused as I was. -Doug "And thus, I discovered the horrors of hentai" Heim

Thanks for the nice comments! I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I was surprised how quickly I built it, 3 weeks. My old basement models used to take months...like 10-12. It's harder and takes longer to make large elements look smooth and good, whereas it takes less time to make smaller elements look clean. Iamawesome1124, I built from multiple sets and parts that I've accumulated over the years. This particular model used 4 lift hill sections and 11 & 1/2 sections of 4ft track. Also, it has come to my attention that I neglected to upload a video. That has been taken care of, along with 2 pictures of the first drop. Enjoy. -Doug

Hello TPR, Well, I just moved a couple of months ago from Reno, Nevada to Berkeley, California. In so doing, I lost my basement/coaster room. Luckily, there's some decent square footage in our new apartment, and my overly-permissive wife let me claim the far end of the living room as roller coaster territory. I don't have the square footage I used to in the basement, but the shorter lift hill allows me to build coasters that appear more sprawling, as opposed to the denser layouts of my basement due to fitting in more track. So, what better style of coaster to sprawl than a B&M hyper? Enjoy the Berkeley Bomber! -Doug EDIT: I added 2 pictures of the first drop and a video of the whole thing in action.

^Here you go!

That was absolutely brilliant! The framing, composition, change of focus, editing, song choice...everything had a very professional feel to it. You really need to do more of those, as that was downright mesmerizing. -Doug "Color me impressed!" Heim

^Yeah, that's the same stuff that CoasterDynamix recommends for its products. Good luck, I hope you get the train flying again.

How are things coming along with your model? I really like what you have so far, and am interested in seeing the finished product. Any updates?

Works fine for me.

Comet II @ State Fair of Texas

Is it at a park that changed ownership?