verticalzero

Website says "fastest coaster in Europe" for Furious Baco. "Stealth" has this record for speed for Europe, that's why it was tweeked to go 80mph in less than 2 sec's. Furious Baco does it in 3.5 sec's which is fast enough esp with that seating arrangment. Looks a bit a short coaster How fast in seconds do "Shuttle" (e.g. Turbine at Walibi Belgium) coasters get launched from 0-50mph..? I have never been on a "Rocket" coaster, they don't appeal to me that much.

marthole - I'm going to Drayton Manor (Tamworth) on the 30th March to check out "Shockwave" and "G-Force". I have not been there for 5/6 years. Off to Chessington in May with my brother's 4 year old so she can ride the "Vampire" for the 1st time. Thorpe Park, Paulton's Park, Splashdown in Pool (Tower Park), Blackpool and Oakwood later in the year, (not during the school hols). I would like to meet up with TPR sometime, I have been to a couple of "European Coaster Club" events.

I wonder where and when the 1st glow-in-the-dark track will appear..? X: NWO is an ideal tester

Small Parks could be perfect for a "Whip". e.g. Paulton's Park or Chessington. Blackpool's Whip dates back to 1934, this is why it should be saved and not scrapped. Amanda won't be bothered about it's history, she will melt it down

As well as the building being made of mega thick glass / perspec's, you could backlight or under-light some of the parts to a great effect.

I went to Efteling last year and it is now my No:1 Park, you feel like you have been transported to another world once the ticket office is out of site. It is so clean n tidy, the theming for each coaster is amazing. Shame their woodie is no good, they deserve a GG or GCII twister. When in 2007 is the ride due to open..?

All non-air powered "Rocket" coasters have these big motor's, "Stealth", Rita" and TTD etc, of course the smaller ones have 1/2 the size of KK and TTD. A "Glass or Perspec" shed should be built so everyone can see the motor's. "Rita" has 1 motor, KK uses 2 Motor's back-to-back. The fins pop up when the cars goes over them so the train does not speed back into the station. aka "roll-back" I wonder how fast KK and TTD can really go if the motor's are turned up to "full speed". Superman at 6FMM uses magnets to move the train down the track, the cars have a + magnet and the fin's are - magnets. This is what pushes the train forward and the park's electric doubles when the cars are braked. Hope I'm right

Most small parks can't afford to spend 10+ million £££ or $$$ on a coaster. "Rage" fits perfectly into it's new home, just like "Cobra" has at Paulton's Park. It would be very rare for a coaster like "mystery mine" to be installed somewhere in England unless your Alton Towers, Oakwood, Blackpool and Thorpe Park. Theaming is not the UK's strong-point unlike those in the USA. A 2 or 3 million £££/$$$ coaster can be more fun than a 20 million one.

This is one of the Water Parks I would love to visit, the theaming is totally wild. The Toboggan Racers looks great fun for most of the morning, racing your mates. The only decent Water park I have been to is "Slide n Splash" in Portugal. There is a Water Park about an hours drive from me in Poole (England) which has lots of slides, 4 of them are outside. http://www.splashdownpoole.co.uk/ Their best one is called "Screamer" as: This ride has the bravest of you returning back down the stairs when the absolute VERTICAL drop is viewed from the top of the Screamer Tower!! If you dare, descend like a bullet, cross your arms, legs and hope.... Strictly for adrenaline junkies! Once you've ridden the screamer - you will be back for more!

Great news, this will keep the "Alton Mouse" company.

Make Stealth twice as long, banked curves, have an inversion or 3 with plenty of small bunnyhops for extreme air.

Lovely Pic's esp the 1st one. This coaster was in the manufactor's HQ being tested when "First Drop" magazine went there for a early test last year. I have not been on a "Euro", (could of gone on the one at BobbyJanland last year, but decided not to), it's the 1st drop which puts me off. I want to go on "Speed" this year, may have to try this smaller version 1st. The roughness should be smoothed out in time. Can't be as bad as Mr 10 Looper at Thorpe Park. The trains will not make it round the Cobra Roll if it is not greased this year

Now that "Stealth" hits 0-80 in less than 2 sec's, I wonder how fast it can go if it was tweeked to full "speed". Could it touch 90 or 100mph...?

De-Eftling Main Entrance

I love a "Lapbar" which I can click down 2 notches, this leaves lots of room for . Megafobia has the best. Good old CCI (RIP) Most of the Ops push the restraints down 2 far and you end up squashing your "bits" which can lead to a painfull ride. Tip of the day: Stick stomach out as far as possible when the Ops check, if they don't push the bar back towards you, you will have plenty of space to move and come out of your seat. What is the point of checking the bars and pushing them so far into your seat you can't get any airtime Yes everyone has to worry about safety but most people will not try anything unless they are bonkers and want to be hurt. A Park should try "Lapbars" on a drop tower and get rid of the OHR.

I first heard of this Giga Coaster when it was posted in the news section of the European Coaster Club magazine called "First Drop" a few years back. Why should it matter if the coaster does not break any records, if it has a fast and exciting layout the punters will come to the park. The park needs to have another top coaster to help "Colossos" draw the crowds. Yes it is a shame they decided to do a "Rita" clone for 2007, when it could of been a unique design for a "rocket" coaster. Heide-Park is one of my fav places, lovely theaming, clean, tidy and most ops speak "english". I hope the Park can over come the noise tests/problems and this coaster can be built in the next few seasons. If it does I will be back to ride this and the lovely woodie "Colossos". ------------------------------------------------------ Regarding "Colossos" being loud - I can vote for that, the lift hill groans when the train is at the top and the "up-stop" wheels sing their hearts out when going over the 1st 3 hills. This is one of the problems with designs of hills if the next one is smaller than the last. What would you rather have... 1) a loud woodie 2) Lots of Has "El Toro" become loud with it's "up-stop" wheels singing while going over the hills"..?

I never got the chance of riding the "Whip" at Blackpool, It is a "Classic" flat ride and there are only a few left in the world which are running. I've always wanted to take a ride on this and the "Turtle" chase. Someday I hope Blackpool can either sell it to another park in England or put it back at the Pleasure Beach for everyone to enjoy again.

The slides are quite bumpy and gives your back a good beating, esp the 5th floor one. They are very fun and depending on what clothes you wear - fast. Make sure your false teeth are held in. They are all "free" to ride, collect a token from the booking office for a time slot and off you go. Manchester is not that far from London, only a short train trip down the WCML.

The European Coaster Club will be attending Thorpe Park tomorrow. Thorpe Park have listed "Stealth" to go from 0-80mph in under 2 sec's. http://www.thorpepark.com/explore_the_park/stealth/stealth.asp?css=2 Also, the area around "Samurai" is getting filled in ready for a new coaster in 2008/9 season, could be the UK's 1st Floorless X: No Way Out will be upgraded later after Easter hols.

Last Monday 5/2/7 I went to the Tate Modern to check out the slide exhibtion which lasts till April. 2 slides are on the 2nd floor, 1 from the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. The Art Gallery is looking for a perm home for these slides, if you know of anywhere, let them know: A few pic's from London Zoo as well Enjoy the Pic's and in no order: 5 Floors Up Hello my name is "Bill" Gimme a High 5 This guy lives at London Zoo

Masked_Maverick - I'll give you a 4,000 mile hug

There could be many reasons why brakes are added to coasters, here are 3: 1) The park gets lots of complaints about the ride having too much (which most coaster lovers can't get enough of) or going 2 fast. 2) Wear and tear on the wheels and track. 3) Structure moves too much. Grand National at Blackpool has 6 sets just before it dives under the track towards the station, yes this kills the speed as it used to give a nice upward jolt before hitting the main brakes. I love a coaster with no brakes or it "skims" the mid-course brakes without slowing it down. A coaster to run with no brakes till the end is rare due to "Health n Safety" rules. I ask the Op's if the brakes can be switched off apart from the ones on the brake-run, most say no " can't be switched off", I asked thats the main thing.

Steel and Wooden Coasters are like human's, they all have their bad day's if the Park does not keep the maintance to a good level. e.g. Megafobia at Oakwood Theme Park in Wales was born in 1996 and within the 10 years of service to us, it has had hardly any service. I don't know if parts of Megafobia have been retracked, but just the min things have been done to it out of season. If a coaster is built well in the 1st place it will run and run, just like our cars if we look after them. My dream coaster is an 1930's / 1940's style out-n-back twister woodie with 8 camelbacks in a row, lots of direction changes near to the ground, lots of , fly-pasts, 90 degree banked cornes and going underground. We should all be greatfull to the people (Harry Travier, Prior and Church and Mr Dinn etc) who created these steel or wood masterpieces, if they did not exsist, what would everyone do instead in their spare time..? If you think the coaster is rough or is braked to hard, why not send a letter / email to the Park to say this, if the Park cares about Customer Service you will get a reply. The following Season the coaster may be running better because someone took their time to write a letter/email and said something. Sit back enjoy the rough/smooth track with it's / full force lateral/ vertical G's ride.

I have not been on EGF yet, it does look like an " " machine with a great (compact, a minny MF) layout and twisting 1st drop (taken from BPB PMBO). Goliath at Walibi World on the other hand is somewhat different, it is an out-n-back steel which is located in a beautiful setting of the park, it goes over the water with a fountain in the middle of one of the upward helix. The 3 bunnyhops by the station, 70 degree 1st drop, 2nd hill and the "Stangle Dive" are getting "legendary" raves and this is what keeps it infront of EGF. A 4th and 5th smaller bunnyhops could of been added and the wonderful banked curve ending could of been made bigger and longer for us to enjoy. There is so much energy and speed left in Goliath when it hits the brakes. In 2 years I have been to the park 4 times (its a 7 hour drive from England via France and Belgium and it's nearer to me than Blackpool, I live in Southern England), I love this coaster and Park so much. I get as many rides (front seat is amazing, so is the 3rd row or seats 5 and 6) as possible on Goliath when I visit the park, it is my No: 1 steel, so addictive you can ride it all day and night. Goliath is a design of genius and I wish it was in AT or TP for me and everyone else to enjoy. The car drive is worth every mile to ride this heaven steel monster. This shows everyone size does not matter when building a steel or wood coaster, it's only 150ft high and laughs at other coasters twice it's height. Goliath lives up to it's name and gives a fantastic ride. How I miss it already since Sept. Everyone must try a "Chiptwister" (near Splash Battle) while at the park, they are so yummy

rbpia = wow, I would like to get a "hug" from you