Thom25

Welcome back from California and thanks for the puzzle piece. Maybe the video confirms a change from the leaked layout, which could have been an Intamin proposal that was rejected for a 5,500 foot launcher. I still don't think this will be a B&M product, especially a launcher, and could be from Premier or any number of manufacturers. I"m still hoping for an Intamin tbh.

Thanks for the update and pictures. How do these footers line up with the leaked lay-outs?

The link points out that the system is a megawatt class system, so maybe it's a launched ride or has a lift like Maverick?

Ride rankings go both ways over time. It took years for (RoS) Bizarro to reach number one, and for many years MF was right up there with it. It's a great poll and good representation of the best and the worst, but keep in mind many of the top 20 rides weren't ridden by many of the respondents. I'm surprised how well I305 did and is a testament to how intense the ride is. It certainly belongs in the top 5 (no doubt), but if you're a fan of ejector air (like me), it will be hard to overtake Bizarro (imho).

I've got to chime in with a few thoughts. Like a few of you, I was under whelmed when the 212 foot height and 196 foot drop was theorized, until I thought of Mitch's steel poll with Bizzaro and Expedition GeForce as the two (2) top coasters in the world. If the numbers pan out, this ride would fall between both both coaster, and certainly could be as long as Expedition's 4,000 foot length. When I saw the last RIT posting with all the triangles, my first thought was Intamin track, so I'm still very optimistic this ride will deliver for both enthusiasts and the GP. Regarding marketing of this new ride, with SFGA so close, I think it's pointless to focus on records and believe at this point the park is focusing on the ride itself as the draw.

Thanks for the video Mario - it only gets me more excited to see this bad boy in action when complete. I do have to ask how you know this is the correct order of elements - my money would have been to start with the vertical lift, since I personally am not a big fan of rides that stop or slow mid-course, which is why I'm such an Intamin "fan boy" - lol. In any event, it was a GREAT video and appreciate the video!

You bring up an interesting point - "family friendly" rides typically don't have loops.

This really is looking like one amazing ride - thanks for sharing the pics. Can you also provide the facebook link, because I can't find it to save my soul.

That was a very cool video and thanks for posting it ! Inukaza, with all due respect, even if El Toro isn't your personal cup of tea, if you watched the initial testing videos or any of the early videos and didn't immediately realize the ride was going to produce massive ejector air, then you should consider studying these videos a bit closer. I've been riding coasters for over 40 years and have been following them on the Internet since the days of when RRC was the only game in town next to ACE's newsletters. My El Toro example was spot on imo, and we can agree to disagree. With that said, I'm in Boston, and use these videos to determine my coaster riding priorities for the upcoming season. I'm disappointed in what I've seen to date because at this point, I won't make a special trip to Tampa. That could change of course, but for me, I don't care about comfort or themeing as much as I want to be "thrilled." Like you, I have personal preferences, and these just happen to be mine. This is going to be a GREAT ride for the park, and doubt it will rank in the top 20 of Mitch's Steel poll from what I've seen to date.

My post wasn't directed at anyone specifically, just a summary of my thoughts after reading the last couple of pages. I understand you need to ride a coaster before making a definitive conclusion, but you can certainly make assumptions from videos. Case in point is El Toro. Did anyone think the ride wouldn't deliver after watching the testing videos of the trains cresting those first two hills, or being thrown down the first drop? The coaster in my opinion is going to be exceptionally themed, a fun ride, and a perfect family coaster for the park.

I think those of us that have been following the ride closely understand where the launches are and am sure none of us are "looking for things to complain about." Prior to this past week, we only had the animation to gauge the ride experience. Now that the ride is testing, we can get a more grounded real world expectation from the ride, and on some levels, to some of us, it's disappointing. I believe the vast majority of us are thrilled to see a new coaster in Florida and think it's a great addition to the park. With that said, it's also an Intamin, which historically makes world class thrill machines and believe that's where the disappointment stems from. It's going to be a great ride, but not at the same level as I305, Maverick, or El Toro.

Living in the Northeast, I've been following this ride and thread regularly and am surprised at many of the comments. When the ride was first announced, I too had hopes for another long giga and was disappointed on some levels with the posted lay-out. However, there are a lot of positives, which I think a lot of people are ignoring (imo). I totally agree this ride appears to be an Intamin and won't have any loops. So when I think of Expedition GeForce at 173 feet tall, a 212 foot Intamin certainly has the potential to deliver given Intamin's dominance on the top 10 steel polls. While I've never been to Holiday World, Hershey does appear to be a similar kind of park with a lot of trees and rolling terrain. I continue to be psyched for any new coaster in the Northeast, and think Intamin has a higher probability of delivering an extreme ride regardless of the height or length.

Thank you VERY much for posting the video - this is looking like one GREAT ride. Hope we see a clone here in the US.

This is an easy one for me: 1) RoS/Bizzaro from SFNE 2) Raptor from CP 3) El Torro from SFGA 4) Maverick from CP 5 ) TTD because it doesn't have OTSR

Thanks for the GREAT TP and pics Schwarzkopf. I've been following Raptor for months and thought (like you) the ride might be a little "soft" for die hard enthusiasts like ourselves. It still looks like a really fun ride and can't wait to check it out next year (hopefully). In any event, living in the states, I've only been on X and REALLY curious how Raptor's ride experience compares to FB. It's clear Raptor's theming is second to none (including FB) and understand Raptor only goes 55 MPH to FB's 83 MPH according to RCDB, so speed certainly has to be considered as well. The reason I'm asking for more details is because I LOVE the 4D concept (on paper), but X really wasn't a fun (rerideable) ride for me and curious how Intamin and B&M have developed their own concepts. I LOVE extreme rides, but hate getting off them with a headache from extreme head banging. Any additional "color" about the two rides would be greatly appreciated. And again, thanks for the GREAT pictures and ride comments.

Thanks for the update - this is one coaster I can't wait to ride next year.

Thanks for the great and detailed TR. I read every word and loved it. Have you been on FB and if you have, would you compare and contrast? I'm most curious to know if an intense 4D coaster can deliver a moderately smooth ride experience?

Thanks for posting the pics - this ride has some great potential and like the idea of the new element being called a "banana roll." Any coaster with a unique element is always a great thing and hope we see one here in the US soon.

This new video on youtube shows the new layout, which appears to have solved all of last years problems. This is clearly another EPIC Intamin design.

Thank you VERY much for the pictures - EVERYTHING looks amazing! So can you fill us in on ride details - smoothness, airtime, excitement, etc?

Thanks for posting the pic of the redesigned turn. Any more information or the new ride experience or videos of the train in action would be appreciated.

Thank you VERY much for the great pics and videos! The ride does look like a ton of fun and can't wait for one to be built here in the US. How does it compare to FB or X? Is it smoother? Have there been more rumors of rotating seats in future models?

The omission of Bizzaro at SFNE was my biggest surprise since it consistently is ranked with ET as one of the best in world much less within SF. Of the choices listed, ET is clearly the hands down winner.

I'm with many of you - airtime over loops, which is why I love RoS/Bizzaro and MF. Right behind these for me is Maverick, which I think has a nice ballance. This ride does look epic and hope it gets built (maybe in a park like Cedar Point that loves to break records and is due for a coaster in 2012 imo).

Chadster, since selling restaurant franchises to customers like Six Flags is what I do for work, I can say with certainty EVERY company within a Six Flags park has paid to be there. Franchisors waive their fee and royalties, and will even discount the product delivered to the park. For example, when I worked for Baskin' Robbins, Six Flags told us they wouldn't pay any fees and wanted to buy our product at our cost. Needless to say, we said thanks, but no thanks and walked away from the deal.