Kooky

many of you know the elements of "Heiße Fahrt" in Klotten, Germany. It has some nice unique elements, like the helix and the four bunny hops: source: http://www.coastersandmore.de/rides/klotten/klottenmain.shtml don`t want to spoil it directly in here, but the winjas are really unique, here some pics of the lift system(very unique one, too): If you want to know more about the special elements there is a nice (german) report that explains how they get the winja and their effects (spoiler!!!) to work everyday, go on the source of the pics: http://www.coastersandmore.de/rides/wuzebts/wuzetown3.php and of course the PAX - Formula 1 Coaster in France, Saint Paul-Park, with wrong banked curves and strange double up: source: http://rcdb.com/2664.htm and an onride:

a video (english subtitled) interview from the park with pics of the new attractions (it`s seems to get a lot more stuff, like a disc-o-coaster, kiddie coaster, topspin and more... so it`s really nearly a new park ):

On the Mack company area appeared a short part of the prototype test-track (in a not so blue color ) which is rummored to be a spinning (or swinging) powered-suspended coaster for the new darkride in 2014. Because one local-newspaper (http://www.badische-zeitung.de/waldkirch/die-achterbahn-spezialisten) reported that the track for this new ride can be seen on the company area, it seems to be no rumor anymore. So here are the pics from http://www.chris-space.net/?incvar=bilder.php&path=news/2014/2012_08_24-teststrecke/ it seems to be this ride (pic from http://www.mack-rides.com/en/products/coasters/suspended-powered-coaster/info/index.html) Because it looks like the Park will build a darkride themed after the movies "Arthur and the Invisibles" most people think they will use the controlled spinning option. But intresting thing is that the ride is capable of controlled and uncontrolled spinning. So maybe they use both variations (would be great imo)... and i think the suspended and spinning thing combined with a darkride will add a lot to the powered-coasters, because i like riding backwards And the new powered coaster is capable to run more than one train on the track...so a perfect system for a darkride experience!

At the moment here are summer holidays (for nearly complete germany, france, swiss and other countries next to it) and normally this is the time were no one from the area goes to the park. It often is totally crowded these days. But sometimes if you have luck the park is even these days very empty. A friend was two days ago and it was really crowded (wodan 90 mins) and the next day another friend was in the park and it was empty (10 min wait times). But EP counts the guests and if it is to crowded they open the park some hours longer... Sometimes till 10 p.m. so that every guest has enough time to ride everything (and maybe get the rare possibility to ride the coasters in the dark ) About Wodan.... yeah it will be the best to go fast back to Wodan on the end of the park (or if you stay in a hotel you can walk directly to them from the hotel entrance). Sometimes Wodan gets more empty (and of course a faster ride ) in the last hours or at mid-day. It has the slowest-moving lines (of the coasters) after the mouse coaster( MatterhornExpress). The most crowds start from the entrance and walk to the back (start with Silverstar) but because there are now 2 nice coasters in the back and Wodan as the new big attraction many run to Wodan and it gets very early very full. Often i start with MatterhornExpress in the morning,then when it is a hot summer day, go to "Poseidon" the water coaster (because it is packed and lines are not the fastest) and then back to wodan (1-2times) then bluefire and then atlantica supersplash. if you are not so in mack mouse and prever wooden-coasters, run directly to wodan to get 2 short queing rides. BlueFire and SIlverstar are people eaters.. they bring through the lines a huge amount of people in a short time, so don`t worry about them. Eurosat and EuroMir eat people too and the most time the park run a huge amount of trains (on Eurosat i think up to 6-8 tains, bluefire 2-4) so they should have not so long waiting times. For the water rides on hot days all the water rides are normally crowded and the lines are moving a little bit slower. So if you have ridden Wodan and BlueFire, you can Choose between the RApids and the SuperSPlash next to it and then walk slowly in the direction to get to the entrance riding the attractions on your way. Especially Silverstar gets a less crowded after some hours. But i havge to mention... Even on most crowded days, with extra parking lots on a cornfield, i always get a chance to ride all major attractions at least once and some of them twice. And like everyone said, this park has no slow moving lines, even on Wodan they push the people through it. And if you are not so much into queuing, the dark rides(Piraten in Batavia, Geisterschloss) are mostly not very crowded and empty... so a good time to chillout

parksmania.it published a video of the EuropaPark from the year 1991, reminds me on my first visits there... really nice to get in mind how it looks there 20 years ago:

The track of the mine train is completed, too. Hopefully they will add the theming from the artworks, but i think it will be enough time till next year to get it done. Here are some pics from www.parksmania.it/:

didn`t find a thread with it, so i think some people might be intrested in an old documentary (in german) which shows Anton Scharzkopf at work and testing some rides - the translation of the Title is i think " Anton Scharzkopf- A man who is wavy in america": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YjdQrB9OhE

it seems that the ride really could be operated in both directions... so it's both: a shuttle and a normal circuits-coaster - two lifts and both could be used to run in circuit or roll-back mode. here is an offride video... i like the way how they expanded a shuttle coaster to a full circuit coaster:

hi, i didn't find a thread so i pull out this old one, because i think the new "Virtual Rides No1" Simulations are made from the same guys... so there are 3 new simulators of flat-rides. They look good, but i hoped that something like this would be combined with no-limits someday, but if you are intrested go on http://www.virtual-rides.com/. There are three videos of the rides: Krake: FlyingCircus: XForce:

^^ nice report... really nice to hear that you enjoyed the park as much as i do. About Wodan, like Georg said... it was a little bit of a "let down" in the first weeks, but the last time i rode it, it gets better and better... but it was fun all the time. One day a guy sat next to me and the whole ride he was laughing like hell... and really it is that much fun. you just have to laugh or smile while riding. Wodan is not thrilling or intense but a lot of fun till the final brakes. But i have to admit i was always trying to get in the last rows... So i never rode it in the front, after reading that in the front(up to the middle) it seems to be better in some reviews, i definitly have to give it a try. About the fast operations... yeah EP ist fantastic and i sometimes think the operators make a battle who gets more people through the lines per hour as fast as possible. They manage to get really extrem crowds through lines even on crowded days. And yes... we Europeans hurry in the station. Maybe it's because we don`t want to be blamed that a train has to wait for us... it is kind of embarrassing to us, if others have to wait because of slow behavior and of course we are germans But when i read the reviews about the new Mack Manta in SeaWorld i realized that the operators seems to be as fast as on BlueFire... They even counted how many they get through in one hour... That`s intresting because like you mentioned, it seems that Macks-Launcher can pull through a massive amount of people not only on BlueFire. Like you said, it has fast moving lines, nearly as fast as on SilverStar. So nice to hear that you recognized the same things on this coaster type... And "yes".... the Bluefire trains are the best i have ever riden

The owner mentioned in one interview that all companies were delayed in the production period and that on the first opening date not everything will be ready (for example the funhouse part during the queue). And that the track looks so old is because the mouse coaster is build of an old used Mack-Mouse which was for sale and then enlarged by the Mack to a bigger one. So a big part of the track is the old one and some parts are brand new... and i think they will paint the last parts too after the premiere on the Hamburger Dom. More in informations (in german) and one pic (of the unpainted coaster) on: http://www.wildemaus-xxl.de/

^ that`s nice to hear. I rode Wodan ca. 10 times the last months and i have to admit i nearly always rode it in the last rows. I always thought the same, so after your opinion i definitly have to check out the front row so thx for your answer

you can find some pics of the first installation of the "Wilde Maus XXL" on onride.de (scroll down): http://onride.de/viewtopic.php?t=67644&start=25

^ the same... i really wondered what happend that the reports stopped. but found your "shock"-onride on youtube, so i hope it will go on soon. Can`t wait to see reports from our european parks, especially what you think about the new family-woodie "Wodan" in my home park Europa-Park

some goods news... the park removed the magnetic brake on the top of the hill, so that you get a little bit more air on the hill and drop. And they changed the color to a slightly blue/white tone because of the residents which complained about the yellow structure. Here are some really nice pics from http://freizeitparkweb.de/cgi-bin/dcf/dcboard.cgi?az=show_thread&forum=DCForumID4&om=7412&omm=19&viewmode=from the user "Bone": the started to add theming inside this girl in a box will make you wet it seems that you can make the riders of Rittersturz even more wet with this canon it seems that you really get wet

i like the view of this image... looks like a really nice park. I have to visit italy next year and than i hope that the Mack Lite coaster is as good as it looks: source: https://www.facebook.com/Etnaland

Really nice pics and renderings... are going to produce some animations or movies with them? Edit: Or at least maybe a picture of a complete track with trains on it... would be great!

the first supports and track for the new Mack spinning coaster arrived. pics from http://themepark.nl/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1858065#Post1858065

^ not fake... its like Moose have written: When the wind or sth. helse hits a frequency, that is the same(double/treble) as the resonance of an object in began to swing extremly. Most of you will know the example of the "Tacoma bridge" from TV( epic fail construction and resonance swinging): or here boing tested what happens when a helicopter hits the same frequency as the ground resonance: And because i am a video editor and Special-FX artist, i don`t think this is a fake. I think in this video the wind hits the frequency of the object and so it started to swing very extrem.

there are a bunch of new videos: a massive testing video, with some really hi-speed testing: and four funny advertising spots:

Some more pics from http://rollercoasterrevolution.eu/

there appeared two photos on http://www.parksmaniaclub.it/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3238&start=465

^ they are definitly going to post a video... this pic looks very much after a frame frome an interlaced video. And about the sounds you hear.... they are just because of the new (rubber) wheels and it will go away after some time! I know this because Bluefire made the same sounds in the beginning (testing-phase) and because one Mack guy answered/commented to the video on youtube and said the same.... I always thought the wheels looks more like rubber, so maybe this is the reason why BlueFire sounded like this, is ultrasmooth and looses so much speed. In this videos it looks the same, fast in the first part, but looses much speed in the second part, till the next launch of course . But this ride really looks good and a fun (family-)ride, i hope i sometimes will get the chance to ride it.

testing started: source: http://blog.mirabilandia.it/2012/04/30/divertical-primo-lancio-ok/29-aprile-8b/

there are two testing-videos on youtube: