TTD

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=26782&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=3540 Again, I don't really think that it is the faults of the riders who expected X2 to be smoother, but the overall hype leading up to yesterday. I have to agree with the people who are confused as to why the coaster feels like it used to, after comments above state otherwise (especially when those comments are coming from the Park President). But thats not to say that the ride isn't good, because I'm sure its one of the top rides in the country. But I mean, if you're wondering why everybody was expecting something a bit smoother out of the re-engineered trains, this comment is exactly why. I hope you realize how much publicity that one single sentence got, because it certainly meant a lot in the expectations of people. So instead of saying that somebody is an 'idiot' for saying X2 would be as smooth as a B&M coaster, remember why people begin to think those things. It'd be like if Dick Kinzel told me they redesigned Mean Streak's trains, and now its running as smooth as El Toro. Of course I'm going to give his opinion some weight, especially if he's the only one who's ridden it.

Those coasters were manufactured by Zamperla. Exterminator is a Reverchon ride if I'm not mistaken... Gerstlauer were the guys who built rides like Tony Hawk's Big Spin, Timberline Twister, and Pandemonium.

It doesn't look anything like a Dive Machine trough. Its definitely nowhere near as wide as it should be... http://www.johnnyupsidedown.com/sheikra/sh163a.jpg [/img]

It looks like an O to me. I tried to circle it in the Green Circle to the right.

I think because this coaster was built in such a restricted space, the amount of structural support that the support beams provide isn't as strong as it could be. And as a compensation to the oblique support design, Gerstlauer thought it was best to equip the coaster with tri-rail track to act as an extra supporting agent for the ride.

Comparing the number of ties it takes this roller coaster to reach the pullout in comparison to SheiKra, it takes SheiKra 32 ties to reach what looks to be about a 60 degree angle. In comparison it takes this roller coaster 26 ties to reach what looks to be 45 degrees or less. If this roller coaster were to be 260 feet tall, the ride would have to have 7 or more ties than SheiKra, but it obviously doesn't. So with that said, I think its safe to assume that this roller coaster is more like 180 feet tall, and certainly not 260 feet tall...

Yeah, we got the catalog and CD from Vekoma when we went out to IAAPA this November. I was surprised, after viewing their product video, at how many of Vekoma's products use No Limits to show off the ride's capabilities. Vekoma even has a spinning coaster made up in No Limits...

Those ripples in the restraint actually became a staple on all Amusement products in 1996. A company at IAAPA that I spoke with invented the system, and ever sense its become a mandatory feature on coasters. Basically the idea was that when a rider bangs his or her head into the side of the restraint, the possibility of the ear lobe suctioning onto the restraint was high. So to prevent the ear from adhering to the restraint, those slits in the restraint were applied. Ever since, the same company has been replacing restraints on major roller coasters with that feature in mind. So yeah, although that would be a genius place to put some speakers for the ride, they actually serve a different purpose. Lets just say that they are there primarily for Vekoma coasters .

Think of it more as a ride with Griffon's layout, but with the elements of SheiKra...

I don't know guys. I honestly think you will all be surprised with how fast the line moves for this coaster. I guess the best part about Behemoth that will really be a difference maker in the capacity is the fact that there will be 16 air gates, meaning that riders are already organized and arranged for loading, rather than one air gate per 4 people, with people scrambling to figure out who's going to ride in what seat. And no, I don't doubt that there will be waits for this ride over an hour plus (referring back to SheiKra, the ride opened with the queue stretching all the way back to the land of the dragons... a good quarter mile south of the ride with a wait time clocked at 3 to 4 hours if I can remember correctly) but at the same time, those waits weren't 3-4 hours, because these rides literally eat people. Although I think it'd take an act of God to get people from riding this coaster, I do believe that eventually once the hype dies down that the queue will be adequate for the kind of park that Canada's Wonderland is. Say, can anybody tell me what the most popular rides in the park are right now? Lets just hope that Italian Job isn't one of them aye?

Well I don't know actually. SheiKra at Busch Gardens (sorry I'm referring to SheiKra but its the easiest ride for me to justify) has about 30 minutes worth of queue in it's ride area and it does perfectly fine. I mean, BGT is one of the most popular parks in the country due to its location in Florida and its getting away with it, so I wouldn't be too worried about the queue situation for Behemoth, regardless of how many people Canada's Wonderland pumps in each year. The thing about it is that B&M is chosen for capacity, and with long rides like Behemoth it shouldn't be too difficult to cycle those 36 passenger trains without stacking. I for one am not worried by this, but more excited to the fact that Wonderland is confident about this ride pumping in some serious capacitative numbers.

I made a rendering of what the layout looks like for those of you who are still unsure... Enjoy

Hey Guys, For those of you who are interested in all of the happenings concerning anything from IAAPA to what Universal is doing, go ahead and check out the links below for further details! In the updates you will see: IAAPA -Coverage of most of the major booths that were showcased at the event -Commentary about things that were discussed through RCPro with the manufacturers -Unique visual representations of the event, including overhead shots of the entire Orange County Convention Center. PART 1- http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/updates/iaapa07p1/ PART 2- http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/updates/iaapa07p2/ Universal Orlando Resort -Universal is gearing up for their Holiday in the Park celebrations, decorating everything from Seuss Landing to Universal Studio's 'New York Central Park' -Harry Potter Construction is well underway and RCPro has the first coverage of the ground breaking -The Simpsons Ride is coming along, with more photos of the progression of the Studio's 2008 addition. UPDATE- http://www.rollercoasterpro.com/updates/uor11.17.07/ IAAPA Part 1 IAAPA Part 2 Universal Orlando Resort

I think Griffons Immelmann is 160' so I am guessing that this is aroun 155-160' also if the coaster is around 200' tall. I think SheiKra's is 141, and Griffon's (^) is 146 or so. I'm gonna go with 137 for this one. Seems like for every foot taller the drop is, the immelmann is a foot taller too. That was me being a nerd and finding patterns. I'll stop now. Sheikras immelmann is 145!!!!! rcdb.com According to the Vice President of Engineering and Design, Mark Rose, at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, SheiKra is 204 feet tall, with a 200 foot drop, entering an immelmann that is 165 feet tall. According to a tour that was taken back in March concerning the construction of Griffon, it was noted that it's immelmann was 146 feet tall. Obviously Florida doesn't get as cold as Virginia does, so I think that is part of the reason (as well as the extra span of Griffon's trains providing more air resistance) as to why there is that difference in rations (Drop : Immelmann) between the two rides. As for Chimelong's coaster, since the ride will be running 10 wide carriages, I think the immelmann is probably a tad bit shorter than Griffon's. Chimelong's coaster is really shaping up, and its very neat to see all of the small changes being implemented into this design in comparison to the North American Dive Coasters. Although its something that I believed was only intended for the Busch attractions; I think its kind of neat that the water splash element is a staple part of the coaster's technology. With new things like the water splash being added to rides, it really helps make the attraction fun for not only the riders but for bystanders also. Hopefully Chimelong will do something fancy with their water element, as its more of an aesthetic feature than anything else. By the way, I am a fan of the colors of this ride, and I hope to God that they add some nice shrubbery around the coaster because it would really contrast well with the Reds and Yellows on the ride.

Here's my piece...

Hey guys, I don't post here often, but there is a lot of neat things going on at BGT in preparation for their 50th anniversary in 2009! One of these things is this supposed Congo project. Basically, the reason they took out Python was for this project, an expansion that is 4 times the size of the python area. This will also be Busch's single largest project in the park's 48 year history, boasting some never before seen things to come to the park! The awesome part about what Busch is doing is the fact that the new area is going to be SO interactive for any guests. In fact, this area was designed with everybody in mind, from kids aged 5 all the way up to adults aged 95. Its kind of interesting that the park has decided to go this route. Although there isn't any major coasters planned for the expansion, you can expect some pretty awesome, never before seen gimmicky-type rides coming to this area. In my opinion although its not the most thrilling project Busch has ever tackled, the fact that its so different and so unique to anything any other parks have ever done makes it exciting in my eyes. The press release for this new area will be in mid October.

Yeah I believe thats the case also. Busch tends to be very wordy with the way they market their attractions. Another thing I noticed is the fact that everybody at that event was extremely proud of their new product. A buddy of mine was talking about the Six Flags and Cedar Fair chains to some of the officials there and we all had a good laugh talking about them. Its good to know that they are down to earth people. Over at RCPro, we just finished doing our update and its now open for everybody to look at. I thought Id post it because I'm sure Eric is interested. www.rollercoasterpro.com And speaking of Eric, its good to know that there are some really cool people out there who aren't stuck up, like the majority of the population who were with the coaster clubs and the like. Eric is a really chill guy and was fun to talk to. Have fun on your midwest trip!

Here is one more of Eric before he got to take a spin on SheiKra. He's a really nice guy and we had a nice talk while waiting to board. BTW, I'm the kid from RCPro...

Hello everybody, Theme Park Review seems like a really nice site, not only because of the riche community, but also because of the constant updates day in and day out that are produced. Sometimes I like to come on here just to read some of your guy's Photo Trip Reports, just to see whats going on at those parks that I dont get a chance to travel to. Im really kind of amazed that this site is updated as much as it is, so props to you all for making this site fantastic. I, like everybody else on this site, am a roller coaster enthusiast. Like many of the younger members, I aspire to become a Roller Coaster engineer, which is my main prupose for reading Forums like this. As of right now, I am fairly confident that many of you will be enjoying my productions in the near future, so look out for me . I dont know if any of you know this or not, but I am a member of the site Roller Coaster Pro. I have been for 2 years now and I really enjoy the atmosphere that is provided over there, much as I like the fun filled, upbeat attitude of this site. I understand that there has been a "troubling" past between this site and Roller Coaster Pro, so I hope that this thread does not get deleted because of that sensative issue. To me, I think sites like Roller Coaster Pro and Theme Park Review have functioned the best with help from the 'second wheel'. One of the reasons I joined this site was in hopes to be refreshed everynow and then on the constant things that are happening in the industry. Roller Coaster Pro struggles to get updates sometimes, so having this second party will really be useful. I have created this discussion in order for members to give their honest critique about both sites. I think what I have provided above pretty much wraps up my thoughts about the two sites, and their comparison between each other. Because I am now a member of both sites, I would like to hear your honest opinions on what could be done to improve. I for one (for example) feel that RcPro lacks the lively hood of this site, but at the same time, it manages to have a great array of people conversing throughout the boards. And on the other side, although I like the fun and joking atmosphere of Theme Park Review, sometimes for me, it goes a little overboard. Different people have different thoughts, which is why Ive created this thread. I for one am a person who likes to listen to other people, because that in my opinion, is the best way to learn. Thank you for complying, and I hope that you all can respond in a mature and non-aggressive tone! By the Way, my name is Mike. If have any questions regarding me or the industry, I would be more than willing to help you out! My user name on Roller Coaster Pro is "Mike" so if you see me over there, send me a pm...I dont bite