RoCo

Is Grizzly quietly snickering in the corner at this news?

Totally in agreement on the beauty of snow-covered amusement parks. The white, the stillness, even the cold, gives you new perspectives. Once walked through SFGAdv. after a major snowfall... that was a great day. Also in agreement on missing seasons. I read about NYC's insane weather and I'm jealous.

...I am speechless... freaking awesome report, my friend, just amazing. That shot of the tiny people on the roof really slams home the epic scale of the building. Fantastic. And the night shots? I could go on and on...

^Yeah, now I'm recalling the talk about the rumbling down the stairs effect... too bad that all didn't come to pass.

The trains on the KI version actually have the ability to drift, but they don't. If you look closely at the back of the train you can see small wheels that create an arch shape where the cars would slide out on. As far as I know, the trains never did drift, and as they sit now, the cars are bolted to the chassis to prevent the "drifting". Really?! Wow, I had no idea. Wonder why they chose not to "enable" this feature? My gut tells me I would love this kind of horizontal sliding action on a coaster.

Was poking around the site to see if this ride was similar in layout to Beijing Happy Valley's "Extreme Rusher" and found a "Gutterflower" post with a POV vid link: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjEzMjk2NTQw.html (in case anyone else missed it - mad props to Gutterflower for finding it.) Oh, man, that looks like fun, and that rising whine just before the launch?!

Whoops, I missed that post; thanks! Too bad I'm not a motion graphics/web guy... But seriously, even though my comment was made partially in jest, this outfit really does seem like an unbelievably cool place.

What a great thread! How do I submit a resume to work at Real Art?!?!

^Yeah, the profiles on some of these hills are pretty warped!(Great shots, thanks!) That 2012 China trip is going to be ferociously epic...

Totally sweet. How many parks combine world-class roller coasters with live animal encounters as well as BGT? Man, I miss that place a lot.

Thanks for posting that Gwazi testing video! Those MF trains are just poetry in motion. And the kangaroo & wallaby photos are also full of cuddly win.

That is very, very sweet... love how the flume "flows" into the Colossus tracks, among other details... [starting to regret my cheap-ass decision not to buy one...]

Ay, chihuahua, that is a fairly big check for an ice-cream parlor meal for two... but the grub does look pretty damned appetizing, especially the "Death by Chocolate/Chocolate Suicide Sundae" (brought to you by the Dept. of Redundancy Department).

"Tennessee Tentacles!" Forgot to add: Love the Togo "Inviso-Supports" on the right side of the Carowinds brochure cover. EDIT: For those who didn't know, "Togo" is actually slang in the regional Southeast dialect for "Bolliger & Mabillard." True story...

Damn... I remember seeing this article when I was a wee lad and I think I might still have it stored away somewhere. Some of the best coaster shots ever taken... And seeing the original ACErs certainly brings back a ton of memories.

The sexiness radiating out of these pictures is... unholy.

Nice! This all looks and sounds very cool, especially the mine train coaster! Music! Swinging! Awesome!

^All good points and I agree - as a "dent in the sheetmetal," it would definitely be ugly, should a project of this size go under. But I think anyone who's in the market for a six-figure supercar wouldn't be making a purchasing decision based on the success or failure of a theme park based on the brand - and that's who Ferrari is most focused on. I think. But I would also be most interested in hearing from people who've seen advertising, etc. in that part of the world. How hard IS Ferrari pimping this park?

I'm fairly certain Ferrari would be much happier to see this park succeed in the long run, but it wouldn't be a brand-destroying problem if it were ever to close (and there's no reason to think it will close any time soon). I'd guess they're far more worried about winning races and super-car-industry kudos than theme park attendance figures.

So much great stuff here... but I really love the old BTMR ad (despite the ridiculous typeface choice for the headline! ). I've always dug the full-page Disneyland ads in the LA Times. I remember a classic they ran for the re-opening of the Matterhorn, when they finished off the interior and added the Yeti... Sweetness.

Wow, that tunneled launch and "re-entry" on TOT2 is SWEEEET! (Still hoping there are a few SFX surprises for the Supester...) But, yeah, image and audio quality aside, very revved over the new S:EFK pov.

Hey, let's give these guys credit for actually getting their park constructed and open. How many parks were announced for that part of the world in the last few years? BTW, really like the new site banner! The tag line is great.

Holy crap, that is PRICELESS! "Flight Deck!" KidTums' avatar photo! "shut down by PETA!" Just awesome. (Oh, and the Great America stuff is great, too!)

I'm sure very few on this site are doing cartwheels of joy over the new kiddie coaster, but I must say, I think getting the U.S.'s first Zac Spin and a complete revamp of Superman in the same year is pretty freaking amazing. All other issues aside, I give SFMM a massive high-five for the goodies this year.

Not just a stock font, but the most obvious choice, a variety of "Stencil." Pretty uninspired for sure. [Note to SFMM: I'm available for freelance design work. I'll cut you a break on this, since I know money's tight.] Also, I think the pistachio thing is part the POM Wonderful/Teleflora company. They're pimping pistachios pretty hard right now.