SoCalCoasters

I thoroughly enjoyed watching (most of) the development of this project aside from the initial leaked photos and overblown situation reports. Busch Gardens really has created a ride experience that I don't think we've ever seen anything like before. They've successfully combined a highly themed roller coaster with interchangeable dark ride elements and a vertical drop track that appears to pack quite a whallop. I really hope Zierer continues to produce such refined and detailed attractions for the amusement industry! Verbolten looks fantastic!

That's true...still...most safety precautions and procedures are made to prevent circumstances like this...I wonder what caused the plug to burst...

Accident Article Link Sounds a bit odd... based on another new report I heard the man was investigating some kind of problem when the hydraulic plug blew off...if they were investigating something like that...shouldn't they have put the ride in a full on shutdown.

Would all the tunnel whiners like some cheese with all this whine? Yes, it's a new ride that they threw down 20 million dollars for, yes, they added a tunnel at the last second that adds a bit of thrill. Yes it may look out of place, but is it really that big of a deal? The ride isn't "heavily" themed so I don't see why there has been such a huge amount of complaints about a feature that people wanted and asked for in the first place! This park was under a manager who for years forwarded beatification. I'm sure they'll eventually change it. They may not do it immediately, but in time more theming may be added. If not oh well, it still looks like a great ride and complaining about such a small detail seems trivial. It's a freakin' B&M Giga But it has a long break run and an unthemed tunnel so I don't like it! Myah! /sarcasm

AP Testing I do not test well at all. Even if I know the concept extremely well, I'll fail the test. Having a rather bad case of ADHD and having a medicine that does little besides depress me, I always do terrible on tests. AP testing is going to tank my grades...

I'm usually opposed to photo editing, but those shots are really great! I especially love the last one and that shot of everestfrom across the lagoon.

I don't see Knott's removing Screaming' Swing anytime soon. It's an up charge attraction with a very striking profile. It's an additional moneymaker attraction and as long as it brings in more money than it costs to run it, it'll continue pulling in revenue. Also what is it with you and Skyflyers?

An interesting observation I'm seeing here... The first time I ever drove by Discovery Kingdom was in 2003 when Zonga was still dominating the front Skyline of the park. The ride was very much visible from the freeway and looked quite attractive. In a way I'm actually quite happy that this location, even though we had to sacrifice Pandemonium. This location will cause the ride to be extraordinarily striking and visible to all those passing on the freeway. Since the park is relatively large you have a good chunk of time for people riding in vehicles to the look over and say "What the hell is that? That looks awesome! We totally need to go back to discovery Kingdom since they have and awesome new ride!" The coaster is literally a giant advertisement saying: Hey look! we added this amazing new attraction! Come and ride it!" I cannot wait to see this once it is completely built. Being as tall as Medusa, and much more vibrant, it'll be the first thing you see as you get near the park, and one of the first coasters you see as you walk towards the park entrance. The location is just brilliant, and I think they chose it quite well.

I don't understand how they can't just give the ride ops some kind of basic mechanic training that would allow them to be able to go over to the car and right it instead of just having to wait ten minutes while they call a mechanic to come and right it. Getting stuck on it during West Coast Bash was infuriating. We sat down and the car moved forward an inch before stopping since a car had stalled inverted. After waiting twenty minutes for the mechanic to come and fix it, we did a circuit, then right as we were about to enter the load/unload zone the car stopped AGAIN due to a stall. After ANOTHER twenty minutes our car was finally able to unload and I was extremely sore from having to sit for forty minutes in those trains... After that I gave up on the ride...it wasn't worth wasting any more of my time...

I think that they're in the same market, but they're not that big of a threat to eachother since it's such a large distance. I think it's like Sea World San Diego & Universal Hollywood. I'm not a local as I live 2000 miles away from KY, so I too want to hear what a local has to say. Um...Sea World San Diego is around 3-4 HOURS (including traffic) away from Universal Studios Hollywood. one is LA, and is San Diego. These are different markets.

I remember during West Coast Bash when I was using Green Lantern's single rider line that the staff area had a white board the said: No Three Person Cars! Completely fill all vehicles! I guess they really don't want to make it an enjoyable ride? I rode it 20+ times during WCB, and could tell it wasn't running the way it was designed...

I think Six Flags could've talked with Vallejo into building a coaster 4' taller. Anyways, the land clearing I said earlier was to change the terrain as that part of SFDK is very hilly. That height variance was there before the park. It's unlikely anything official could be made that high. However the whole V2 debacle....

Makes sense. I wouldn't want to be in the back row going 15 mph out of the station and up the steep lift incline curve...that would be some uncomfortable whiplash most likely.

I've been talking with many GP people who seem to dislike Manta simply because of it's size. I've had to explain all the hoops they jumped through to build it this high...

^A certain neighbor up the street hyped theirs even more, so I wouldn't go so readily bashing their marketing.

^Carsland will probably fill the "Major attraction Niche" for DCA for a while... If you're refering more towards the Paradise Pier area wouldn't Little Mermaid, Cali Screamin' or Midway Mania count? I thought the hair looked a bit odd, but I can honestly say I didn't even realize it looked weird until after I rode it and saw pictures. The hair really didn't have that big of an impact on the ride experience...

We live in sue-happy "Umerica" where I belief we can classify law-suits as our national pastime. Since Revolution doesn't have a spotless record, one could assume that SFMM wishes to avoid having to deal with lawsuits from idiots hurting themselves and blaming the park. Just about any ridiculous lawsuit can make it to court now adays, and it's amazing how many times Disney has had to deal with lawsuits like this, ie: people blaming Tower of Terror for a death that happened months after they went to the park. It's ridiculous, makes no sense, but in order to keep the park's "image", they're trying to avoid lawsuits at all costs. I myself wish they would refurbish the ride, and eventually they will have to. They can't remove it without a massive hullabaloo that I'm sure would look just as bad as a lawsuit. At this point they need to just refurbish the dang thing a bring it back to its former glory, then market the hell out of it. Once again use the marketing that it's the first modern looping coaster in the world. They can't keep running it the way it is much longer, as it's dropping in popularity. I honestly think someone needs to create some kind of letter to send to the park explaining the reasons WHY this really does need to happen. Not like some ordinary letter, but more of a comprehensive explanation that goes incredibly in depth in terms of what needs to be done, how it can be done, why it needs to be done, and what benefits can they reap besides just having it run "good" again. I'm sure there are many Schwarzkopf experts on these forums who wouldn't mind trying something like that. The hardest thing is getting the park to actually listen to what we have to say. I felt a bit irritated at WCB when I asked a question about the possibilities lap bar trains and was basically given a quick GP explanation answer of "well the Gs are too high in the loop", when everyone in the room knew full and well the ride ran perfectly fine for 20 years with lap bars.

^The more Pizza and Pasta the better. Great TR, really cool to see all the work that went into this area. A lot of money well spent, and while it may not "please" every enthusiast who expects Disney-quality theming, I really like what they did.

I have to give Legoland Billund props for going out on a limb here with this expansion. It's something the Legoland park's haven't really tried before. This attraction was ONE part of a $20 Million dollar overhaul/expansion. I don't think people should compare this to Verbolten's pricey $50 million dollar price tag AND different target group. One thing you can count on is them finding ways to plus/polish the attraction over the coming months. Everyone should know by now never to judge an attraction solely based on what they see in a very limited POV view that doesn't allow for you to actually feel the forces. Legoland built an attraction geared towards a child audience. However, the complaints about the drop system are completely unwarranted, ESPECIALLY once you watch the Zierer interview from Robb's IAAPA video: At 10:10 you can see them testing the drop section that's on Polar X-plorer and Verbolten. It's not a huge drop, but it's a reliable and efficient mechanism that can be reset easily. It's not meant to be OMFG intense. It's LEGOLAND. Target Audience: 2-12 year olds I rest my case as a Fan Boy. No new attraction is perfect, and everyone has their complaints. Give them props for managing to work in so much into a single attraction: Coaster, Drop Ride, meandering transit ride and penguin exhibit. You could go right out the exit and view the penguins, so I think the "penguin interaction" was more of an added bonus than a "marquee feature".

Based on what we've heard and seen this seems more like Winnie the Pooh (TDl)'s trackless darkride system (indicated by the bottom of the vehicle in the picture) meets Indy and Spidey.

^Hasn't that "rumor" been going around since before they built Ben 10? Even so, it would be nice to see Drayton get a new coaster the park seems quite nice. It's not exactly "theme park" related, but it does pertain to the amusement Inudstry. The San Diego Zoo's Wild Safari Park AKA The Wild Animal Park closed down their infamous WGASA Bush Line Tram around 5-6 years ago, and promised two new "routes" when the new "Eco friendly" system using vehicles built by Chance. Unfortunately the second Asian Loop never happened. However the park has been doing major updates and revamps, and the only area of the park that is still in dire need of a refresh is the Asian Animals area which looks like it got stuck in the late 80's. Since the park is not for profit they hardly ever do any kind of large expansion work. However since they have finally completed most of the remodeling of the park, I think they may finally build the Asian loop and restore the Asian area of the park to its original, and awesome state.

As someone who is an avid darkride creator (using RCT3), I can back up what Robb is saying here. The best kind of darkrides are ones you can just get on and have a blast without knowing any major backstory. Plot twists, clique elements, and good illusions are much more likely to appeal to your audience than a convoluted story they have to know 18373 things about in order to understand it. Here's the order most darkrides take. They have to tell an entire story in 3-5 minutes. That's why most darkrides don't have complex stories. When they do you get lost. Most follow this general outline: Introduction > Rising Action > Plot Twist > Climax > Ending/ Falling Action Example for Spidey: 1. Jameson tells you to go get some great news "scoops", and Spiderman warns you of the night's dangers 2. Disregarding Spidey's advice you conveniently end up in the villan's lair and must escape each of them 3. After finally getting outside you are hit by Doc Oc's Anti Gravity Cannon sending you hundreds of feet into the air 4. Final battle takes place in midair 5 You "fall from midair and Spidey saves you, and the day is saved!

Just Pre-ordered my copies of Animal Crossing 3DS, Paper Mario 3DS, Luigi's Mansion 2" and Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance. It's going to be a great year for the 3DS. Dream Drop distance will automatically become the best KH game because The World Ends With You is in it. No exceptions. No valid arguments can dispute this point. Needless to say I'm very excited for all 4!

Oh WOW! Kasi has grown tremendously! I really loved BGT when I visited the park last year. Kumba does indeed live up to all the hype. That zero G roll is coaster heaven. Great pictures and I'm glad to see BGT looking great!

This park, if I recall correctly, was used in the finale of the movie Hannah right? The log flume structure must be in decent condition because they shot the finale sequence at the top of the big drop out of the mountain. They also had one of the actors (or stuntmen) fall down the drop backwards. It would be very cool to see this park brought back to life.