QueerRudie

Yes, it is in fact the one and only SpaceWarp with the spiral elevator lift hill- which means that the parts inside are in fact similar. I did notice in the video (On the same website) you can see the changes made, including longer tie arms (off the support steel columns) and some revisions to the basic 'elements' such as the see-saw, the turnaround tubes and some of the motor pieces. I'm not quite sure if these are going to require rewiring from Asian standard to US, but I somewhat believe if the pictures are in fact correct that they will not. I do have some ideas for models already brewing- including a few models of existing rides (with some minor technical modifications) such as SpaceMountain Florida (I've always wanted to do a re-creation of this one- ever since 1988!) and a traditional Wild Mouse. I had at one point built a prototype lift hill chain system (out of bent paper clips, no less) and I'm planning on recreating the same thing if possible. My best attempts to find the drawings were fruitless, as I didn't keep them outside of storage. I'll be posting pictures as soon as I get my new 'grown up' toy- SpaceWarp 10000 from Karakuri.com. Enough parts to make any SpaceWarp fan a true master designer.

So after seeing a previous topic on model marble rollercoasters, I did a little bit of websurfing to find www.karakuricorner.com a website dedicated to hard-to-find Japanese collectibles, toys and assorted other items. There, one can find those scary looking plastic robots etc. but to some fans of Spacewarp they have three models available- Spacewarp Start is the equivalent of the old Set 10. Basic, same concept, but with a few new parts designed in. Spacewarp 5000 is the equal to the old set 20, although this one appears to be a bit larger and longer. Spacewarp 10000 is the largest of the sets I could find. It's a larger version of the set 30- signifigantly larger- and has quite a bit more track and structure. I'm looking forward to assembling my set 10000 next week. Needless to say I'm highly excited about this.

WHOOHOOO!!!!! Glad to see that one of the better rides at PKD will has opened up and begun to blast again!

I was there during Christmas week/New Years 1995 and they were running two trains the entire time. I will give them some pretty good credit- they avoided stacking the trains as much as possible- to the point of being obscenely fast in many cases- Outside of the Tennesee Tornado (Also a great Arrow coaster- well worth the, um, 'Dueling Banjos' populous of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg) I have never seen such well choreographed movement of crew- they worked their backsides off to keep things rolling. That having been said, yes... OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH!!!!! Whoever designed those brakes must have been big on pain in his/her life- those brakes not only stopped on a dime, but the train picked it up and gave back 8 cents.

That's insane. And all those cars- now that's a capacity monster if I've ever seen one. But that layout looks almost painful if you think of the acceleraton around those corners- OUCH-

100 acres isn't something to sneeze at- its quite a bit if you're creative and use every foot wisely. See what parks like Kennywood do to create a great ridespace and beautiful in-park scenery. (Sorry, despite how much I love Kennywood, the views of Pittsburgh aren't that great-) Some of the best challenge games I've made in RCT2 have been small parks- and this one doesn't seem all that small. THe location is challenging, but not impossible! But to miss out on all those great terrain locations for big rides would be a HUGE mistake- Can you imagine an alpine slide down the hill on one side? Or a Intamin HyperSpeedracer that goes all the way down to the parking Lot? Who'd need HydroLaunch coasters when you could achieve that without any effort whatsoever! (Granted, the cost would be OBSCENE, but to get an advertising icon like that might just be worth it!)

Two of my favourite cult films of all time- WestWorld and the pseudo-sequel FutureWorld- The original WestWorld was primarily used using the 'wild west' theme and a still handsome Yul Brynner (Spelling doesn't count.) The sequel, FutureWorld was adapted from the original, but adapted in a HUGE way- Many different shots were done in many locales (If anybody has ever connected at Houston Intercontinental Airport, You'll remember those 'trams' to the worlds looking VERY familiar- they're the same ones- and one gaffer goof is the map of the Houston Airport on the side of the one of the cars.) The 'Space segments were shot partly at Johnson Space Center- the launch rocket scene was pulled from the vaccum gravity research facility therein. For the airline enthusiats out there- did you all get a gander at the uniforms and headrest covers in the aircraft scenes? Laker Airways? First Class? And who could ever forget the acting skills of Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner (Yes, Will's Mom). Perhaps somebody will take the opportunity to use those moldy oldie films to turn a Wild West World into a REAL FutureWorld or WestWorld. I'm sure that if Disney could create animatronic presidents (Hmmm... Ever think that Al Gore was animatronic, and that Disney was peeved that he didn't get elected?) then why they couldn't create a theme park full of them? Just a random thought.

Great trip photos- They brought back a few very lost memories of youth and BGTOC in the very early 80's. The fruit drinks in the small plastic fruits. (They probably still have those floating around, but since I started to ride I never noticed them anymore.) The now-defunct Monoral and Brewery tour. Sadly, this was the extent of my thrill level at that point in my life. I missed out on Glissade. But it was the most amazing thing to me to see the canning section of the factory! How HUGE the Le Scoot log flume seemed to me at that age. The Festhaus being big, noisy and smelly. (I still can't stand the smell of sauerkraut!) Getting sick on the train ride (See aformentioned fruit drink in the plastic fruit!) The petting zoo animals chasing me around and 'relieving' themselves on my shoes. Guaranteed to make my day less fun. The cable cars (Blimp Debarcadere, Zeppling Landung etc.) What a great trip down memory lane. (Even if the memory isn't as good as it used to be!)

Since I'm a big fan of pozGs, I find that most wooden coasters don't cut the mustard for me- but there are a few exceptions to this rule- Wild One, SFA (Before it was neutered into oblivion) HersheyPark Wildcat and Lightning Racer (Wildcat moreso, esp. in the front seats) SOB at PKI (I must be in the few minority on this one- for obvious reasons!) But for me, it's the G's, G's, G's. The majority of my 'top 20 list' is composed of steel- Schwartzkopf MindBenders- SFOG and West Edmonton Mall. The obvious choices for me. I'd never experienced 'hard-core' riding until spring break 1995 and a very VERY long trip to Canada to give WEM's MindBender a ride (or 36) SFOG Mindbender is much milder than that, but a good and reliable ride with some very nice G's at the bottom of the Inclined Helix element. Thriller/Texas Tornado/Zonga/???? (Formerly of SFMW) Zonga was GREAT. Other than those very painful deathmachine cars (Did TOGO influence Weiland Schwartzkopf or something?) ShockWave (SFOT)- Back-to-Back blackout Gs on a fantastic ride with great speed. Nuff' said. Loch Ness Monster, BGTOC (BGW, BGE). Daddy's Beautiful Girl. The love of my life. My #1 ride. The front seat, right side. Good lateral toss at the top of the turn into the first inversion and before the trim station at the top of the second major drop. Nice STRONG G's in the entry and exit of the inversions. Long, cool, dark tunnel. Use of Terrain. Two Lifts. SMOOTH AS SILK. (No Joke, I actually picked my college based on its proximity to BGW.) So, I guess that makes me a steel man. But in all reality, my preference is for whatever ride I'm on at the moment, unless it's a TOGO.

SixFlags America, anyone? They had a whole slew of Zamperla rides at one point (Notably the Iron Beagle, -ahem- Eagle) and the swings that have the 'less-nude' cherubs on them.

I hope this comes to full fruition. Very few parks have such a great locale as theirs. A great place to build a new (although it's a small park) ravine/terrain ride. Would love to see what Mike Boodley could do with it-

A very said day indeed. Suspendeds are such a rare breed that losing even one is a bad deal. With todays technology, I'm amazed that they've not redeveloped the rides themselves- a new version of the classic suspended coaster would work very well at a few different parks I know of.

Spacewarp. Crack with a track. I got my first kit in 1986, and built and built and built and built.... Needless to say it was the most amazing and unique toy that a coaster enthusiast could ever want as a kid. (well, until Coaster Dynamix and K'nex came along, of course) but for me there was nothing better to keep me going for years. Tragically my collection was lost in a fire several years ago- but I now know that I'll be feeding the Japanese economy again....

Space Mtn. Florida- Both before the retrofit (The old, padded, thick, soft and slippery bobsled seats- always a hoot!) Any Beemer Hyper GCI Millenium Flyers- Easily the best fitting seats for me. Worst: Morgan Trains. By far. AND... Those Godawful things they stuck on Thriller/Texas Tornado/Zonga. OUCH.

Hmmmm... It's time for me to block a hotel room each week from April through June. It's good to be the (Frequent travelling, high-rate paying and elite-status at Hyatt) King. What a great teaser video- Even my coaster-phobic roomate enjoyed it.

I took a short road trip to the Disney's America 'preview center' in Haymarket VA that summer to take a long look at the proposed park and it's expansion plans over the years. The staff were from the Florida park primarily, and mostly were press type people, very friendly and outgoing- they gave me a huge packet of material on the park, with the timeline to the diffent aspects of the park and it's hotels, etc. (Unfortunatly, the packet along with the pictures and press releases was burned in a fire which destroyed most of my coaster collections and personal items several years ago.) I do remember a model of the planned park, and some very striking similarities to portions of the existing California Adventure park- The large wooden coaster in the model appeared to be very close to the California Screamin' coaster- which makes me think that the imagineers had a ride planned that just switched locations. A very large river rapids ride was also planned, as was a 'Factory' themed inverted coaster through a large building (Perhaps an Industrial Revolution themed ride?)- Although the model was amazing, detail was best reserved for a park that never materialized- sadly. Some other things that were planned (based on my memory, so please forgive any details I may have forgotten!) A water park was also planned for the site, along with a smaller 'second' park- whether or not this was inteded to be ridepark or a campground, I don't remeber. Several Disney Hotels (The first would have opened with the park, with three others following shortly thereafter) Plus space for additional 'licenced' hotels on site. I do recall that property along that section of HWY 15 shot up, with many of the large resort operators buying up land before they even got approvals to build the park in. The park was planned to have been 140 acres to start, with buildout being up to 220 acres, or roughly the size of the Magic Kingdom in Fla. The actual park was to have been centred in the middle of the triangular shaped acreage, with the subsuquent parks/hotels/ancillary items surrounding the park at the core. When Disney threw in the towel (I Stand by the term Gave up too early!) they had made signifigant concessions to areal jurisdictions for road improvements (Wideing rt. 66, adding road access to the park and surrounding areas and restricting traffic through the battlefields) plus noise and curfew provisions. Prince William County was all for the plan- at least that was what they stated in early releases- as the tax revenue would have been staggering. However, the NIMBYs in that part of the state had become too bothersome for most people to deal with- and their crying and shouting brought down even mighty Disney- with one benefit. The BoyScouts of America inherited the land for future use in their own projects. I'm not saying that the NIMBYs didn't have a real case- they do, as traffic here can be appalling at best even on Sunday. Personally I feel Disney had a real plan to redevelop that area without undue stress to the populous as a whole.

I visit Vegas about once a year, and have tried several of the different types of hotels along the strip- both good, bad, awful and indifferent: Best: Bellagio, if you've got the $$$$$ to do it: by far the most amazing of the properties, but with a signifigant "green Ceiling" to keep some people from going in- don't expect to find a discount room, but seeing the amazing fountain show from your room is incredible, Good: Rio LasVegas- All suites, all huge. If you're an Airliner enthusiast, request a room in the taller tower above the 35th floor- you get a great view of McCarran field's approach and departures. Easier to access the strip than in the past, shuttles run to Harrah's, Caesar's Palace and Paris Las Vegas frequently, allowing you to get around the strip with some ease. Unique SkyShow every 45 minutes above one of the sides of the casino, and RioRita, the hotel's Mascot may even pay you a visit. Biggest Plus: PENN AND TELLER!!! O.K.- Harrah's LasVegas. Converted from the ashes of the ShowBoat hotel, Harrah's is right in the middle of the strip- equidistant from the south end (MGM, Hooters, NYNY, etc.) and from the north end (CircusCircus, Strat, Sahara, etc.) Rooms are clean, but don't expect tons of extras, unless you're a Total Gold Diamond or Platinum memeber. Monorail station on site will bring you to either end of the strip (and soon McCarran Field) with ease- a multiday pass is reccommended if you're planning on sightseeing the journey, Forum Shops Mall and Veneitan way are somewhat close by, as is Mirage and TI. Awful, to be avoided at all costs (If it's still standing!) Imperial Palace. Now owned by Harrah's, it is planned for demoliton to build the new Harrah's LasVegas in the near future. Often forgotten from travel guides for a good reason, IP is dark, narrow, congested, clausterphobically small inside the casino, with narrow outlets and small, dark and smelly rooms. I tried three before I could find one that was barely tolerable, and the staff seem to be very indifferent and often rude. Access to the strip is easy, but getting around the hotel is enigmatically challenging. Food is AWFUL. You'd be better on a bench outside a crack house than inside IP. Coasters: Having ridden them all, and in the case of the defunct LightningBolt, both, I find that Robb' s comments on 'Pick Your Poison' to be appropriate. However, CanyonBlaster at CircusCirucs to be amongst the best- and by far a truly superior Arrow for it's build date and class. Blackout Strength G's can be had in the front car, as well as ejector seat Airtime in the same seats. Back parts of the train give a lackluster ride at best, and although fun, the front is the place to be. Period. Speed: The ride is great, but can be a real earboxer if you're not used to a Premier LIM coaster- the turn into the strip is a bit rough, and will toss you if you're not prepared for it. Manhattan Express: While I've not ridden it in several years, it is a traditional TOGO DeathMachine- but a tall one at that. Prepare to experience what alcoholism combined with a solid dose of S/M and rough riding in quantity. OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH. Whatever you are planning, have a great trip, and remember the sign outisde of the D gates at McCarran Field: Welcome to Las Vegas, Now leaving Reality, Enjoy your stay!

Best: Machine Gun sound of Loch Ness monster's lift hill Grizzly's growling and screeching around the last turn before the bunny hops to the brakes (PKD's of course) The gentle 'Hisssss Clank' of any Premier LIM coaster before the banshee scream of electromagnetic bliss The hiss of a Beemer (Specifically Apollo's Chariot) that can be heard on days when the ride is empty- listen to the wheels as they coast around the highbank helix, just as the train begins to dive towards the brake run- sounds like meat cooking a bit. Worst: After standing in line for an hour or more, hearing the dreaded words "Due to unforseen circumstances, the _______ will not be operating for the present time." (Often heard at SFA and SFMW) or.... The sounds of silence of a great ride standing idle and empty, lifeless, without trains nor track in preparation for its imminent execution. (R.I.P. Drachen Fire, Clementon Lake JackRabbit, Texas Cyclone.)

Best BBQ: Busch Gardens Europe Best French Fries: Kennywood Park (The Potato Patch) Best desserts: Tie: Busch Gardens Europe and HersheyPark I selectet BGE for BBQ simply because it's by far the best theme-park related food on the planet. In many parks it is very difficult to get something that tastes fresh and is made on site (Most of the themers I've been to use pre-made burgers and fries, etc.) but BGE's BBQ is made in their own smokers and prepared fresh each day. It's usually my second stop (Daddy's Beautiful Girl, Loch Ness Monster, is ALWAYS the first stop!) Kennywood Park's Potato Patch is second to none when it comes to fries. I'd never heard of the term 'Wets' before I went there in 1994 for the first time, but it was well worth the extreme heat to enjoy what has become a ritual for anybody I travel with to the park- a big, hot steaming pile of fresh fries covered in gravy- YUM! Best desserts was a tie for me- BGE for the wonderful assortment of delectable pastries and cakes (Their Black Forest Cake is better than what I can make- and I'm a professional Chef!) HersheyPark is up there as the desserts available both in the park and at the ChocolateWorld tour are amazing- if you're ever in the mood for a complete chocolate overdose, head to the Ice Cream Parlour and enjoy a Black Cow Brownie sundae- A rich and fudgy brownie with three scoops of chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, caramel, hot fudge, chocolate chips, and a small yet tasty chocolate cow on top- it's beyond all expressions of absoulute pleasure.

Let's see... I can remember two- Standing in line for the Circus Circus Lightning Bolt, as a train hurtles through the loops and hearing somebody say "Does this ride go upside down?"- I started to laugh, and the person said "No, I'm serious. Does this ride go upside down?" Riding on White Water Canyon at PKD and seeing a backup at the return to platform, I watched (in amazment) as one of the rafts floated into the water pool to the right of the lift hill, followed by somebody singing the theme to "Gilligan's Island."

Very good trip report, if I do say so- And quite funny as well. I thought I had the bad luck gene when it came to PKD's rides and lines (And food, and staff, etc.)

For me, EFP at BGW (BGE) is the best. Fantastic theming all around, good long ride time (for a SplashWater falls ride, of course) plus a really cool show inside.

The only really REALLY cool breakdown I can fully remember was on Loch Ness Monster (Daddy's Beautiful Girl!) on ACE Day at BGW in 1992. The transfer block sensors tripped an E-Stop while we were in the helix- and locked the circuit when we were on the second lift hill- which resulted in the shutdown of the ride, and the -terrible pity- of an on lifthill evac. I heard GPs complaining that they were going to die, get injured, etc. and I thought this was the coolest thing ever! Arrow's lift hills are suprisingly steep (At least they appeared that way to me at age 17!) and getting to see the lifthill that close up still amazes me. For our 'suffering' we got a free day at the park (Which I used that October for my 18th birthday, no less-) Nessie was back up and running less than two hours later- but what a great memory I have of that day.

I always thought of that wraparound corkscrew as a 'CorkWinder' element- kinda looks like it if you think about it. I miss laying down and looking up through the helix 'viewing area' on a warm summer evening- a very unique way to look at it. I miss the black and blue marks left on my left collarbone from the restraints if I didn't position myself correctly (Feet into the wheel hub, body turned to the right and pushed up against the seat back. I miss the smell of the freshly trashed and nauseated frat boys getting off the ride and heaving just outside the exit gate. Oh, those were the days....

I agree- but it's not like every park in the US has Beemers-O'-Plenty-