rcjp

^^Interesting. That looks like quite a lot of airtime hills for a looping ride. I guess they're not going for the usual "inversions-only" coaster that, for instance, B&M does.

^It says it came from the US, but I don't really remember seeing this track on the pictures of the B&M plant.

Whaat?!? 17 Bucks?!? In summer 2013 we had to pay 14$ for one ride, 7$ for a 2nd ride and I think 25$ for an all day pass. Will they call an ambulance for you if you choose the all day pass?

Apparently some first drop supports have been installed. Source.

^Nice pictures. Interesting, that remote control feature on the catch car. It's also interesting how the second half of the SLC is mirrored (compared to the standard ones). I believe I've seen a TPR POV of one in China which is also like that but I'm not sure.

^Well if you want to be even more technical airtime is not weightlessness, it's specifically negative Gs (at least in my view). For me weightlessness is just zero g (what you get on a zero g roll) and airtime is when you are actually pulled upwards (or sideways in the case of these "wave" elements) whether it is violently (like skyrush) or more gently like on B&M hypers.

^^By the way, do you know if the U shaped coaster has regenerative braking or something like that? I imagine that saves/would save quite a bit of power.

^That last picture looks really cool. Thanks for posting.

^True. And it would be much harder to spot for the GP than a massive 200 ft loop.

Me with a friend on Shambhala at Portaventura last April. Now I'll let you guess which one is me

^^^Really cool stuff. I didn't know leviathan had been "silenced" after opening.

^Me too. I know there will always need to be some steel bits but personally, I prefer when it looks as "woody" as possible.

Not necessarily. If the loop was shaped properly, it would feel like a normal one only longer. Sure, it would have to be huge but I'm fairly certain the Gs aren't the reason manufacturers don't do looping gigas. I imagine that other reasons that have been mentioned here (like the range of people the coasters appeals to) are the important ones. According to those descriptions, yes. But what if a park said: "We want an inverted coaster which is 95 meters tall."? As far as I know, the definition of giga coaster is " a coaster which is more than 300 ft tall and less than 400". Just because, so far, no gigas have had inversions it doesn't mean that a giga can't go upside down otherwise it isn't one. For example, until now all (that I know of) standups have inversions but what's to stop someone from building a non-looping standup?

^I don't know but I think they are supposed to be fairly more economical than LSM/LIM. I think I read somewhere than intamin accelerator coasters don't cost that much more to run than a chain/cable lift one would.

It does look extremely sexy

^It does look like a pretty cool element. But, honestly, I think it will just be a moment of weightlessness only sideways (but perhaps that will add to the fun).

^Assuming it does open next year. I mean, I haven't heard of anything about the construction so far and given its size I guess it'll take a while.

Sort of true. (my French isn't what it was a few years ago) The person below me is/wants to become an engineer.

^Actually, in recent years, B&M has been building quite a few more (adult) coasters than intamin.

I'm almost like you except that I have shambhala (5131 ft) instead of Magnum.

^Really?? I knew some LSM/LIM coasters had pretty expensive cycles but had no idea they could be that much.

True. The person below me has ridden a top 3 wooden coaster according to the MH poll.

^Hey I know these things are expensive and it is true that during slower days the effect might not be so big. Still it's not like parks can't afford them and it is things like this which sometimes show us the attention they pay to the overall experience. I mean, parks like SFMM are very often criticised for 1 train operations and because while it is true that some days even with only 1 train running you might have to wait less than you would on a busy day with the ride running at full capacity they could still do a bit better. I'm not saying every single park should buy one more train than they can run at a time but it surely isn't just a waste of money, is it?

^That's right. That's why I'm nowhere near as enthusiastic about the Disney parks as most people here. If I were in the Orlando area (I know I'll be killed for this) the Disney parks would be the last of the "big" ones I'd do as I would rather ride some coasters first. I know Disneyland Paris isn't regarded as the best Disney park but it's probably the one that appeals to me the most because of that (even if their coasters are not the best). Like I said, this might change one day and I'm definitely not saying I wouldn't enjoy one day in a Disney Park but I would definitely prefer spending that time in a place like Cedar Point or Hershey Park

I'm with ya. 'Nitro' sits very high on my list of favorite rides and has basically no themeing whatsoever. I love coasters first and foremost, it is absolutely the reason I go to parks and even why I am posting on this board right now. Themeing or no themeing, if a coaster is great its great. Put El Toro over a parking lot and I'll still think its the best coaster on earth. I can't think of a single situation where bad or no themeing made for an overall bad ride experience for me. Totally agree. Most people here agree that skyrush is a great coaster (and so do I) and yet it doesn't really have theming. I also love coasters first and foremost. I might sometimes go to a park with plenty of flats and smaller coasters and ride the same 3 or 4 big coasters all day long over and over again. Of course theming always improves a ride experience but right now I can't think of any coaster I would rank differently if it had better/worse theming. So if it is there, then great! But I will always take a better ride over a better themed one. Maybe this will change as I grow older and visit more and more parks as I've noticed that I'm gradually paying more attention to things like atmosphere, whether the place is clean or not and other details I couldn't care less about a few years ago. For now, I'm all about the coasters.