Blue Fire Guy

Wow, this thing is going up faster than I thought! I'm already thinking of blasting through that turn...it looks beautiful...

It actually looks pretty good! I love me some good "Old Hotness".

Totally agree. You also have to count in the fact that different people have different tolerations for roughness as well. I'm about 6'1'' with very long legs that I'd categorize as fragile and sensitive, and for me that's where the Hurticane wreaked havoc.

Cool stuff! This makes me want to hit up the 'Walk that day to do some rides and watch the ACErs give the Hurricane one last go. I don't know if they'll all be able to live through it though...the ride has gotten quite rough this year, enough for me to call it the "HURTicane". My poor legs...OUCH! I am itching to know the new coaster's identity as well, I'm very excited for 2013!

^ Great finds you have there! I see Joey's favorite ride in the '93 map as well as some Anton goodness up until the '98 map. I wish that Tidal Wave/GL was still here today, but it's still really awesome that TWO of His flats (including one of the last remaining Bayern Kurves) still remain in the park.

Mmmmm...more new GCI wood...*drools* I'd like to hit up CGA on Saturday, too! It's only been a day since my family and I came back from Austria (jet-lag included), but I am already "bent" on heading over to the park to see the construction and meet a few TPR members! Look for me in my Wodan Timbur Coaster shirt.

I feel a need to share with you all a rather brutal experience of mine...Volare at Wiener Prater. I forked over 4 euro and then the following happened: -My thoughts: "Do I really need the credit THIS bad?" -Me on the lift: "The eggbeater is cool, but if it's already vibrating going up..." -Me down the first dip: "So far so--" -"Volare used Bad Transition (SMACK)! It's super effective!" -"Blue Fire Guy is afflicted with Manhattan Express Video Syndrome, he might curse profusely!" -Me: "OW, son of a-OW!!! F**KING S**T! OWOWOW!!!" -Me in one of the twists: "How the f**k did it get smooth agai--*SMACK*--OW!" -My thoughts after the ride: "Why the f**k didn't I bring Advil? GOD I'm such an idiot..." Yeah. It was REALLY bad! I don't want to see one of these as SCBB's new 2013 steel coaster. Now for a few pics... Mr. Zamperla did give us a cool lift hill, but that's the only good thing about this ride! Are you two looking forward to your ride? Good! Pin your head to one side and you *might* live through it. Now THAT's more like it! I give this ride my thumbs down award for brutality!

Then there is airtime that is so extreme that it actually hurts...and I learned that all too well in the front seat of the INSANE Wild Train at Erlebnispark Strasswalchen. I have no clue as to what the PAX engineers were on when they designed this. I call this hill the "Nut-Buster".

OMFG!!! What an insane layout. What do I see... -Crazy ejector air in several places, the first drop in the back seat looking to be the most extreme of them. -Low to the ground = out-of-control pacing. -Trees kept up to retain a forested setting. -I don't care that it seems short, it just looks INSANE with the inversions and all. -All of the above = EXCELLENT night ride! That's it. I am planning to go to SDC for my spring break in the first week of April, hopefully it'll be open by then.

Megablitz at Wiener Prater, a very intense and smooth Vekoma MK-700. Lots of helices of death on this thing!

Not being able to live through it. What's worse than a mob of angry Prudential office workers burning down CGA's new GCI on opening day?

FINALLY!!! Construction has gone vertical! Thanks for the pics AngryGumball. My family and I are in Vienna right now (hitting up Prater), but when I come back, I'll be sure to head on over to CGA mid-late August to check this out. I just can't believe this is finally happening. By 2011, I had lost all hope for this thing...but now look! Can't wait for the official announcement on the 29th, and I'm already drooling looking at that GCI wood...

I rode Wodan on July 27th while me and my family were in Europa Park. It was fast, fun, smooth, and beautiful to look at! The airtime wasn't very strong--only floater--but there was a high quantity of it throughout the course. It's location couldn't be better, as it is very close to the hotels, and it seems to fit perfectly between Atlantica, Whale Adventures, and Blue Fire. The trains are gorgeous, and even better is that they have no seat belt! The queue is one of the best I've walked through, the theming is unbelievable and you get very close to the massive structure of the coaster at points. Beware of the rare occurrence of being "Atlantica'd", it happened to me a few times! Overall, a job well done by GCI and an great addition to Europa's already awesome coaster selection. Great ride! "HERE THEY COME!!!" Like almost every other ride at EP, Wodan has incredible theming. Yes, the line really does get that close! And yes...if your train is timed perfectly with Atlantica's "fake" splash, you'll get WET!

Wow, just...WOW! This thing deserves as much infamy as the back seat of Cyclops. This and Cyclops' final drop are an absolute must before I die.

I'd love to see a ZacSpin (32.5m version), it is the one ride I can think of that packs the most punch into Hurricane's tiny footprint. Using Google Earth's ruler tool, I found Hurricane's deck to measure about 170 x 55 feet. The brochure on Intamin's website lists the dimensions of the model as 40m x 12m (approximately 131.23 x 39.37 feet). It would be an awesome addition, though I don't know if the Coastal Commission would be so happy about its height (32.5m = 106.63 feet, plus being elevated by the deck). Does anyone know the height limits at the 'walk?

My list as of now: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (February), Gilroy Gardens (April). Early July: California's Great America (I REALLY want to see more progress on the GCI) Re-visit SCBB Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (for S:UF) Family Vacation to Germany and Austria (late July): Europa Park (no explanation needed ) Erlebnispark Stra--err...Fantasiana (PAX airtime machine and the Death Slide...WANT!!! ) Wiener Prater

I wonder if this had anything to do with the skid brakes (or anything related to braking). Giant Dipper is a very moody coaster in terms of speed variation. When it's running like a snail, the train hits the skid brakes and comes to a complete stop before it turns into the station. When it is running well (maybe too well in this case) the train hurtles through the station, sometimes (in rarer occasions) overshooting the loading area and plunging straight into the tunnel for another lap (given that there isn't a train sitting in the station). The only change I'd ever want to see is the addition of fin or magnetic brakes in place of the skids. I hope they don't neuter my old wooden friend with trims...

Best Big Thunder Mountain at DLP. That drop under the lake seems to take forever! It literally feels like 200 feet, but it isn't. I don't know how the train doesn't accelerate to at least 60+ mph in that tunnel instead of 40.4. Blue Fire at Europa Park (final roll): If you sit on the right side of the train, your seat will be yanked out from under you, producing some glorious ejector air. One of my favorite moments on any ride! Flight Deck at CGA: That helix over the lake is just POWERFUL. I love it even though it grays me out sometimes. Worst Grizzly at CGA: Rough-ish turnaround, a hill with absolutely no airtime, flat turn with jackhammering, brakes! Lame... Big Thunder Mountain at WDW: I rode this after my experience on DLP's version, and yeah...WTF?! Forceless turn with annoying vibrations in the train, short tunnel, fake splash with trims and...it's over?

Psycho Mouse @ CGA

Positive G's: The final helix of death on Euro Mir. Negative G's: Blue Fire's heartline twist. The roll is designed in such a way that if you're sitting on the right side of the train, your seat is YANKED out from underneath you, producing some extreme ejector air. Laterals: Giant Dipper (SCBB) and its fan turns. The one over the station in the back seat is wicked, as it just PINS you to the side. The one after the first drop and the one underneath it are violent in the front seat, and I could honestly use a little thicker padding on the sides of the Morgan trains. Despite how smooth it is as a woodie, it can be a bit of a rib-cracker!

For me, it would be Bombs Away (a.k.a, Proslide SuperLoop of Hot Death) at Raging Waters SJ. The SkyBox capsule was very claustrophobic, and I thought the trapdoor was going to open prematurely. When it did open, it was 8 long seconds of not being able to see s**t, getting insanely ridiculous amounts of water in my face. I could NOT breathe the ENTIRE way down, and I thought I was going to suffocate! One of the most terrifying moments I have ever experienced at ANY park, wet or dry.

Is that WOOD I see in those pics of yours? I'm absolutely delighted with the progress they're making. The GCI, the mystery 2013 steelie for SCBB, and S:UF...2012-2013 in the Bay Area reeks with the much needed new hotness I have been waiting a LONG time for!

^^ Can't agree more! I wonder what that "ker-chunk" is supposed to do to one's body? Robb had another traumatizing experience on the IAAPA 2010 helicopter kiddie drop tower that was strikingly similar to my experience on the ARM (it's on YouTube). If I rode that one, I'd consider it to be the best drop ride under 50 feet tall!

The ARM/Larson Super Shot that Butler Amusements brought in to the San Mateo County Fair today was INSANE. This was my first ride on one of these beasts, and it did not disappoint. It's only 90 feet tall, but it packs a NASTY punch. There are overhead panels that prevent you from knowing when you're at the top. Even more insane is that it will drop you immediately when the car reaches the top, and when it does drop, it does so like a bag of ACE-sized bricks. To me, it felt more like a downwards launch! The airtime on it (though brief) was just as powerful, if not more powerful than CGA's Intamin and SCBB's S&S. These were pretty much my thoughts during my first ride: "It's so puny, how can this possibly top Drop Tower and Double Sho-- *CLUNK* OMFG! EXTREME EJECTOR AIRTIME!!!" It looks so innocent...but do NOT be fooled! Yup. This ride kicks a$$!

Hm! I gave my first post a quick edit and it turned out normal...weird, but at least it's fixed!