ZeroGravity55

What? How would you know? The park hasn't said anything about how they're going to make this whole pathway situation work. All I know is that the survey markers I saw in June came all the way down to where that tunnel is. That's basically why I've been saying I think they're going to use it this whole time. They're either using the tunnel or they're connecting to the pathway above tunnel leading to Hyena Falls. This... Makes the most sense to me.

The Pathway continues down to The Voyage's third 90 degree turn based on this animation from one the videos. I still think they're going to utilize that tunnel that was used to get to PP.

^^ The polyurethane wheels don't effect the speed from the drop, they effect the energy carried throughout the ride First off they dropped the track on the drop all the way down to the footers, which was probably originally about 5-10 feet off the ground on the original colossus. Next, there is an airtime hill immediately following the drop which doesn't allow the train to reach the full potential energy. This is why you have a slower speed.

Yeah I think you described that element perfectly. I wouldn't expect any surprise structure changes to that element as they're reusing the structure and footers already in place. The thing about Goliath was that the stall and the lift hill lined up perfectly and they were building it from the ground up. To me, and this is a subjective opinion, the double down followed by that airtime hill is going to be the signature moment of the ride. I'm sure the 200 degree stall is going to be great though. I'm interested to see how these reversed banked/outward banked airtime hill are going to feel. Combining laterals and airtime sounds like a great combination, but I've read where some people think they're uncomfortable.

^ Actually that doesn't sound too crazy at all. I'm all up for new trains on two conditions. Either it comes a full traditional re-tracking of the ride or it comes with a full topper track conversion (no changes to the layout). I think we have enough evidence now (Hades 360, Gwazi, and Wildcat) that new trains on old track does not make it a better ride, and in some cases makes it an even worse ride.

Anybody notice that there are now supports coming out of the second clearing?

^ That was a Raven train they ran on the Voyage.

Am I the only one who hopes RMC takes this support structure and starts building bad ass steel coasters from the ground up?

Honestly, I think Six Flags is clueless in terms of what they're doing on the marketing front right now. From the naming of the rides this year and the age demographic they're trying to target, it's just stupid IMO. This "Back Alley" section sounds like a place a group of misfit teenagers would hangout at and that is probably who they're trying to target.

^ Yes, but you have to ask yourself how much they could save on maintenance over the long all if they did do it. None of their woodies need the I-box conversion, but I am a big fan of topper track. It just seems like a very good long term investment. I feel like some parks still have doubts about topper track. I feel like once they're able to go to these parks and prove that it has held up over the long haul, they'll start to sell more of it.

Like most of their remakes, RMC has to cutoff a significant part of the ride due the fact that they're switching to polyurethane wheels on the steel track. They lose a considerable amount of energy and this limits what they can use. This is why you usually see them add some height to the ride (much like they're doing with WC). It appears they had to cutoff a significant part of layout off just so they could combine both sides together though. I'll say this, Alan Schilke gave SFMM the best design possible for what they wanted. I feel the same way and I really hope that they can duel it. It was designed to be a dueling coaster and while I'm sure it will be awesome even if they don't duel it, why bother asking for that design if you're not going to duel it? I'm sure Alan Schilke could have came up with a design that used both tracks that was just as equally insane if not better.

^ I really just want topper track on The Voyage, they could leave the other two alone and maintain both of them. They're very well capable of it. Here's the thing, The Raven was CCI's second design (I think) and it was before they started pushing the limit of what traditional tracked woodies could do at the time. So much like other woodies that don't have crazy layouts that don't push what the trains and track are capable of doing/withstanding, it has stayed very smooth over the last 20 years and isn't very hard to maintain.

Wicked Cyclone. Much like Goliath last year, TC looks like the more insane design, but I thought Medusa at SFM looked like the much better ride last year and that's kind of how I feel with Wicked Cyclone this year. Both look like they'll be huge hits, especially if SFMM will actually duel the trains on TC.

^ They try to keep them smooth. Sometimes they bite off more than they can chew. HW probably has one of the best maintenance teams out there, but I hope they realize that it is alright to get some help and make those guys jobs a whole lot easier (speaking about getting topper track on The Voyage).

^^&^^^ They can touch The Voyage and put every bit of Topper Track on it that they want as far as I'm concerned. The layout doesn't need changed, nor does it need I-Boxed, but Topper Track would certainly help with the longevity of the ride. I'm not opposed to a full topper track conversion with RMC trains with no changes to the layout whatsoever. Actually, I would welcome certain tweaks to the layout that would allow for more sustained and extreme airtime throughout the ride

Ohh the day that RMC comes to HW... I'll die and go to coaster heaven. I have more than a few ideas for a ground up coaster at HW and I have even thought about an I-Box conversion on The Legend. Medusa like drop anyone? The layout would be perfect for it! Seriously though, I would rather have an RMC than B&M coaster at HW. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely pumped for Thunderbird. I'm pumped about the launch and I'm pumped about what this addition means for HW and their future. Every time I see an RMC design, I have to pick my jaw up off the floor. It's not the same thing with B&M, but that's alright. I don't need my jaw to hit the floor. I just need to know I'm going to have fun riding the coaster. With that being said, if you put Thunderbird and Wicked Cyclone or Twisted Colossus (both sides dueling) in the same park, I'm spending the majority of my time on the RMC. That's just the dare devil coaster enthusiast inside me. Thunderbird offers something smooth, fast, and offers a different ride experience than what HW already has. It is the perfect addition for the park and paves the way for the future of the park.

If you look at both designs and compare them to what RMC has already done, they're more innovative than their previous designs. That's actually amazing considering they had less to work with in both of these older designs. I actually give Alan Schilke credit for working in a new inversion type into these remodels, as he's sort of limited in what he can do when it pertains to inversions on these remodels. In my mind, nobody in this industry can touch Alan Schilke when it comes to being innovative and just designing a ride right now. He keeps finding ways to top what he's already done, but I have to wonder when he'll reach the limit or if he will ever reach the limit.

^ Who knows with Six Flags.

If they asked for a dueling coaster layout and this thing, doesn't duel, that's just stupid. Don't get me wrong, I love the layout, but I'll never understand some of the decisions Six Flags makes.

As insane as Colossus looks, this looks like the better ride, IMO. Much like Medusa vs. Goliath last year.

Alan Schilke and RMC have out done themselves once again! Looks absolutely insane!

^ I would guess and say that it was more than likely a combination of track and structure since that is what RMC mostly deals with.

According to RMC's website, yes. http://www.rockymtnconstruction.com/portfolio.php

Try typing Full Throttle and this is what you get. Type NTG (New Texas Giant abbreviated) and this is what you'll get. I won't even get into what words pop up when you put the URL of another coaster site on here. They're quite humors. It's just all part of the fun of TPR and part of what separates this website from the other coaster websites, besides the much more intelligent discussions that happen on here.

Okay, after reading the last few pages of this thread, I can't help but laugh a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I see both sides of the story. Some of you are pissed off that the park isn't getting a major attraction, at least in your eyes. Yet, we have a very nice employee who seems to care about the park and his job (also gives us some good insider tips even though he doesn't have to) giving us some very valid reasons why all the stuff that has been added to the park over these past few years actually makes sense from a business standpoint. So let me clarify something, some of you think that boycotting the park until a major roller coaster is announced is going to make it happen faster? I mean, no offense, but the majority of the people who might be with you in this boycott probably only represent maybe 1% of the parks attendance. Let's look at this from a business standpoint. The parks who seem to be getting major attractions lately in the Six Flags chain are the ones actually probably making enough profit to justify one. It would make sense for corporate to invest in SFStL so it could become even more profitable than it currently sits, but at what expense does that take away from the other parks? You have to remember, that Six Flags is still in recovery mode from their economic downfall from 2010. They're in no position to really make large investments into any of their parks. Why do you think that the majority of their investments have ranged from redoing existing wooden coasters, purchasing rides in bulk, attaching drop towers onto existing structures, and now redoing dark rides. Yes Great America got X-Flight and Goliath in the last three years, but as I mentioned before, perhaps they've actually been turning a profit that justify's getting both those rides. By the way, they didn't spend over 15 million on either ride. Yes, Fiesta Texas is probably getting a new concept 4D roller coaster, but it only costs 7 million dollars. So basically, until Six Flags as a chain can turn everything around (and they're on the right path based on their stock numbers recently) there will be no real major investment made into this park. Perhaps we'll see RMC on The Boss, but not the 200 foot hyper some feel this park needs. As I've said before, boycotting the park isn't going to help make this major investment come any faster, as you probably only represent maybe 1% of the attendance. But maybe showing up, paying the money and supporting the park might just make it happen a little faster. The more profit the park is able to turn, the more likely we'll see some type of big investment. BTW, I'm just happy that the Six Flags closest to me has a good management team and most of the employees seem to care about their jobs!