Goooose
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Posts posted by Goooose
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So basicAlly theyll replant te trees and restore the gazebo they ripped out for ignight. Doubt they will be removing the giant LED advertisement board as you enter hometown square.
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Anybody else curious what will happen to te entrance? Just recently they replaced the victorian ticket buildings with really ugly knock offs. Hopefully theyll restore the old ticket booths or change some of the architecture and layouts of the gift shops, RR's, etc. Its anyones guess because its a large enough renovation that it warrants a press release, but it doesnt appear as big of a deal as an extended midway, main st, type deal. Nor are we seeing concept art of a contemporary entrance remodel, like with cedar fair parks recently.
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The path to 2015 starts Monday! Stay tuned for #GreatAmerica2015
Something new already?? I have no clue but we shall see starting Monday.
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I havent really seen it mentioned here but I think it is really important to mention: Goliath is FLYING these days. The ride is really running a lot faster and better. I rode it three times on media day and then twice last night and I was shocked. There was air /momentum into the dive twist and better positives on the twist and shout. The element rode really quick whereas on media day the twist and shout was so slow that youd sort of feel the sensation of being tilted over the element's supports and it was a definite lul. The airtime hill is no el toro ejector but its a nice long smooth element. People try to compare goliath to other rides based on its pacingor how hard its negatives are but one thing is for sure and that is its forward momentum is already something to write home about. Long story short, the ride is running a lot better now and if you havent been on since May, give it another shot.
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With regards to the shorter lines on X-flight-maybe the ride isn't that intimidating from the midway? Maybe it was marketed wrong? Maybe the gimmick of being a wing coaster and the sensation of flight wasn't well executed because of its slow appearance and compact layout? Who knows. Perhaps the tribe has spoken, and Great America's audience is tired of getting compact 2-train B&Ms. I hope this is true...
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here is six flags' pov. Better lighting and unobstructed views. Looks good!
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It has a really good twister layout and it engages the landscape more than any other ride at great america. It flies through trees and along the ground and over water. Really nice. Had it been torn down for superman, allll those trees would have been removed and the whole park would look like x flight. I dont ride it often but i love that whizzer is there. I probably ought to ride it next time im at the park! Its a bit of an escape. And check out how well done the banking is! I challenge yoy to find ONE arrow ride from the same era that banks this accurately and elegantly.
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I'd ride Viper in the back. Raging bull back left. Also, if you decide to do raging bull twice, use the second go around as an opportunity to ride in the very front. Don't waste your time in any other rows; time is money my friend! Batman has great foliage and dips over water. Ride in the front for great views, or back for constant greyouts.
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I'm thinking that the constant gap between the steel topper track is to blame. There is a crack every 6 feet or so. Maybe that bump over and over again is enough to cut the polyurethane wheels and cause them to shred. The I-boxes are one consistent smooth piece of track, welded together so there is no bumps to ride over. This problem didn't exist on Outlaw Run because while outlaw run ahs the same track, it runs on steel wheels that can't shred from riding over bumps. If you think about it, there are no steel coasters on earth that share the same number and style of gaps in the track along its course while running polyurethane wheels.
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Goliath is AMAZING! Ride in the back. The ride is prety much the same everywhere but the drop is best in the back so dont wait for any other seats!
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Goliath's begative g float makes you feel like you are flying/gliding while the momentum and ridiculous amount of speed is still forward, whereas I would say that the air in el toro and new texas giant are much stronger-you feel like you are being flung from a bull. If you were to ride either without a lap bar, i feel like the trajectory of goliath would be to throw you forward toward the dive loop because there is so much momentum and the negative gs arent super strog, whereas on el toro, if you rode without a lap bar, youd just be flung straight up and fall right back down almost exactly where your butt lifted off the seat.
All the elements on giath blend into one giant element. There is no pause anywhere. The introduction to the negative g float is your first and only moment to get your bearings. Here i am, right side up, these are my surroundings- then you ascend toward the dive loop (which is an ascent, a half a zero g roll, and a verryyy long topof a vertical loop, bascally its own zero g stall but half as long) and as you fly toward that element you get this POP /gliding airtime. It makes the tripacross the ride more fun but it isnt a super intense element. It is strong enough and well designed enough to guarantee a negative g float experience sustained for several seconds. You glide along quickly toward the dive loop but oke thing is for sure-you will never be in a seat or on a train in which this element doesnt deliver, whoch can happen on bull and some other rides-elements can be hit or miss.
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Rode Goliath 6 times today in just over 2 hours. THANKS, SINGLE RIDER LINE! More rides/parks need this system, it works great! Here's me riding with Alan Schilke yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuzvBZNwbKU
You know when they show people on discovery channel specials for roller coasters who have been on a specific ride a thousant times? You are going to be that person for Goliath.
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I havent written a review yet because it is the hardest ride on earth to write a review of. And to explain why would be to write a review lol
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The park is passing out numbered goliath boarding passes that must be redeeme in order at the station to prevent line jumping. Someone on sfgamworld at 10:45 reported a 2hr expected wait and someone more recently said the line is 4 hours.
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A new front row pov is making the rounds and it is much smoother than the first one released
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Check out this AMAZING back seat pov. Really captures the ride experience well! You can see the negatives in the hair in front of the camera, the choppers, the whip lash out of the zero g stall, the air into the breaks. Bravo. Im confident this cam was head/helmet mounted and thus safe.
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Half an hour til opening. I hope to see some pictures of the crazy lines! (And of the actual ride of course )
As for the unshaded and endless switchbacks set up, i really believe six flags should bring in a DJ and speakers/lights and turn the area into a dance party to entertain diring the several hours people will be standing there. Also, two large tents might be enough to cover the queue semi-permanently. I was at a wedding this past weekend and there was a backyard rehearsal dinner one night with a heavy duty tent, pictured below. It was staked into the ground which tey couldnt do here but they could weigh it down instead. There were tornado sirens one night for extreme winds and the tent didnt budge!
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http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80553658/
Cool review by Chicago Tribune with some interesting bits of information in it, like that Great America had RMC sign a non-compete clause so that they couldnt produce a taller faster steeper wooden coaster that would unthrown Goliath for a specified number of years.
Im working on a review but in the meantime, lets play a game and get this convo rolling. Lets call it "overheard at Media Day" or "leaks from media day." If you overheard something interesting and informative we havent heard yet while at media day, please share. If you had a great conversation / interview/ picked the brain of any RMC designers or leadership, please spill the beans! I dont expect to hear something that hasnt been announced-like a colossus story. But i think we would all appreciate any interesting facts regarding the designers, the ride, the design process, the elements, inspiration, engineering, etc.
Here's one. Very Screamscape worthy. I was waiting in line with a high up member of the maintenance staff yesterday. He did a bunch of the electrical work on Goliath and rode it before everyone else, does ride maintenance, etc. He was talking to his wife and kids about the building of the ride. His (nearly) exact quote was "The Eagle's next. First we got Goliath then we have these guys redo the Eagle. It's a major investment but that was the long term goal."
Now, why maintenance personnel would have access to the long term development strategy of the park is beyond me, but within organizations people talk and it's actual conversations with actual employees that can create a change in the organization/give the organization direction. We don't often get the chance to hear the back-door musings of the park personnel and it was funny to hear him say this.
PLEASE please be true!
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I'd echo one other thing you said, there were some real whiners amongst us and I'm happy to say none that I heard were wearing TPR shirts. Yes, it can be frustrating but you have to come into media events with the right mindset and to always expect the unexpected. Some people still seem to think it's ERT time. Nope, never really has been that way at any events I've attended.
I can't wait to get back to ride some more! Thankfully I have two passes that will at least make for a couple shorter waits. For those with those passes, a reminder that on a ride like Goliath that has a FlashPass line...You have to use that line. It's not a true "exit pass" for rides with Flashpass according to what the PR folks said.
For those that were there....Might be nice to drop a note in the mail to Katy Enrique and her staff to say thanks.
Having spoken to Hank at the beginning and near the end of the Media Day I have to say that he was decently upset with how it went. Technical difficulties and weather aside he specifically told me after the first train of the day that he wanted to give us some rides. I don't think anyone anticipated how much downtime the media was actually going to create, least of all the park president. His quote to me at the beginning of the day was, "Once we get done with this media filming I want to get things moving really quickly so you can all get in as many rides as you wish." At the end of the day he didn't say much to me. He gave a very distraught "Well I'm glad you guys could come out and ride it." type of response.
Think of the X-Flight media day. It was two trains just cranking out rides. This was also a Hank Salemi installation. Think of how many more rides people were getting on the Banshee media day. I don't want to be ungrateful; just riding Goliath once would have been worth an entire day of waiting, and because of this I am personally grateful to the park and to the coaster clubs for extending the invitations to us. But lets not pretend that this day was anything that even the more experienced among us were expecting, and that in general the enthusiast community was disappointed with how the event was organized.
You dont sound unfrateful at all. The takeaway from your post is a good one. The park president wanted an amazing event and he is a nice and generous guy and he is grateful for the fans. I heard people talking about the night and day between Banshee media day and six flags media day(s). If the park could improve upon their logistics and clarity and organization of events and their handling of the press both in organization and in how they are treated, thats something that can be accomplished and something Hank and the team can address. Its a much better problem than "six flags doesnt care about their fans or the press and will never change." Clearly they want to please and strengthen their relationships with enhusiasts and the press as they grow the park. If you were at media day, please send a thank you email/letter to your primary contact thanking them for the opportunity and attach whatever review you may have written or video you may have been in as they will appreciate the coverage.
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That is excellent news and a great contribution!
.^I was talking to them and asked "mind if I get a picture?"I should have been clearer, I was asking where and how you got the photo that you posted from? It looks like it is from the maintenance road, I was just wondering about the picture you posted.
That's just the exit ramp with the camera facing vertical I assume. There is no other access. The station and line are all behind the lift and dive loop so there arent many great photo angles and thus no reason to post a massive media day photo album. We have seen all the angles already with the test runs and construction pics. Here is one from the station though.
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Check out this photo from sfgamworld.com's facebook page of the extended queue set up for tomorrow/this weekend/this summer's crowds.
I'm having Ragin' Cajun line flashbacks, only like ten times worse. With its capacity and how many people are going to want to ride it, that's like 4-5 hours boiling on the blacktop without shade... dear god, I pray for you people.
The line should have began at loggers run and i've been saying that all along!
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http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-80553658/
Cool review by Chicago Tribune with some interesting bits of information in it, like that Great America had RMC sign a non-compete clause so that they couldnt produce a taller faster steeper wooden coaster that would unthrown Goliath for a specified number of years.
Im working on a review but in the meantime, lets play a game and get this convo rolling. Lets call it "overheard at Media Day" or "leaks from media day." If you overheard something interesting and informative we havent heard yet while at media day, please share. If you had a great conversation / interview/ picked the brain of any RMC designers or leadership, please spill the beans! I dont expect to hear something that hasnt been announced-like a colossus story. But i think we would all appreciate any interesting facts regarding the designers, the ride, the design process, the elements, inspiration, engineering, etc.
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Opening ceremonies are so awkward. Like its supposed to be dramatic but its really just funny and then you feel bad.
http://us995.cbslocal.com/2014/06/18/watch-jax-rides-goliath-at-six-flags/
Check this vid out of my first ride on Goliath! Im on the left not mic'd up. I let my arms go deadweight through the negative g float, dive loop, overbank and zero g stall so you can see the forces each element delivers. Twas fun! Ill write more later. In the meantime check out my instagram upload,
, a photo I took of the zero g stall,And coaster101.com's POV provided by sfgam and shared via their Facebook: (
). I cant help my urge to share this because the first pov that circulated was soo not good.Check out this photo from sfgamworld.com's facebook page of the extended queue set up for tomorrow/this weekend/this summer's crowds. It reminds me of the massive old American Eagle switchbacks except that those stayed for 25 years.
As for media day it was a lot of fun and there was great momentum and enthusiasm and energy in the morning but I could tell that people were exhausted in the afternoon following the storms and dealing with the lost time for getting live shots. They lost about 2 hours from the wheel shredding incident and the t storms. The ride is really quiet and this was noticeable when it all of a sudden sounded like a blown tire or like a kid had taped a playing card into the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Again, ill contribute a review later. I'm a little spent right now!
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Is the 3:30 event the TPR one? Id sayy if you dont want to get a hotel room, hang out at the Avalon. Its a 24 hour diner walking distance from the gate at washington and grand. Bring a phone charger etc. there are other restaurants and bars nearby like timothy otooles but nothing else youll be able to stay at that late. Maybe a hotel lobby? Have fun!
Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
The new Simpsons land/facades/eateries are across from the simpsons ride in the old Back to the Future building repurposed as Crustyland. So while enthusiasts may be looking at this puzzled, because it was a land addition without a ride, new visitors will see a land anchored by an in-franchise E-ticket. A complete Simpsons land and Wizarding World.