LogBur

Thanks for the info guys! Gonna stick to the original itinerary - Tuesday evening for a few hours and then all day Wednesday. Hopefully the threat of some light rain will keep a few folks away as well.

Quick question for the KD regulars. I'll be driving down from Michigan this week and initially was planning on visiting Wednesday. While the forecast looks fine from a rain standpoint, there are projected winds of 15-20mph for most of the day (with heavier gusts). How likely are the major coasters to be operating in these types of conditions? I can potentially shift to visiting Thursday if this level of wind will shut a lot of stuff down.

Why would they announce the permanent closure of a ride if they were re-profiling it? This is much more likely to be an RMC conversion or a complete demo to free up a bunch of space.

One of the saltier posts I've read in a while. Roller coaster layouts stand on their own. If accurate, this appears it will be the best dive machine constructed thus far and will slide into the majority of people's top 5 at the park.

Mean Streak is practically the sister coaster of the (old) Texas Giant, RMC's first I-Box conversion which obviously turned out *very* well. Check out an old POV, their layouts are very similar.

1 - Skyrush (Hershey) 2 - The Voyage (Holiday World) 3 - Maverick (CP) 4 - Phoenix (Knoebels) 5 - Millennium Force (CP) 6 - Montu/Raptor (BGT/CP) 7 - Phantom's Revenge (Kennywood) 8 - Ravine Flyer II (Waldameer) 9 - Banshee (KI) 10 - Diamondback (KI)

These things you say, they are at odds.

Back wing seat on Skyrush - either side. I love the duration of the MF drop but Skyrush's is the most ridiculous ejector moment I've experienced thus far. I actually fear for my life (in the best possible way) during this drop.

You're right. Banshee, Shambhala and Sky Scrapper are all essentially worthless. Be disappointed, but how about you give this ride a spin before projecting generalizations?

I believe they said it would be obvious by *tomorrow* due to the shipment (presumably track/supports) they are receiving. B&M is almost a given unless another manufacturer has changed their support design to mimic B&M.

^I was addressing the person I quoted, explaining why footers have to advance to a certain point before manufacturer becomes obvious. I see what you are referring to and I do assume this will be a B&M but haven't seen the "almond cutout" definitively yet.

Because it's all about the "cutout" in the footer that the supports interface with, not the base shape of the cement structure. In the pictures we have so far, the support interface is not visible for Carowind's footings.

Not to downplay HW's investment (few are more excited than I), but that's not correct. Ohio alone has 4 coasters >$22million.

We can finally put this issue to rest. Banshee (longest invert in the world) was a $24 million investment to put this addition in perspective. Excited for Thursday night!

^Agreed. I'm thinking they would have to redesign their flyer trains to allow for boarding like this. On the (extreme) outside chance this is a launched flyer, a more likely setup would probably be - standard loading, train navigates a pre-launch section to flip over - train enters launch track.

In order for the teal to be for HW, your guess about a flyer launched on its back would have to be correct. I think we can both agree this is pretty far fetched... Of course, this is all provided that the teal is flyer or invert track - which I tend to agree with.

So are Banshee, Shambhala, Leviathan and Sky Scrapper - all pretty highly acclaimed and recent rides. B&M designs what parks order. If this ends up being a Beemer, give Holiday World a little credit. They have a pretty stellar track record.

Of course not but in all probability a lengthy straightaway like this would not exclusively feature the side oriented supports.

I was thinking about the B&M model question I posed earlier and it dawned on me that the current visible footer layout *probably* rules out an invert or flyer. *If* the coaster travels along the straight line of footers highlighted above, there almost certainly isn't enough room for a B&M train to pass through the typical support columns that connect on top.

I'm sure others have said it but my favorite coaster's station is both uninspired and atrocious layout-wise. As if ugly wasn't enough, they decided that loading and unloading a four across train on one side would be adequate. Just a mess.

I think that's the first time I've heard that. I'm all for improved restraints, but not very forceful? Crazy talk. My personal pick would probably be Hulk. After the tire-launch gimmick (semi-cool) this thing just kind of plods along in somewhat boring fashion and doesn't even track that well. I know it's not a top ten coaster or anything but many seem to enjoy it quite a bit.

^Likely not Premier unless they've changed their footing/support flange design. Sky Rocket for reference:

Damn straight. Heide Park's attendance was 1.3 million in 2012 and they haven't crested 2 million in many years. Aren't their most recent numbers more relevant to their investment potential? In all seriousness, I understand what you are alluding to about that park drawing larger numbers before and perhaps being able to lean on its corporate groups in an attempt to rekindle past success - I'm just being a contrarian. Perhaps something like Piraten at Djurs is a better comparison. That park ostensibly built Piraten (probably $13-16MM) back in 2008 to aid in its growth, and along with other expansions, it seems to be working. Holiday World is likely thinking that a marquee steel coaster attraction from a reliable, world-class manufacturer will put them on a better growth trajectory. It will be interesting to watch Knoebel's and Holiday World next year - two family owned parks adding steel to what are essentially wood coaster collections. I assume each park will see a nice bump when all is said and done.

Ok. Heide Park has spent 27 million Euros between 2011 and 2014 on Krake and Flug der Damonen. That's nearly $37 million USD in 4 years. That's $16+ million on Krake and $20+ million on Flug der Damonen for a park with attendance that hangs between 1.3-1.6million. Not far off from Holiday World at all.

Depending on when you rode Millennium Force before, I think you may be pleasantly surprised. I'm always blown away by how much better the ride runs when its hot mid/late season versus early on during the chilly Ohio Spring. Got a few laps Friday during Platinum ERT and it was fantastic. Great floater air on the first camelback, strong air on the return camel and the typical strong air on the speed bump. Whenever I finish a summer lap, I wonder if those criticizing the ride have ridden it at its best.