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Wow, Intamin can't seem to get a break. Even if this has nothing to do with them and is solely the park's fault it is still going to be looked at as another Intamin ride failure.

Best news I've read all day! I can't wait to see the layout. Glad to see more GG coasters.

Hello. I am looking for more information on Freedomland, a U.S. history based theme park in New York that operated from 1960-64. I had never even heard of the park before I read the book Theme Park by Scott Lukas. Were any of you fortunate enough to visit the park during its short life or know anybody who has? What were the rides and attractions? Was it comparable to any park around today? Why did it close? Did the theme work or turn people off? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I hope Dominator doesn't need a paint job already!

Looks like a very solid park. I'll have to visit someday.

It would be interesting to try and make a 4D model with the Screamin Serpent set. Anyone tried that before?

Yes, they were all working models. The 4D started at a stand still, I gave it a slight push, nothing major, and it rolled down the hill. i do have a question though: Can anyone tell me why S&S/Arrow decided to go the mechanical route with their 4D coasters as opposed to an electrical one? Currently, the rides use a second set of rails to control the spinning motion of the seats. Why not use actuators or something like that instead and program them to engage during certain portions of the ride?

I had some extra time today so I decided to work a little bit on my Intamin Zac Spin/Ball coaster. I added a photo booth, queue line, and some lamps. I’ve tried to pay a lot of attention to detail- notice the magnetic brake fins on the track, the bolts on the supports, the ladder for maintenance, the sign above the queue entrance, and more. I also quickly mocked up a car just so that those not familiar with this type of ride might get an idea of how it works. Hopefully I will have the time and the patience to keep adding features to this model. (Click on the pictures for a closer viewer).

Thanks for the kind words. Construction took some time with trial and error but it was a good time for me. Only thing that could've made it better was if I got paid to build those

Nascar drivers vacation in China? My cousin Eric has been working in China for the past year. He recently emailed me this very funny story of his first Chinese New Year’s experience. Stories like this make you appreciate how wonderful our great nation really is but also fill you with a sense of longing for being able to go out in the world and experience life adventures for yourself. A few notes to fill you in on before we begin the story: -Eric is very tall, probably at least 6 feet 5 inches. He is also well built. -Eric’s nickname is “Bic” or, ironically, “Little Bic.” -My cousin, Eric, travels with his friend from work, also named Eric. My name is not Eric. Not confusing at all. -He was an engineering major, thus the spelling and grammar are far from perfect. Chinese Spring Festival Trip “新年快乐 (Happy New Year) While all of you in the US were celebrating Valentine’s Day, China was busy celebrating their New Year. I once again find myself on an airplane, this time on my way home, well my Chinese home. It’s hard to believe that this week has gone by so quickly. As I look back through the pictures from this week I’m reminded how many different things I did and got to see. It never fails that each of my trips are jammed packed full of adventure and countless funny things that happen along the way. One of the advantages of being in China is there never a shortage of things to laugh at. I took a day of vacation from work on Friday so we could get a head start on traveling before the weekend rush of everyone trying to get to wherever they where headed. I was on my way to ZhangJiaKou (pronounced JohnJackHo) with my intern Eric. He invited me to celebrate Chinese New Years with his family in his hometown. My driver took us into Shanghai where we took a flight to Beijing. There we met up with Eric’s parents who had driven to the airport to meet us. I found out later that they were so excited that I was coming to visit they had arrived at the airport 4 hours before us just to make sure they were there in time. Their kindness and generosity continued my entire stay with them. They didn’t speak any English other Hello so Eric had to translate for me most of the time. During the car ride home they asked me if I knew how to drive. I, of course, answered yes which was immediately followed by us swerving off the road and the car coming to a screeching halt and the doors flying open and before I knew what was happening I was being ushered into the driver seat. They were absolutely insistent that I drove. Well, knowing that there are no enforcement of any traffic laws and all Chinese are terrible drivers, by western standards, I reluctantly agreed. My thought was that I’d drive a little bit and then we could switch back. This was not the case, Eric’s Dad took this opportunity to catch up on some sleep and I ended up driving most of the two and a half hour drive to their house. By the time we got to their house it was already getting late but they still prepared a monstrous feast for me. Everything was very delicious and well cooked. They had arranged for me to sleep in Eric’s bedroom. However, being of the taller nature the bed was not quite long enough for me. So, they brought the footrest from the couch in and placed it at the end of the bed to extend it for me. It's pretty long and I didn't want to copy it all again so For the rest of the story and pictures...

Here are a few updated images. I have been playing around with the rendering feature in CATIA.

As a mechanical engineer and a roller coaster enthusiast, I have always wanted to design or build roller coasters. While I may never get the chance to work on a real one, I have built several coasters out of K’nex back in the day. I recently found some pictures I took of my creations and would like to share them with you today. First, a few notes: -I built everything with the original K’nex Roller Coaster set, way before the Screamin’ Serpent models came out. -This is my parent’s basement before they remodeled. Why they would ever want to get rid of that carpet and furniture is beyond me. -Sorry the quality of the pictures isn’t better. This was before I had a digital camera. I really wish I had been able to get video of these running too. Maybe I’ll have to rebuild them someday. 4D Coaster: My best creation was probably the S&S Arrow 4D coaster. This was built before X opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain. All I had to go by was a short video of a car being run through the test track at Arrow’s facility. The Lego people riders do a backflip over the camel back hill. I only had enough track to make the one hill. The car used a ton of wheels and was pretty heavy, similar to the real ride. Check out this pictures. I posted the rest of the models here. Hill Car. Not all the wheels and the Lego man.

I heard someone say they wanted to wait until work on the Phantom was finished but that didn't make much sense to me.

Hey there! What's up? Picture a person sitting at their computer waving at someone seemingly behind the screen. That's me waving hello to you. Spoiler alert: I love roller coasters.

Here is a show my friends in high school did for the talent show. Needless to say, they won by a landslide.

Does a Mike's Hard Lemonade count? I have a beer in the fridge from last year super bowl party. Do you think it's safe to drink?

Did they finally just start on footers? What took so long?

Interesting concept. I'd try it at least once.

Will Holiday World get a huge bump in attendance now that SFKK is closed? Or will Beech Bend and Kings Island benefit more?

Uploaded a new picture.Thinking about getting either the Lego carousel model, Coaster Dynamix Scorpian or Comet. Suggestions or advice?

That's how I felt. I have a degree in mechanical engineering but I have yet to use any of it. I learned AutoCAD in high school so I didn't have to take the required CAD course in college. We only used CAD in a few classes here and there for projects. Luckily, my company has provided all of the additional training I have needed. To me, the easiest way to learn CAD or CATIA is just to play around with it on your own or with a hands on example.

I went to school at the University of Toledo for Mechanical engineering but really didn't do anything with CAD while in school. A company called Technigraphics was at our career fair and it looked interesting so I interviewed and got a job there as a CAD engineer. They've given me plenty of training classes, not just on CATIA but on Pro-E and Parts Solution as well. Are you thinking about becoming a CAD engineer?

Glad I wasn't the only one who first thought of Afternoon Delight. I like the throw back name and the layout looks interesting.

Sounds good to me.

Here are a few new pictures of recent models I have been working on, and S&S Screamin Swing and a Wicked Twister recreation. More lengthy detailed information on my blog. Please let me know what you think. Wicked Twister Close up SkyHawk recreation