Carowinds Discussion Thread

[PriestofSyrinx]

I am betting on the hand held one.

 

Due to all the side to side shifting. And if its hand held, then why would it be the official one?

 

Just doesnt seem right...

 

Robb was also not there, so of course it would lack some quality.

[rollercoasterluvr]

I believe it is a handheld POV, but it looks to be the official one since it's featured on that website. Maybe there will be a mounted one released as well? In any case its pretty good quality.

[robbalvey]

Trust me. If I would have shot it. It wouldn't have looked like that!

[Josh Linn]

I'm honestly failing to see how the stickers on this

 

 

look any different from this

 

 

 

Maybe it looks cheap, but that's exactly how they look in real life.

 

The one decal that raises question marks for me is the NASCAR 50th Anniversary logo, which is near the bottom directly to the right of the Goodyear decal. The only reason I can think of for putting it on was that the 50th anniversary was in 1998, which was the year Dale Earnhardt won his first Daytona 500, and if that's the case, a very nice touch.

[jray21]

That POV is pretty bad, especially if it's "official."

[rollercoasterluvr]

Lol Robb get down there and get a mounted POV for us!

[Pufferfish]

That is NOT the official POV. This was shot by a newscaster early in the morning before the media event even started. At least this one was obviously done with permission unlike the last one.

[robbalvey]

That is NOT the official POV. This was shot by a newscaster early in the morning before the media event even started. At least this one was obviously done with permission unlike the last one.

OK, that's good to hear.

[nln00b]

I really don't like the way Intimidator looks. Its too "blah" for me. I can't believe it's already up and operating. I remember the main announcement like it was yesterday. Anyway, Rob, you need to get over there NOW!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

It actually looks even better than I thought it would, and I thought it looked great to start with. I'm glad I'll be able to visit during early summer.

[Wes]

And who said Cedar Fair doesnt theme coasters

 

Everyone.

[CreditCrazy]

I really like the look of the first drop, it reminds me a lot of Diamondback's which gave nice air. Other than that, it looks like your typical B&M Hyper; nothing more, nothing less.

[jray21]

^^

 

I'm surprised they didn't do an official video before. Wouldn't you want the first thing everyone sees for your new ride perfect (as in Robb quality)?

[Coasterlvr_nc]

Who knows... All I know is that that definitely was not the official POV. One of the trains had a special metal piece that was mounted where the bump stop on the front would normally be. And any camera would be mounted to this. In that video you can see where said mount would be, but this was not on the correct train.

 

Anyways, looking forward to opening day! Anyone who chooses to ride nighthawk, (Ha, i know right?) Come say hey to me as well. Ill be the only guy at nighthawk wearing the blue supervisor uniform.

 

-Collin

[DavidHope]

Very nice trip report, pufferfish

When I eventually make a trip up to Charlotte later this year, Intimidator has good potential to become my new number 1 steel coaster.

[VegasCoaster]

It looks like it has more air than the typical B&M, though I haven't been on their latest creations. The newest I've been on was Goliath at SFOG and it had floater air for the most part but some of those hills seem to have more pop to them. Somehow the real car's sponsor logos look a little more spread out to me, giving it a less cheap feel to it but the coaster doesn't have many other options to try and recreate that effect. Can't wait to see the POV for Intimidator-305.

[Capitalize]

^^I agree about severely disliking Harry Potter and NASCAR, but at least CF put the effort forth with making the trains look like actual racing cars. And it fits the demographic of the area, as well. While NASCAR is big in Virginia and there is a track in Richmond, I still don't get why they chose the same theme for I305. Takes away some of its identity if you ask me.

The region's are very similar demographics and as a you allude to, both are very big into NASCAR and have race tracks in their back yards. I'm sure Cedar Fair got a good deal to put up Dale Sr's name and likeness in two rides so they went with it since it worked for both parks. As a NASCAR fan I think its a good theme.

 

Yeah, can you imagine how insane Carowinds is going to be Memorial Day weekend with the Hall of Fame opening and NASCAR Race Week all in the same timeframe?

 

I've lived here all my life and I've only been to 2 races, so that tells you how much I like the "sport". But it's a very smart move for Cedar Fair with the popularity of NASCAR these days.

I personally know I'll be there memorial day weekend Saturday to get my ride on Intimidator because I'll be on vacation to Carowinds and the Coke 600 on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Why do contingency stickers = cheap? I don't see the connection.

 

On real Nascar race cars, those contingency stickers match up to programs run by the companies whose logos are on those stickers. These programs earn the race teams money that helps them keep racing. I know people don't really like seeing sponsors' logos in major sports, but in Nascar, where there is no franchising, and nothing down to the tires & gasoline is provided, sponsorship dollars is vital to the continued existence of the teams, and thus, the sport.

 

Like the sport or not. Different strokes for different folks. However, I just don't see where cheap fits into that. I agree this is a very smart theme for a park in the Carolinas where Nascar's hub is. It would be like having a Babe Ruth-themed coaster at a major park near Cooperstown, NY if there was such a park.

 

Elissa was only talking about how it looks on the cars and the coaster. I agree with her. I get that its supposed to look like a NASCAR car, and I get that teams have to pay for their car somehow...but it all looks cheap and tacky. The train (and cars) would probably look a lot better without all the logos tacked on.

 

Oh, and a Babe Ruth coaster would be AWESOME. Cigars, Booze, and sex related things would take the place of the tacky NASCAR logos!

So in short, everyone is for extensive, realistic theming as long as its something they like. Otherwise, rather than good theming, its "tacky".

Maybe it looks cheap, but that's exactly how they look in real life.

I kind of think that's what Elissa was getting at.

In that case, ok! NASCAR is a silly theme regardless, even if it does make sense for the area. Next they should have an infield inside the layout where overweight, sunburned, drunken men can park their RVs and get even drunker.

Holy stereotypes, Batman.

 

Its a GREAT THEME FOR THE AREA. Most NASCAR teams are based only miles away from Charlotte, so the theme makes perfect sense.

[Jew]

^It's a B&M hyper coaster. There's no need to be realistic. This isn't something the Harry Potter Island @ IoA, where the whole point is to transport you into the world of Harry Potter, so "realism" would be important.

 

Just painting the zero-car the colors of Dale Earnhardt's car and putting the 8 on top would have looked much better IMO.

[Skycoastin Steve]

The region's are very similar demographics and as a you allude to, both are very big into NASCAR and have race tracks in their back yards. I'm sure Cedar Fair got a good deal to put up Dale Sr's name and likeness in two rides so they went with it since it worked for both parks. As a NASCAR fan I think its a good theme.

 

 

 

 

Holy stereotypes, Batman.

 

Its a GREAT THEME FOR THE AREA. Most NASCAR teams are based only miles away from Charlotte, so the theme makes perfect sense.

 

Oh believe me, I get the demographics of both areas, I worked at Carowinds for a a year and grew up in Virginia. I just think for I305 they could have not gone the SF route with ride naming. If they were both B&M hypers, then sure, I would get it. But I think as the 2nd Giga coaster ever built in the states they should have tried to give it its own identity rather than have it share a name with another new coaster opening the same year. That's really just a small issue I have with the naming, not even a complaint really, just thinking out loud. Doesn't change my excitement for either coaster.

 

The stereotype post was really just tongue in cheek.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Next they should have an infield inside the layout where overweight, sunburned, drunken men can park their RVs and get even drunker.

 

That'd be a great idea for an NFL-themed coaster.

 

It's a B&M hyper coaster. There's no need to be realistic. This isn't something the Harry Potter Island @ IoA, where the whole point is to transport you into the world of Harry Potter, so "realism" would be important.

 

Gotta switch your brain from 'theme park industry' mode to 'trademark usage permission' mode to understand why realism is important in this case. I highly doubt Cedar Fair gave two hoots about the stickers on the trains, or the theme in general. The people who cared about the look & how the theme was displayed to the public would be the top executives at Dale Earnhardt Inc. who own the rights to Dale's name, likeness, signature, and other trademarks, and Richard Childress Racing who owns the look of the familiar numeral 3. Realism is EXTREMELY important to both of them in any aspect of the legacy of Dale Earnhardt. If the look wasn't realistic, there's no possible way that they'd have signed the agreement for the use of the familiar trademarks. DEI & RCR would be the ones who'd insist on the realistic look, conceivably down to the contingency stickers on the cars that Dale used to drive.

 

To go back to the Babe Ruth coaster analogy, Cedar Fair wouldn't give two hoots about realism there either, but the Yankees would make darn sure that the Yankess logo/uniform/etc was precisely correct down to the millimeter.

[montezooma]

I think the real discussion here should not be the name or theme of the ride (I think both are GREAT), but it should be about what the HELL they did to the Carolina Cyclone. That is the worst paint job EVAH and I truly hope this is not a trend Cedar Fair is running with.

 

See the horrific pictures here...yuck

[Electerik]

I believe a tire change on the MCBR would be in order, as well.

 

I know you're joking, but I think that would be awesome! Put the MCBR in a tunnel, come to a full stop for a few moments, have some animatronics and sound effects. Obviously, not a Cedar Fair thing--but how cool would that be??

[ginzo]

^I agree that could be good if it were done well. I'm thinking of the fire scene in Mummy. I guess they would have to use tire drive or something to push the train out of the MCBR. Otherwise, the second half might be sluggish.

[cfc]

^It's a B&M hyper coaster. There's no need to be realistic. This isn't something the Harry Potter Island @ IoA, where the whole point is to transport you into the world of Harry Potter, so "realism" would be important.

 

Just painting the zero-car the colors of Dale Earnhardt's car and putting the 8 on top would have looked much better IMO.

 

Agreed. The stickers on the front of the car look like something a kid would do with a race-car model and a set of decals.

 

That being said, even though I'm not a NASCAR fan, I think the theming is OK, overall, and I'm looking forward to riding Intimidator and its cousin at Kings Dominion.

[Nicole.]

Thanks for the report and pictures! I'll be going down this summer and riding Intimidator. I think Cedar Fair did a good job on the theming.