Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[braztaz]

Just got from the park, and in person, the tower isn't as ugly than in the pictures. And it definitely isn't topped off yet, it's got a good couple of pieces to be placed up yet.

 

Oh, and the pretzels were delicious!

[bejackso]

no way the tower is topped off yet, despite the flag on top. it looks like it has another 100' or so to go. does anyone know the capacity of the seating ring? it looks small, i would guess like 25 people or so. i like KD's drop tower - 56 people a pop. as far as aesthetics, i think the tower looks a little clunky now, but the finished product will probably be fine. i've wanted a drop tower at BG for like 10 years, so i'm pretty much satisfied.

[Homeboy23]

Remember Busch Gardens is not on level ground, just because it doesn't look taller than Griffon while on top of the lift doesn't mean it hasn't reached the 244 foot. There in two different spots.

[cfc]

^^I think Mach Tower is supposed to carry 30 passengers at one time. It's a smaller ride than Drop Tower at KD, but I can't remember the last time I saw that ride running at full capacity.

Edited May 2, 2011 by cfc

[netdvn]

Those attached plates and especially those clamps create the mechanical and flat 6 sided look. It looks carny. Yes, they are big poles, but this is the first big pole I felt looked bad. It's magnified even more being based in BGW! I think that's why I've expressed my opinion. It's BGW. If it were Six Flags, carny works.

 

Considering Oktoberfest IS a giant carnival and the area at BGW is based off of said carnival, it works. Heck, Oktoberfest is the carny-est section of the park anyway (along with Festa Italia). Just add a Schwarzkopf and some extreme rides and you'll have an authentic Oktoberfest replica.

 

The tower is getting taller and taller every day! It's a bit taller than Griffon at this point, so BGW is working at a good pace to get this thing up and testing. I can definitely see the tower getting topped off by this weekend.

[cfc]

Those attached plates and especially those clamps create the mechanical and flat 6 sided look. It looks carny. Yes, they are big poles, but this is the first big pole I felt looked bad. It's magnified even more being based in BGW! I think that's why I've expressed my opinion. It's BGW. If it were Six Flags, carny works.

 

S&S Towers look great due to their lattice design. It's like Intamin box track. The structure looks good from an architectural standpoint: architect or GP. They don't feel mechanical and clunky.

 

Personally, I think S&S towers are butt ugly and even more "carny," but that's my opinion. As for Mach Tower, I'll reserve my final opinion for when it's finished.

[Saldek]

^I totally agree with you on the look of the S&S towers. Those things are hideous and look like cheap scaffolding.

[Saldek]

BGW 2012 Coaster layout revealed at James City County Commission hearing.

 

Detailed video here http://bit.ly/lSDUGO

 

Here's a crappy screenshot from the video:

[bejackso]

oh wow good find. looks like a short ride overall - leaves the existing BBW station, snakes around into some new large building (where the launch/launches are probably), and then snakes back down to the rhine before being done. hard to say for sure w/o more details, but it appears small.

[Saldek]

^The park announced a while ago that a good portion of the ride would be inside the building. I just wish there was a more detailed layout of the track in that location.

[coasterfreak101]

It looks like the outdoor portions are following the old BBW layout. I was really hoping for that!

 

Now we just wait to see what happens on the inside! At least we know the building will sit where the old town was, back behind the bumper cars.

[cfc]

The indoor section is what intrigues me the most about it.

[KDcoasterMAN]

I'm thinking that the secret inside section will feature a mixture of many things or at least one of these things...

- controlled story scenes like Superman at Movieworld

- or maybe a

style indoor

- or maybe a

style drop or gimble element.

 

Who knows....

 

As long as it has

[Gerstlauer1]

Looks awesome!

 

I'm very curious to see who is gonna build it, I personally hope for Intamin!

 

This is also gonna be a terrain coaster right?

[bejackso]

Revenge of the mummy style would be tight

[Visioneer]

Considering Oktoberfest IS a giant carnival and the area at BGW is based off of said carnival, it works. Heck, Oktoberfest is the carny-est section of the park anyway (along with Festa Italia). Just add a Schwarzkopf and some extreme rides and you'll have an authentic Oktoberfest replica.

 

Excellent point there. The rest of the area is still more refined, but I'll give you that. Carny for BGW still looks like Disney vs. Six and Cedar. Again, I'm glad they are getting a drop tower regardless. It's a smart investment.

[Visioneer]

Personally, I think S&S towers are butt ugly and even more "carny," but that's my opinion.

 

I agree ... their first installations (i.e. the smaller ones) aren't so pretty. Power Tower and other larger multi-tower projects have a monumental feel to them. Mach Tower looks great from a distance. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product and reading your report.

[Saldek]

BGW just posted an updated construction pic on their Facebook page.

 

[Mr. Starr]

Looks like they added a few more of the final tower piece being placed!

 

 

 

From their Facebook page.

[KDcoasterMAN]

TIPTOP!

[bejackso]

another aerial shot from the crane now that it's been topped off would be nice

[jarmor]

dang looks like the video isn't there anymore. Was there anything of importance on it?

[Saldek]

^If you're talking about the video from the JCC Planning Commission I just checked it and was still able to watch.

[esvadj]

Hit the park today for my first time this year. It was very crowded and we decided not to stay real long. I got a few shots of the freshly topped Mach Tower for all to enjoy.

Parking lot, Mach on the left

Mach from Italy

Saw the new Italian version of Monster Stomp

Signage

looks tall to me

Edited May 8, 2011 by esvadj

[tiger01]

^ Thank you for the update! It looks nice!