Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread

[Billy]

yeah man, that thing is haulin'! especially around that final turn... that appears to be quicker than i thought it would be.

[Footballteen58]

The Water Dummies say "haha hello we are the water dummies we get to ride Griffon almost two months before you do because the flowers have to be planted smf because we are better than you"

[cfc]

^Actually, they're saying, "If something's wrong, we die--so you won't have to."

[coastrfreak2000]

Holy crap! Griffon makes SheiKra look so slow!

[Jon Sabo]

It has been awhile since I posted on this (and other) forum sites due to conflicts of interests/contractual agreements (park). Now that some of those issues have been resolved or completed I want to say a special thanks to ALL of those who posted pic/video updates-Kudos!

 

I noticed that the "green" wheels on the test video is the supposedly new wheel material test compond(s). That would possibly explain part of the reason for the appearance of the increased speed. Perhaps since the weather was warmer also. I also noticed how fast that Griffon's trains engaged up the lift-I hope that speed comes into use during normal operation (and not stacking of trains-which appears to be the norm for the BGE coaster crews past couple of years

 

Look how much more open the wheel carriers and bogey system is exposed since the trains are floorless. That certainly takes a bit of getting used to. I also believe that the stadium seating is going to catch some people by surprise!! The reason being is....look at some of those photos of the third row and the height of those seat riser blocks...No more looking at the back of someones head(s)..Yeah!

 

Anyone else notice those boxbeam blocks for the splashdown effects? They look like a huge wart-hanging from the chassis like that. I think a couple of good photo's showed variations/perforations within each train that will surely explain the different splash patterns. Is SheiKra's trains going with different splash patterns when BGT convert to floorless trains also? Just curious.

 

May 25 is looking more exciting for (Chuck's)-Euroburg

 

Thanks again for the vid/pic updates Ferg and others!

[coreyml]

If you watched the Tatsu special on discovery, you'd see that they ship the coaster out w/ a certain type of wheel. These wheels make the coaster go faster than normal. They time the coaster and switch a couple of wheels out and time it again until they get to the perfect time.

 

Goliath @ sfog was the same way

[Loco]

yeah man, that thing is haulin'! especially around that final turn... that appears to be quicker than i thought it would be.

 

Well remember the water isn't there yet for the Water Splash element. So after the pool is filled, the water will slow down the train a bit for the final turn.

[DATman]

The airtime hill looked sick!

[DRACHEN_FIRE_FAN-BOY]

dude you guys need to check out my update I have Griffon testing pics!

[vacoaster]

Here's a video on youtube that shows Griffon making its plunge into the water splash. It's still going very fast even after going through the water.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX14T_kTjeQ

[coastrfreak2000]

Are they going to change the wheels before it opens to the public so that it runs slower?

[Top Thrill Dragster]

^ Most likely, yes. They changed the wheels on Tatsu from Nylon to Polyurethane a couple of weeks before it opened.

[cfc]

I like how it swoops up into that banked curve right after it hits the water--that's gonna be a cool spot to stop and eat lunch.

[itsme102]

Yea, it looks like an excellent picture spot, too.

[griffon]

I just uploaded a video on the videographer forum of the footage I got today of Griffon testing... for those of you who might be interested.

 

Of course the cloudiness that lingers around me was also present, and it makes the video a little less dramatic than it should be. However, I didn't take the footage with my cell phone, and I did not include any music so you can hear all the wonderfully muffled sounds that Griffon makes throughout the course of the ride.

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=358697#358697

[fergusonat]

I have to say, the watersplash finale looks phenomenal and is much more impressive in person than any photo or video of SheiKra I was able to find. Not saying SheiKra's is any less impressive...it's just not the same until you actually see it right in front of you and feel the ensuing spray of mist.

 

The reaction from passersby who weren't expecting it was priceless

[Disney Dood]

What's the point of those bars sticking out the side of the track at some points in the ride? It bugs me.

[ECZenith]

If it's anything like the ones on Sheikra, it's too attach nets to catch flying crap that may fly off on the ride. I'm pretty sure at least...

[griffon]

I got off work early on Friday, and couldn't think of a better use of time than to go down to Busch Gardens for the evening and take some pictures. I didn't think it would be necessary to post a separate TR, so I'll add the Griffon update on here.

 

They were doing lots of work in the area and didn't start testing the ride until around 7:30 right as it was getting dark, so I don't have any good pictures of the trains. I was playing around with the shutter speed at first trying to get a good shot of the water splash, but most of them are not very impressive. I also got a sneak look into the entrance area while the construction crew was leaving. A couple of the guys saw I was taking pictures and offered to let me into the gate for a minute to get some shots, so I got a short preview of the bridge progress and it looks like it's coming along well.

 

Couple other things I caught were the mesh nets being put up around the final turnaround (boooo ). Also they were testing the evacuation car on the lift all afternoon just moving it up and down. So basically things are getting ready. And I got some pretty sweet distant shots at night from one of the bridges (can't remember the name off hand) near BBW.

Loch Ness and Griffon from across the park.

Had to use a little photoshop to get some color in this shot

Water splash. Unfortunately it was a lot darker than it looks in the picture and that's about the only shot I could get

Landscaping by the first drop

These guys are my new friends

Thankfully I was able to zoom in and see what he was up to... hey, that's not right

Evacuation car on the lift. What's that guy doing up there anyway?

If you are looking for someone to blame for the article nets, send complaints to this guy.

Loose article nets being installed. Bad for photographers, but good for people eating right next to the track

[yankees15]

Thanks for the update! Griffon looks really impressive at night!

[palavos3]

Is it me or does the 90 degree part on the drop seem to go down a little deeper than Sheikra? I just noticed this looking at the picture.

[crazydaveh]

It looks like the lift isn't as steep as it's big brother in Tampa. Sheikra's lift is a 45 degree angle. This one looks to be less steep.

[coastrfreak2000]

Those last two shots are really awesome, possibly even desktop wallpaper worthy.

[coaster_type_of_person]

^ My thoughts exactly.

Thank you for those pictures. I'm sure Griffon's colors, and the whole overall ride is becoming more appealing than how people thought it would.

Griffon is so close.

[r4v3n]

The lifthill for both is 45 degrees...identical to each other...looking great...cant wait till the middle of may