_koppen Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 The first reviews I have read says it is as awesome as it looks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCT3Bross Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 I really hope I can make it down to England this year to ride The Smiler, so I can experience the Smiler myself and find out if it's as good as the reviews say it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B&MIntaminGCI Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 The dueling aspect just made this even more awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belgiumcoasterfreak Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Theme Park Nerd is in the park today and is broadcasting live: This is a two hour queue Here is a walkthrough of the queue line (I don't know if their are any spoilers...) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYKMzr4SKzs That are many zigzags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinnwitted Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Duelling. Nice near miss! I think Alton Towers has a winner here! In my opinion it perfectly fits the area left by the former Black Hole coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skitt2010 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 JET!!!!! Cant wait to ride this, long time coming!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peytonsgirl83 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 IT DUELS TOO!!! Sweet! Totally geeking out about the Smiler; can't wait to get to England and ride it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reon Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 So anyways, REALLY want to hit the Towers now. Its been baiting me ever since the age of Nemesis, but this...THIS.....Theres just no words to describe Smiler's epicness. Even the line's interaction has me baffled. Any tips for someone coming from the states to plan a trip? I still have my passport from when I went to Israel a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medoman Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 make a trip of it and include thorpe park and some other uk places too, blackpool pleasure beach, flamingo land.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarnes84 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Someone has made a pretty good video of The Smiler on opening day with lots of interesting camera angles to give you a really good idea of how fast this thing goes. Mixed comments about roughness though. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon8899 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 ^^^ I'm flying over from nearby Germany this September, will most likely book flight and hotel next week. Luckily we've from Hamburg direct service to Birmingham Airport which has its own long-range train-station. From there taking CrossCountry train (once an hour) direct to Stoke-On-Trent residing there at North Stafford Hotel. While not on-resort the hotel is near the trainstation which has service to Tamworth to visit Drayton Manor or Manchaster on a rainy day. Next to that in the city you'll likely have shops and restaurants nearby. From Stoke there's a daily bus service to Alton operated by the park itself and multiple more by FirstTransport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willh51 Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 The beginning of the video reminded me of the Inbetweeners episode when they go to Thorpe Park. The Smiler sure is...squeaky. Looks like a lot of fun though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollercoasterTigger Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 We are off to visit Alton next Saturday so will take some photos and hopefully be able to report back on what it is like. So far it has had mixed reviews..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downunder Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Here's a decent POV: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baffles Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I think this photo sums up the Smiler - incredible. Credit to Matt - more of his photos here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCT3Bross Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 ^ Talk about a great angle. The coaster looks so great, I can only imagine how it feels down in that pit with the coaster going over your head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Farmer Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Do all of Gerstlauer's (Eurofighter Coasters) come to a complete stop before engaging the lift hill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Do all of Gerstlauer's (Eurofighter Coasters) come to a complete stop before engaging the lift hill? Yeah, I always want to ask this question but always forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I know both of the lift hills on Mystery Mine do. But I thought that was more for show than a common thing with the coaster design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Farmer Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Without having looked in to it, I always assumed it was just to weigh the train. The handful that I've ridden all do, but my level of familiarity with this type is fairly low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 This things looks awesome. I'm also glad to see a new coaster with multiple lifts, love me some multiple lifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coasterbp Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I believe that they do all stop because *I BELIEVE* that they are not typical lift chains, but operate like the lift hills on Intamin Zac-Spins where there is NOT a dog/pawl on the train that engages the lift. But rather there is a mechanism on the chain that pushes the train up the lift from behind. If you watch the videos of the chains on the lifts, you see that they slowly jog until it detects that the mechanism is actually engaging the train, then it speeds up. I *BELIEVE* this is the case with Gertslauer lifts. I'm almost POSITIVE that the Zac-Spin lifts work this way. I'd bet a certain amount of money on it. -=CoasterBP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 In my own humble opinion, it appears to me (having ridden a good number of these coasters around the world), they all seem to go through this system of a pause, then a slight push forward to the lift hill and then they connect and the lifting starts. I think that if the car itself just hit the lift hill on it's current speed, than being slowed down for the lift, this would add imeasureable ongoing stress to both the (what I call) "hook" on the car and the chain of the lift itself. Slowing it down to a stop, then loading it onto the lift seems a better use of energy and stress on the entire system. IMhO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcrider4 Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Having seen one IRL, I can say for sure that they do work with a hook on the chain lift used to pull the car to the top. The car stops at the base, the chain engages the hook, then it goes up at full speed. Confirmation of this can be found here. And here is a photo of one: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linearinduction Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 ^ It's a Chain Dog, just like all of the Transportable Schwarzkopf Looping Coasters with Straight Lifts, like Fire Dragon at Lagoon. http://schwarzkopf-coaster.net/achterbahnen-detail-antriebe-GF.htm -Sid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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