arlen23 Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 Wow this ride is awsome! im impressed i would love to sit on this, can't wait for the finishing photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 I'm back. However, due to insane traffic I'm very late and I am going on a date with my wife in about 6 minutes. Just know this: I was INSIDE the footprint and took 73 pictures while I was there today. A select few will be exclusive to TPR, RCDB and First Drop until the ride opens in July. So if you want to see all of them, you're going to have to look around a little! I'll be posting first thing tomorrow morning, so to you guys it'll be late Saturday night. I touched it! I even stuck my head between the rails! It really is BEEFY and MEATNORMOUS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I just finished resizing all my photos from yesterday. I left Yokosuka late, so I arrived at Fuji-Q about 12. I went immediately around back and parked behind the Highland Dormitory again. After a couple quick pictures, I entered the work site, wearing the blue hard hat I had borrowed from work. All the workers were sleeping in the trucks except one. I asked him if it was OK if I took pictures, and he referred me to the office. I went up to the 2nd floor and asked the guy there if I could take pictures. He said OK. I walked around and under the coaster for about 40 minutes. As I was completing my 2nd lap of the site, the site foreman asked me what I was doing. (All conversations were me in English with a little Japanese and they spoke Japanese with a little English.) I told him the "manager" said it was OK to take pictures. I asked him a bunch of questions, and he answered the ones he could. We went to the office together and he confirmed that the guy in the office said I could take pictures. I thanked them and then I left the site to get pictures from inside the park. I moved my car to one of the official Fuji-Q lots. As I walked by the site entrance I realized I forgot to ask the name of the company assembling / erecting the coaster. When I reached the gate, the guy from the office was there. He made lots of the "NO" sign at me and refused to answer the question. Oops, I guess I got him in trouble! The site foreman probably was nice in front of me, then chewed him out after I left. I felt bad, but I think you'll agree that several of the photos taken from inside the coaster are pretty cool. So, although I had permission to take these photos, I probably won't be allowed this kind of access again! I hereby revise my previous assesment and declare that this will be an X clone modified by the full-full and other minor changes to include the curve between the station and the lift. Other factoids learned while speaking to the site foreman: Cost: 3,600,000,000 yen Trains: two Design company: S&S Power (He actually said an American company from Utah, but confirmed S&S when asked specifically.) Steel fabricated by: Meisho Target date: 15 July 2006 Taken from near lot #2. This is the view that now greets visitors arriving by train. The station is about two inches from the rear entrance to the park. Patio picture of the incomplete BIG TURN. What a sexy profile! I waited like three minutes for Dodonpa to launch before realizing it was closed for the high winds! D'oh! I need a wide angle lens! They added lightning rods to two places: The dip and the inside raven. It is getting hard to take overall shots! The twisted full-full from the wheel. Another cRAzy support photo. Zoomin in from the Ferris wheel, you can see how the outside raven lines up with the big fan turn exit. The next track pieces are lined up, but not attached yet. As previously noted, track has been attached to the outside raven turn. I tried to make the drop look like it was connected to the inside raven turn exit. I guess I failed. Inside the park, I took some pictures detailing the CrAZy supports. Looks like it already needs a new paint job! Hey, Jeezus Juice, remember ice skating here? In other news, the shoot the chutes has entered 'summer mode.' It was 44 degrees! ...but do you have levitating supports, Robb? ...and levitating cranes... We got levitating trucks, too. This TPR EXCLU&SIVE photo is to make up for the "not very vertical looking" shot from the last update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 deleted for continuity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrazyT Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Great pictures, this ride looks like it might change a lot of people's minds about 4d's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 The site was getting a little hinky on me, so I submitted. To continue: The last photo posted is the first one I took. The station is more than just a little bit vertical. How do they put the track in after the station is done? Hey! Those supports are drunk! That profile is sexy from both sides! Crane fight! Stu and Flo don't know it yet, but they are about to be separated forever! It's sadder than Shakespeare! These supports are for the brake run. See, they go into the other side of the station. Hey, look this one's only slightly bendy. Maybe they are saving the straight track for last. Staring down the barrel of the outside raven turn DerekRX, there isn't a vertical loop on this coaster, will this work for you? I guess there's a little method to the madness after all. There's a full-full in there somewhere... Another picture of some complicated supports. The world record breaker for shortest vertical support column is Cecil there in the middle. Speaking of W - I - D - E supports. This was taken from under the shoot the chutes. These supports are kind of W - I - D - E, don't you think? This is one of the coolest photos of a full-full ever taken by me in Japan! All Japanese 4D's have attached catwalk and nubbins! Those ladders don't look ACE'r friendly. Why are there so many of them? For the lift hill enthusiasts out there. The crates contain bags of the finest Korean nuts. Far superior to other nuts. Probably some bolts around here, too. Another one. Still pretty cryptic. Crate label. Sure doesn't tell us a lot. The track will rise high over this end of the park. Eventually. Track and supports. The steel plates are so the cranes don't sink into the mud. This footer is still wet after the support was erected on it. Hard at work. (Have you ever tried to get steel aroused? It isn't easy!) This update has lots of 'nuts and bolts' pictures. Here's a ladder! Is it me, or is that an odd place for a footer? Looking up the lift hill. Assembled but flaccid A-frame support. My nominee for strange support of the year. I will pet him and love him and call him George. Why's he in the handicap parking space? The side of the station where the train comes out. Hmmm, I though the Japanese were typically considered neat. I guess that doesn't apply when It Comes From the 4th Dimension! MORE lightning rods? WTH? Maybe electrical work isn't as far along as I thought. There's something else going on, but I can't figure it out. The station is looking pretty big. This is what they were working on while I was there. They lifted it, but hadn't stood it up yet when I left. Does X have a dropping floor? This also shows that there will be a single load / unload position. I didn't see the really tall cranes today. I guess the lift hill track isn't ready yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyBrewer Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I can’t effing wait till January for my Japan trip!!! Thanks SO MUCH for posting these great photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECZenith Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Outstanding photos. The full-full looks sick! Can't wait to see this nameless 4D tetsing. Whenever TPR heads to Japan next, I'm there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaos Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I really like the pictures. That almost looks like a zero-g-roll. I wish X had a dropping floor. Instead the seats lean back, and it feels kind of awkward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinschroder Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Wow! Thanks for sharing these pictures! I especially liked the supports' names. I can't believe the scale of the ride! Let's hope it all works out OK... Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I really don't think that this one will ever valley. The elements get smaller and smaller pretty quickly. ^Thanks for the support folks! Next update should be next month. I don't know which weekend yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanakers Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I can’t effing wait till January for my Japan trip!!! Thanks SO MUCH for posting these great photos. Why not just go down state to magic mountain and save yourself a lot of money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutterflower Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 where would be the fun in that? same culture. same people. Japan would be much much more fun in my opinion. Tokyo is currently on my to do list as well as somewhere in japan a bit more less westernised i guess. Anyway the rides looking pretty damn cool. love the way those outside ravens always look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noobitizer Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Even if this coaster is a slightly modified "X", I think its an awesome first step for the second generation of 4D coasters. I look forward to one day riding this sucker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyBrewer Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I can’t effing wait till January for my Japan trip!!! Thanks SO MUCH for posting these great photos. Why not just go down state to magic mountain and save yourself a lot of money? I'll be in Japan in January to visit a bunch of parks. I'm not going to just ride this one ride. So to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeezus Juice Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Why not just go down state to magic mountain and save yourself a lot of money? Why didn't I think of that!! I spent all that time in awesome japan when I could have been hanging out in valencia instead!! SFMM even has a Panda Express and a Ninja coaster. It's basically the same exact thing!! Yeah Wally, screw japan! Let's go stay at the Holiday Inn Express instead! eathe: Awesome pictures Chris! I never would've thought to bring my own hardhat and just wander around the site! That's awesome! I'm kinda sad seeing my Ice Skating pond replaced with all of that water...what's the point of that?! That full/full looks incredible. The half/half's are disorienting enough, I can't wait to try this one! -Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhishyBrewer Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 It's alright... I have no shame. This is the real reason I'm going to Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 Congrats Wally. You just bumped this forum up in to the 'R' catergory I love the pictures! This thing looks so much nicer than X and it isn't even finished! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtreme Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Very cool pics, really putting some competition against X. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Two things: 1. I think the BIG TURN will be slightly overbanked. 2. There's still something going on at that end. Why are there extra footer bolts? Any ideas or something I'm not seeing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie_1990 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I think that there could be a hill with a flip. I do agree with the overbanked turn though. Nice picture of Hot Japan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suave1226 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 something tells me there is going to be a half half after the turn and before the outside raven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 This ride should be rock solid; huge supports and double backbone track the whole way. Hopefully there are improvements in the chassis as well; this ride could be significantly better than X. Excellent Photos ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noobitizer Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Looking at that "odd place for a footer" it looks like it could be a mounting for the lift motor. Most modern coasters have their lift motors elevated for longevity's purposes. ie reducing stress from torque, train engagement etc. Just a though from an engineering prospective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rollermonkey Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Does anybody have a picture of X's lift hill motor? I'd imagine that they would be mounted similiarly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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