thrillseeker4552 Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 I always forget how much I enjoy reading and posting in this thread! Interesting stuff. 1999 was the year with the most new B&Ms opening. We got Afterburn, Apollo's Chariot, Batman the Ride (SFOT), Medusa/Bizarro, Dragon Challenge (2 coasters?), Georgia Scorcher, Incredible Hulk, and Raging Bull. And of these 8 (or 9?) coasters, 4 were at Six Flags parks! That's crazy to think since Six Flags have been B&M dry since 2012, and the only comparable year where they purchased that many B&Ms is 2006 (two Goliaths and Tatsu). Also, 2005 was the year with the most Intamin Accelerator coasters opening. We got Kanonen, Kingda Ka, Rita, Skycar, and Superman Escape. And of these 5 coasters, they cover 4 continents! Intamin sure was busy that year. I remember a rumor that Six Flags tried to cut costs that year and wanted to cancel Raging Bull but it was too late, so they downsized Georgia Scorcher which was originally supposed to be the size of Chang and Riddler's Revenge. Not sure how true that was, but interesting nonetheless That definitely makes sense. 2006 was also a quite expensive year for Six Flags. They purchased two B&M Hypers, a huge B&M Flyer, and El Toro after having just built Kingda Ka the year before. But then again, Six Flags lost two parks in 2005 (SFNO and SFAW), so maybe they got some extra cash from that? Fun speculation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJK Posted December 11, 2016 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Speaking of busy manufacturers... GCI is opening five coasters next year, the most ever in the company's history. I feel like GCI is definitely growing somewhat similar to Gravity Group. You know, how they opened all those woodies in China (Fireball, Dauling Dragons). I can definitely see more Python in Bamboo Forests and Wood Coasters (Knight Valley). Two GCIs are opening in China in 2017. I look forward to more awesome GCIs opening up in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 I always forget how much I enjoy reading and posting in this thread! Interesting stuff. 1999 was the year with the most new B&Ms opening. We got Afterburn, Apollo's Chariot, Batman the Ride (SFOT), Medusa/Bizarro, Dragon Challenge (2 coasters?), Georgia Scorcher, Incredible Hulk, and Raging Bull. And of these 8 (or 9?) coasters, 4 were at Six Flags parks! That's crazy to think since Six Flags have been B&M dry since 2012, and the only comparable year where they purchased that many B&Ms is 2006 (two Goliaths and Tatsu). Also, 2005 was the year with the most Intamin Accelerator coasters opening. We got Kanonen, Kingda Ka, Rita, Skycar, and Superman Escape. And of these 5 coasters, they cover 4 continents! Intamin sure was busy that year. I remember a rumor that Six Flags tried to cut costs that year and wanted to cancel Raging Bull but it was too late, so they downsized Georgia Scorcher which was originally supposed to be the size of Chang and Riddler's Revenge. Not sure how true that was, but interesting nonetheless You know, I've always thought it was odd for Six Flags to go for a smaller stand-up after the progression the coaster type had gone though. So that totally makes sense. And honestly it's better than the larger ones. It's the only perfectly smooth one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonnyRCT3 Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 The 270° roll on Top Thrill Dragster was never in the original design. Intamin proposed it to CP saying it would be a neat effect, and a safe way to transition from vertical to horizontal. It is a way to keep passengers' CG around the center of their bodies and to avoid lateral g's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollingCoasting Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I always forget how much I enjoy reading and posting in this thread! Interesting stuff. 1999 was the year with the most new B&Ms opening. We got Afterburn, Apollo's Chariot, Batman the Ride (SFOT), Medusa/Bizarro, Dragon Challenge (2 coasters?), Georgia Scorcher, Incredible Hulk, and Raging Bull. And of these 8 (or 9?) coasters, 4 were at Six Flags parks! That's crazy to think since Six Flags have been B&M dry since 2012, and the only comparable year where they purchased that many B&Ms is 2006 (two Goliaths and Tatsu). Also, 2005 was the year with the most Intamin Accelerator coasters opening. We got Kanonen, Kingda Ka, Rita, Skycar, and Superman Escape. And of these 5 coasters, they cover 4 continents! Intamin sure was busy that year. I remember a rumor that Six Flags tried to cut costs that year and wanted to cancel Raging Bull but it was too late, so they downsized Georgia Scorcher which was originally supposed to be the size of Chang and Riddler's Revenge. Not sure how true that was, but interesting nonetheless I was told that Six Flags wanted to add a Medusa/Bizzaro clone as opposed to Raging Bull, but Great America already purchased Bull without corporate's permission. Corp. tried to convince them to stop the construction but GAm convinced theme otherwise. Never knew Scorcher was affected by this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollingCoasting Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 The last 2 times that Labor Day has fallen on September 5th.. -A B&M Stand-up closed (Iron Wolf in 2011 and Vortex in 2016) -Six Flags New England closed a water ride for a new coaster the following year (Shipwreck Falls for Goliath in 2011, Splashwater Falls for Joker in 2016) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Card Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 - Grizzly at Kings Dominion was modeled after the famous Coney Island Wildcat. Grizzly was actually modeled after Wilde Beast at Canada's Wonderland (built a year earlier), that was modeled after the famous Coney Island Wildcat Huh. That IS weird. I could've sworn the designers had just watched a YouTube video of someone being placed in a trash can, set on fire, thrown down a flight of granite stairs, and then thought to themselves, "Hmm... how can we simulate this experience with a roller coaster?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oriolat Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 - Grizzly at Kings Dominion was modeled after the famous Coney Island Wildcat. Grizzly was actually modeled after Wilde Beast at Canada's Wonderland (built a year earlier), that was modeled after the famous Coney Island Wildcat Huh. That IS weird. I could've sworn the designers had just watched a YouTube video of someone being placed in a trash can, set on fire, thrown down a flight of granite stairs, and then thought to themselves, "Hmm... how can we simulate this experience with a roller coaster?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVA62 Posted February 6, 2017 Share Posted February 6, 2017 I always forget how much I enjoy reading and posting in this thread! Interesting stuff. 1999 was the year with the most new B&Ms opening. We got Afterburn, Apollo's Chariot, Batman the Ride (SFOT), Medusa/Bizarro, Dragon Challenge (2 coasters?), Georgia Scorcher, Incredible Hulk, and Raging Bull. And of these 8 (or 9?) coasters, 4 were at Six Flags parks! That's crazy to think since Six Flags have been B&M dry since 2012, and the only comparable year where they purchased that many B&Ms is 2006 (two Goliaths and Tatsu). Also, 2005 was the year with the most Intamin Accelerator coasters opening. We got Kanonen, Kingda Ka, Rita, Skycar, and Superman Escape. And of these 5 coasters, they cover 4 continents! Intamin sure was busy that year. I remember a rumor that Six Flags tried to cut costs that year and wanted to cancel Raging Bull but it was too late, so they downsized Georgia Scorcher which was originally supposed to be the size of Chang and Riddler's Revenge. Not sure how true that was, but interesting nonetheless I was told that Six Flags wanted to add a Medusa/Bizzaro clone as opposed to Raging Bull, but Great America already purchased Bull without corporate's permission. Corp. tried to convince them to stop the construction but GAm convinced theme otherwise. Never knew Scorcher was affected by this If Scorcher was affected by it, then that was a good thing. By far the best Stand-Up out there imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparkes92 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Speaking of busy manufacturers...GCI is opening five coasters next year, the most ever in the company's history. I feel like GCI is definitely growing somewhat similar to Gravity Group. You know, how they opened all those woodies in China (Fireball, Dauling Dragons). I can definitely see more Python in Bamboo Forests and Wood Coasters (Knight Valley). Two GCIs are opening in China in 2017. I look forward to more awesome GCIs opening up in the future! Rocky Mountain Construction was very busy in 2016. They opened four of their own coasters (Joker, Lightning Rod, Storm Chaser, Wildfire) plus made the track for SFGAdv's Joker. Despite RMC not having a coaster of their own for 2017, they're still busy as they're making the track for the four S&S Free Spins being built for this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerManic Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Speaking of busy manufacturers...GCI is opening five coasters next year, the most ever in the company's history. I feel like GCI is definitely growing somewhat similar to Gravity Group. You know, how they opened all those woodies in China (Fireball, Dauling Dragons). I can definitely see more Python in Bamboo Forests and Wood Coasters (Knight Valley). Two GCIs are opening in China in 2017. I look forward to more awesome GCIs opening up in the future! Rocky Mountain Construction was very busy in 2016. They opened four of their own coasters (Joker, Lightning Rod, Storm Chaser, Wildfire) plus made the track for SFGAdv's Joker. Despite RMC not having a coaster of their own for 2017, they're still busy as they're making the track for the four S&S Free Spins being built for this year. They're making Mean Streak's track too, which could be a massive project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparkes92 Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 Speaking of busy manufacturers...GCI is opening five coasters next year, the most ever in the company's history. I feel like GCI is definitely growing somewhat similar to Gravity Group. You know, how they opened all those woodies in China (Fireball, Dauling Dragons). I can definitely see more Python in Bamboo Forests and Wood Coasters (Knight Valley). Two GCIs are opening in China in 2017. I look forward to more awesome GCIs opening up in the future! Rocky Mountain Construction was very busy in 2016. They opened four of their own coasters (Joker, Lightning Rod, Storm Chaser, Wildfire) plus made the track for SFGAdv's Joker. Despite RMC not having a coaster of their own for 2017, they're still busy as they're making the track for the four S&S Free Spins being built for this year. They're making Mean Streak's track too, which could be a massive project. 2018 already looks busy for RMC, with this and (likely) Hurler, and possibly more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJK Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 In contrast, B&M is not busy at all next year... in the US. It's the first time since 2011 they haven't built a brand new coaster for the US. Meanwhile in China... five new B&Ms are opening - a dive, a hyper, and three wings. I'm quite curious to see what these new layouts are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparkes92 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Vekoma has built four models of the Invertigo design. All of them have been relocated at least once except the Kings Island installation (which has had a name change) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSum1_55 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 ^And indo love how the original one (at Liseberg) was called HangOver. Accurately describes riding a Vekoma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparkes92 Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 ^ And it's at its fourth different park now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingRCT3 Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 HangOver was scheduled to have a LSM (or LIM?) drive system, but Vekoma didn't get that to work properly, and they went for a more standard lift instead. The attraction was delayed, and as a compensation they gave to Liseberg two S&S towers, as Vekoma was at the time the european dealer for the Utah-based company. The S&S towers are now gone from the park (they are in France now... Heck, just like HangOver!), but man they were fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themonerd Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 A fact about Gwazi when it was still up and dueling. When you would choose a side, the other side would ''roar''(ex. If someone went with tiger a lion roar sound effect would play). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBad Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Was there some kind of motion detector across the line path where the division happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themonerd Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Was there some kind of motion detector across the line path where the division happened? Either that or some pressure pads near the signs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 Even tho the S&S 4D are all clones, there are a couple mechanical differences I've noticed: The original at SFFT had a platform and stairs leading up to them on the first trim brake. This was omitted from the installation at SFGradv and looks to have been omitted from the 2017 installations as well The original at SFFT also had a mechanism in the station that would rotate the seats forward to assist rider loading and un-loading. This was also omitted from the Gradv installation. It remains to be seen if this was omitted from the 2017 models. Also makes me wonder if cost saving omissions are the reason Gradv had so many problems with Joker opening year, while Batman has been extremely reliable for SFFT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparkes92 Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 HangOver was scheduled to have a LSM (or LIM?) drive system, but Vekoma didn't get that to work properly, and they went for a more standard lift instead. The attraction was delayed, and as a compensation they gave to Liseberg two S&S towers, as Vekoma was at the time the european dealer for the Utah-based company.The S&S towers are now gone from the park (they are in France now... Heck, just like HangOver!), but man they were fun! Speaking of compensation, I wonder if Vortex and/or current Bat (Kings Island) was compensation for the issues with the original Bat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lareson Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 HangOver was scheduled to have a LSM (or LIM?) drive system, but Vekoma didn't get that to work properly, and they went for a more standard lift instead. The attraction was delayed, and as a compensation they gave to Liseberg two S&S towers, as Vekoma was at the time the european dealer for the Utah-based company.The S&S towers are now gone from the park (they are in France now... Heck, just like HangOver!), but man they were fun! Speaking of compensation, I wonder if Vortex and/or current Bat (Kings Island) was compensation for the issues with the original Bat. I think that was the case if I remember from reading up the history on The Bat. I know it happened to Cedar Point when VertiGo collapsed. Essentially is the reason why they got Skyhawk as that was their "trade-in" value under the warranty for losing VertiGo after 1 season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollingCoasting Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America had its color scheme inspired by The University of Southern California (College the general manager at the time, Jim Wintrode, attended) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrd64fan Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 From 1999-2017 Every MAJOR Coaster (Not counting Grovers Alpine Express) added at Busch Gardens Williamsburg was followed by a gap that corresponds to a number in the Fibonacci Sequence in reverse order starting from 8 going to 2: Fibonaci Sequence (for reference): 1,1,2,3,5,8... 1999: Apollo 8 year gap 2007: Griffon 5 year gap 2012: Verbolten 3 year gap 2015: Tempesto 2 year gap 2017: InvadR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now