Happy Valley Chengdu Expansion 2017

It may not be the tallest or longest woodie out there but it sure is a pretty little ride.

That structure is stunningly beautiful!!

It may not be the tallest or longest woodie out there. . .

 

Well, you know what they say... It's not the size of the woodie that matters, it's how good the ride is.

 

And this ride looks awesome!!

 

 

I'm loving both the new GCI's in China this year. Between those two and Mystic GCI are on for a great year.

 

I'm really interested to see how these compare to the recent Gravity Group rides in China as they've been knocking it out of the park recently. Some of the Jungle Trailblazers are exceptional coasters.

It's nice to see the GCI continue to be successful in their craft. It seems there's a perception that the traditional wooden coaster is going to be obsolete, yet they continue to prove otherwise.

As far as how they compare to the new Gravity Group installations, I'd be interested to see that comparison several years from now since GG has been using the Timberliner trains. I wonder which ones will get rougher at a faster pace.

Testing on the GCI has begun. No sign of the B&M yet

I love the looks of that coaster.

Looks like the B&M Dive Machine is finally going up. Big fan of those colours.

That just looks amazing!

So the Woodie has been open a couple of weeks

And the B&M has been topped out.

Source

SWEET MERCY! Those colors are so amazing together!

With all the big announcements today this is pretty small fry but I agree this colour scheme is stunning.

^It really is stunning, this and the GCI together are perfect!

Wow, that's gorgeous.

And not only the colors, the actual drop profile as well.

Another great shop of the drop

The Immelmann looks like it will tower over one of the entrances to the new Silk Road area.

I love these colors so much!!!

Thanks to Brent Yin for this awesome footage!

Excellent video! This definitely feels a little more "CCI" and less "GCI." It doesnt quite have all the little pops and twisties that they are known for. But it's a nice change of pace, and it looks like a great ride regardless. Can't wait to see the B&M Dive completed.

I like the interaction with the steel coaster.

Excellent video! This definitely feels a little more "CCI" and less "GCI." It doesnt quite have all the little pops and twisties that they are known for. But it's a nice change of pace, and it looks like a great ride regardless. Can't wait to see the B&M Dive completed.

Yeah, some missed moments for more air time there. Maybe the park wanted a tamer ride.

I like the interaction with the steel coaster.

I wish more parks did this. To hit that area when a train on the B&M is flying by at the same time would be neat.

I have someone that I know that frequents Chengdu several times a year as his company has a plant there. He's helping me with planning a trip there down the road. I may actually get to ride these in a few years. I'm kinda wanting to see what Wanda does there

I really like those low sections and nearly straight tracks... flat track is underrated!

I really like those low sections and nearly straight tracks... flat track is underrated!

To an extent, I agree. There's certainly a reason the Beast is so popular, despite the trek through the woods.

I really like those low sections and nearly straight tracks... flat track is underrated!

JT325, I totally agree with you that "flat track is underrated." With the advancement of roller coasters and the growing emphasis on speed and inversions and spinning and drops, et al, I feel as though it's very easy to lose all the fun sensations that came with the older coasters. Seeing scenery speeding by, the wind in your face, the fun pops of airtime -- in a way, it seems that this is being "lost" in the race for the BIGGEST and the BEST. Not to marginalize having a "what the heck was THAT" experience when you leave a coaster , but as rides become a "blur" of so many sensations at once, something kind of gets lost in the process. (For me, anyway, who likes to actually FEEL that rush on a coaster, more than scream OMG from start to finish.) Hope there continues to be room for BOTH experiences as coasters 'reinvent' themselves.

That said, oddly enough, this wooden Chengdu beauty reminded me a bit of the Cyclone at Coney Island. (Hopefully not as rough!, but built to feel those old-fashioned 'coaster sensations.')

Alice

The B&M dive coaster

First some shots of the finished B&M dive coaster Western Regions Heaven.

Although not the greatest video in the world the official Weibo site for Happy Valley has confirmed the ride is now testing.

https://weibo.com/tv/v/Fzk8YDv1Q

Although not the greatest video in the world the official Weibo site for Happy Valley has confirmed the ride is now testing.

https://weibo.com/tv/v/Fzk8YDv1Q

Not the greatest video in the world - is this some kind of joke I loved it! Good to see it testing I love the GCI's layout and its good to see more no turn dive coasters!

Looking good! Love that color scheme.

Looking good. I wish B&M would do more custom layouts with their dive coasters and not the same recycled design. It was nice to see that Valravn and Baron 1989 got custom layouts at least. But again, it looks good. Digging the color scheme.

Looking good. I wish B&M would do more custom layouts with their dive coasters and not the same recycled design. It was nice to see that Valravn and Baron 1989 got custom layouts at least.

I have to agree with you. But it seems lika all of the newer Dive Coasters are a lot more "custom" than the older ones. Not only Valravn and Baron 1898, but also Valkyria, which might have the best layout of all Divers.