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Showing content with the highest reputation on 29/05/17 in all areas

  1. Lift hill construction has begun. Tonnes of supports in the area, and workmen preparing footers around the area. All cranes are now in carpark, with no more pieces installed for the loop. EDIT: And here's a few more pictures
    19 points
  2. Hello again! This topic will comprise of my Trip Reports to parks in Europe. I really like to describe my experience on coasters and I hope you'll enjoy the reads (The Phantasialand and Liseberg TRs are a copy paste of my reports originally posted at CoasterForce) Part 1: Phantasialand (April 2017) After missing out on Taron the previous year because I visited the park too early, I was determined to make it this time! The coaster has received rave reviews, almost unanimous, and my anticipation was sky high for a coaster that has a very unique and confusion layout...A 3-hour drive from my friend Erdekraft's home meant we had to wake up at 5 am to ensure we would get to Phantasialand around opening times. We arrived at the Ling Bao (no pictures, whoops) hotel right before 10:00 am for check-in. We took our hotel ERT bracelets and headed straight to Winjas': The sight of Wuze Town's main hall and the double helix still amaze me. Even though it is my 3rd visit to the park, I was surprised by how fast the elevator lift was. It lasts for like, 10 seconds until you reach the main drop? The coasters themselves were fun as always. They didn't really duel during my visit but I did not mind given how immersive the theming is. Both layouts are varied, complete and have some little tricks that set them apart from other spinning coasters. I can't conclusively decide which one I prefer, even though both my friends heavily leaned towards Fear because of the bigger drop and overbanked turn. Our second ride of the day was Temple of the Night Hawk. Erdekraft nicknames it 'le coaster nul' ('the sucky coaster' in French). It isn't that bad to be honest. Just meandering a very long time in the dark. Would be more interesting lights on and with theming in my opinion. I guess even Phantasialand has room for improvement I was looking forward to riding Black Mamba which left me a positive impression last year. And my first ride was... fairly disappointing sadly I sat at the front right seat, and definitely felt some headbanging during a couple of transitions. The intensity was there though as I remembered, but those jolts meant I couln't fully enjoy that first ride. Funnily enough, Erdekraft sat in the middle front and had no trouble whatsoever, but heard me and my other friend (sitting at the left) say 'ouch' at the very same time! Thankfully, there was no such headbanging on my following laps later in the day or the next day, and as such I still rank this B&M Inverted highly for its extensive theming and narrow, forceful layout.Our impatience then was too much, we couldn't resist the urge to go and see Klugheim... Taron was about an 1:30 hour wait. I was extremely intrigued by the hype and applause around the latest Intamin blitz that I feared ending underwhelmed. Therefore I was very excited when it was time to ride aboard the new trains complete with their Mack-inspired lap-bars. They felt a little bit bulky at first, but caused me no problem overall. Good job Intamin! My first impression was that the ride was worth its reputation, a Top 5 coaster full of intensity and snappy turns. The couple of airtime hills are good ejector but definitely not the most insane/powerful Intamin ever did (EGF and El Toro still fare better imo). But more on Taron later that day with the hotel ERT... Mystery Castle was a 5 minute wait. Aside from the great theming, this Space Shot-thingy dazzled me with its light effects which made me lost sense of height. At some points during the program I couldn't tell if I was towards the top or the bottom of the ride. I suppose the effects worked wonders on me! Chiapas and its earworm soundtrack... Still the best flume log I've ridden, great Mexican scenery all along and fast, efficient switch track tricks. The log reaches a fairly nice speed at the bottom of the main drop. Templo de Fiesta is still good funky Onto another best of its kind, this time Colorado Adventure. This Mine Train is only pure fun, no dead spots, a good speed throughout and fairly smooth even though a few oddly banked turns caught me off-guard when I raised my hands ^^ The final helix makes for a great picture location. The next ride was something much more agressive with Talocan. A good soundwork and fire effects really add to the atmosphere, especially during the queue. The ride itself was on the edge of too much intense spinning for me buy fortunately I still enjoyed it.We then decided to eat a quick dinner with some Chinese noodles (no pics, yep again). For some reason our noodles contained a substantial amount of sweetpepper. Well, doesn't matter if you have bad breath when you still get an ERT on Taron later! Taron evening ERT. I will go straight to the point: this hour of exclusive ride time of Taron was the most fun I ever had in an amusement park. I really enjoyed my first lap on this coaster, but the 6+ rides with little to no wait after park closure took matters to an entirely new level. The second half was literally breathtaking, I couldn't even scream of joy even though I wanted so, because the twists were so snappy, and the turns so intense. The official POV doesn't do it justice really. While the first half might be some fast strolling around the rocks after the airtime hill, the second part is so relentless the overall experience feels overwhelmingly exhilarating. The Taron fanfare and the sweet Intamin LSM sound build my excitement even higher for a complete experience, ride and theming joining hands to deliver a fantastic moment! I think EGF still ranks ahead on pure airtime joy, but Taron comes very, very close behind because of that magic ERT. As opposed to most coasters I've ridden before, Taron has an 'organic' feel that is hard to describe. I can't tell each element from another, as the elements are so intertwined. A truly wonderful engineering achievement to my eyes. (Picture courtesy of my friend Maxime) We went back to our room still bewildered by the outstanding time we had. The experience was so fulfilling we couldn't help laughing for the next hour! -Day 2- After the insanity of evening ERT on Taron, this custom Vekoma family Boomerang might seem like a footnote, but there's still plenty to say about the other 2016 addition at Phanta. Raik, for that matter, is actually my very first Family Boomerang. I have to say I was pretty impressed by the speed the train goes through the station after the first backwards crest. For a family-oriented coaster this is still fairly scary The scenery is very detailed and easy on the eyes. I didn't get the fog effects but I loved how the lights changed from red to green as the train switches from going backwards/forwards. The only downside of this charming coaster is its limited capacity because of its shuttle nature. I waited around 45 minutes in the morning (in the single rider line!) for my one ride. Thankfully the atmosphere is more than nice enough to cushion my impatience and I got rewarded with a nice interaction with Taron on my way through the backwards lift! Maus au Chocolat was our last major attraction to experience again. This 3D shooting dark-ride was a pleasant and fun one. I love the theme, it is refreshing and new for a ride of this type and still very fitting! The theming is well executed and the whole 3D-thingy well integrated. The rest of the day, which precise schedule I can't exactly remember mostly consisted of rerides on Black Mamba, Winjas Fear and Colorado, with the B&M getting the most laps overall despite (or because ?) of the unconfortable experience of my ride at the front the previous day. We also went around the lake for a welcome break from all the intensity and dense (but wonderful!) theming of Phantasialand. Overall, Phanta stands out as my favourite park. It simply has the most balanced mix between intricate theming, excellent operations and of course, fantastic coasters. Taron and, to a lesser extent, Black Mamba might get most of the attention, but Winjas and Colorado Adventure are really quality rides for their type. I would only avoid going to the park during very busy days, because the dense scenery with many narrow pathways might become uneasy, but otherwise I have not a single minor complaint about the park. It truly is fab! I hope that you'll like reading coasters reports in Europe. If so, I'll be posting my story of visiting Liseberg last month next
    8 points
  3. Why you're going to want to ride Movie World's new roller coaster this year Movie World have finally dropped their first hints for their roller coaster under construction. From everything we've seen it's likely to be one of the world's best roller coasters, and you're going to want to ride it for yourself. Click here to continue reading
    3 points
  4. Here's an exclusive first look at stage 2.
    3 points
  5. N o t h i n g ? I mean, just because it's a hypercoaster doesn't mean it's going to be good. I know it's a minor thing, this was a good article, and something I recommend @pushbutton reads as well as anyone else who isn't convinced this will be something that needs to be ridden over and over again.
    2 points
  6. Here we go! It's time for Movie World's skyline to change completely...
    2 points
  7. Technology these days would permit the installation of a fog screen, which could potentially hide the boat in front, and permit multiple boats on the lift at one time. Its a matter of "how much of your wad do you blow on something that isn't likely to give any ROI? upkeep, maintenance, maybe something new during each refurb, but seriously - who cares if you can see what the car in front of you is doing. just be thankful if we get an LED strip fuse that binds the story together just that bit better, and be thankful!
    2 points
  8. I'm trying to work out what this animal is. Is it a Pitbull dwarf adult tiger?
    2 points
  9. The idea is the mountain is about to blow, so i think if there's a projection of someone at the base of the mountain lighting TNT, and then the spark trails (LED strips) lead all the way up the mountain, and then into TNT barrels at the top, with the sound of an explosion behind you as you exit the mountain. Maybe even some smoke machines just outside of it, to make it appear the mountain did explode.
    2 points
  10. Watch here impressions of Star Trek Operation Enterprise - the new Mack Rides Coaster at Movie Park included all Pre-Shows & an Queue Line walkthrough. You can ride this rollercoaster since a few day at the softopening. The Pre-Show and also the ride is amazing. ItΒ΄s a nice rollercoaster for all handtime fans =)
    1 point
  11. Great story, it's hard to imagine it going to be faster than Superman Escape, that's Wonder Woman fast!
    1 point
  12. I know it's an old joke already but I'm looking forward to riding Wonder Woman
    1 point
  13. Great report! I became interested in Phantasialand way back when they were building river quest and tried to have that hinged drop element that turned out was capable of ejecting riders, so never actually used it: And then when they built Black Mamba I really wanted to visit, and now that they've built Taron I really really really really want to visit....And hence I'm planning to go next year. Hopefully Rookburgh will be open by then. I'm surprised by the long queues during your visit. I would have thought that April would still be a bit cold for most people and the park would be quiet? It's pretty much April next year when I'll be over there.
    1 point
  14. @themagician But MW theme to the comic versions of the characters, not the movie versions. I'm still predicting a Priscilla coaster. Wait til you see how they tie it in the daily parade!
    1 point
  15. well I guess it's all but official then? Lol, thanks @themagician. Pretty sure you weren't formally on the Wonder band wagon, why now the change of Heart? PS:- I know I am old but what is fldical?
    1 point
  16. I would do half a dozen or so small projectors up the lift projecting in places so that it looks like sparks fizzing around the 'fuse'. If you use small solid state based projectors very cheap to maintain. I'd throw some subs in there too for that big thunder rumble
    1 point
  17. Because it will be amazing and every day after opening day you don't ride it you're missing out
    1 point
  18. Great article guys. I'm loving the frequent coverage -- truly deserved for Australia's best ever theme park ride.
    1 point
  19. You missed an important option in your odds @Lightning Unlisted/all other themes - I'd place that at $2
    1 point
  20. Just to give people an idea for those who haven't been to the site, the middle supports in the image below is the one shown above
    1 point
  21. Tower of terror II's maintance has been pushed back to the 16/06/17
    1 point
  22. @Lightning Also, you left off Priscilla and the obvious choice 'Miss Congeniality'
    1 point
  23. You're feeling wrong. Other than a change in colours, the 'lightning' \ 'stardust' has been present for more than 2 years now: (Worth noting, this took about 3 seconds to figure out by googling 'VIP magic pass' in an image search and scrolling through images with the lightning \ stardust that had dates on them - try to do what others do here and check a few facts before just blurting a prediction out)
    1 point
  24. No one would know yet. Ballot for tickets closed last week
    1 point
  25. Thanks for the update @themagician Just as we expected! May 29th, Green Lantern down for maintenance & lift hill construction has begun
    1 point
  26. I like the idea of the fuse slowly being lit as the boat goes up the hill, it's a great thematic idea that builds tension. As for this issue you mentioned, you could have an LED fuse (or something) going up the centre bottom of the lift hill, just a little bit in front of the boat so people in the boat can see it but it doesn't spoil the illusion for other people on the hill. And rather than audio sequences that have to be lined up such as dialogue, you could just have the sound of the fuse sizzling with some ambient music accompanying.
    1 point
  27. Really enjoyed the TR @Coaster Hipster! Definitely a park I'd love to visit in the future. Taron has gotten some amazing reviews, really hope our Mack coaster in Movie World has some of the same elements.
    1 point
  28. Bermuda had a cheesy rope light with a standalone chaser controller. What @djrappa is talking about is completely different, programmable LED smart strip that can be controlled precisely - and is a great idea.
    1 point
  29. Where does the Golf ball go @Reanimated35?? lol
    1 point
  30. The burgers where really good from here, definitely recommend trying one.
    1 point
  31. That's why I usually leave the park and go somewhere else for lunch. Same goes for every park though, not just Dreamworld. Big money-making opportunity!!! Just charge less and make more! Having said that, I don't mind paying what the food is actually worth in terms of comparable food outside the parks.
    1 point
  32. Ok thanks. I might try them next time I'm there, but only might as I fear the pancakes are probably not even freshly made. Still, I'll see!
    1 point
  33. Well done to the 501st Legion and Dreamworld for another awesome annual event. Despite my family and I not being able to stay for long due to work commitments, we still had a great time today as always ☺️ The turnout today crowd wise was fabulous. Inside the park was clearly thriving and the carpark was nearly full when we left around 1pm. It was a great feeling to see it so busy, probably the busiest yet in my attendances since it reopened in Dec last year 😊 One thing, though... it seems Disney have come down hard on Dreamworld/501st Legion in regards to what they can and can't use for the event? Either that or they just didn't go bring in as many props this year πŸ˜• There was definitely a lack of photobooths... last year they had the x2 speeder bikes, the trash compactor, the life-sized limited edition figurine box, as well as the four basic backdrops. Today however, there was just the latter and one x1 speeder bike. This was my only complaint, being a bit disappointed as I really loved the ones which had props to pose with. Otherwise we still had a great time, and I certainly can't diss anything that's run for such a good cause ❀️ Hopefully there will be more again next year ☺️ PS. Did anyone else happen to spot Chewbacca at all? I swear I didn't see him at all today, including during the parade. Dunno if I missed him, or if he just wasn't there πŸ€”
    1 point
  34. Yeah... no. Maintenance and possibly a computer upgrade similar to what SFMM did with Superman at the absolute most. There would be no point upgrading the LSM's / Track at all.. it wouldn't be a financially wise decision in the slightest.
    1 point
  35. Dreamworld was profitable. It was making Tens-of-Millions of dollars a year in profit. Those profits were not being re-invested back into the park. They were being used to build Main Event Bowling Alleys in the United States. It is exactly that lack of re-investment into maintenance, park safety, and staff training that Dreamworld now finds itself in a position with 3 major rides closed, another undergoing extensive maintenance and a damaged brand - at a time when their competitor is building the largest and most expensive single attraction at an Australian Theme Park. I'm not buying the 'poor Ardent - just trying to feed hungry mouths' nonsense for a second. If they had been re-investing in the park, instead of bowling alleys they wouldn't be having these problems at all. This is a self-made problem for Ardent and I suspect a lot of people on this forum believe Ardent haven't learned a thing from it.
    1 point
  36. Not so keen on a parade st Dreamworld, but a show could work. Theme it to something like Australiana, with songs and comedy. As for staffing, I guess you could use animatronics. Call it something something Jamboree something...
    1 point
  37. Why don't they just hire a couple of vapers to sit up there and blow smoke? Pay them in fidget spinners and you've got endless smoke effects
    1 point
  38. Do they take your temperature before each ride? πŸ€”πŸ€’
    1 point
  39. Heaps of construction must have occurred yesterday, the part that cuts under the Stengel Dive with the airtime twist now has a full left diving inclined loop or helix underneath the area of the expected non-inverting loop. Both the entry and exit of the non-inverting loop are in place. Pics from my fruit phone, taking more on my DSLR. It looks like the helix will complete two wrap-around of the N-I loop's base the first one as seen in the pic is high to low diving, the second one low to high, if that makes sense. Lots of supports being unloaded ATM, with the occasional piece of track being moved into the ride footprint. I got a few close up pics of the track pieces inside the holding yard, including piece 105. I haven't been here since before track was going in, but there seems to be quite a cracking pace here. Maybe trying to get as much done as possible before the next 2 days of predicted heavy rain.
    1 point
  40. Dec 2016 Villains Unleashed Area - Review: I visited the new Villains Unleashed area in early December last year. Unfortunately Doomsday was down for maintenance, but I'll hopefully get a ride when I visit again in March. My thoughts on the area: it is very well done, and makes great use of a previously underutilised space of the park. The character statues are of fantastic quality, especially the doomsday character smashing through the ride signage - the level of detail here is impressive. This is now my favourite ride sign/entrance sign of any flat ride in Australia. I love how the doomsday lettering looks like it's ripped straight out of a comic book. Their are little details throughout the whole area - in the signage and buildings - that will probably only make sense to serious DC fans (which I am not). That just shows how deep they have gone with the theming and research into the IP used. I'm not a fan of the pay-to-play system for the games. IMO they should be free to use, as the games are interesting, but nothing memorable. I liked the practical effect games, better than the screen based ones, e.g. The Killer Kroc interactive water fountain and Joker's 'test your strength' game. If they were all practical effect games I would see the $15 wristband price a good deal.....but atm I'd rather spend it on some lunch at Dirty Harry's. This is just my opinion - and I'm sure I'm not the target market for these game experiences. My only big complaint of the area, is it's location in the park. It's kinda just been plonked in between scooby and wild west falls. It doesn't make sense. This area should have been used to further expand the wild west area, or develop a Mad Max themed area/ride. The villains unleashed area should have been built in the Arkham Courtyard. Thematically and story-wise, it would have made so much more sense - 'The Joker has set loose Arkham Asylum's biggest and baddest villains. Join them in their plot to destroy the asylum and ride the Doomsday Destroyer - a monstorous looping ride'. This could have seen the re-opening of the chinatown alley for improved guest flow - with arkham asylum themeing and characters placed throughout the courtyard as well. Furthermore, it would have solidified the front section of the park as 'DC Comics plaza'. Overall though it's a great family area, with a good filler family thrill ride to suit - which I looking forward to riding in March. Props to the design, engineering and build team at Movieworld. From what I understand, this area was designed in-house. Keep up the great work, and can't wait to see what themeing is in store for the new hyper coaster!
    1 point
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