iwerks

Do people want to replace the mine ride or get it to reopen? I remember being really underwhelmed by that ride. I thought it would be like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and it was.. because it was disappointing and painful. I think the best suggestion I have read was to replace it with a eurofighter, with the first bit in the dark. Now that they have a relationship with Gerstlauer, maybe they could head in that direction.

Dejiki has updated his Universal Studios July edition, once again. Some of the news includes: 'Puss in Boots' Giant Journey' is the official name of the new family coaster. There will be a Puss in Boots show too. Possible trim brakes have been added to the Battlestar Galactica coaster. The BSG trains may have been modified. The ultra lame Monsters Rock show will be ending soon, to be replaced by an "all-new" Sesame Street show. http://dejiki.com/2014/07/uss-update-2014jul/ Over on Second Drop, he's looking at other developments on Sentosa, including the cross-island cable-car and the development of a Kidzania and a family friendly entertainment centre. http://seconddrop.blogspot.com.au/

Yes, they're keeping the turbine theme going! I do like the way they're tying it in to Ocean Parade - beach rescue, perhaps? Shark watch? It seems like a big year for parks working on their ambience.

Wow, USS is going all out, and that was just for the launch. 444 actors scare actors! Their mazes and areas seem to cover a range of horror genres too. http://dejiki.com/2014/07/halloween-uss-hhn-4-media-preview-jonah-goodwill-inauguration-ceremony/

Great job, Tim. I went on a suspended dark ride about Robin Hood in Nottingham many years ago. How about a Sherwood Forest land?

More shots of the new coaster from Dejiki. It looks like the spiral lift hill has topped out. 'Puss in Boots' is firming as the theme too. http://dejiki.com/2014/07/uss-update-2014jul/

Such a conundrum. Disney World is something else, as it is so huge, so my vote would probably be Disney. My question is, how are you getting there? Are you making any stops along the way? LA? Japan? Hong Kong? Why not visit the other brand there?

A spiral lift hill would have been cool on the Geronimo. Loved the chipmunk's cars too - just that much more room than the wild mouse. And as the ad used to say - it's not the Royal Show without the wild mouse. Python loop is a bit like the indiana jones ride at Disneyland Paris - nothing special.

Good point. I'd forgotten how long the ride had been around for - I was thinking more along the lines of the trouble they had getting parts for it in the later years. It was great fun to ride. Even though it wasn't a wild mouse, it certainly gave The Royal Show's roller coasters, such as Python Loop (not a Wild Mouse), The Wild Mouse and The Chipmunk a ride for their money. The Wild Mouse, of course, is still running at Aussie World and apparently the Chipmunk that used to tour Australia only just retired last year - now that's a long time! http://www.australianamusementfanatics.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=3503

Besides the time Gazza recommended that Adventure World should get a Eurofighter and they did - nime years later.

Yeah, hopefully Adventure World has learnt through Freefall and Turbo Mountain not to go and buy second hand rides.

Pretty sure a kid drowned at Adventure World about 15 years ago. I know it's not in Australia, but I did happen to go on the little indoor roller coaster at Escape Theme Park Singapore that critically injured a couple of girls. The park has since closed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_Theme_Park

Age is no limit - it depends upon the individual. I know people in their sixties who really enjoy Space Mountain (including the French one) as well as Splash Mountain. They probably won't like anything too jarring or too noisy. They will love the gardens there, so be sure to catch the Disneyland Railroad.

The Corkscrew was a great ride. It featured in all of those ads in the 90s, along with Bermuda Triangle, that really sold Australia on going to the Gold Coast. I think bringing in the Storm coaster just before time ran out for The Sea Viper was a very clever move. I still think they should have another river ride, like at Singapore's River Safari, so you can see all the animals at Wild (if and when it happens), and up-charge more for close encounters with the animals. With regards to coasters, I thought there was a weight/height limit on them at the Spit because the foundations weren't strong enough.

Yeah, it struck me as weird considering the scaffolding went nowhere near the large BSG logos on the ground. I did notice lots of rust and repainted parts on the coaster track. Dejiki reports on the first sign of the spiral lift-hill on the suspended family coaster. http://dejiki.com/2014/07/uss-update-2014jul/

I think the Rampage has a smaller height/weight limit than Wipeout. They have also rethemed the Powersurge into the Black Widow. Then there's Story Corner.. a new stage area.. y' know for kids. https://www.facebook.com/AdventureWorldOfficialPage Their pre-season sale started today.

Second Drop reports that the scaffolding around Battlestar Galactica has disappeared without any obvious changes. Possibly, the trains have been replaced. http://seconddrop.blogspot.com.au/ Screamscape reports that, according to German website Coasters and More, the new coaster at USS will actually be a Zamperla one, themed to Puss in Boots, with a spiral lift hill. http://www.screamscape.com/html/universal_studios_singapore.htm#2014

They only got Freefall in 2010, so I think they will be holding on to it a bit longer. They had a Facebook survey towards the end of last season about Freefall and whether you prefer to go up or down on it. Considering that the drop function wasn't working at the time, most people probably weren't aware that it wasn't fully functional. There was only one time I went on it last season when I thought it was done, but they seemed to get that sorted out. According to Reckless Loony, who seems to know a lot about what's going on, their plan is to demolish the castle in a couple of years time. That sounds insane as it means the derelict castle will be sitting around for at least another year. The island, itself, would be difficult to construct on or work on.

Popped down to Adventure World today. A few little jobs are obviously happening around the park, including nice new advertising signs and some major deconstruction of the Freefall. No new work on the castle as yet. Pictures are on my blog: http://parks115.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/adventure-world-update.html

^ So long as those people who still think there's going to be a Power Surge don't put their hands out to touch Wipeout and do, what they might call in the business, a 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'

^Great idea. Like I said before, anything by Gerstlauer. If it's a flat ride where you don't have to spin until you're sick, I'm all for it. I think it's going to have a few issues with capacity and queues as it will be quite popular for some time.

Was down at USS again today and it was very wet. Whilst work on the dueling coasters has been very minimal, they are powering along with their Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster. It has added a lot of height since last week and is starting to resemble rides like Escape From Madagascar or Freedom Flyer. It would be great if the ride was like Arthur and the Invisibles, but so far there is no sign of a large show building.

Yeah, not having a pre-existing story is a great way to avoid copyright - Abyss, anyone? If you're talking about films produced by Village Roadshow, I vote Zoolander. Derek would make a great theme park character.

^ Yeah, it does seem odd. Maybe they got it at a discount after all of the trouble they've been through with the BSG coasters or perhaps their mechanics are there so often...? I just hope they manage to cram in enough story or unique features to make it different from the other family coasters in the park.

Visited USS today. Dejiki reported on it overnight, but it looks like the new family attraction could be a Vekoma suspended coaster, with light green track(Shrek?). They're not going to have a lot of room and it does seem to be a little bit of an odd choice, considering that the Canopy Flyer is not too far away. On the otherside of the park, Battlestar Galactica is still hidden behind scaffolding. Obviously, they want to keep whatever is happening on the red side away from prying eyes.