Gazza

Yeah, obviously most modern thrill coasters would be an improvement on what they have now, and yes something of a larger scale than cylone or whatever would be excellent, but I was more taking aim at that bigger is better mentality...I mean if DW did go and build a space shot say twice as high as the MW one, it wouldn't automatically be twice as good. The launch would still only be 4g, and you would still only have -1g at the top. Well, if its there people will ride it (It wouldn't be hard to get 1 million riders considering their daily attendance) It's up there with the best in the park...but compared to all coasters in the world, there are quite a few better ones out there.

Yeah, its a great park, it's actually the one that takes the longest to get done, there is a whole lot to do. Your partner will undoubtedly love Polar Bear shores (and you probably would too anyway...someone would have to be pretty cold hearted not to immediately be taken away by them) , plus all the other exhibits are of a high standard too. The rides aren't intense, only "fun" but still worthwhile. SW eye is great for the views, corkscrew is better than cyclone IMO, the two water rides are fun..they always are, plus there is the small water park you could easily spend an hour or more in ('the plunge' is a cool slide). The place is big on shows, so they will fill up your day too. You might as well go for it, it's only a little bit more to get the superpass anyway, and its worth that amount extra at least. The funny thing is, I'm a big fan of rides, yet SW is the only GC park I have been too on every trip, there is something about it that keeps me coming back.

To be honest, I have become utterly sick of that bigger is better mentality a lot of parks (and people) have, it never results in good attractions and its just a monumental waste of money. I mean look at the Mitch Hawker poll for starters, record breakers never poll well (Heck Superman is rated as better than Millennium Force) And I mean look at TTD versus Kinda Ka, both rides went for records, neither are that great, and finally CP have learned their lesson, bowed out of the whole battle and just built Maverick, and right there they have one of THE best steel coasters, its not tallest or fastest, but just aims to be a very good ride. To me, it seems the ones who think big rides are the bee's knees aren't particularly 'well ridden', if you got out there and rode stuff, you'd see the best rides aren't engineered around a stupid stat or gimmick, but to give a high quality experience. Bigger rides don't feel any different anyway, they are still equally as forceful because they have to make the elements oversized and gradual. For those who think big rides are the best, 3 words.......Tower of Terror.

Yeah geez, we've only got 2 ride based theme parks, you'd think people would want variety between them

You're grasping at straws. Even with taxes $300 is still pretty darn cheap for a long flight to another country and a chance to visit Universal. I'd rather spend that than on several identical trips to the GC that's for sure. I thought you wanted one of these, it is approx 6 mil after all PS, lets not turn this into a wish list topic, we already have one of those. Anyway, getting back to it, how many of you really see an end to the way things are going at the moment, does anyone still hold any real hope for a big thrill ride? I've certainly taken my eggs out of THAT basket.

The entry of Tiger Airways to the market could not come at a better time, I just had a peek.... airfares to Singapore from Perth are $166. To me, this is an absolute no brainer, me and a probably a lot of other members will definitely make trips over there, and would undoubtedly do it over the GC. Universal do fantastic parks, and while its not an Australian park like I hope Universal might do one day, Ill gladly spend a few hundred more on airfares for a better experience. Yes, and until this changes It could really hurt DW in the long run. For the attendance and profitably they have $6 mil a year over the long term is a joke. It's simply not enough in the competitive market they exist in, and in the wider amusement industry it does only really get bottom of the barrel stuff, I mean Claw for instance, while a great ride is pretty much a staple attraction at theme parks (what is more interesting is smaller parks Bobbejanland for instance seem to get bigger versions) It frustrates me (and others) so much that they have forgotten their roots, innovative and high quality attractions are what set the park apart (and ahead) Just where would the park be if the previous owners hadn't the foresight to build that 120m high thrill ride duo? WVTP do seem to be prepared to spend the big bucks (Except at SW it seems) and they are doing far better as a result. With MW, they seem to be on a cusp, it would take just one more KILLER coaster up to Superman's standards to really put DW in a bad spot, on one hand people who have just ridden Doohans will realize MW are in to providing better experiences, and at the same time DW would effectivley be 2 big coasters behind (considering MW are due for a new coaster after the stunt show opens I think this could happen)

Definitely truth in that. i just spent half an hour trawling through the main topic for the article, couldn't find it, but from memory in an interview the CEO was talking about recent additions, he acknowledged that flowrider etc were smaller additions, but he said something like"every few years you need a big attraction to really drive long term attendance" when talking about the motocoaster. Clearly they see this as a big addition. Maybe Richo can answer this, they say 6 mil is their sustainable capex budget, but is there anything to say they will actually spend anywhere near to that per year in the long term...could they be cheaping out in this area to help the bottom line?

Maybe another point is "Is this Intamins biggest blunder?" I really don't know the situation, did DW go to Intamin and ask them to develop a new design, or did Intamin already have the product in their catalogue? While DW would most certainly have had input in the bland layout, I think the uncomfortable trains are Intamins fault. Would I ? If I entered a class of year 3's, how many would know who Mick Doohan is? He stopped racing a few years ago, is rarely in the media, and doesn't do any child oriented TV work or advertising. The theme is only good if the majority of the target audience know something about it. Somehow, I think motoGP is a bit out of the scope of interests of a lot of young kids.

^That's true, if they really had a desire to improve their offerings and have a full sized coaster it is entirely possible, LPS is not unique, these days a lot of parks are in tight spots, surrounded by urban areas with people living nearby, and manufacturers have responded to this. Sound barriers, scream shields, sand filled tracks and dampeners, silent ratchet lift chains etc are all examples of responses to this need. Personally, I don't see why anything other than the historical attractions in the current line-up need to stay, it's a prime waterfront location and an Australian icon, used carnival rides don't deserve a place in the park. Plan out a proper park with captivating attractions, and have an overriding Coney Island theme I say.

^ I voted for both for fun given the poll was probably going to be reset by a mod because of the double vote option. Id say its a pretty big blunder, as a thrill ride, yes it obviously misses the mark greatly, but as a family ride, its bad value for what they got, I mean $10 mil could go a lot further if it were directed into something other than an expensive prototype...I remember rumours from when this ride first started that they were once in talks to build a mine train coaster...this would have undoubtedly been a longer, more comfortable and enjoyable ride (if my prior experience on this type of ride are anything to go by) Even the current theme seems misdirected as a family ride, obviously its heavily biased towards males, and a lot of the younger set simply wouldn't know who Mick Doohan is. Is that a rhetorical question?

What would be the point of that? It would add no value to the poll, and in fact would make it worse since the figures that actually matter (yes and no) would not add to 100%. If you haven't ridden or dont already have an opinion, then don't vote.

I voted for both.

So, who is going to order a Vii from the Chinese imitators?

Nah, its called a cobra roll (hence that being the element listed in the 'facts' section of both rides).

A bit off-topic, but on that sierra sidewinder pic, does anybody else think the orange things either side of the passengers look like wheels of Jarlsberg cheese?

It looks like a blatant rip off of the S&S screamin' swing.

I think the situation could get a lot more dire before they go demolishing the resort. The water park I think could be trimmed in half, just get rid of the 2 flume slides, and build new ones from the point where the 2 tobbogan slides used to start, build a new changeroom/cafe complex closer to the shark bay end, and have a deck area on the roof, and you could basically get rid of the rest, in that space 3 new animal exhibits could fit easily. Though I dont like the idea of Orcas, they have a poor track record of being kept in captivity, and it is a bit cruel to keep such a large animal in a small habitat without really deep water. The Nara is here to stay, this year they are continuing the upgrade, and are doing something with the pool area...hopefully with that they go all out and make the GCs best pool area...almost like an mini water park with lots of gardens, spa coves, waterfalls, meandering canals to swim down etc. Its funny, the pool area is something that can make or break a resort, IMO its better to direct money there instead of minor room upgrades.

Why dont you google "Wild Thing Ride Review" or look at the 2006 steel coaster poll results ( http://www.ushsho.com/steelrollercoasterpollresults2006.htm ) and see where it sits compared to other rides...that should give an indication of what people think. The closest thing I have been on is the West Coaster at santa monica pier, it is the same model/manufacturer, but just a really small version, it was ok, (just ok), didnt really have much air, wasn't the smoothest thing from memory, Its location sort of saved it. Still, If I were building a hyper, I'd spend the extra money to get an Intamin or a B&M.

Couldn't you just ride this wearing a bucket on your head...it would be the same wouldn't it? It would be fun to ride, but It just seems like a stupid way of doing things.

^I doubt the government would have moved into the production of autocare products somehow...they would have approved it, but they wouldn't issue it.

For those of you that don't know, Australia does actually have a ride manufacturer, called Funtime: http://www.funtime.com.au/ They are the ones who make that Slingshot ride, Vomatron etc. But they make one ride that makes me almost ashamed to have them as a local company, The Bell: http://www.funtime.com.au/data/specs6.htm Is that not the most I'll conceived and impractical ride ever? It has an abhorrent capacity of just 6 people, there is a big bell surrounding you blocking the view, and the bell theming itself weighs a whopping 28 tonnes so a lot of power would be wasted swinging that monstrosity. What do you think? And for something to keep the topic going, what other rides are there that just make you say "what the hell were they thinking?"

I think the people who worked on the commissioning of this ride had a sense of humour: Source: http://www.roller-coaster.com.au/gallery.p...91&image=21

^Who knows what is with it, Im guessing that it is some sort of Cyclone simulation system, combined with a gymnastics arena (hence that section with bouncy floors) but I don't get how that relates to why you are riding on the roller coaster. The original thematic designs can be found here: http://www.sandersongroup.com.au/asandframes.htm I cant make any sense out of it, though it did involve having a sheep in the turbine instead of a cow....

How would you theme it?

I thought about that, yet another challenge is the fact there is the track blocking the view in the middle, so you'd need to do effects on both sides. An interesting idea could be to have different (but equally good and numerous) effects on each side, and in each orientation, so you would really have to take 4 rides to see all the possible effects. (Left side forwards and backwards, Right side forwards and backwards) I think it is wise to maybe have a couple of rides that dont rely on Movie themes. USJs Hollywood Dream coaster is one I like: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewt...p=459733#459733 A music themed ride would fit into the park well anyway, I mean Disney Studios has Rock n Roller coaster which isn't movie themed (They need to focus on TV and Music themed attractions, not just movies, the GP wont care, and I certainly wouldn't) Just bung on a loose music industry related storyline and theme the queue accordingly, and then have a cool coaster with speakers in the seats (I had this on my mind today, I think "Eagle Rock" would just be a cool song to have as a coaster sound track. And, as for the woodie, well along with a river rapids that is one of the two most pressing rides for MW at this time. I think Intamin is the safest option for a park like movie world (since we don't have an off season where other types of wooden coaster would need to be retracked) I know if I was in charge of MW they would be the very first two things I would order. Yeah, like I said, Universal now has the exclusive rights to Harry Potter attractions. ^And isnt Scooby Doo a roller coaster