elitch gardens

25 Şubat 2013 Pazartesi

Alton Towers' The Smiler to Feature Inverted Drops?

To contact us Click HERE

Construction slowed for a bit, but now Alton Towers is back at building The Smiler, and they've released some new photos that are quite intriguing. From the initial layouts released ages ago it appeared as though the ride would have two lifts, one normal and one vertical, each followed by a swooping 180 degree turn and then a steep drop.

Well, now that this part of the ride is going up there seems to have been some additional secrets the park was keeping, secrets of the inverted nature.

The new photos show the swooping turns described above, only at the end of them both appear to turn riders upside down! I can't wait to see how the rest of the actual drops look once they go up, but this development ads another pair of inversions to an already twisted ride.

Speaking of that, it could now appears as though the Smiler might really make a go for the world record of most inversions. The initial plans for the ride showed eight inversions, and these additional on the drops make that ten. With more ride taking place inside a secret building, who knows how many the final count may be?

An Aerial View of Fun Spot America's Progress

To contact us Click HERE

What progress! Fun Spot America has released a handful of new aerial photos, showing the park's enormous expansion as it currently stands.

The blue coaster that has a plentiful amount of supports up is the Freedom Flyer, the park's Vekoma family suspended coaster.

You can also see the now complete looking footers for White Lightning - GCI's first steel supported wooden coaster - as well as a small portion of it standing. The stacks of steel supports are in the newly paved parking lot just waiting to go up - along with plenty of track and supports for Freedom Flyer.

The large building in the center of the photo is the park's new entrance, and just beyond that on the right is the now completed (but not filled) pond that the 250 foot tall Skycoaster will tower over. Before long additional rides and attractions will start to dot the landscape and then before we know it the park will be open!

Okay perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself, but it is still great to see such progress being made so quickly.

Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas Progress Check

To contact us Click HERE

I haven't been paying close attention to the construction of either of Las Vegas' new water parks, but Wet 'n' Wild has made quite a lot of progress lately.

This aerial of the all-new water park shows off what has been done so far. You can see the wave pool has been poured, and the lazy river is well under way. Lots of footers for the slide towers are in place, and some of the admission and other facility buildings are standing. They're making pretty quick work of things!

And speaking of the slides that will populate the landscape of the water park, they've started to arrive in droves. This colorful selection of slide pieces are patiently waiting to be hoisted into place. Four different slide towers will each have multiple rides stemming from them, with slides that range from mild to wild.

Fast forward to even more recent photos, and some of the slide towers are now standing. The one above will be the starting point for Desert Racers - a multi-lane mat style racing slide - and Canyon Cliffs, which is a pair of steep dropping thrill slides.

The $50 million development has a planned Memorial Day grand opening, so we're sure to see plenty more of the park going up - and quick. More info is available on the official Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas website.

We're Back, and We're Stuffed

To contact us Click HERE
Well, after a Holiday Hiatus, we're back! First thing I want to do before getting to some editorials is to catch up on some of the bigger news.

So, the Transformers ride is opening. This is considered big news, so here's a recap. It's basically a new version of the Spiderman ride in my viewpoint, but I suppose this is a good backup plan for Universal if and when they ever lose their Marvel license to Disney. Slashfilm reported recently that the attraction vehicle is an actual transformer. Your car is a character. My good friends over at Topless Robot had this to say:

Transformers: The Movie: the Ride is just about ready to open in Universal Studios Singapore, and one of the local news stations did this report on what getting to the ride will be like. I feel like it's notable for two reasons:
1) That it could take up to 1.5 hours of waiting in line to actually get on Transformers: The Ride. The idea that anyone would wait up to 90 minutes for a ride based on Bayformers -- unless they were some sort of war criminal, and this was their court-mandated punishment -- depresses me to no end.
2) On the other hand, as the newslady is happy to point out, the walls surrounding the queue will be full of buttons to press and switches to flip, so that people can "entertain" themselves while waiting. By pressing buttons and hitting switches. Like developing infants do with toys.

As harsh as that sounds, I can't disagree. However, I'm sure I'll be amazed with the technology once it opens. You can make up your own mind by viewing this video.

In other news:

-I should point out that we have seen a new type of ticketing system put into use that could possibly eliminate turnstiles.

-Coney Island is celebrating its roots with some new construction work.

-Kennywood sold Pitfall, so could a new ride be on the way?

-TDS celebrates its 10 birthday just in time for the holidays.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! And if you didn't, it could be worse. The Pilgrims had to catch their own turkey. I'll leave you with a look at what that might have looked like, courtesy of Sally Dark Rides.

...we're back?

To contact us Click HERE
Hello readers!

First of all, I definitely need to apologize for the lack of updates. I've been ridiculously busy with other things over the past several months, and I regret not updating this sooner. Sadly, I simply haven't had time. Thank you to those who have continued to visit and check on the site - I appreciate it greatly.

On that note, I'm hoping to get the site going again with news, Impressions, photos, and other possible new features. What better day to pick back up than on our one year anniversary! That's right, we've been up for one year today (even if we have been gone for several months), and that's an achievement I'm quite proud of. Thanks once again for your readership.

So, what have we been doing? Spring break this year included stops at Thorpe Park and Disneyland Paris, so expect to see reviews for those up sometime in the near future. On top of that, I still have one to finish off from last year; again, oops. Right now, I've just uploaded 100 photos from Thorpe to our Facebook page, including lots of pictures of The Swarm. Head on over and check it out, and maybe go ahead and like our page while you're at it ;)

I'll be sure to post as often as possible, but I can't guarantee daily updates right now. As always I'll do my best. For now, enjoy the Thorpe Park photos, and thanks for sticking with us!

-Wynn

24 Şubat 2013 Pazar

Gold Striker's New World Record Revealed

To contact us Click HERE

With construction almost complete on the ride's track, California's Great America has announced a new world record that Gold Striker will hold when it opens this Spring.

Gold Striker will now include the "world's longest covered initial descent tunnel on a wooden coaster." As described by the park's press release, "adding intrigue to the record setting feature, Gold Striker's 174-foot tunnel will be enclosed by wood on both sides, corrugated metal on top and in-fill underneath the tracks, to replicate a true gold mine feel. The only visible light on Gold Striker's initial descent, which will hurl riders down a 50 degree slope at almost 54 miles per hour, will be following the first turn, creating a nearly pitch black visual."

The framing for the tunnel can be seen on the recent construction photo above, from the ride's builder Great Coasters International. Their full gallery of construction shots can be seen at this link.

"This fully-enclosed, twisting tunnel truly is a special element among wooden roller coasters," California's Great America Vice President and General Manager Raul Rehnborg said. "Gold Striker riders will experience the unique sensation of rapid acceleration in almost complete darkness."

Gold Striker stands 108 feet tall and features a 103 foot first drop, plenty of high speed twists and turns including a covered station fly-by. In total, Gold Striker's track measures 3,197 feet long.

While the new coaster is the main focus of the park's 2013 season, plenty of other maintenance including new paint on many rides and buildings will have the park looking like new when it opens this year on March 29th.

Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/02/20/4633469/gold-striker-coaster-now-includes.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/02/20/4633469/gold-striker-coaster-now-includes.html#storylink=cpy
Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/02/20/4633469/gold-striker-coaster-now-includes.html#storylink=cpy

Alton Towers' The Smiler to Feature Inverted Drops?

To contact us Click HERE