Whether you like it or not, Windseekers are taking over the Cedar Fair chain; Six of out of the twelve theme parks currently operate or are building one. Cedar Fair is hooked on these 300 (excuse me, 301) foot swing sets, and it’s understandable why; simply put, it’s a gimmick, and the general public eats them up. I can already hear “Dude, did you hear some guy fell out of that thing?” “No way! Lets go ride it!” on the midways of Carowinds.

Anyway, the two Windseekers currently under construction are making decent progress. Both just hit the milestone of their first piece of tower being installed and have “gone vertical.” With the theme park season just around the corner, it’ll be fun to watch these things fly up. Hopefully they’ve worked out the kinks from the last set and these two will have a smooth season.

So, here are some pictures of the “30 or so feet of OMGs”:

Carowinds (via Carowinds Amusement Park on Facebook)

Kings Dominion (via @KingsDominionVA on Twitter)

The UK has a funny way of making parks go very public with their future additions long before they are announced to the public.  Thorpe Park was forced to released plans for The Swarm a full 8 months before it would officially be announced to the public. Fortunately for coaster fans, Alton Towers has followed suite and begun the permit filing process for their new 2013 addition, codename: Secret Weapon 7 (SW7).  And along with the usual permit technicalities is a plethora of details about the coaster. Let’s take a look:

Source: publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

SW7 will be built on the site of the old Black Hole enclosed coaster, just across from Oblivion, extending the X-Sector themed area. The coaster will have a range of about 98 feet between highest and lowest points on the coaster, allowed via heavy ground excavation.  Along with the coaster will be a 9,000+ sq ft station with some “minor theming elements” throughout the surrounding area.  The total investment in the new attraction is around 20 million euros ($25 million US dollars).

Source: publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

The same layout diagram but with arrows signifying the path the train will take. Red is the first half, blue is the second half (post vertical section). Source: publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

Wow.  The layout is nuts.  Alton Towers is often criticized for having too-few inversions and this coaster appears to take care of that minor issue.  There are 8 visible inversions shown in the diagrams: back to back imelmanns, a batwing, roll over, and cobra roll.  I suspect there also may be a barrel roll inside the main building to start of the ride, similar to Saw at Thorpe Park.  However its doubtful that there would be any more inversions as it would then take (or at least tie for) the title as most inversions of any coaster in the world; defeating the entire purpose of Colossus at Alton’s sister park; Thorpe Park.

Source: publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

Other note worthy features include a moderately sized airtime hill just before cobra roll, several s-bends, and a long straightaway, followed by a vertical section of track (we’ll get to this later) dividing the ride in half.  The coaster’s height, is equal to that of the neighboring Oblivion, and the ride’s colors will be black and grey (surprise!)

Included in the planning documents is a noise report, detailing the noise impact it will have on the surrounding neighbors.  A lot of commotion has been stirred up over this comment inside that document:

Is it a Euro-Fighter? Source: publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

So with that, its now confirmed that SW7 is a Euro-Fighter right?  The park explicitly says it will be based on SAW: The Ride at Thorpe Park and will be the same type (Euro-Fighter) and manufacturer (Gerstlauer).  Its also completely reasonable as the layout resembles the recently opened Takabisha. So its safe to assume that Alton Towers is in fact building a Euro-Fighter right?

I think not. 

In fact, I’m almost 100% convinced that this absolutely is not a Euro-Fighter.  That short and allegedly, “revealing”  couple of sentences also state that there will be a beyond vertical drop on the ride, when there obviously isn’t such an element shown in the diagrams.  Its understandable why the park would draw the comparison however; Alton Towers is notorious for having incredibly difficult neighbors.  Thus saying it will be reminiscent of one of the company’s other coasters allows for easy (and cheap) noise level testing to gather data that will appease the neighbors.

The more I think about it, the less a Euro-Fighter makes sense.  Alton Towers is striving for strong growth in the current decade, yet, why would the invest so much in such a low capacity style of coaster?  A Euro-Fighter has just 1-train capable of either 6 or 8 passengers.  And with no mid-course brake runs like other large-park Euro-Fighters, the capacity of this would suck.  And by suck, I’m guessing it wouldn’t exceed 500-600 people per an hour. Not what you want for a high profile ride as this will be.

Then just what exactly is Alton Towers building?

Well to be completely frank, I don’t know.  No one does, except for the lucky few who are involved in the design of this future masterpiece.  However, with the clues provided, I’ve made some educated guesses as to just what we might see from Alton Towers’ Secret Weapon 7.

The track shown in the diagrams resembles that of Maurer Sohne X-Coasters. Photo of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Universal Studios Florida

Far too often, concept art is in no way based on the final product.  The artist typically is not fully aware of what the track looks like, and even if they are, they skew the perception of the real thing by adding their own “artistic flavor”.  However, these planning documents and their schematics of the rides are very accurate.

Taking a look back at The Swarm’s plans, B&M’s signature box track can obviously be made out in the diagrams.  The track in SW7′s plans is not B&M, and is most definitely not Gerstlauer’s 3-spine track used on Euro-Fighters.  Instead, the track most resembles that of Maurer Sohne’s X-Coaster (as shown above of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit).

An X-Coaster system actually makes the most sense with the layout.  X-Coasters are known to have twisted layouts, such as the one shown, and also have a much higher capacity than Euro-Fighters; while they have only been built with 1-2 cars per train so far, Mauerer Sohne advertises that they can accompany up to 3-cars per a train, making for 18-passengers.  3-cars per a train would make plenty of sense considering the long stretches of track between blocks.

The vertical track section for SW7 is reminiscent of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit's. Source of diagram: publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk

The most illusive aspect of the ride is the vertical track section.  All that is really known is that this section is that the coaster goes up this segment, and not down it.  Luckily, the diagrams also give a detailed look at the support system for this vertical section.  And supporting the track claim, the support structure exactly matches that of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, and look nothing like the euroFighter vertical supports.

Another one of the wild rumors about SW7 before these plans were released was that it would be a launch coaster.  This actually proved to be another big aspect fueling the Euro-Fighter fire; Takabisha has both a launched section and vertical lift, as shown in SW7.  Yet all other evidence points to Maurer Sohne coaster, with a Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit style vertical lift.  And the initial incline segment at the beginning of the ride certainly does not look like a launch either.  So the whole launch rumor is bogus, right?

Not so fast. Alton Towers’ Secret Weapons have a history of being “firsts” for either Europe or the world.  Nemesis (SW3) was Europe’s first inverted coaster, Oblivion (SW4) was the world’s first dive machine, AIR (SW5) was the world’s first flying coaster, and Th13teen (SW6) was the world’s first vertical drop coaster.  So it makes sense that SW7 would have some noteworthy and gimmicky fact about it as well.

A Zierer vertical launch coaster was once planned for Alton Towers. Could SW7 feature one? Source: Mandi Coleman on Flickr.

The Towers Times has a great article about the planning of Dark Forest (the area surrounding Th13teen, SW6), including concepts of headliner attraction.  RCTLounge member ‘DJMean‘ pointed out that one of the old SW6 concepts was a Zierer tower launch coaster.  For those unfamiliar with the model, it is reminiscent of a Euro-Fighter (go figure), with a vertical LSM launch, simulating a space-shuttle like take off.

Which made me wonder, what happens if the they dusted off the old vertical launch concept?  After all, it would be a European first (only one Tower launch exists in the world) making it a likely candidate for a Secret Weapon.  However, its obvious that this isn’t a Zierer Launch Tower coaster either.  So could it be a vertical launch?

Maurer Sohne's concept art for the advertised vertical launch SkyLoop Source: www.maurer-rides.com

Coincidentally, Maurer Sohne actually does make vertical launch coasters, or at least advertises that they are capable of doing so.  The manufacturer states that they are capable of building a 1-g, 27 mph, 151 foot vertical launch.  And with SW7 standing at  just 100 feet, these statistics more than meet the qualifications.  While they are only shown for the SkyLoop model, I see no reason why it couldn’t be used on a more standard X-Coaster.

I’m no engineer but the transition from the long straight away to the vertical segment does not look passenger friendly if it was taken immediately after a launch.  Instead, I would guess that it is actual a 2-block brake run.  1 block slowing the coaster down, the other a waiting section before slowly going up the transition vertical and then launching towards the sky.  Sounds like the icing on this glorious cake to me.

So to conclude, here is my prediction for Secret Weapon 7:

• A Maurer Sohne X-Coaster
• 3, 6 passenger X-Cars per train
• 8-9 inversions
• Begins with a standard incline lift hill
• Europe’s first vertical launch coaster

What an awfully long and drawn out post, when the above bullet points outline the entire purpose of this write-up.  However, I know there will be a lot of nay-sayers and I just wanted to lay down the evidence.  None the less, I am very excited to see Alton Towers obviously putting so much thought and effort into what looks to be an amazing secret weapon, especially after the incredibly disappointing Secret Weapon 6.  With construction not scheduled to begin until September 2012, it may be a long time before we get all the details on the new attraction, but at least we have an idea of what to expect.

All SW7 related diagrams and documents from publicaccess.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk;  Wicked image by Mandi Coleman on Flickr; Launched SkyLoop coaster art from Maurer Sohne  

The last poll asked which under-construction B&M Wing-Rider you are most excited for in 2012.  The three competitors of this global showdown included The Swarm at  Thorpe Park, X-Flight at Six Flags Great America, and Wild Eagle at Dollywood. Each had their own merits, which was shown in the relatively close poll.  However, the winner with 45% of the votes is Wild Eagle at Dollywood.

Its understandable why Wild Eagle has so much appeal; it is the largest of the three wing-riders and features a breathtaking view from the top of the lift hill.  However, it can be argued that the other two will be more successful in different aspects; X-Flight is expected to have the most intense layout, and The Swarm’s elaborate theming is more impressive than anything we have seen before from Thorpe Park.

It is exciting to see more of these new models show up at parks around the globe.  The cantilever style seating makes each side of the coaster (left of the track, and right) a slightly different experience with a change in forces depending on the side one rides.  Plus, as these are distinct experiences that are incomparable to any other B&M model, it could compliment every park’s coaster collection (no matter how many B&M’s they have) nicely.

For 2012, I’ve determined that since we strive to update the sidebar poll every two weeks , to make the polls about the latest trending topic in the amusement attraction industry.  With that, I’m proud to introduce the first Park Thoughts Poll of 2012 building on from yesterday’s post:

With Universal closing JAWS just two days ago, the ride’s demise is still a fresh wound for many enthusiasts.  However, for others, the thought of a Harry Potter themed replacement is an welcomed replacement.  But, for any of the 11 million Universal Orlando visitors, it will surely have an impact on their future visits.

The soon to be demolished entrance to JAWS at Universal Studios Florida. Source: Inside the Magic

I’m obviously aware that Universal has not officially announced the Harry Potter expansion, however there is plenty, and plenty, and plenty of evidence supporting an imminent announcement of a Universal Studios Hollywood Harry  Potter addition.  So take this poll with the assumption that Harry Potter is in fact being added to the Studios park (highly probable).

Also, since there is multiple reasonings for one’s opinion towards the rather straight-forward question, I’ve added multiple “Yes” and “No” responses.  Note: All are allowed to vote for up to two options in the poll. So if you feel either “Yes” or “No” and agree with both reasonings, you can fully express this.

Poll closes January 18th.  Until then, the poll will be live on the sidebar, and embedded in this post.  Want to express your opinion with more than just a vote.  Leave a comment with your Park Thoughts below.

Header image from Dollywood’s “Wild Eagle Virtual Ride” JAWS entrance image from Inside the Magic’s Flickr stream

A Universal Studios Florida original attraction, JAWS, has officially closed.  Opened with the rest of the park in 1990, JAWS was a unique Intamin-conceived, water-based guided tour that reenacted some of the most iconic scenes with the giant shark.  The 5 minute tour was heavily influenced by the often crazy skipper guides who narrated the entire journey.   Although it may not have been the most technologically advanced, or based on the latest and greatest movie franchise, it was an enjoyable experience that truly had the “magic of the movies” quality that was prominent throughout the original Universal Studios Florida.

Experience the final voyage with Orlando Attractions Magazine’s video:

Ever since Universal announced the closure of JAWS last month, fans have been wondering what will replace the 7-acre attraction.  With the additional overflow parking lot just behind the ride, the area is poised for a massive expansion. Rumors sprawled ranging from a Transformers attraction, to something entirely original.  However the most prominent rumor was a possible Wizarding World of Harry Potter expansion.

Source: Bing Maps

Its no secret that the Studio’s sister park, Islands of Adventure has seen massive growth ever since those wizards have set up shop.  So much so, that for the first time in years, the park surpassed Universal Studios Florida in attendance.  And while strictly my own view, the incredible design of the park, accompanied by the top-notch quality of Wizarding World made Islands of Adventure significantly more enjoyable during my visit compared to the Studios.

Rumors indicated Potter would expand next door with the mysterious Diagon Alley, an iconic spot from the movies.  Connecting the new Harry Potter section to the one just next door would be Hogwarts Express, a shuttle going backstage between the two lands, simulating the train journey from the movies.  But would Universal really spend hundreds of millions of dollars on one franchise in two adjacent parks?

According to this article, they would.

Source: Theme Park Insider

In the allegedly leaked plans obtained by Theme Park Insider, all of the just stated rumors have been confirmed.  The headliner attraction of the new Diagon Alley area would be a heavily themed coaster themed to Gringotts Wizarding Bank. While at first glance, the coaster appears similar to Revenge of the Mummy coaster next door, the trains are rumored to have a motion base, allowing for dark ride sections reminiscent of The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman next door, and the upcoming Transformers: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. Read the full article here.

As a huge fan of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter next door, I can’t help but be completely zealous over the thought of a heavily themed coaster racing through the dark vault.  And while it is sad to lose a quality attraction like JAWS, if something as impressive-looking as this replaces it, I am sure there will be minimal complaints about the JAWS’s removal. And from a business stand-point, the expansion is genius; in order to get the full Potter experience, you must visit both parks. A total win-win for the park and customers.

While nothing is official quite yet, it is likely that we will soon be seeing the ever-popular Harry Potter franchise move into both parks of Universal Resort Orlando.  An announcement is expected sometime this Spring.

Source: ThemeParkPhotography.com

S&S Worldwide’s first 8-passenger El Loco coaster is now opened at Warner Bros. Movie World on Australia’s Gold Coast. Green Lantern Coaster features a 120-degree drop, a 45-degree outward banked turn, two inversions, and all the other twists and turns of this increasingly popular model.  The first-of-their-kind trains feature, over the shoulder lap bar harnesses, an onboard soundtrack, and as a thematic touch, a pulsating LED green Green Lantern symbol on the front of the coaster.

Announced at the end of the summer season (for the northern hemisphere), the ride came as a pleasant surprise to wrap up the otherwise tame coaster year.  The third, and arguably best themed, Green Lantern themed coaster of 2011 is a welcomed addition the southern hemisphere’s rather modest selection of coasters and is also the park’s fifth coaster.

The latest installment makes me long for one of these big-thrill-small-footprint models to be added to the west coast.  I know a particular spot at California’s Great America where one would fit snuggly. And with the new larger trains, doubling the capacity, I think it is probably that an El Loco could show up are larger parks in the near future.

But in the meantime, those in the area should certainly try to make a stop and experience the new, Green Lantern Coaster.

Image from Ian Clark of Theme Park Photography.

Dollywood’s Wild Eagle is one of the most anticipated attractions for the 2012 season. The B&M Wingrider has been quietly, andcertainly quickly chugging along with construction and, what may come as a surprise to some, track work was recently completed. The final piece was lowered into place last week. These B&M’s seem to fly up in no time!

Photo: Dollywood

Along with the milestone, the park has also released some beautiful new animation of Wild Eagle:

Leave your Park Thoughts below!

Since “Announcement August”, the two super coasters of 2012 have quickly been established: Canada’s Wonderland’s Leviathan and Hersheypark’s SkyRush.  Obvious comparisons make these two coasters ideal “rivals”: Bolliger & Mabillard vs Intamin, Giga-Coaster vs Mega-Coaster, giant overbanks vs airtime hills, Canada vs USA (well, perhaps not that extreme).  It is certainly possible that these two coasters could each rank in the Top 20 on the planet.

So which is more anticipated?  According the most you, the readers, the undisputed winner is Leviathan. SkyRush’s innovative winged-seating, and top-ranked coaster manufacturer was unable to save it from the sheer power of the Canadian beast.  Leviathan’s 306 foot drop, 90 mph top speed, and nearly mile of track are all impressive and provide for tough competition.

Construction on Leviathan is well underway.  The ride’s lengthy brake run, as well as station and transfer track have all been erected.  Construction is slowly progressing on the coaster’s 306 foot lift hill; Bolliger & Mabillard has even introduced a new type of lift track unique to Leviathan.  Additionally, Canada’s Wonderland announced that two cranes will be used to install the “crowning” segment of the lift-hill.  Certainly, this is a coaster to look out for!

Continuing 2012 anticipation, the next poll puts 3 same-style coasters head to head to head.  In 2011, Bolliger & Mabillard debuted their first Wing-Coaster.  Featuring cantilever seating, guests ride with nothing above or below them.   This year, the first Wing-Coaster, Raptor, opened at Gardaland in Italy.  Fortunately for many coaster fans, three Wing-Coasters are being built by B&M for 2012 much closer to home.  Time for the tale of the tape for the 3 contenders:

The Swarm at Thorpe Park:

• 127 ft, head-first inverting first drop
• 4 Inverisons: Dive Loop, Zero-G Roll, Corkscrew, Heartline Roll
• Elaborate apocalyptic setting including giant crashed airliner.

X-Flight at Six Flags Great Adventure:

• 120 ft, head-first inverting first drop, 55 mph
•  5 Inversions: Dive Loop, Zero-G Roll, Immelmann, Corkscrew, Heartline Roll
• Key-Hole element where train squeezes through a narrow opening in a structure

Wild Eagle at Dollywood:

• Tallest with 210 ft lift hill, and 130 ft first drop.
• 4 Inversions: Loop, Zero-G Roll, Immelmann, Corkscrew
• Spectacular views of surrounding Smokey Mountains

So which B&M Wing-Coaster do you think will be the best?  Vote in the poll above or on the sidebar.  Voting will be open for the next two weeks.