Photo: Carowinds

Today, Carowinds held their much anticipated media day for Fury 325, the park’s new B&M gigacoater which boasts the tallest roller coaster lift hill in the world. New Park President and General Manager Mike Fehnel gave and energetic welcome to the extensive local and national media showing. Following a welcome and “FaceTime call” from North Carolina governor Pat McCory and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, the ribbon was cut on the largest B&M roller coaster ever built complemented by fireworks, smoke effects, and teal and purple confetti, certainly a nod to the nearby Charlotte Hornets. Media and guests then had their opportunity to ride. The seats of first 3 public trains out of the station were auctioned off to benefit the Cam Newton Foundation.

Photo: Carowinds Connection member, Axel

Reviews from first riders have been stellar, with most praising the rides speed and forces through the first half and floater airtime through the second. Additionally, many mention the unique “sideways airtime” effect that can be experienced during the turnaround prior to the drop under the bridge. In general, many say that the ride is on par with Millennium Force, but the two rides are very different experiences. Others call Fury a “more comfortable Intimidator 305.”

A few great reviews:

• Theme Park Insider (Enthusiast)
• Rock Hill Herald (General Public/Media)

Check out a few videos of the ride below, both a forward POV and a reverse POV with some members of Coasterforce.com:

This was also the welcome ceremony for the brand new park entrance plaza and up-charge “Slingshot” ride. It’s easy to see Cedar Fair’s commitment to making Carowinds a premier thrill destination in the United States taking shape all around the park. At the end of the Fury opening ceremony Rob Decker, Carowinds’ Senior VP of Design said “our park will make a big splash” in August. Even more big things may be in the pipeline for Carowinds.

New park entrance. Photo: Park Journey

Photo: WSOCTV

Want to take Fury for a spin? Carowinds opens to the public this Saturday, March 28th.

What are your thoughts on Fury 325? Leave your comments and Park Thoughts below!

According to Roller Coaster DataBase, in 2015, 130 roller coasters are being built worldwide. Most of these coasters are being built in China where there is currently an explosion of theme parks being built. Unfortunately, information about these parks and their coasters is scarce. However, there are plenty of other coasters being built we know lots about! We’ve looked over all the stats, renderings, and videos to decide the top 5 coasters we’re excited for in 2015. Let’s start…

#5: Fury 325, Carowinds

Bolliger & Mabillard are back with another giga coaster for Cedar Fair, and they’ve up the ante even more. This time Carowinds gets the privilege of owning this towering machine. Reaching a top speed of 95 MPH, Fury 325 will fly through bunny hops, overbanked turns, and even dive under the pathway leading to the new park entrance.

Why we’re excited: B&M learned from the mistakes of Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland and Fury 325 has a much better pace. They’ve kept their signature bunny hops alongside exciting near-ground turns to create one of their best. It’s also their longest ever at 6,602 feet. Carowinds is now home to two world-class mega coasters and is definitely a “can’t miss” for any coaster fan in the southeast.

Website | First Test Run POV Video

#4: Thunderbird, Holiday World

Holiday World said they wanted to go over-the-top for their first major steel coaster, and boy, did they… Thunderbird will launch its 5 car winged trains to 60 MPH in less than 4 seconds into a 140 foot tall Immelmann. And that’s just the start. You’ll then wind your way through the park’s trees and even over the legendary Voyage wooden coaster. They’ve also constructed a building around the track cutting it just enough to fit inside the train’s safe zone.

Why we’re excited: This is the wing rider we’ve been waiting for. No long climb up a lift, just a countdown. The fact that the park is leaving as many trees as they can, along with constructing a fly-through as close as they can will take full advantage of the winged trains. This is also B&M’s first attempt at their own launch system (The Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure was developed by Universal).

Website | Animated POV Video

#3: Twisted Colossus, Six Flags Magic Mountain

Racing coasters are lots of fun. But what happens when you throw in Rocky Mountain Construction? You get insanity. Their Twisted take on the classic Colossus coaster at Magic Mountain (you may remember it from the classic movie National Lampoon’s Vacation) is nothing short of magic. You’ll twist, turn, flip, and nearly get ejected from your seat as you race along. Even better, you actually get to race on both sides each ride. You’ll first go on the blue track, then come back around and switch over to the green track to do it again.

Why we’re excited: Rocky Mountain Construction avoids straight lines whenever possible, and that’s why we love them. All of their previous work has been outstanding and we’re loving the elements they’ve added in to heighten the racing aspect.

Website | Animated POV Video

#2: Cannibal, Lagoon

This is one of the very few coasters that has made us go ‘WOW’. Lagoon certainly has the sleeper hit of 2015 with their $22 million custom built 208 foot tall insanity machine. You’ll rise all the way to the top inside an elevator lift, then plummet down a 116º drop into a maze including 3 inversions. The top speed will be a blazing 70 MPH, which will certainly make the turns through the intricate rock work intense.

Why we’re excited: It’s not every day a theme park decides to build its own roller coaster from scratch, let alone a hyper coaster with a 116º drop. With complete control over what they wanted, Lagoon crafted their dream coaster and they delivered. We also love the fact the park is taking the time to add in rock work which will greatly enhance the ride experience.

#1: Wicked Cyclone, Six Flags New England

While Twisted Colossus’s racing will be exciting, we think Wicked Cyclone will be even more insane. Rocky Mountain Construction has gone all out and has created a coaster that never lets up. This is their best work yet. Seriously. With two zero-g rolls, a 200º stall, and 14 ejector bunny hops it will probably be a good idea to empty your pockets before getting on.

Why we’re excited: If there’s any coaster not to miss in 2015, it’s this. There’s nothing quite like a good bunny hop, and with 14 your stomach will be begging for mercy by the end. Rocky Mountain Construction has outdone themselves and created a world class coaster in such a tight space on top of an old wooden frame. We predict Wicked Cyclone will enter most major top 10 lists.

Website | Animated POV Video

What coasters are you looking forward to in 2015? Do you agree with us that Wicked Cyclone is the coaster that can’t be missed? Leave your Park Thoughts below!

Holiday World has announced that they have relocated their Zamperla Vertical swing ride over to the surrounding area of the new Thunderbird B&M launched wing coaster. The ride, currently called “Sparkler” in the 4th of July themed area of the park, will be renamed and rethemed to “Crow’s Nest” in its new home alongside Thunderbird in the Thanksgiving area. Sparkler originally opened in 2012. This should certainly bring some additional life to the new midway while providing outstanding views of the park’s shiny new B&M flying around it. The ride has already been moved to its new home and the park has a video of the transformation.

This is one of the surprises that Holiday World has thrown in with the new coaster, and they are still teasing some near-miss ride elements that will be added to Thunderbird prior to its opening.

Track work on Thunderbird itself was actually completed last week. This, along with the installation of the Crow’s Nest ride are certainly making the new area of the park take shape. The 2015 season is fast approaching!

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  

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:

 [yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwlKgc-aiw4′]

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.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJmvln-bP0′]

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.