2003 Ride Announcements

Well Astroworld's rides are official now.

We are also getting an S&S Swatter.

Cool...

or http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/features/1766883
*** This post was edited by Markieb 2/6/2003 10:56:58 AM ***

coasterdude318 said:
So where'd you get the info on the Whitewater West rides and the S&S Sky Slings (particularly Frontier City)? AB is the only place I've seen that.
-Nate

Well, one could look on Lance's site (screamscape.com) and get that same information...though admittedly, Lance credits the confirmation to AB....

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"Sunshine, daisies, butter-mellow! Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

I wonder when the *concerned* parents are going to start protesting the Zig-Zag sponsored rides.

Towelie says 'wanna get on the ride?'
*** This post was edited by boblogone 2/6/2003 11:22:33 AM ***

I told everyone it was gonna be named Diablo falls & I was right.

Now that we've got a pretty good idea of what SFAAW's version will look like I think it's only fair to say that SFA's version will be exactly the same but with a different theme & I hope that they'll add at least 1 flat along with it because it doesn't look all that impressive if you ask me.

Okay, somebody explain to me why a "skyswatter" is going to be any more fun than an Intamin Looping Starship

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"Sunshine, daisies, butter-mellow! Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

Anyone notice that the "skyswatter" looks a lot like 'The John Denver Experience"?

Congratulations to the SFAg homeparkers....Sky Swatter seems to be the *extreme-est* S&S flat ride so far not to be set aside as an upcharge due to capacity....

boblo...where'd the Zig-Zag reference come from....a LONG time ago Towelie had the honor of gracing my sig, but there were NO takers, not even ONE comment...

bill, who always thought Towelie should be for sale outside of S-T-Cs, since you really can't get "too dry"...;)
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Never go unarmed into a battle of wits...;)
"I may be wrong, but I doubt it", by C. Barkley (and Shaq thought HE was "The Big Aristotle")...;)

Vertigo said:

I just wanted to update on a few unmentioned anouncements:
Six Flags Astroworld
-Whitewater West Spinning Rapids ride
*This is a dry attraction and will not be apart of the water park

Just wanted to point out that if you read todays press release, they are adding misters, geysers and canons along the course of the ride so that you do actually get wet. Makes me wonder what SFA is gonna do to theirs .. hmm ...

You can check out the official press release at http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030206/dath006_1.html and you can also check out my site for fact sheets: http://www.sixflagshouston.com/diablo.html and http://www.sixflagshouston.com/swat.html (Yes, we know swat's logo is ugly, blame corporate for that one).

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Panther Modern
SixFlagsHouston.Com
An Astroworld Tribute Site
*** This post was edited by Panther Modern 2/6/2003 11:48:51 AM ***

As mentioned in the start of this thread

Wild Adventures
-Zamperla Mini Zig Zag coaster(Fiesta Express)

Rye Playland
-Zamperla Zig Zag coaster

D'oh....next time I'll read my own sig....or stop hanging out with Towelie so much...;)
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Never go unarmed into a battle of wits...;)
"I may be wrong, but I doubt it", by C. Barkley (and Shaq thought HE was "The Big Aristotle")...;)

Maybe you rode "The John Denver Experience" one to many times.

2Hostyl said:
Okay, somebody explain to me why a "skyswatter" is going to be any more fun than an Intamin Looping Starship

Well, different restraints, a different speed of rotation, and the Sky Swatter wont hang you stationary upside down. A lot of people have a problem with this, rides that suspend you and rush the blood to your head.

That said, I predict that the Looping Starship will get obsoleted and eventually removed from our park just like Sky Screamer departed after Dungeon Drop was built.

*** This post was edited by Fierce Pancake 2/6/2003 12:59:01 PM ***

Nice to see SFAW getting a new flat and water ride. Although a little short on length I think the spinning raft ride will be a ton of fun for SFAW and SFA guests.

Guess Six Flags decided to put Shock and Wave into storage temporarily and install it in the future.

Moosh ;)

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"It looks smaller than I imagined, but still looks to be a great ride." -- CPLady

Okay, somebody explain to me why a "skyswatter" is going to be any more fun than an Intamin Looping Starship

Well, if you sat down and compared the two, I think it would be rather obvious. Both invert, but whereas a Looping Star is nothing more than a Pirate Ship with the ability to invert, this ride has you on a horizonal plane halfway to the highest point (rather than starting you there). So, more that likely, the people sitting in the back of this contraption are gonna get a "tug" when it comes over the top and inverts; something that doesn't happen on a Looping Star or Ranger.

-Alan

I dont kne FP, the ride just looks unneedly complicated to give the same sensations that the LS did. Moreover, I see no evidence that it will *not* hang you upside down. I mean, just look at the ride stats, 2 rotations forwards, 2 rotations backwards, and a ride duration of two and a half minutes! Either it takes a heck of a long time going up and down between the loading and "cycle" positions or you will be rotating quite slowly.

If SFI was looking for an updated replacement for the LS, I'd have thought the Zamperla Hawk would have been a better choice. It eliminates that 'prolonged hanging' thing and the 48 seat version offers a higher capacity than the 36 seat swatter. And to top it off, we know it works very well (just ask KennyWood, Dorney Park and SeaBreeze).

But hey, y'all got something brand new and I hope it works well for you. I'll say this much: it *will* make one helluva visual impact!

lata, jeremy

--who thinks the video looks great

Not to change the subject, but to change the subject ... Themepark Adventure has a press release on it's site from Michigan's Adventure. Looks like they're adding some theming to a couple attractions.

Where are the MiAdv junkies with the details?

Mike

2Hostyl said:

If SFI was looking for an updated replacement for the LS, I'd have thought the Zamperla Hawk would have been a better choice. It eliminates that 'prolonged hanging' thing and the 48 seat version offers a higher capacity than the 36 seat swatter. And to top it off, we know it works very well (just ask KennyWood, Dorney Park and SeaBreeze).

The Swatter holds 48 people. Also, it does not hang you suspended upside down. I know people who've ridden the thing. It shoots you up, spins you twice one way, then spins you twice the other, and then back down.

The Zamperla ride is cool and all, but it wouldn't be unique. Astroworld's really making a fuss that they have a ride here you can't find anywhere else this season.

Oh, so the ride in the video is *not exactly* like one that will be installed? I mean, I can count. And there are clearly only 18 seats on one side of that contraption. Times 2 gives me 36. If there is a bigger version, then great. I also guess that you are saying it reverses course when it is relatively level. Well okay, if you say so. But since you "know people". How was the "shoots you up" part? Was it more like the rapid accent of a Space Spot or like the gentle ride up on a Turbro Drop? How about the lowering for that matter? Now if this had similarities to the Shot and Drop rides, that would truely roxors.

But like I said, at least it's different *shrugs*
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"Sunshine, daisies, butter-mellow! Turn this stupid fat rat yellow!"

According to the review of the Sky Swatter on this page the ride does *not* stop to hold you upside-down.

As for the 2.5 minutes ride time I'd suspect a lot of that is the raising and lowering of the ride vehicle from the "spinning positon."

Moosh

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"It looks smaller than I imagined, but still looks to be a great ride." -- CPLady

Astroworld sent me a spec sheet that the ride will have 24 seats on each arm, so they must have upped the capacity a little from the original demo.