Mall of America announces Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Mall officials said they would invest $25 million into new rides and attractions at the Park at MOA over the next 18 months. Construction is expected to begin next year on a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller coaster, and will open in 2008.

Read more from Pioneer Press.

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Huh. I was not expecting that.
bobthecoasterguy's avatar
That was..sort of out of the blue. But I'm glad there'll be another Eurofighter in the States. :)
ChicagoCoasterCub's avatar
Wow....did a Google search on this type of coaster, since I'm not familiar with it....

http://www.gerstlauer-rides.de/english/Gerstlauer_E.html?/english/N_EF_320+_E.html

Looks pretty cool. Also, not sure if common knowledge, but the same company also made the Timberline Twister at the Mall of America.
*** This post was edited by ChicagoCoasterCub 11/28/2006 12:49:18 AM ***

Swan song, perhaps?
beast7369's avatar
Interesting....wonder how they will shoe-horn this one in there?
I was at the Mega Mall on Thanksgiving. The stores were closed but the park was open. Relatives wanted to see the "world's largest gingerbread house".

While on the ferris wheel, I looked out over the park and imagined how a new coaster would fit.

The wheel goes up into the rafters, almost to the glass roof, and there I realized that a steel looper could fit. But it would almost have to overlay everything else. It would also have to be a launch to get the speed needed for inverts.

Then I watch the news last night and hear about this!

I can't tell though if this coaster will be in the existing park or go into the new addition. As long as it's done on time I don't care.

It's just one more thing to look forward to. First Renegade, and now the Euro-Fighter. I am happy to live in Minnesota.

A Eurofighter was the next logical expansion for the park.

With a vertical lift and drop and a custom design, they can squish a lotta coaster in a little space.

And a coaster with inversions--worth mentioning, that is--has been long LONG overdue in this neck of the woods. Don't get me wrong. I applaud what VF's doing this year with a $6 million cap ex budget. But somebody had to do it. Thank you MOA.

-'Playa

beast7369's avatar
What I would think would be really cool in the expansion would have been a waterpark centerpiece....kind of like how the amusement park was the centerpiece of the original part of the mall. I just cant imagine this mall any larger than it is now though. I wonder if with the expansion that some of the stores surrounding the park will move and thus allow more expansion of the park.

EDIT: spelling.*** This post was edited by beast7369 11/28/2006 9:53:27 AM ***

rollergator's avatar
"Also, not sure if common knowledge, but the same company also made the Timberline Twister at the Mall of America.

Before anyone else beats me to it.... ;)

Think they had a multi-coaster contract? :)

"I love this game"!

And you KNOW they're always three-coaster contracts. So when are they gonna build the 125 MPH launcher that goes from the south end of the mall all the way across Phase II into a 462 foot-tall horseshoe inversion?

OoooooOOOOOOooooooh.

-CO

Playa could not have said it better earlier.

VF needs a new steel looper...BAD! But I won't complain about the GCI.

Maybe Swoosh will get his dream of GCI at WOF too so I can get a Beamer at VF.

Also...to stay on topic...

Wasn't TT installed before CF left the mall? And if there is a 3 coaster contract, wouldn't it be with CF instead of the mall?

Lord Gonchar's avatar
Someone's sarcasm detector is broken.
I love how all this is pending tax payers aproval.

2088, No guarantees.
Chuck

rollergator's avatar
^^"Someone's sarcasm detector is broken."

Maybe its my *sending unit*? ;)

Lord Gonchar's avatar
At any rate there's a communications error. :)
I had an urge to go to Minnesota when Renegade was announced now this that urge might be fulfilled
Charles: Phase II will be pending taxpayer approval for infrastructure improvements. That has nothing to do with the announced tenants in the existing mall building or their $25 million Park upgrade, which will include the coaster.

They're probably pulling down absolute minimum $500K in monthly rent from Corona Cantina alone. I'd probably guess more like $750K to a million depending on whether they're only taking Fat Tuesday's old spot or extending it to the former Knuckleheads and Gators areas. They're not losing any sleep over a Gerstlauer.

WildThingNative: I can't compromise my sources. Especially not here.

-'Playa

sws's avatar
This announcement took me totally by surprise - a very pleasant surprise. MOA is 10 minutes from my home. I had given up on Camp Snoopy. (Sorry, can't bring myself to call it "The Park at MOA." How about coming up with any better marketing name?) With all the bickering over management the last few years, I thought the park was doomed. We used to take the kids there for their birthdays when they were 3 or 4. There hasn't been much need to go back since. Recently the park just served as a shortcut from one end of the mall to the next. Now I'm optimistic that the new management may have a chance of turning it around, and I'll certainly give it another chance. What it really needs now is to define a new identity since the loss of the Camp Snoopy link.
"I can't tell though if this coaster will be in the existing park or go into the new addition. As long as it's done on time I don't care."

Seeing as the Eurofighter is supposed otbe open in 2008, and that the new expansion isn't supposed to start until next year, and probably won't strt until closer to 2009, this is in the current portion.

"I love how all this is pending tax payers aproval.
2088, No guarantees"

It says the improvements for the Park at MOA are supposedto be in the next 18 months, and (I think?) that the enviormental study on phase II isn't done yet. I'm notsure why Pioneer Press put this in the same article as the Phase II stuff, because they aren't connected at all.

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