Michigan's Adventure announces SLC: Thunderhawk

To realy make the ride 'new', CF should have invested in Vekoma's new trains featuring lap bars. Rumor is that they are testing a car on the Great NorEaster next week.

I completely agree, but even as it is, this is a great addition for MIA. The GP will love it and it will make the line shorter for Timbers. ;)

The park's website has more info on this "new" ride:

http://www.miadventure.com/

What possible return on investment would new trains have? Zero.

I'm curious to see what kind of impact this will have on the park's attendance. It seems like a whole lot of ride for a park that size.

Awesome, another bird name.

MiA's attendance should double if not triple in 2008...then it will drop until they get the hyper they were promised in 1997 :)

Where the hell is Coasterkid200? Did he get grounded?

-CO

....and there was much rejoicing....

While it still sucks that GL is gone (I refuse to acknowledge WWK as GL) this is a good addition to MiA. It'll give the park a one-two punch with Shivering Timbers and Thunderhawk together. Yeah, it's an SLC, but to Michigander's it's the only roller coaster in the state where your feet dangle. To me it looks like the main draw is the waterpark since I've seen how much it has grown in the last 5 years. But hey, it's good to add some new thrill rides here and there.

~Rob Willi

The new trains virtually make it a new ride experience.

***Jeff said: "What possible return on investment would new trains have? Zero."***

Using that logic, what was the point of Premier retrofitting the Mr. Freezes and Flight of Fears to remove the OTSR's, or putting PTC trains on the Legend? It makes the ride better...

That being said, I don't remember the SLC at Geauga being too "headbangy" (unlike some of the others), so the OTSR's weren't that bad...

Well one of the predictions/rumors turned out to be correct so I guess it'll be only a matter of time before KD announces as well.

Since the ride is a novelty in Michigan it'll definitely draw crowds to the park even if the ride is a tad on the rough side going through certain elements....my advice to first timers is to ride in the front row,right side for the smoothest possible ride experience.

How can they advertise this as "New?"

If anything, maybe they could call it refurbished, but I don't see it as new. It is a great ride, and I look forward to maybe riding it at its new home, but the ride is not new.

They aren't changing the name and it looks like they aren't even re-painting it (which they don't need to do). At least they could do that if they are going to call it new!

Also, is relocating a steel coaster really more expensive than buying a brand new wooden coaster?

-Sam

New ride experience to who? Michiganders? New trains aren't going to bring in a single extra dollar at the park.

To 99.99% of the people who attend Michigan's Adventure who've never heard of Geauga Lake, let alone been there, this is a new ride.

.I am surprised they didn't change the name. I guess they're getting the sign from the GL midway too :)

*** This post was edited by ShiveringTim 10/2/2007 10:47:05 AM ***

I was kinda hoping for a name change. Just to distance themselves from Geauga Lake.

This will be a good fit for MiAdv, but I'm curious where it is going. I don't remember there being a lot of space between RipCord and Adventure Falls. I actually expected it to go over between Grand Rapids and the train station.

Interesting rumor, AJ.

What the hell would be the problem with changing the trains? So it wouldn't make the park more money. So what? I applaud companies that make improvements to their products that result in better operation or a better experience- that shows they're thinking about the customer as well as the bottom line.

Another thing. I saw the reguklar Vekoma inverted cars on the Bat, I think. Removing the Arrow suspended cars, and replacing them with open air coaches, on a ride like the Big Bad Wolf would make that ride quite the scare factor.

The Bat? Do you mean Chessington's Vampire? I hear that ride is much improved since the Arrow rolling stock was removed. It makes sense that a suspended coaster would be much better if riders were out in the open rather than seated deep in plastic tubs with bulky OTSR's.

The Arrow trains were the only negative to the ride experience. Some of Arrow's suspended are quite good, and the opportunity is there to make an exisiting ride better.