Some terms I don't understand at all!

I don't know some terms of what things are. I would like to know what a kamakaze curve, Pretzel turn, top hat, sea serpant,cutback and a wingover. It makes the coaster harder to understand when you don't know some of the terms. I would rather of pictures of what these things are because a picture could explain its self

Theres always the Table of Elements on coasterglobe which has pictures of all elements, also someone from this site is current working on a glossary.

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So you believe that you are studying us, then kindly explain why you are the ones trapped in your seats.

thanks for some of the terms but I wish the pics were bigger

As far as my knowledge goes- I know a top hat is the element found on Top Thrill Dragster and Xcellerator. You go straight up, twist 90 degrees, go over the crest and then on the way back down, twist back 90 degrees. An inverted top hat is found on the Mr. Freezes, you do the same thing except you go upside down at the top.

A sea serpent is an element made by B&M and found on Medusa at Six Flags Marine World. It is a cobra roll except the second half corkscrew goes in the opposite direction. So you go out the other direction you came in.

A wingover I think is just what B&M calls their corkscrws on inverted coasters.

The top hat on Mr. Freeze: http://www.coastergallery.com/SF/STL10.html

The sea serpent: http://www.coastergallery.com/SF/SFMW21.html

The wingover: http://www.coastergallery.com/2000/PGA21.html

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If practice makes perfect but noone is perfect, then why practice.

It's right with the exception of the Tophat definition. It is the exact opposite. An inverted is like those found on Xcelerator and TTD. It "inverts" at the top, by rolling outward. A normal Tophat is found on Mr. Freeze. :)
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I have been arrested more than you.

Pretzel is found on Superman B&M flyers. It's an inversion that is unique to flying coasters. Check out their pics on rcdb for an explaination.

Cutback is what you get when you put two half-corkscrews of opposite directions together in RCT. Come in, invert and go back out the other way. Drachen Fire was the only coaster with one that I know of.

Kamakaze was an element of Shockwave, so is still present in Viper and GASM as far as I know. An Arrow element - anyone know more? Was it the corkscrew-half loop-half loop-corkscrew like was found on Steel Phantom?

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P! I! T! T! P...I...T...T...P-I-T-T Let's Go PITT!!
-- Brett

Kamikaze Kurve was what Arrow called their Boomerang element (which is really two Sidewinder elements placed back-to-back) when they were building the Orient Express at Worlds of Fun. It's a Boomerang element. Oh, and if you reverse the second sidewinder of an Arrow Boomerang, you get a 'bowtie'...the only one I know of is the one on Dragon Mountain at MarineLand.

Arrow's cutback was an inversion on Drachen Fire, but the exact same thing on Millennium Force is just called an 'overbanked turn'.

Incidentally, the easiest way to explain an Arrow Boomerang element is...it's two-thirds of the inversions on a Vekoma "Boomerang" coaster.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Ok a kamakaze Curve looks like this.

http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery25.htm?Picture=12 It can be found on a few arrow coasters. my fav being the Orient Express!

Hovever a Pretzel Turn looks like this

http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery1568.htm?Picture=37 This inversion may only be done on flying coasters.

Now a Cutback was only found on one coaster to date which sadly we have lost. Drachen Fire

http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery112.htm?Picture=4 Its a shame to lose this one on a kind element.

Here is another photo of a Top Hat http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery427.htm?Picture=2

Here is a good photo of an inverted Top Hat http://www.rcdb.com/installationgallery1574.htm?Picture=16

Here is a little bit clearer photo of the Sea Serpent Inversion. http://www.twistedrails.com/sfmw/jun08-30.shtml

Ride Safe,

Nathan D. Slater

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THE SCARIEST PART OF THE RIDE IS THE LIFT HILL!

Here's a few more:

Rollover: Used on 3 Vekoma coasters.... its basically a reversed larger Boomerang element, the train doesnt do a 180 during the element, its goes in the same directions. See coasters: Rock n Roller Coaster (Paris and WDW) and Superman The Ride (SFH). The Sea Serpent came in 2000, as the first Rollover appeared in 1999, on RnRC WDW.

Tongue: Vekoma name for the Arrow Cutback. Used on Space Mountain at DLP.

Sidewinder: One half of a Vekoma Boomerang. The train can either enter it from the top/corkscrew part, like Cyclone at Dreamworld or I believe Ninja at SFOG. Usually, the train enter it from the bottom part, see Anaconda at PKD, Space Mountain at DLP.

abs, doesnt the "rollover" (aka heart-shaped looping thingy)date back to the first SLC?

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Who doesn't want to see Russian lesbian teens singing in the rain?

Don't forget the sea serpent element that's used on all of vekoma's SLC's.

It consists of a half loop,half corkscrew,half corkscrew,half loop & basically is like a vertical loop with an added twist at the top of the inversion.

Actually, the Sea Serpent features 90-degree inversions when viewed from above... The element used on Vekoma SLCs is actually called a Rollover Loop, or 'Avalanche' (adapted from flight terminology) and features two 180-degree inversions.

Here is a listing which I compiled for all of the terms used in the coaster world, track elements being at the bottom.

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~ Blast Coaster | BlastCoaster@coaster-net.com | www.COASTER-net.com

thanx eveyone I fainly know what some f these things are!