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befat

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Everything posted by befat

  1. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Ahh, I stand corrected. I thought it was the gate by Mystic Timbers.
  2. befat

    Decoding 2020

    I took my first trip to the top of the Tower today. I know there’s nothing new to be seen in this picture. But, I think it’s strange that we’ll be looking straight across at a new coaster next year instead of down at a construction site.
  3. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Log Flume. There is acid and chlorine behind that gate, (so don’t block it).
  4. befat

    Decoding 2020

    I think I know what happened here: B&M: Yo Hershey, you like this color for your supports? HP: Yea B&M: Yo KI, you like this color for your supports? KI: Yea B&M: Yes, hello? Can we just double that order of gray paint?
  5. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Good call! I'm still banking on seeing teasers after July 7th. End of Carnivale and Gold goes away the same day. As in years past, I'm sure the announcement will come along with sales starting for 2020 season passes.
  6. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Thanks- @aj74205 for the comparison! I find it interesting that the turnaround helix on both rides ended up interacting closely with other rides. On Top Gun, that train flew so close to Son of Beast. It was always fun to watch! Obviously, Yukon Striker has a tunnel under that same helix on Vortex. Edit: To add to the confusion about the differences between Bat and Vortex, RCDB.com has a picture of Vortex's plate which lists a recommended speed of 100 km/h which converts to 62 mph. RCDB says Vortex's speed is 55 mph, so ???? I'm guessing the speeds were actually measured at some point since they are less than the speed listed on the ride plate. I can see how speed would be variable depending on what conditions they were measured under. Weather can play a big factor, along with beginning/end of season. I'm wondering if the differences in length are simply a mistake. These rides were pre-internet so I'm sure accurate information was hard to come by for RCDB. Now, all they have to do is copy the announcement information. (I have a great appreciation for this website though!)
  7. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Son of Beast was around to be "RMC'ed". New Texas Giant opened in 2011 and the decision to tear the ride down after was made public in mid-2012 with the ride being torn down later that year. The GM said publicly that the decision was made after a thorough evaluation of the ride. I'm sure an RMC conversion was considered. In my opinion, SOB did not lend itself well to being converted. We probably would have gotten basically the same layout as before, like in this fan creation. Instead, we got Banshee.
  8. Sorry for the double post. The South Padre property is also being rebranded. https://schlitterbahn.org/guests/
  9. Thanks. I figured they still fully owned the property since it’s still on their website. But then again, so is the Kansas City property. I’d love to see a full case study on Schlitterbahn once this is all said and done.
  10. Interesting that there is no mention of the Corpus Christi property. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the end of Schlitterbahn as a brand name. It goes to show how a tragedy can impact a brand name. (See Sea World).
  11. @MDMC01 In an effort to not derail the decoding thread, I’m moving the conversation over here. I had forgotten the reason that X-Flight and Batwing were designed with the GAU (Guest Automation Unit) motors on the train was so that they could be lowered on the lift. They ran into issues with this so that idea was scraped by Six Flags. https://youtu.be/qrhcVrKJnVI The whole system (both types) that raises and lowers the train is known as the GAU. If there were an issue with the GAU motor (or pin, which locks each row into the prone position), it would force an evacuation. It’s way easier to evacuate from the station than the lift. It looks like Vekoma has been working on some new ideas for their flying coaster model for a while: https://youtu.be/nO5we1Xmiqc https://rcdb.com/15201.htm
  12. befat

    Decoding 2020

    For Stealth/Nighthawk and Firehawk, there is/was a giant hydraulic powered structure under the station that lifts the train. For every row, there are 2 little whee ls that ride along 2 metal C shaped bars which raise the train (circled in red). These metal bars are all attached to one big structure under the station. For X-Flight and Batwing, the mechanism that raises the train was/is a motor attached to the chassis of the train for each row. I've never seen this mechanism/motor in action but I'm guessing it is hydraulic powered. Photo credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO9aX70VK-o Edit: Check out the screen grab below from a video of X-Flight to see the difference in the systems. Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRfvCMv8P6A
  13. befat

    Decoding 2020

    In watching videos of all three Flying Dutchman’s in their 5 different locations, here’s what I noticed about the seat lifting mechanisms. Stealth used an off train hydraulic system which I’m assuming is the same as Firehawk’s. Nighthawk also uses an off train hydraulic system. X-Flight used on train lift motors on each seat. Batwing continues to use this system. When X-Flight was moved to KI, the on train system was removed and the off train hydraulic system was installed. I believe the motors from X-Flight were sold to Six Flags. If the Firehawk trains could be modified to accommodate a different lifting mechanism, one would think they could be converted back to their original configuration. There’s no reason to ship the entire train across the country. But by storing the trains at KI, CF has the potential to make money by selling parts to Six Flags or save money by shipping parts to Carowinds should the need arise. I do think eventually KI will decide that the location next to the new ride is not ideal and they’ll be moved elsewhere in the park. Nighthawk and Batwing are major coasters at their parks. I wouldn’t be surprised if they stuck around for a lot longer.
  14. Are the other ride groups Monster/Dodgem/Scrambler and Racer/Zephyr?
  15. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Son of Beast was built around this tree and it’s still there! I think it’s become sort of a tradition. See also the 2 trees around Mystic Timbers drop. I’ve never heard the part about that tree actually being damaged and removed during Beast’s construction. Edit, you can actually see this same tree in @sixohdieselrage‘s image.
  16. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Diamondback is the only coaster at KI with a backup generator. It’s only to restart the lift in the case of a power outage. There’s also a system on the mid course brake run to manually release the train back to the safety brakes. It then needs to be evacuated from there. I don’t know if this comes standard on B&M mega coasters. As you know, all coasters will come to an automatic stop in the next block in the case of a power outage. Only on the arrow coasters, the trains need to be chalked eventually since the air pressure will bleed off after several hours.
  17. befat

    Decoding 2020

    It’s all about the limited time events these days to drive attendance. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put off the teasers until after Carnivale ends on July 7th. 2020 should make for a record breaking attendance year regardless. They’ll want to do everything they can make sure 2019 isn’t a down year. Also, they have a count down on the website for Gold Pass prices increasing on May 28th so they might be waiting to clear that hurdle.
  18. befat

    Decoding 2020

    It would be a sneaky way of including “world’s” in the marketing materials. Also, the world’s only hyper-giga coaster with the lift of a hyper and the drop of a giga.
  19. My guess is it was maintenance road back then too. It looks like the fence line continues across the path as a gate.
  20. Two things I find interesting from this image: 1. Seeing KCKC out there alone in the woods without The Beast next to it. 2. Seeing the train layout before it was modified for Waterworks.
  21. befat

    Decoding 2020

    That’s one of those simple things that makes one think, wow, why did it take this long for someone to think of that? No more lugging around a heavy water cooler for this ride crew.
  22. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Reliability. I don’t remember the exact words he used, but Dick Kinzel said in an interview that TTD was his biggest mistake/regret. Six Flags was in too deep before they realized it might be a mistake. Xcelerator has the same issues that TTD does. It’s not the biggest draw for me at Cedar Point. It’s actually pretty low on my list or must do rides there. I don’t have much desire to go check out Kingda Ka. As already stated, they are (very expensive) one trick ponies.
  23. befat

    Decoding 2020

    Good point. Those would all work well as they could be themed to a rocket ship. Lumberjack could be themed that way too.
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