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Thunderbird has launched!


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Alright. I would like to make my first attempt at guessing the type of coaster this will be. I don't think it will be a wood coaster based on the footers. I think it will be a Mack or an Intamin launch coaster. I'm thinking something like Helix or Cheetah Hunt. Before anyone says well they wouldn't work with Intamin because of PP you don't know that. The failure of PP could lead to Intamin offering a cheaper rate on something else to go along with a bunch of other factors. I also really don't think it will be B&M.

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A few years ago, someone at HW, I can't remember who it was, very clearly said that after the problems with Pilgrim's Plunge, they would never, ever work with Intamin again.

Now that may have been Dan or even Will that said that, in which case the new leadership may think differently, but I tend to think that whoever it was would not have made such a clear, blunt, sweeping statement unless it represented the general consensus of everyone in management responsible for such decisions. And given that assumption, the last time I checked, the family feud hasn't resulted in a lot of turnover in management, just a few people being promoted to higher positions to fill the gaps left by Will's death and Dan's departure. So I suspect that HW's feeling toward Intamin remains the same.

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Never say never. I would say there is a good chance that Kings Island staff had similar feelings towards Arrow after the reliability nightmare that was The Bat. This ride may be an olive branch for Intamin in the same way that Vortex was for Arrow.

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I heard the same comments when Cedar Point had issues with Intamins yet they continued. Just because one project failed doesn't mean that company will be shunned.

Never say never. I would say there is a good chance that Kings Island staff had similar feelings towards Arrow after the reliability nightmare that was The Bat. This ride may be an olive branch for Intamin in the same way that Vortex was for Arrow.

Well, Cedar Point did keep going back to Intamin under Kinzel, and then it seemed every single addition from them starting with and after Wicked Twister (WT, TTD, Maverick, and Shoot-The-Rapids) has given the park numerous headaches- especially Shoot-The-Rapids which has likely been the attraction that has killed Cedar Fair's interest in anything Intamin based. There were also the issues with Intimidator 305, where the ride was so forceful it was causing riders to black out and thus needed major modifications, and then outside Cedar Fair you have the issues with SkyRush (most reviews state the restraints are terrible), Kingda Ka (mostly the same problems TTD had), and now Falcon's Fury at Busch Gardens with the constant hydraulic breakdowns.

If Holiday World has been paying ANY attention to the issues other parks have been having with modern Intamin rides- and they likely have- as well as their own experience with Giraffica/Plunge, they are probably going to go with a different company instead. Yes, Intamins do top enthusiast poll charts (though in recent years RMC has been coming VERY strong with their wood coaster conversions), but generally as long as a ride is good the GP doesn't care whatsoever who builds it. And there are other companies that do build similar rides to what Intamin offers- for example, Cheetah Hunt. SeaWorld also built 2 similar coasters at other parks- Verbolten @ Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Zierier) and and Manta @ Sea World San Diego (Mack). If Holiday World wants a Cheetah Hunt-like ride, they could go with either of those companies instead and likely not have as many issues. Intamin would likely have to offer Holiday World a HUGE (50% off or more) discount and then give them a nearly problem-free ride to get them back on their side by this point.

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A few years ago, someone at HW, I can't remember who it was, very clearly said that after the problems with Pilgrim's Plunge, they would never, ever work with Intamin again.

Now that may have been Dan or even Will that said that, in which case the new leadership may think differently, but I tend to think that whoever it was would not have made such a clear, blunt, sweeping statement unless it represented the general consensus of everyone in management responsible for such decisions. And given that assumption, the last time I checked, the family feud hasn't resulted in a lot of turnover in management, just a few people being promoted to higher positions to fill the gaps left by Will's death and Dan's departure. So I suspect that HW's feeling toward Intamin remains the same.

Wow...what exactly happened with Pilgrim's Plunge that caused them to take it out? Are there any articles anywhere?

edit: never mind. Found an article. What a shame, it looked like a really fun ride.

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^

It kept breaking down apparently and had numerous issues with the track work. I'd also think the Shoot-The-Rapids incident may have been a slight factor as well.

It was a fun ride though- I do wish it had worked because the concept alone was very cool. Which seems to be a common theme among most modern Intamins- they are very fun rides that are held back simply because they are often so complex, they break a lot or don't work as intended. Modern HUSS has a lot of the same problems with its giant flat ride line. And now other companies are offering similar coasters/rides that seem to work better, which is bad news for Intamin unless they can get their stuff together and fix their issues.

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If RCDB is to be believed, Intamin has had no major coaster installations in North America over the last 2 seasons. While they have seemingly been busy in Europe and China, I'm sure that is a sore point for the company, and as APE mentioned above, it wouldn't surprise me if they offered a discount to someone to get their product back in the market, so to speak. It would however surprise me if that place was Holiday World given past history. With Kentucky Kingdom having opened back up, the last thing I would think HW would want is a risk that a major coaster would open with delay (which seems to be the norm these days for Intamins).

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Hmm. That might put a new perspective on the clues.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

I think children are the "riders" of the ride. I don't think that there is a hidden message about them there other than the height requirement for the ride will not be any different than any other coaster or ride there.

Day 20 is most intriguing to me:

It appears to me, however, that those among us who have suffered the most from seasickness are not overwhelmingly female or young.

Why would the men have more issues with the ride over the kids and children?

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There have been reports of the footers having similar shape as Banshee's footer. I have yet to see any pictures of it but I was think maybe we could be seeing a speed/launch coaster or a coaster similar to Shambala or Diamondback with a splash down. B&M have 6 coasters with a splash down. I am not saying it will be a 200ft+ coaster just thinking of the similarities with a splash down. I feel as if some of the clues point towards a splash down.

Day 39- The boat had a sodden deck,

Day 21- The ocean spray on the deck.

and the many other days including storms and rain

I feel like they are going to use the splashdown that Pilgrim's Plunge during the ride. I can see a 102 ft B&M using the splash down. Maybe something similar to Insane Speed built in Taiwan. Idk I think the concrete "pond" from PP will be used. They haven't drained the pool yet. It just seems like a waste to have it sit around. That is what I have been seeing the last week or so.

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There are pictures of the footers on TPR and they are very B&Mish. If this is indeed a Beemer I for one will be very interested in seeing the type and layout. There is apparently some orange track outside Cleremont that is unaccounted for.

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There are pictures of the footers on TPR

Can we have a direct link for those of us that either are lazy or don't want to go Dumpster diving?

jcgoble3, taking a cheap shot at TPR (joking, of course) :P

Edited by jcgoble3
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