originally posted on 12/4/2020
POSTED DECEMBER 4
Maurer Rides Spins Into Russia
Photo: Courtesy Maurer. View full-sized image.
If shopping doesn’t make one’s head spin, leaving the stores and jumping on a coaster might. Blockbuster Mall in Kiev (Ukraine) has recently installed a roller coaster. The mall opened in 2019, and its indoor park, Galaxy Park, debuted this past September.
The prime draw for ACEers will be the new spinning coaster from Maurer Rides. Dubbed Американська Гірка, which simply translates to “Roller Coaster,” the layout whisks along the mall for 1,165 feet.
Layout: Courtesy Maurer . View full-sized image.
Four cars feature different airbrushed looks: bear, parrot, cheetah and snake.
The mall was built in an area that serves one million people and was intended to serve as a social hub.
Motiongate to Add Two New Coasters in 2021
Photo: Courtesy Motiongate. View full-sized image.
And speaking of Maurer …
Currently home to four coasters plus the Mack powered inverted attraction, Dragon Gliders, Motiongate (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) will be upping its count by two more next year. The park has announced a Maurer spinning coaster and an S&S 4-D Free Spin. Each will have a themed tie in.
The Maurer spinner will be named High Roller, based on “Now You See Me,” an American heist film. According to Maurer, it will be the fastest spinning coaster that uses single cars. FORREC will provide the theming, and the ride is reported to feature a non-inverting loop. Clearly, it’s not a production model.
Photo: Courtesy Motiongate. View full-sized image.
John Wick: Open Contract is the name of the S&S installation and is based on the movie franchise. Each side will have its own theme, one helping John Wick, the other hunting him. Whichever storyline they choose, guests will still be queued through the lobby of the Continental Hotel featured in the film.
Texas Adds Two More Coasters
Screamin’ Centipede can be found at the Kalahari resort in Round Rock, Texas.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
While the late winter debut of Texas Stingray was welcome news for Texans last February, the fall added two new ones at Kalahari in Round Rock, Texas. The chain of resorts is known for massive indoor waterparks. This new location lays claim to the largest indoor waterpark resort in the nation.
Within the resort is a separate amusement park named Tom Foolerys. Inside, two coasters are in place. One is a newer production model. To say it’s a kiddie coaster is to mean kiddie coaster. Seen at the 2019 IAAPA Expo, the small “micro” coaster from SBF/Visa features a simple oval with the slightest of dips. It is called Star Force Orbiter.
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
The other coaster was also featured at the Expo as. A Big Air model is a new take on the heavily produced spinning coaster from SBF/Visa. Screamin’ Centipede features the new so-called hamster wheel as the first car, which flips riders upside down.
Day passes are available to those not staying at the resort.
The Racer Receives Some New Track Love
Photo: Courtesy Kings Island. View full-sized image.
Off-season track work is nothing uncommon for wooden coasters, but it is usually welcome by both guests and coaster aficionados. When it is on such a noteworthy ride as Kings Island’s Racer, an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark, its especially wonderful.
According to the Mason, Ohio, park’s blog: “Some years may require more extensive work than others, with this year being one of them. Carpenters are currently busy removing the stacks of wood used for the track from the base of the first drop through the 65-foot tall fourth hill on both sides of the ride. More than 500 feet of the old and mostly original track through this section of the ride will be replaced this winter, which will ensure smoother rides when the park opens for the 2021 season.”
The work on The Racer stretches for 500 feet on each track.
Photo: Courtesy Kings Island. View full-sized image.
Fly Through a Loop
Photo: Courtesy Ferrari World. View full-sized image.
In an interesting twist, Ferrari World (Abu Dhabi) has offered two new experiences. One involves a roller coaster, but participants aren’t riding on it; they are riding through it. Or more precisely, flying through it. A new zipline experience takes visitors soaring through the loop of the Flying Aces roller coaster. And for those who want even more quirky adventures, the facility’s new roof walk experience lets those wishing to view Yas Island from the top of the signature red roof take it all in.
Look closely and you can find guests taking the Roof Walk experience at Ferrari World.
Photo: Courtesy Ferrari World. View full-sized image.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
POSTED NOVEMBER 13
Knoebels Graces Phoenix with New Station Façade
Photo: B. Derek Shaw. View full-sized image.
A recent enhancement to Knoebels’ (Elysburg, Pennsylvania) award-winning wood coaster Phoenix is a new look for the station from the front of the ride. In addition to this snazzy aesthetic touch, a layer of queuing was added near the load area to help keep the queue from spilling out into the midway area.
Impulse reopened with new vehicles. The sharpest attribute is appreciated at night when lighting underneath the cars give it a sleek, futuristic vibe.
New queuing at the Phoenix station helps accommodate crowd flow.
Photo: B. Derek Shaw. View full-sized image.
Sea Serpent Gets a Face Lift (Actually, a New Lift)
Photos: newjerseycoasters.net. View full-sized image.
View full-sized image.
Morey’s Piers (Wildwood, New Jersey) boasts America’s first Vekoma Boomerang, which opened in 1984. Sea Serpent received some love this year with a brand-new lift No. 2, as well as new train bodies. Both enhancements will offer a longer life as well as a smoother ride to the popular attraction.
Refurbishment began in fall of 2019; however, the COVID health crisis delayed the reopening of Sea Serpent until August, even though the Piers opened in July. Arranging for workers to return from Europe to complete the project was a major hurdle, but the Morey’s team cleverly pulled it off.
The new vehicle bodies offer a newer system that removes over-the-shoulder restraints near the riders’ heads. In essence, the chance of head banging has been eliminated.
New Trains for Cobra at Conny-Land
Photos: Courtesy Sunkid. View full-sized image.
Continuing the theme of new trains, Conny-Land (Lipperswil, Switzerland) turned to Sunkid for a reimagined train for Cobra’s 10th anniversary. The PAX coaster now has a new seating configuration, in which riders sit back to back and also face to face (except for the very front and back rows).
Cobra is a unique ride in that it features a vertical lift hill on which riders are pulled upward staring straight down. Once released, the train roars over two speed hills and through a vertical loop before entering an overhanging “scorpion’s tail” reverse point.
The new train features face-to-face seating.
Photo: Courtesy Sunkid. View full-sized image.
Vortex Collectables Become Hot Item
The Vortex collectable package became a hot item.
Photo: Courtesy Kings Island. View full-sized image.
Fans of the six-inversion Arrow looper at Kings Island (Mason, Ohio) spared no expense in obtaining a piece of history. Vortex was introduced in 1987 and gave its final rides last fall. In an homage to the ride’s opening year, the collector’s package sold — and sold out — for $198.70. It included postcards, a 1.5-inch slice of Vortex track placed in a special display stand and a certificate of authenticity. The limited-edition collectable went on sale inside the park on October 3. On October 4, it officially sold out.
“Since then, we looked to see if we had anything else we could offer. We did find a piece of track, and we do have a limited number of pieces that we can sell,” said Chad Showalter, public relations, Kings Island. The pieces went on sale online on November 10. “We heard from a number of our guests and coaster fans across the country and they wanted a chance to get those if we had a way to make them available.”
Lake Placid Opens America’s Longest Alpine Coaster
Photo: Courtesy ADG. View full-sized image.
Alpine coasters have continued to populate the American landscape. Typically found in mountainous regions, multiple manufacturers supply these attractions. ADG produced the version that recently opened in Lake Placid, New York. It comes with a couple of bragging rights.
The first boast is that it is the nation’s longest. At 7,600 feet, it holds that marketable record. The layout follows closely to the bobsled layout from 1932 and 1980, although some helixes have been added.
The second record doesn’t fit into bragging rights as much. It’s the priciest mountain coaster in the country. At $55 a ride, it does not entice repeat rides. For that price, riders do at least enjoy an eight-minute ride. Of note, the sleds also feature on-board sound.
Interested participants should head to the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The attraction is called Cliffside Coaster.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
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