originally posted on 4/29/2024
Photo: Tim Baldwin. View full-sized image.
Photo: Scott Rutherford. View full-sized image.
No Longer Intimidating
We’ve seen it happen before. A park partners with a known intellectual property (IP), and after the public and fans associate a name with an attraction, that partnership dissolves and the IP is discarded. Remember Tony Hawk, The Wiggles, “Top Gun,” Evel Knievel, “Outer Limits” — even Scooby Doo? Those names are gone.
Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina) and Kings Dominion (KD, Doswell, Virginia) are the latest parks having to do a rethink after letting go of the licensing agreement with NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. Intimidator and Intimidator 305 will shed the race car theme and adopt other storylines. However, the rides themselves will not change.
The new names haven’t been overwhelmingly welcomed. They’ve landed with a thud. But what’s a park to do? Carowinds’ Intimidator is now Thunder Striker. Built in the back of Earl’s Garage on Thunder Road, mechanics have stripped down an old jalopy and souped it up for pure speed. Okay. KD’s Intimidator 305 is now Project 305. The details of this new storyline have yet to be released.
Photo: Courtesy of Hersheypark. View full-sized image.
Hersheypark Makes a Bold — and Better — Move with Skyrush
Fans spoke highly of Hersheypark’s hypercoaster when the Intamin-built Skyrush when it opened in 2012. Its glorious hills and graceful outline changed the skyline of the park in Hershey, Pennsylvania. But with all its beauty and delicious airtime, Skyrush had equally disgruntled riders among both guests and hardcore enthusiasts: it kind of hurt. The design of the restraints earned it the nickname “Thigh Crush” from its opening year. There was much to love, but the discomfort was just too much for many people to re-ride.
Debuting this spring are new restraints from Intamin, and initial reports indicate a much more comfortable ride experience.
Photo: Adrian Lloyd. View full-sized image.
Zoom Meetings Have Begun Again
To all the fans out there who were absolutely positive that Montezooma’s Revenge would never return, Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, California) has thrown a big “Ha!” in their faces. Using a play on words, the theme park has reported that work has “re-zoomed” on the project and the coaster is expected to open in 2025. With a new train, launch system and random launch patterns, it will not be the same ride long-time fans will remember — which is both good and bad.
ACE designated the original Schwarzkopf flywheel launched coaster as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark in 2019 at Coaster Con 42. The modified version will no longer fit the newer reincarnation exactly. The rethemed ride will be known as Montezooma’s Revenge – The Forbidden Fortress.
Photo: Jonathan Hymes. View full-sized image.
Avatar Sequel?
While not coaster-related, any word of a new land on a Disney property is newsworthy. In a teleconference on March 5, Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, teased that an “Avatar”-themed land could open at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. When? He didn’t say. Nor was it a done deal. But when a CEO publicly hints at something and says the company is collaborating with film director James Cameron, that’s a solid bet.
While speculation is always fun, a big question right out of the gate, is … where would it go? Cars Land repurposed and nudged into remaining land at Disney California Adventure. Star Wars Galaxy Edge gobbled up space at neighboring Disneyland. Was land acquired somewhere near the parks? Hotels going away? Jungle Cruise or Grizzly Peak being retired? It’s difficult to say.
The original Pandora – The World of Avatar opened in 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom/Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, Florida). That park has enormous amounts of available land.
Photo: Quin Checketts. View full-sized image.
Do-Dodonpa Hits the Brakes
On March 13, Fuji-Q Highland (Fujiyoshida, Japan) announced Do-Dodonpa would close forever. Translated from Japanese, the statement reported that although discussions were made with the manufacturer (S&S), the park’s social responsibility puts safety first in operating an amusement park. The issues couldn’t be resolved with certainty, and the park decided to close down operations.
Not that this was sudden. The ride had been standing but not operating since August 2021, so there isn’t a dramatic surprise here. The coaster opened in 2001 simply as Dodonpa, and its launch of zero to 107 mph in less than two seconds was breathtaking. The ride closed in October of 2016, and the top-hat element was replaced with a 160-foot-tall vertical loop. It reopened in July 2017 with an increased launch speed of zero to 112 mph, and ACEers on the East Meets ACE tour that year enjoyed their rides.
Photo: Courtesy of RES. View full-sized image.
RES Wave Twister Headed to Adventureland in New York
As noted in ACE’s coverage of the 2023 IAAPA Expo (December 2023 ACE News), Ride Engineers of Switzerland reported the first Wave Twist L going to a park in the United States, but it was undisclosed at the time. It has now been revealed.
Adventureland in Farmingdale, New York — a co-host of last year’s ACE Preservation Conference — has announced that the ride will be added to a revamped area of the park previously occupied by the park’s flume. The removal of that ride (which the park says took up 10 percent of the park) will allow for multiple new rides to be added.
To be called Wave Twister, it will be intriguing to see if gravity qualifies it as a true roller coaster or if it falls into that “almost” category of a Zamperla Disk’O.
Rendering: Courtesy of Mattel Adventure Park. View full-sized image.
Second Mattel Adventure Park to Be Built in Kansas City, Kansas
The first Mattel Adventure Park hasn’t even opened in Glendale, Arizona, yet, but a second one has already been announced.
To be built in Kansas City, Kansas, it looks to be almost a duplicate of the original. According to the press release, both Chance coasters, Hot Wheels Bone Shaker and Hot Wheels Twin Mill Racer, will be included.
The opening target is 2026.
Rendering: Courtesy of Drayton Manor. View full-sized image.
Drayton Manor Takes a Seat
It’s not the first time it has happened. One more stand-up coaster is now reimagined as a sit-down attraction. Feelings about that may vary, but Drayton Manor in Mile Oak, England, has revamped the former Shockwave as The Wave. It now features new sit-down trains supplied by ART Engineering. The new trains allow a greater ridership, as the height requirement has been reduced to 1.2 meters.
Shockwave was one of a handful of stand-up coasters sold by Intamin in the 1980s and ‘90s. Technically, it was manufactured by Giovanola as a subcontractor.
In a bit of coaster trivia, the original coaster to use the name Shock Wave was the Schwarzkopf installation (also, technically, an Intamin sale) at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. It debuted in 1978, and since then other attractions have latched onto the name. While they have all come and gone, the original still rides wonderfully.
Photo: Ken Riling-Brewton. View full-sized image.
The Curtain Won’t Rise in 2024
Rampage and the coasters at Lakemont Park are not alone. Yet another attraction has been announced to remain closed during 2024. Kennywood (West Mifflin, Pennsylvania) announced before its opening day that The Steel Curtain will undergo “an extensive modification project.” Working with S&S, the park and manufacturer will address reliability and structural issues. The award-winning coaster will remain closed for the entire season.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News
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