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Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon - 2018 Mack Double Launch Coaster

Rick said:
Big One was supposed to be the spiritual successor to Magnum. I'd be hard pressed to pick between Magnum and Nemesis.
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Yeah but Magnum does things, after the first drop PMBO doesn't really do anything. I'm not slating it as I still enjoy it but it should have been clear to see that Nemesis would be better. Perhaps the luxury of modern POV animations helps us a lot more than we realise.
 
Geoffrey Thompson did some amazing things, and while I have a soft spot for PMBO, it was ultimately very much built on the cheap. Whereas Magnum is all about airtime hills, PMBO was built for spectacle as much as thrill. That means it's amazing to look at, but in order to afford to run it along the front of the park, where it serves as a kind of banner, it uses the gradual ramps that give it that 'glorified monorail' reputation. In it's early days, these were at least fairly bracing in the sea air, whereas now it's just rough as old boots. Still, great first drop!
 
The PMBO POV was all wire frame shenanigans, I don't remember a Nemesis one.
 
Arrow coasters lose speed very qickly, their decent hypers either lose height fast to compensate or use the terrain to keep up momentum.

Geoffrey wanted firstly to keep the heights across the front of the park, so that rules out airtime and secondly straight bits of track could be fabricated in the U.K. cheaper hence the ramping.
 
The big one was marketed as the tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coaster in the world during it's construction. Still remember 93 and all the bits going on around the park and the signs around the park.
For what it's worth Magnum is the much better coaster, but Geoffrey wanted that iconic set of drops around the front of the park. Still it's quite amazing in hindsight to think an amusement park in Blackpool had the tallest roller coaster in the world.

Not fussed over which coaster is 'better' next year, just glad the UK is getting some coasters from two fantastic manufacturers. Not done a mack launch coaster but plenty of people I know rate them highly, and the ride quality of Lost Gravity and the restraints really impressed me. And with GCI going on Troy and Joris en drak made me rather excited for SW8.
 
Keep in mind that before the Big One, the biggest thing we'd ever seen in this country was (I think I've got this right) Great Yarmouth's Roller Coaster, at 70 feet. Unless you count the lift spikes of Pleasure Island's Boomerang at 116 feet. I'm sure someone will correct me...
 
Dave said:
Arrow coasters lose speed very qickly, their decent hypers either lose height fast to compensate or use the terrain to keep up momentum.

Geoffrey wanted firstly to keep the heights across the front of the park, so that rules out airtime and secondly straight bits of track could be fabricated in the U.K. cheaper hence the ramping.
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Aha, this is a more informed version of what I was trying to express!
 
I think the difference between now and 1994 is that in 1994, the Coaster Wars had just begun. Roughly, I would say that the Coaster Wars started in 1989 with the opening of Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point and ended in about 2005 after the opening of Kingda Ka, possibly later. One thing I can tell, though, is that the Coaster Wars are no longer going on. You can tell that by how long ago the current record holders opened. As far as I'm aware, the only major record other than model-specific records that has been broken in the last 5 years is the inversion record by our very own Smiler in 2013. For example, this is when all of the current major record holders opened:
  • Height = Kingda Ka, 2005
  • Length = Steel Dragon 2000, 2000
  • Speed = Formula Rossa, 2010
  • Drop Angle = Takabisha, 2011
  • Inversions = Smiler, 2013
This shows that parks aren't as keen nowadays to break world records as they were when the Big One was being built. Especially length, as length was last broken 17 years ago.

On a side note, I never knew it was only the Big One that had the ramp-style hills. From POVs, the hills on Desperado and even Magnum XL-200 look quite similar.
 
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I don't think length will ever be beaten. It's the most expensive record to break, and the Coaster Wars are over so there's no reason to spend the money.
 
I heard that Steel Dragon 2000 cost $52million, which is close to £40million. I don't see many parks wanting to spend that much money.

On a side note, as far as I'm aware, the longest roller coaster built in recent years (the last 5-10 years) is Fury 325 at 6,602ft long. Correct me if I'm wrong.
 
The colour scheme is blending in well with the weather.

25659246_10155961621002365_7229330977500070917_n.jpg


Source: BPB
 
It bet it will work well in the fog when finished.. really add to the suspense; and deliver a slap of wetness to the face.
 
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