Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Icon - 2018 Mack Double Launch Coaster

[Temleh]

Ah that would be the double spine track, some has already been used on the “high five” element and the Immelmann!

 

[Matt N]

TPW have just posted a construction update detailing the latest happenings on the Icon site:

Looking good!

 

[Bert2theSpark]

There shall be airtime!

Credit to @ScottPBE

 

[MakoMania]

There shall be airtime!

Credit to @ScottPBE

Looks like there should be some great air here, especially towards the front of the train going into the hill & the back of the train exiting it.

 

[Tim]

That looks like it could be insane!

 

[Lordy]

One small hill that's likely to be better than an entire ride on the Big One!

 

[venny]

You know how the general consensus was that the tide shop will sit on top of the tunnel? My prediction now is that it won’t. Primarily because if you take a close look at the aerial pictures there’s a piece of track which would otherwise go straight through the building. I’m therefore wondering if the new building next to Big One’s brake run is instead going to be the shop?

 

[rob666]

Big plexiglass tube through the shop please.

 

[ScottPBE]

It was absolutely freezing so I didn't stay up there for too long, more updates coming midweek and next weekend but for now here is the latest construction video filmed for PBE;

 

[Rob]

That airtime hill looks fantastic, so long as the coaster takes it at a suitable speed! Please Mandy, don't try and converse your electricity a la Tripsdrill!

 

[MakoMania]

That airtime hill looks fantastic, so long as the coaster takes it at a suitable speed! Please Mandy, don't try and converse your electricity a la Tripsdrill!

I can't imagine there is even that much scope for the launches to be slowed even if they wanted to.
In the first half of the layout the train traverses the barrel roll quite slowly and in the second half the normal launch speed only just gets the train over the immelmann so I don't think we have too much to worry about. Slowing it down any further would surely run the risk of regular rollbacks/stalls.

 

[Temleh]

The Top Hat and Immelmann are points of no return, meaning you could release a train from the peak of these elements with no prior momentum and they would still reach the next block section.

...In theory at least, it does get rather windy in the Pool that is Black...

 

[Rob]

Mandy has some Icon photos for us:

It's really coming on well now!

 

[DiogoJ42]

The sad thing is, there are the same number of coasters in that view as there were a year ago.

 

[IanSR]

The sad thing is, there are the same number of coasters in that view as there were a year ago.

Actually there are less, since Icon isn't operational yet.

Not bitter in the slightest are we?

 

[shakey]

I reckon the track installation will be pretty much finished by opening weekend, and hopefully we won't have many (or any) ride closures.

 

[John_P]

Is it just me or is there no clear entrance or exit from the station, hopefully it doesn't end up like half the rides I used to make on Rollercoaster Tycoon.

 

[Andrew]

I do wish it was painted a brighter colour so it didn't look as grey in the Blackpool skies but apart from that, it looks stunning

 

[Dipper_Dave]

Looks ace. Will really liven up the South end of the park. Love the pic showing both launch areas. Agree that the colour is rather boring but am more interested in the ride experience really. Also, the Steeple / Dipper turnaround bit will look great from Big Blue. It will be interesting to see how the area underneath the second half of the ride is landscaped. Presumably we won't be looking down at mud and concrete only.

 

[Plastic Person]

Is the train going to dive underground out of the station and into the first launch? I hadn't imagined it to be enclosed like that, although pleasantly surprised if this is the case, especially knowing what a pain it is to drill at the Pleasure Beach.