• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Florida 2018: 'The Skyscraper' - Intamin - world's tallest coaster

Dont know the reasons why S&S no longer involved, i would much rather have Intamin, while they have had many issues in the past as we all know they have more experience in a project on this scale than S&S. It could be S&S had trouble developing the coaster from concept to reality and ultimately weren't going to deliver a quality product in time for the developers.
 
Strange but Intamin are more likely to do a better job than S&S. Well that is after tonnes of initial problems! :p
 
Apparently the drop is going flush to the tower, so you'll head down with track flying past your face. Sure it might spoil the view, but it could really give an enhanced feeling of speed on the way down!
 
Sounds a bit like the old Pepsi Drop in the Troccadero. That was very claustrophobic!
 
Amazing new video of the planned Coaster. Now being built by intamin the design has been updated and Its now even bigger and more crazier than the original planned version.

Opening date is 2017. its looks like it could be one of the most craziest coasters ever built.

 
Last edited:
I really think that if Intamin get this right (i.e. it's not uncomfortable and/or rough as hell and/or got massive design flaws) then it will be one of the most thrill coasters in the world and possibly one the best coasters in the world. It's clearly going to be of a good length and some of the elements in the video do look stunning.

:)
 
I can't wait to see all of this built! It's a crazy project that is perfect for Orlando.

:)
 
So, a bit of an update on this. For starters it certainly is not opening in 2016, it is now set to be completed by 2018. The project was put in front of the Orange County planning and zoning board last night who voted 4-3 against a recommendation that the project be allowed to go ahead. However that is only a recommendation and the Orange County commission will make a final vote and judgement in December.

But that wasn't all, at the meeting the biggest opponants to the Skyplex project were... Universal! Universal claim to support the project as a whole but not as its current height. Skyplex responded in their presnetation by calling Universal bullys and took numerous other swipes at them. The Orlando Business Journal has a good article to summarise what happened:
Orlando Business Journal said:
Developer Joshua Wallack's planned 570-foot-tall Skyplex project may be a win for Orlando’s International Drive, but convincing local leaders has proven to be a tall order, as competitors are throwing verbal punches and resorting to name-calling.

Orange County’s planning and zoning board on Oct. 15 voted 4-3 against a recommendation of the $460 million Skyplex retail and entertainment destination. However, the decision does not mean the project is dead, as the Orange County commission still has to vote on the project at a December meeting.

The Skyplex project includes a 570-foot Skyscraper polercoaster, a 450-foot SkyFall drop tower, a state-of-the-art open-air plaza, the largest Perkins in the world, the SkyFly 600-foot zipline and a 350-room hotel. Wallack previously said the project would create a minimum 4,200 temporary construction jobs and 1,000 operational jobs.

The board expressed concerns about the height of the project, as well as preventing light pollution and the appearance of a glowing attraction in Orlando's night sky. That raised eyebrows, as some board members and Skyplex supporters said lighting is not an issue the planning and zoning is responsible for addressing.

More notably, Universal Orlando Resort continued to be the prime opponent of Skyplex, stating it supports the project, but not without a height restriction. Universal leaders also said they don’t think the project is “compatible” with the size and scope of I-Drive, and questioned the lack of a traffic study proving the tourist corridor could handle the new influx of visitors.

Skyplex Orlando’s team responded, calling Universal Orlando a “bully" and asking Universal to play nice with its neighbors.

"It's competitive issues," Wallack said. "Universal's printing money right now. The people who got up there today sign the back of checks; I sign the front of checks. The people who spoke against my project, they get paid by Comcast — that's their job to come here to delay [my project]. They should be worried about Star Wars world and Disney redoing Hollywood Studios, which is going to kick their butt real good, not something on I-Drive with T-shirt shops and Perkins. I'm proud to say that we've designed a project they find competitive with Islands of Adventure."

Wallack said his next steps are to regroup and convince the Orange County commission of the value of his project.

"I feel more confident than ever that we will leave the board of county commissioners meeting with our planned development approval," he said.
Click to expand...

I certainly hope that they do get the approval they need. Even then there will still be question marks over whether this will actually ever go ahead.

:)
 
It looks like a monstrosity - I hope it doesn't go ahead to be honest. There's no elegance to the project, it looks cheap and nasty.
 
AirFAN said:
It looks like a monstrosity - I hope it doesn't go ahead to be honest. There's no elegance to the project, it looks cheap and nasty.
Click to expand...
It's a 600 foot tall rollercoaster, I honestly couldn't care if it's elegant or not. Don't really see how it matter that much what it looks like when it's a 600 foot taller rollercoaster.

Did I mention it's a 600 foot tall rollercoaster?
 
The trouble is, while it may be 600ft tall, the drops are depressingly small.
 
... with a load of block brakes to ensure you're never going over 10 mph. If you like height go in a hot air balloon? What happens in 20 years (lets be fair I'll give it 10) when the thing is rough as hell and the surrounding attractions are as appealing as visiting a branch of Poundland in Salford?
 
AirFAN said:
... with a load of block brakes to ensure you're never going over 10 mph. If you like height go in a hot air balloon? What happens in 20 years (lets be fair I'll give it 10) when the thing is rough as hell and the surrounding attractions are as appealing as visiting a branch of Poundland in Salford?
Click to expand...

Or what if, you know, it's not all those negative things you make it out to be? What if it's actually really good? The good thing is that if you go to Florida when this is there you will not be forced to go and pay to ride it. So you can go and do something else whilst the rest of us give it a try!

Sorry to sound so blunt but I don't understand why coaster enthusiasts would not want a massive unique coaster going ahead or even be prepared to give it a chance.

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top