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IAAPA 2014

Sam said:
I don't get why that shuttle coaster is designed like that. Why not just pull the train backwards out of the station up the first drop, like every other shuttle coaster?
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Because the park owners son didn't like it, which is who the park is named after (their 3 kids)

He said it ruined the suspense of a normal lift hill, and also GG were concerned about the mechanics on such a small ride, in such a small park with hardly any space, and the expense of developing a mechanism that could reverse the car up the hill. They also used the Switchback track in the way it did to further accentuate the old "Railway" theme.
 
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It looks like Vekoma have a new product in the form of an individual launch coaster car. I'm not sure about it to be honest. It seems a bit old hat with its high-sided, enclosed design and I'd worry about the throughput with only four people per car. It seems an odd choice when Gerstlauer and Maurer Sohne offer very similar products but with a higher capacity and a more sophisticated look. This has an element of wild mouse car about it.

On the positive side, I do quite like the Vekoma livery they've used and also, hooray for lap bars!
 
At the opposite end of the scale to above, we have this:

(I think they read all the SW6 threads and decided they liked ALL the ideas...)



That is absolutely stunning.
 
Greatest ride concept video ever! It's like it came straight from the mind of an eight year old! The super 80s shred guitar really makes it.
 
Graeme said:
Thorpe park?? Or is it too small a foot print at thorpe
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I think the beauty of this system is you can squeeze a lot in by the looks of it, the spin/tilt/wobble table for example, the tilt track, the side drops, all would fit potentially into small spaces it seems. Plus the freefall drop can go UP as well for anyone who missed that bit.

It is absolutely spectacular and worth pointing out, is OUT of concept and into production! This is happening baby!
 
This is the same company that manufactured the big dark rides at Universal, and indeed Disney so I think we can expect this to be pretty damn good. At what price though?
 


Possibly the most terrifying water slide concept ever. The capsule idea does beg the question of whether this can truly be called a water slide but even so, the idea of that sheer vertical drop followed by a vertical loop whilst lying down in a claustrophobic tube is frankly ridiculous.

What I find most amazing is that this is a real prototype that has existed for some time and yet no one noticed. It's also slightly concerning that they managed to misspell 'vertical' at the end of the video (unless there's some pun I'm missing).

For reference, this isn't actually the first water slide with a vertical loop. That honor goes to the infamous Cannonball Loop at the now closed Action Park. The slide operated for a few days but was quickly closed due to its poor safety record.
 
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Alastair said:
This is the same company that manufactured the big dark rides at Universal, and indeed Disney so I think we can expect this to be pretty damn good. At what price though?
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It's gonna be oil money or movie industry money. Merlin won't go near this. 10s of millions looking at that incredible ride system. If you think of the cost alone of just SW6 development, this must be staggeringly expensive.

Even then Ferrari World apparently have only 2 of the available 4 trick tracks, but a couple of parks in discussions for all 4. I really can only imagine Disney or Universal being able (or willing) to throw the kind of money at a ride like that.

Now, if Merlin had the bottle, this could be exactly what Towers needed dark ride wise - imagine something like that on the park with the thrills as well, it wont have massive height or noise issues, combines coaster/dark ride - it's like a 2 for 1.

Oh how I'd love Towers to get something of this standard, it would drive visitor numbers through the roof, look at what The Smiler did. Alas "2nd to Disney" only in financial terms, not in ambition, creativity, or immersive experience. They're no where near 2nd for that.

Annoying, they have the money to do it.
 
TheMan said:
At the opposite end of the scale to above, we have this:

(I think they read all the SW6 threads and decided they liked ALL the ideas...)



That is absolutely stunning.
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Soooo basically Gringotts.

They did make that didn't they?
 
Gringots ride system was Built by Intamin but dynamic attractions where also involved in the project. That is probably why this concept has some similarities .
 
Seems to be lots of new concepts being unveiled at IAAPA this year, I have a lot to catch up on. I briefly saw Dynamic Attractions concept last night and it does look brilliant.

I've noticed a strong theme of lap bars at IAAPA also which is great! Merlin take note, although I feel they will be forced to by the industry sooner or later.

:)
 
Sadly Merlin will probably still avoid lap bars as they are the monopoly in the UK. Unless a non-Merlin park builds a thrill coaster with lap bars I doubt we will see anything from the big parks for a long time. Manufacturers pushing the industry forwards may push Merlin though.

TheMan said:
At the opposite end of the scale to above, we have this:

(I think they read all the SW6 threads and decided they liked ALL the ideas...)



That is absolutely stunning.
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That looks like all of Nick Varney's wet dreams come true!

Gorgeous though. Would love Merlin to work with Dynamic Attractions!
 
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