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[The Smiler] Construction Updates / Ride Speculation Part 2 *SPOILER FREE*
Rollercoasters4Life
TS Member
Re: Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
It has 14 inversions of which we know of, how else were you expecting the ride to go? The inversions do differ and I disagree with you saying that it's 'basically 5 heartline rolls and 8 slightly different combinations of half-loop twists'. Colossus is basically that, a poor attempt at getting the record, whereas The Smiler has a well thought out layout with variations of inversions.
There isn't much variation to inversions in general as they all basically turn you upside down - that's basically your point. Inversions are simply just that.
At least with this there are different inversions.
What else could they do? Different Inversions-wise we have on The Smiler:
1. Barrel Roll
2. Inverted drop (x2)
3. Dive Loop (x2)
4. Batwing
5. Corkscrew
6. Sea Serpent Rolls
7. Cobra Roll
8. Inclined Barrel Roll
9. Flat Corscrew
Now in my book there are 9 inversions that will feel different to each other whether it be because of their inclines/declines or directional changes. For example the barrel roll under the station is different to the one outside after the Cobra Roll - the one indoors has a slight incline once it starts to rotate then doesn't straighten out till it has gone into a corner. The one outside has a slighter incline than that indoors.
Don't forget all the inversions are broken up with two different lift hills (one at about a 45 degree angle and the other vertical), two airtime hills and maybe even a 'show' just before the first lift hill. What more variation inversion wise could they of done? The ride has so much variation from height changes, directional changes and great near misses. Name a ride that is this compact and has so many near misses? I'm finding it hard.
This is the first ride that Alton Towers has built for a long long time that has really spiked my interest and I cannot wait to ride. Hell, even the general public all comment on it and take pictures and that's during the construction phase.
I can see this ride being a huge success financially for the park just like Th13teen was. Whether it will go down great ride-wise I don't know - that is all down to how smooth the ride is.
I have to give it to Alton Towers, if this was indeed a late revision due to the Air carpark coaster being delayed they have done fantastically well. Just how compact the whole area is, is mind-blowing.
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Bear said:
It has 14 inversions of which we know of, how else were you expecting the ride to go? The inversions do differ and I disagree with you saying that it's 'basically 5 heartline rolls and 8 slightly different combinations of half-loop twists'. Colossus is basically that, a poor attempt at getting the record, whereas The Smiler has a well thought out layout with variations of inversions.
There isn't much variation to inversions in general as they all basically turn you upside down - that's basically your point. Inversions are simply just that.
At least with this there are different inversions.
What else could they do? Different Inversions-wise we have on The Smiler:
1. Barrel Roll
2. Inverted drop (x2)
3. Dive Loop (x2)
4. Batwing
5. Corkscrew
6. Sea Serpent Rolls
7. Cobra Roll
8. Inclined Barrel Roll
9. Flat Corscrew
Now in my book there are 9 inversions that will feel different to each other whether it be because of their inclines/declines or directional changes. For example the barrel roll under the station is different to the one outside after the Cobra Roll - the one indoors has a slight incline once it starts to rotate then doesn't straighten out till it has gone into a corner. The one outside has a slighter incline than that indoors.
Don't forget all the inversions are broken up with two different lift hills (one at about a 45 degree angle and the other vertical), two airtime hills and maybe even a 'show' just before the first lift hill. What more variation inversion wise could they of done? The ride has so much variation from height changes, directional changes and great near misses. Name a ride that is this compact and has so many near misses? I'm finding it hard.
This is the first ride that Alton Towers has built for a long long time that has really spiked my interest and I cannot wait to ride. Hell, even the general public all comment on it and take pictures and that's during the construction phase.
I can see this ride being a huge success financially for the park just like Th13teen was. Whether it will go down great ride-wise I don't know - that is all down to how smooth the ride is.
I have to give it to Alton Towers, if this was indeed a late revision due to the Air carpark coaster being delayed they have done fantastically well. Just how compact the whole area is, is mind-blowing.
Sent from my GT-I9300 via Tapatalk Forum App
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
There are so many other more interesting elements they could have used though. What about normal main drops, but with duelling zero-G rolls into the staffordshire knot pit? Instead of the cobra roll, why not have the batwing duel with a Gerstlauer banana-roll as seen on Takabisha? Just a bit more variation would have been really brilliant in my opinion.
Alastair said:
There are so many other more interesting elements they could have used though. What about normal main drops, but with duelling zero-G rolls into the staffordshire knot pit? Instead of the cobra roll, why not have the batwing duel with a Gerstlauer banana-roll as seen on Takabisha? Just a bit more variation would have been really brilliant in my opinion.
Rollercoasters4Life
TS Member
Re: Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
Dueling wise I think having a Dive Loop cross over the Sea Serpent much more interesting than having the cars do the same together next to each other. For that we have the airtime hills. A banana roll also wouldn't of been that interesting from an off ride view and would be hard to get it like the Batwing/Cobra Roll cars duel with each other.
Seeing a train going through the Batwing and a train going through the Cobra Roll will be spectacular! Even giving people that aren't riding something great to look at.
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Bear said:
Dueling wise I think having a Dive Loop cross over the Sea Serpent much more interesting than having the cars do the same together next to each other. For that we have the airtime hills. A banana roll also wouldn't of been that interesting from an off ride view and would be hard to get it like the Batwing/Cobra Roll cars duel with each other.
Seeing a train going through the Batwing and a train going through the Cobra Roll will be spectacular! Even giving people that aren't riding something great to look at.
Sent from my GT-I9300 via Tapatalk Forum App
Dave
TS Founding Member
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
They don't have the height to make one of those banana things work and they would have to sacrifice the airtime hills to have dueling zero-g rolls into the knot. As already stated they have 9 different inversion types on the ride and they spread them out between a couple of pacing elements. Colossus doesn't fail because it uses 5 in-lines, it fails because it glued 4 of them together so they get boring. Smiler has a good spread if inversions.
The trouble is its hard to say how this will ride until we get on it, Blue-fires final inversion doesn't look special off-ride or in pictures but its insane when you ride it.
They don't have the height to make one of those banana things work and they would have to sacrifice the airtime hills to have dueling zero-g rolls into the knot. As already stated they have 9 different inversion types on the ride and they spread them out between a couple of pacing elements. Colossus doesn't fail because it uses 5 in-lines, it fails because it glued 4 of them together so they get boring. Smiler has a good spread if inversions.
The trouble is its hard to say how this will ride until we get on it, Blue-fires final inversion doesn't look special off-ride or in pictures but its insane when you ride it.
Dave
TS Founding Member
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
The metal fins i believe are a new Gerst development to allow the cars to be reversed backwards down a vertical lift-hill if they need to evacuate rather than doing a vertical evacuation. If you look at the track in the pictures there is no anti roll-back rack. I suppose if the chain where to snap (which is what an anti-rollback system is to protect for) the break fins would slowely return the train to the ground.
I swear Gerst mentioned something like this in an interview somewhere.
The metal fins i believe are a new Gerst development to allow the cars to be reversed backwards down a vertical lift-hill if they need to evacuate rather than doing a vertical evacuation. If you look at the track in the pictures there is no anti roll-back rack. I suppose if the chain where to snap (which is what an anti-rollback system is to protect for) the break fins would slowely return the train to the ground.
I swear Gerst mentioned something like this in an interview somewhere.
CGM
TS Member
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
Does anyone have any idea why it has Steel fins up the lifthill? That would normally suggest an LSM lift but there's clearly a chain return. Perhaps it's the anti-rollback system and they're doing away with the usual ratcheting anti rollbacks. It would make a lot of sense with the noise complaints in that area.
Edit: Missed Dave's post above which answers everything!
Does anyone have any idea why it has Steel fins up the lifthill? That would normally suggest an LSM lift but there's clearly a chain return. Perhaps it's the anti-rollback system and they're doing away with the usual ratcheting anti rollbacks. It would make a lot of sense with the noise complaints in that area.
Edit: Missed Dave's post above which answers everything!
LiamC
TS Member
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
So many crazy, lift hill launch related thoughts then. Shame
Awesome that they've pushed on with that so quickly though! Am I right in thinking they only have the turn after the final inversion into the breaks and the other lift hill left to do now track wise?
So many crazy, lift hill launch related thoughts then. Shame
Awesome that they've pushed on with that so quickly though! Am I right in thinking they only have the turn after the final inversion into the breaks and the other lift hill left to do now track wise?
Alastair
TS Team
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
And the inverted drops
LiamC said:So many crazy, lift hill launch related thoughts then. Shame
Awesome that they've pushed on with that so quickly though! Am I right in thinking they only have the turn after the final inversion into the breaks and the other lift hill left to do now track wise?
And the inverted drops
Rollercoasters4Life
TS Member
Re: Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
They still have both inverted drops to finish. Don't forget The Hypnotiser Marmaliser leg too
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LiamC said:So many crazy, lift hill launch related thoughts then. Shame
Awesome that they've pushed on with that so quickly though! Am I right in thinking they only have the turn after the final inversion into the breaks and the other lift hill left to do now track wise?
They still have both inverted drops to finish. Don't forget The Hypnotiser Marmaliser leg too
Sent from my GT-I9300 via Tapatalk Forum App
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
Just three days to construct the vertical lift - wow lol. Can't see them taking long to finish the rest! They still have a month and a half to make their May opening too! I hope they put the screens around the bottom of the vertical lift, like in the game still lots to do but I'm very confident
Also, speaking of the game I won a code for 50% off fast passes before the end of April if anyone wants it? won't be there til June lol.
Just three days to construct the vertical lift - wow lol. Can't see them taking long to finish the rest! They still have a month and a half to make their May opening too! I hope they put the screens around the bottom of the vertical lift, like in the game
still lots to do but I'm very confident Also, speaking of the game I won a code for 50% off fast passes before the end of April if anyone wants it?
won't be there til June lol.
Rob
TS Team
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
Well that track got put up quickly which is good to see. I think there is a catwalk to go up at the top of the vertical lift so I'd imagine that will be the next thing to do up.
With any luck they'll get the drops and final turn around finished this week. Then once they are done they'll have to find somewhere else for the crane and put the first lift up. Slowly but surely the track is nearing completion!
Well that track got put up quickly which is good to see. I think there is a catwalk to go up at the top of the vertical lift so I'd imagine that will be the next thing to do up.
With any luck they'll get the drops and final turn around finished this week. Then once they are done they'll have to find somewhere else for the crane and put the first lift up. Slowly but surely the track is nearing completion!
Rollercoasters4Life
TS Member
Re: [The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation Part 2
Correct as of 3:00PM on 15th April 2013:
(Click for larger image - Stuff in orange is unknown as to whether it is happening as of yet)
Left still to do from top down is the first lift hill, final turn into the brakes, second inverted drop then first inverted drop.
Snoo said:
Correct as of 3:00PM on 15th April 2013:
(Click for larger image - Stuff in orange is unknown as to whether it is happening as of yet)
Left still to do from top down is the first lift hill, final turn into the brakes, second inverted drop then first inverted drop.