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Universal Orlando (Studios/IOA/Epic Universe) : General Discussion

Andrew said:
I am curious as to why Universal now has 3 launched coasters at Islands of Adventure (Hulk, Hagrid, and JP).

I guess it saves a bit of space but I am surprised they didn’t opt for the traditional lift hill just for a change.
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Rumour has it that during the months the park has been closed, they've torn down Hippogriff's lift hill and replaced it with an inclined launch.
 
LSM propulsion systems provide so many benefits to 365 day parks in terms of maintenance downtime compared to a standard chain lift.
 
It also depends on what best fits the story/theme the ride has and Hagrid and the Jurassic coaster wouldn’t work that well with lift hills. Plus all 3 coasters offer very different experiences.
 
As others have said it's all about theme. Ive been messing around with Planet Coaster latley and if you are trying to tell a story with a ride you want it to speed up and slow down in dramatic ways. Also you don't want a big dead spot like a lift hill.

Let's not forget The Mummy and Gringots are also launched.

Disney have a couple of themed rides with lift hills. Expedition Everest has the ascent of the mountain and Grisly Gultch has the awesome fake out lift hill (followed by a launch). But all of them are hidden by a huge mountain structure which for most parks would be unaffordable. Universal could afford it but they don't have the space in IOA.
 
Hulk is an odd one as well that the launch fits the gamma radiation storyline, but the ride is almost built as if its a regular lift except for the inversion at the top.
As has been said though many of the coasters are only sort-of used as coasters, Hagrids, Gringotts, The Mummy, are all telling a story in some form and therefore the ability to move you in and out of show scenes quickly is important. Whereas Rip Ride Rockit is just a coaster with some music really.
Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom uses the lift hill as part of the storytelling as you slowly climb up the mountain.
 
jon81uk said:
Hulk is an odd one as well that the launch fits the gamma radiation storyline, but the ride is almost built as if its a regular lift except for the inversion at the top.
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When Hulk was designed, B&M were reportedly pretty reluctant to include a launch at all. Universal insisted on it, and the launch system was designed by a third-party. If the launch concept failed, it would have been constructed with a standard lift-hill.
 
Plastic Person said:
When Hulk was designed, B&M were reportedly pretty reluctant to include a launch at all. Universal insisted on it, and the launch system was designed by a third-party. If the launch concept failed, it would have been constructed with a standard lift-hill.
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Yep, thats why is sort of the only B&M launched coaster, as the launch was added separately. I do assume that first inversion would need to have been removed without a launch, but it looks like the ride would make the rest of the circuit.
 
I think B&M do actually do launch coasters now, don’t they? They built Thunderbird at Holiday World in 2015, but there don’t seem to be any others, as far as I’m aware (well, besides Hulk and its Beijing clone, of course).
 
Matt N said:
I think B&M do actually do launch coasters now, don’t they? They built Thunderbird at Holiday World in 2015, but there don’t seem to be any others, as far as I’m aware (well, besides Hulk and its Beijing clone, of course).
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They offer LIM launches if parks want one.

To be fair the LIM tech is 3rd party outsourced (Indrivetec provide Intamins) and not usually provided by the ride manufacturers themselves so any ride company can provide launches fairly easily.
 
Views of the now completed top hat element:

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Universal really are getting most things right these days. Looks an absolutely fantastic coaster. Not an off the shelf model whatsoever.

Can't wait for 2022. It will be 9 years since I have been when we next go. So many new rides to try out.
 
Oh my; this coaster gets better with every update! Islands of Adventure ranked firmly as my favourite park when I last visited in 2016, and I think the additions since my last visit of Hagrid’s and this could cement its place even more when I hopefully revisit at some point in the future!

There’s still a small chance I could potentially be riding this in 2021, but 2022 now looks more likely due to everything going on with COVID. Whenever I do hopefully get to ride it, however, I’ll be immensely excited, and interested to see how it compares with other multi-launch coasters I’ve done like Icon & Cheetah Hunt!
 
Besides, all of the sight lines within areas like Hogsmeade are apparently still intact. Universal cares about visuals; they won’t have just put this in without thinking about that sort of thing.
 
Danny said:
I'm sure it'll be a superb coaster, but it's such an eyesore on the skyline.
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It's a ride based on the biggest creatures ever to roam the land. I'd be a bit miffed if you couldn't see from other parts of the park tbf. Hahahahaha

;)
 
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