A park in France recently announced Naruto, a Zamperla family multi-launch coaster. After completing a full circuit and returning to the station, It employs a switch track to reuse the same launch section again, this time into a second part of the layout which is traversed forwards and backwards (making use of a spike).
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Zamperla also released a video of this new "Family Thrill Launch" model (of which Naruto is the first). The description notes that the model has one train with an hourly capacity of only 680 people per hour. Additionally, it mentions that there is the option for the last car of the train to be turned backwards. While this was not seen in either animated video, it's certainly an interesting feature that could be integrated.
Something that is perhaps more interesting is that this the exact the layout which was shown in the ride surveys for Carowinds, Cedar Point, and Kings Island. However, the survey's listed stats for the ride aren't a perfect match. Cedar Fair quoted an extra 1,200 feet of traveled track, a third launch, and an extra 8 mph. Perhaps Cedar Fair would have ordered a custom model, differing from Naruto's layout. Below are two photos for comparison, with the survey image on top and Naruto below.
With the announcement of this coaster, as well as a park in Asia biting on Zamperla's Double Heart launched hypercoaster model, it makes me wonder if Zamperla could be on the upswing. If they could rebound from the TT2 debacle, I feel they could make some high-quality smaller scale coasters. Both of their LSM conversions of Intamin rides in 2024, ThunderVolt and TT2, received very positive reviews upon opening. Though TT2 has obviously had its issues in reliability, ThunderVolt has seemingly gone well, and been praised for its ride experience.
Furthermore, manufacturers have bounced back from year-long coaster delays before. Both Mr. Freeze coasters, as well as Batman & Robin: The Chiller, were planned to open in 1997, but were pushed back to 1998 due to issues with the launch. Very similarly to TT2, Chiller only opened for 11 days before being shut down for the rest of the season. However, Premier is still around to this day. Additionally, Kingda Ka and the original Dragster both experienced weeks- to months-long closures in thier opening years due to mechanical issues. Superman: Escape from Krypton was delayed by a whole season past the announced date while Intamin worked on fixing the LSMs, but Intamin is still around. Though TT2 was likely a more significant coaster for Zamperla than any of the aforementioned coasters were to their respective manufacturers, I can't imagine the situations significantly differed from the one Zamperla is in now.
Both Vekoma and Zamperla were previously known for their rough, compact, cloned rides, and I'm wondering if Zamperla could follow in the steps of Vekoma and redefine their image. They have already come out with multiple new models, including this family launch coaster, the launched hypercoaster, and custom LSM launched coasters, all of which look very good.
So will they be able to get themselves together and become a reliable coaster manufacturer, or will they vanish into obscurity?
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Zamperla also released a video of this new "Family Thrill Launch" model (of which Naruto is the first). The description notes that the model has one train with an hourly capacity of only 680 people per hour. Additionally, it mentions that there is the option for the last car of the train to be turned backwards. While this was not seen in either animated video, it's certainly an interesting feature that could be integrated.
Something that is perhaps more interesting is that this the exact the layout which was shown in the ride surveys for Carowinds, Cedar Point, and Kings Island. However, the survey's listed stats for the ride aren't a perfect match. Cedar Fair quoted an extra 1,200 feet of traveled track, a third launch, and an extra 8 mph. Perhaps Cedar Fair would have ordered a custom model, differing from Naruto's layout. Below are two photos for comparison, with the survey image on top and Naruto below.
With the announcement of this coaster, as well as a park in Asia biting on Zamperla's Double Heart launched hypercoaster model, it makes me wonder if Zamperla could be on the upswing. If they could rebound from the TT2 debacle, I feel they could make some high-quality smaller scale coasters. Both of their LSM conversions of Intamin rides in 2024, ThunderVolt and TT2, received very positive reviews upon opening. Though TT2 has obviously had its issues in reliability, ThunderVolt has seemingly gone well, and been praised for its ride experience.
Furthermore, manufacturers have bounced back from year-long coaster delays before. Both Mr. Freeze coasters, as well as Batman & Robin: The Chiller, were planned to open in 1997, but were pushed back to 1998 due to issues with the launch. Very similarly to TT2, Chiller only opened for 11 days before being shut down for the rest of the season. However, Premier is still around to this day. Additionally, Kingda Ka and the original Dragster both experienced weeks- to months-long closures in thier opening years due to mechanical issues. Superman: Escape from Krypton was delayed by a whole season past the announced date while Intamin worked on fixing the LSMs, but Intamin is still around. Though TT2 was likely a more significant coaster for Zamperla than any of the aforementioned coasters were to their respective manufacturers, I can't imagine the situations significantly differed from the one Zamperla is in now.
Both Vekoma and Zamperla were previously known for their rough, compact, cloned rides, and I'm wondering if Zamperla could follow in the steps of Vekoma and redefine their image. They have already come out with multiple new models, including this family launch coaster, the launched hypercoaster, and custom LSM launched coasters, all of which look very good.
So will they be able to get themselves together and become a reliable coaster manufacturer, or will they vanish into obscurity?
