Plans for B&M Invert Rediscovered

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I once rode SFGAdv Batman over 60 times in the span of two hours. Medium-quality idea, had a lot of greyout moments in the second hour. So re-rideable though. Glad I did it. Wouldn't do it again; I suspect I'd eventually have the same extremity numbness Crunchewy experienced.

Got an insanely nasty shock on the back brake when the train was stationary. I reached out to touch the handrail near the right hand side of the train, found I could in fact reach it, and ended up electrically grounding the entire vehicle through the tip of my finger when it was still about a half-inch away from actually touching the rail. Goddamn, that hurt. All those fingertip nerve endings.

Kept riding.
 
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The wildest thing about that Invert layout is that it would have had the oddest chain of elements for a non-terrain oriented Invert. Its final two elements would've been a Cobra Roll and a Helix...

Paramount was one of those companies I got the feeling changed up their plans at the drop of a hat on multiple occasions because Kings Dominion isn't the only park that has had cancelled projects like this also tied into major 5-year and 10-year plan periods. You have no idea how badly I want to get my hands on documents, blueprints, etc. on this, I want to know what these people were smoking leading the company like this until the Cedar Fair sale.
 
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Maybe they were locked out of B&M because of B&M's regional exclusivity contract stipulation? What were the findings when that was last discussed?
 
Pink said:
Maybe they were locked out of B&M because of B&M's regional exclusivity contract stipulation? What were the findings when that was last discussed?
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Doubtful since this proposed B&M Invert was being drafted on a smiliar timeframe as Alpengeist. The original Paramount "Master Plan" called for additions from 1993-1994 all the way up until 2000. By the looks of things Paramount just had a thing for off-the-wall rides and Volcano tickled their fancy better than a semi-standard B&M invert.
 
They did get Hurler in that time frame, which was only somewhat gimmicky in that it apparently aimed to provide the fewest laterals of any wooden coaster ever built.

The 90s were the era of EXTREEEEEEME culture and all of its associated gimmickry. KD's ads certainly played to that, as did more than one ride supplier's market positioning... B&M pointedly did not play that game. I wonder if that played any role here.
 
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halfabee said:
They did get Hurler in that time frame, which was only somewhat gimmicky in that it apparently aimed to provide the fewest laterals of any wooden coaster ever built.
Click to expand...

After reading this a couple times, I'm starting to wonder what your definition of "laterals" is -- unbanked maybe? Although, if you look at an overhead view of the layout, the big curves were very gradualized at entry and exit, so yes it was "aimed" at being gentle. Yet there was still a slam moment. The transitions are used as seperate elements after the conversion.

My sort of "cheat sheet" for what would hurt you on the woodies in 2008 was:
Grizzly FORWARD watch out for the bar (not so much anymore)
RY DOWN, forces towards the floor
Hurler SIDE obviously
Scooby KNEEZ always
 
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My memories of Hurler are mainly from its first few years, and I was struck by how smoothly it took those U-turn transitions at high speed. I felt like I could hold a full glass of water through those banked turns and not spill a drop. (Literally? Not-quite-literally? What is he really saying?)

Could have been because unlike Rebel Racer Yell 75, the 180s are taken at high speed. So even if they were a bit more rattle-y than I recall, they still "seemed" smooth due to my expectations going in.

But I think my impressions are largely because I rode Hurler a lot in those first couple of years, and then only rarely afterward.
 
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