News Project 2027/Skyland/Purple: Bakunawa (Mack Giga Shuttle Xtreme Spinner)

[Zachary]

I would bet money that it doesn’t see a soft opening this year. There’s too much work to be done, and Project Purple is a ride that absolutely needs to have a highly public, proper opening, not a soft open right before it will almost certainly be closed for the winter.

This.

I do think there's some small chance they run an experiment to allow people who buy/renew 2027 Gold/Prestige passes early to experience Skyland before the end of this year, but I do think it's mighty unlikely.

Would be an interesting idea to see a park experiment with, but if I'm Six Flags, I don't think I'd be running experiments with a ride this major and this make-or-break for the park. I'd much rather the park take its time really investing the time, money, and effort into every centimeter of the non-ride-elements of this attraction and debut everything fully formed and with maximum fanfare in 2027.

 

[Clear]

It’ll be fully built by summer. I bet they run testing into holiday in the park and then cut it by winter. Gives them all that time to work out the kinks of an extremely experimental first of its kind ride.

They want all those kinks worked out to have it ready for opening day next year most likely. Given how winters have been here lately, running a full test campaign to iron out issues within the confines of March and April seems batshit crazy.

Take all the time you can. Let guests see it test. Build huge hype for next season

Boom sales sky rocket.
Crowds come
Then announce 2028 additions and continue riding the huge wave since shoreline

 

[sharpr1]

It’ll be fully built by summer. I bet they run testing into holiday in the park and then cut it by winter. Gives them all that time to work out the kinks of an extremely experimental first of its kind ride.

They want all those kinks worked out to have it ready for opening day next year most likely. Given how winters have been here lately, running a full test campaign to iron out issues within the confines of March and April seems batshit crazy.

Take all the time you can. Let guests see it test. Build huge hype for next season

Boom sales sky rocket.
Crowds come
Then announce 2028 additions and continue riding the huge wave since shoreline

Yes, yes, this is the way! j/k

Step 1: Boom sales sky rocket.
Step 2: Crowds come.
Step 3: Then announce 2028 additions and continue riding the huge wave since shoreline.
Step 4: Cash out and announce Great Adventure is closing and being sold to a developer who will build Adventure Crossing 2.0 on the site, thus fulfilling the prophecy foretold on the Parkfans forum. j/k

 

[northdetective]

Wow! This is shaping up to be one of the most significant architectural icons in the state!

hmmmm trying to think of comparisons to make without evoking 9/11. idk. but usually u build bigger and better if ur structure is meant for statistical supremacy and spectacle. it's like if the freedom tower were actually 432 park ave with a rotating private dining room

Yes, yes, this is the way!

Step 1: Boom sales sky rocket.
Step 2: Crowds come.
Step 3: Then announce 2028 additions and continue riding the huge wave since shoreline.
Step 4: Cash out and announce Great Adventure is closing and being sold to a developer who will build Adventure Crossing 2.0 on the site, thus fulfilling the prophecy foretold on the Parkfans forum.

adventure crossing 2.0 (as it may be known in English) is less of a fear of mine since Murphy (in one of his final gubernatorial actions) actually made an effort to investigate/stop the rampant corruption in the Lakewood School District, which the Sherrill admin has seemingly continued to pursue. RLUIPA is probably less ripe for exploitation (and therefore the park less attractive for redevelopment) in such a political climate

At this point, this park either needs to be sold, or put out of its misery. Corporate meddling has ruined this park, like they’re purposefully sabotaging it to sell the land….which is an absolute shame to say because this park has a truly elite lineup of coasters.

and not to put u on blast @Tacky3663 because I don't think u deserve any, but this was met with no pushback

 

[harry580]

adventure crossing 2.0 (as it may be known in English) is less of a fear of mine since Murphy (in one of his final gubernatorial actions) actually made an effort to investigate/stop the rampant corruption in the Lakewood School District, which the Sherrill admin has seemingly continued to pursue. RLUIPA is probably less ripe for exploitation (and therefore the park less attractive for redevelopment) in such a political climate

https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2025/12/17/jackson-adventure-crossing-accused-of-loan-default/87794182007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z1132xxp118750n00----c00----e1132xxv003135&gca-ft=148&gca-ds=sophi

yeah not happening due to this (sorry if paywall)

 

[northdetective]

https://www.app.com/story/news/local/2025/12/17/jackson-adventure-crossing-accused-of-loan-default/87794182007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z1132xxp118750n00----c00----e1132xxv003135&gca-ft=148&gca-ds=sophi

yeah not happening due to this (sorry if paywall)

harry sweetie... there are lines to read between

 

[harry580]

harry sweetie... there are lines to read between

https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/adventure-crossing-bubble-about-to-burst-facing-foreclosure-lawsuits-37m-debt-962k-tax-bill-in-jackson-township/

here's the one without the paywall

 

[Tacky3663]

hmmmm trying to think of comparisons to make without evoking 9/11. idk. but usually u build bigger and better if ur structure is meant for statistical supremacy and spectacle. it's like if the freedom tower were actually 432 park ave with a rotating private dining room



adventure crossing 2.0 (as it may be known in English) is less of a fear of mine since Murphy (in one of his final gubernatorial actions) actually made an effort to investigate/stop the rampant corruption in the Lakewood School District, which the Sherrill admin has seemingly continued to pursue. RLUIPA is probably less ripe for exploitation (and therefore the park less attractive for redevelopment) in such a political climate



and not to put u on blast @Tacky3663 because I don't think u deserve any, but this was met with no pushback

Didn’t I say that about BGT, not Great Adventure?

Unless we’re talking about the second restaurant that got shut down by the health department in here for some reason…


Edit: Now, I see what you did there….

 

[fingerblaster22]

Not sure its been reported here.

 

[desardes]

Here's the article link. Notable lines (some are in the picture, reproduced as text for accessibilit):

• Top 5 tallest in the world.
• "The ride train will be unique and unlike anything I would say 99% of the general public has experienced".
• Launch from 0 to 50-80mph (since this is a spread I guess the first launch will be 50 and the final launch will end at 80, unless he's talking about the first launch and gave a range to obfuscate the true speed).
• "To accommodate space for the new ride, Six Flags is adding parking where Kingda Ka used to be once the project is complete. Parking for this section should not be affected long-term, but during construction, it will be impacted." (I think there's a grammatical error here, I don't see how they'd add parking where Ka was since you'd have to walk all the way around Purple to get to the entrance. Unless they're going to have a walkway underneath that's outside the park envelope).
• Construction completion in the Fall, followed by three to four months of safety testing.
• Construction is still ahead of schedule.
• Announcement in June or July (Ryan originally said June but since Shoreline opens on 06/21 they may wait a bit longer).
• The coaster was originally codenamed "Project Skyline" which is differs from the Skyland FAA filings and early park interviews.

 

[Suspense]

I mean that’s the same speed as Nitro, which is ~150ft shorter, and a launch speed has not been disclosed to anyone before this so I’m not sure we should take anything this article says as accurate.

Unless the launch speed is maintained to 80mph as it goes up the launch fins to over 100ft in the air, but that seems like it would feel off…

 

[Zachary]

I'll defer to someone like @CoasterMac who has actually modeled the coaster to provide whether or not 80mph is an even remotely possible top launch speed given how high we can imagine the launch going up the tower, but what I do know is that if 80mph is right, that will be delightful—Six Flags will finally be faced with atoning for their decades of lies re: Nitro.

I'm not a physics guy or a math guy so if any of our engineers out there want to napkin math this to check it, that'd be great, but my understanding is that Nitro's top speed is almost certainly a lie—and as a BGW home park-er who is contractually obligated to defend my boy Apollo, it has been a thorn in my side for years. Six Flags Great Adventure wants you to believe their 5 additional feet of drop height nets Nitro 7 additional MPH over Apollo? I call BS.

Obviously don't take anything AI has to say as gospel, but Gemini Pro's napkin math seems to match up with my vibes reading.

‎Gemini - direct access to Google AI

Created with Gemini

g.co

If Skyland tops out at 80mph, it will be some absolutely beautiful, long-awaited justice—lying about Nitro's speed for decades will have minimized their new flagship's stats. Love to see it.

 

[warfelg]

I'll defer to someone like @CoasterMac who has actually modeled the coaster to provide whether or not 80mph is an even remotely possible top launch speed given how high we can imagine the launch going up the tower, but what I do know is that if 80mph is right, that will be delightful—Six Flags will finally be faced with atoning for their decades of lies re: Nitro.

I'm not a physics guy or a math guy so if any of our engineers out there want to napkin math this to check it, that'd be great, but my understanding is that Nitro's top speed is almost certainly a lie—and as a BGW home park-er who is contractually obligated to defend my boy Apollo, it has been a thorn in my side for years. Six Flags Great Adventure wants you to believe their 5 additional feet of drop height nets Nitro 7 additional MPH over Apollo? I call BS.

Obviously don't take anything AI has to say as gospel, but Gemini Pro's napkin math seems to match up with my vibes reading.

‎Gemini - direct access to Google AI

Created with Gemini

g.co

If Skyland tops out at 80mph, it will be some absolutely beautiful, long-awaited justice—lying about Nitro's speed for decades will have minimized their new flagship's stats. Love to see it.

Sidebar on this topic:
My high school physics class did a “Science in the park” day (2003….I'm old. Fuck) at Hersheypark. We were give G meters, speedometers, and various other tools to ride a minimum of 6 rides with.

My ride of Great Bear, I measured the top speed 7mph slower, Immleman as 0.4g less than they said, and slower finishing speed.

I asked an engineer (not from Hershey or B&M) who simply said “weight” as the answer to the difference.

It’s been a while since I’ve done that math but I guess theoretically if they find the max speed based on max weight of the train it could differ. Not sure I buy it though because more weight = more friction.

My theory is it’s harder before actually measuring the top speed of a coaster that’s non-launched is easier to fib on because you can just round off the number. Top speed actually 75.5? Just say 80, it’s cleaner. Launched coasters need that actually calculated and measured so it’s harder to round and fib.

 

[desardes]

Sidebar on this topic:
My high school physics class did a “Science in the park” day (2003….I'm old. Fuck) at Hersheypark. We were give G meters, speedometers, and various other tools to ride a minimum of 6 rides with.

My ride of Great Bear, I measured the top speed 7mph slower, Immleman as 0.4g less than they said, and slower finishing speed.

I asked an engineer (not from Hershey or B&M) who simply said “weight” as the answer to the difference.

It’s been a while since I’ve done that math but I guess theoretically if they find the max speed based on max weight of the train it could differ. Not sure I buy it though because more weight = more friction.

My theory is it’s harder before actually measuring the top speed of a coaster that’s non-launched is easier to fib on because you can just round off the number. Top speed actually 75.5? Just say 80, it’s cleaner. Launched coasters need that actually calculated and measured so it’s harder to round and fib.

A coaster car with a higher weight absolutely moves faster than a lighter one (both a higher initial speed and a reduction in loss due to greater momentum. The additional friction isn't enough to overcome the increased energy from greater mass. See the energy section of the Wikipedia article on coaster physics. This is why they some rides have to run water dummy filled trains during their initial cycles in the cold to avoid valleying.

 

[warfelg]

A coaster car with a higher weight absolutely moves faster than a lighter one (both a higher initial speed and a reduction in loss due to greater momentum. The additional friction isn't enough to overcome the increased energy from greater mass. See the energy section of the Wikipedia article on coaster physics. This is why they some rides have to run water dummy filled trains during their initial cycles in the cold to avoid valleying.

But at those weights 300-400 pounds shouldn’t make that big of a difference. For reference each row has that equipment which weighed about 180lbs total, plus 3 people in the 140-200lbs area. Is not like the train was nearly empty when we did it.

For reference, Dueling Dragons original cycle had weight sensors in the station that adjusted lift hill speed so the trains would properly interact, but the variance wasn’t that high in terms of when the lifts hit the peak.

But even at that, if they are doing test speed runs off the max weight of a dummy (170-250 is the range) it would be deceptive top speed numbers if they are filling them all the way. Because if they do the average there we should have been close enough to see little difference.

 

[northdetective]

• Top 5 tallest in the world.
• "The ride train will be unique and unlike anything I would say 99% of the general public has experienced".

I hate to see parks using terms like "general public." The other day I got a Six Flags instagram ad talking about "new credits." Thoosies are not their customer base and appealing to them is usually a matter of substance, but failing to offer that at almost a whole 50 mph slower than the ride this article claims is being replaced with parking, we get this, which of course is a very stupid claim. 99% of the general public hasn't been in a PT Cruiser either

 

[ski4ever5]

I hate to see parks using terms like "general public." The other day I got a Six Flags instagram ad talking about "new credits." Thoosies are not their customer base and appealing to them is usually a matter of substance, but failing to offer that at almost a whole 50 mph slower than the ride this article claims is being replaced with parking, we get this, which of course is a very stupid claim. 99% of the general public hasn't been in a PT Cruiser either

Saying 99% of the general public hasn’t ridden an extreme spinner train is way more akin to saying 99% of the public hasn’t ridden in a Porsche 918 Spyder; they’re super rare, and even amongst the niche communities that know what they are they’re considered a worthwhile experience. Keep in mind, this is going to be the third extreme spinner in the world, and only the second in the US.

Edit because I realized there’s also currently fewer Extreme Spinners in the world than there are Arrow-Style 4D coasters. This is a big deal.

 

[desardes]

But at those weights 300-400 pounds shouldn’t make that big of a difference. For reference each row has that equipment which weighed about 180lbs total, plus 3 people in the 140-200lbs area. Is not like the train was nearly empty when we did it.

For reference, Dueling Dragons original cycle had weight sensors in the station that adjusted lift hill speed so the trains would properly interact, but the variance wasn’t that high in terms of when the lifts hit the peak.

But even at that, if they are doing test speed runs off the max weight of a dummy (170-250 is the range) it would be deceptive top speed numbers if they are filling them all the way. Because if they do the average there we should have been close enough to see little difference.

@Zachary not sure if you want to pull my last few messages in a separate thread since they're not related to Project Purple.

In a non-ideal system (friction/air resistance), mass matters since the losses don't scale at the same rate. For a large coaster, this can be several tons of extra rider mass. And friction losses decrease when the wheel grease warms up. I'm just speaking as to why the trains will run differently throughout the day or season, not as to how they market the speed.

 

[northdetective]

Saying 99% of the general public hasn’t ridden an extreme spinner train is way more akin to saying 99% of the public hasn’t ridden in a Porsche 918 Spyder; they’re super rare, and even amongst the niche communities that know what they are they’re considered a worthwhile experience. Keep in mind, this is going to be the third extreme spinner in the world, and only the second in the US.

Edit because I realized there’s also currently fewer Extreme Spinners in the world than there are Arrow-Style 4D coasters. This is a big deal.

Then wouldn't magic mountain's thrill glider be a bigger deal by this logic

 

[CoasterMac]

whether or not 80mph is an even remotely possible top launch speed given how high we can imagine the launch going up the tower

That's a tough one to guess on the fly, and even doing it in NL2 is not perfectly bulletproof physics (because the launch speeds & acceleration forces are manually entered), but I would imagine that the top speed will be higher than that.

Let's say the first launch is 70mph. The train will lose speed as it rises, so say the inverted launch engages at 50mph and gets the train back up to 70mph. I would guess by the time the train drops back to ground level, its probably doing 85-90mph when engages launch 3. In this scenario, I could see this final launch as being purely a speed-maintaining section rather than a proper acceleration section (partially because of how heavy those trains are, trying to launch those up an incline). Less overall top speed is needed cause the LSMs damn near go vertical. I'd bet its at least 90mph.