Hello everyone and welcome to a new RCPro: Blogged! I know that it has been a bit on the long side since I last wrote, but hopefully you will enjoy what I have for you in this update. There has been a lot that has happened in the past month, and I have some takes of my own on the economic issues. Also, if you live in the Midwest and haven’t noticed it, the weather is getting better! With April approaching fast there are some new rides for 2009 that I am excited about, so I will also update you on them as well. So with that good news in mind, let’s dive into the first half of a two part update.
Like I said, the weather is getting better here in the Midwest, and as we move closer to April and opening days at a lot of parks the new for 2009 attractions get closer to completion. The two biggest additions to the coaster lineup in the Midwest are Diamondback at Kings Island and Prowler at Worlds of Fun. As I am sure most of you are already aware, Diamondback’s track is completed and testing has started! You can find a video of one of the first runs through the course in the
Diamondback thread in the forums, and man does it look great! This is certainly going to be a great ride with a lot of the one thing that everyone loves, airtime. I think that this is a coaster that has the chance to break into the top ten in this year’s Golden Ticket Awards, and I am pretty sure that it will be taking the title of Best New Coaster of 2009 even if it doesn’t break the top ten.
Another ride that is looking to be another big hit this year is Prowler at Worlds of Fun. This GCI is sure to be one heck of a fun ride with all of the low to the ground moves and moments of airtime. In fact, if I am allowed to say it, it seems to me to be sort of an extension of the first half of Maverick’s ground hugging fun, only in wood. I really wish I could head out to Worlds of Fun this year to check it out, but unfortunately that is just beyond my normal area of travel for park visits.
Even though spring is so close there is more than just warmer weather that is coming, there is also rain. Of course not many of us enjoy getting wet, but that could change if a ride is involved. A great new water ride in 2009 will be Pilgrim’s Plunge at Holiday World and Splashin Safari. With a one of a kind elevator style vertical lift and a near vertical drop this should be one thrilling water ride. The ride structure has been going vertical for almost a week now, and you can catch the construction action on Holiday World’s webcams, as well as checking out their
Facebook page.
Although the weather may be looking up here in the Midwest, it has been surprisingly chilly in the South lately. In fact there was snow in Atlanta earlier in the week! The weather down there has caused Six Flags Over Georgia to announce that there is a chance they may push back their opening day because of the weather. I honestly cannot say that I have ever heard of Cedar Point or any other park here in my region doing that, so this news came as quite a shock to me. Has anyone here had the unfortunate experience of their home park’s opening day being postponed because of nasty weather? If so, please do tell us about it over in the forums!
There is good news for enthusiasts in the southern half of the East Coast from Orlando, however! The two new coasters in Orlando have begun testing recently, and hopefully the process goes well. Manta just started the first of its tests this week, with pull-throughs and full runs possibly starting within the next two weeks. This last point is admittedly speculation on my part, but personal observation from the past says I am (hopefully) right in that. Hollywood Rip Ride and Rockit at Universal Studios has also been going through its testing process as of late. Unfortunately during the pull through it ran into a bit of a tight spot, quite literally. If you are familiar with testing for roller coasters then you know about the large boards of wood they use to check the clearances on the ride. While a car was being pulled through the section of track that goes through the firehouse of Twister’s line, they discovered that they did not have quite the expected (and needed) clearance going into the firehouse. Hopefully that will be the only problem they run into during testing, and it won’t be something that will change the opening date.
Before I sign out the first half of this update I want to let everyone know about two great parts of RCPro, one of which is brand new! I had the privilege of launching the official
RCPro Twitter page yesterday afternoon, and I am really excited about the possibilities that it opens up for us! Follow us on Twitter and you will be kept up to date with the latest news and site features in our Twitter news feed. Forget constantly checking the site throughout the day only to find nothing new. Now you can know when you need to come back and check out the news and special features. Of course that isn’t the only use for our page, its also a great way to communicate with myself and the rest of the site. Have a content suggestion or just want to let us know you like the site? Drop us a Tweet on our Twitter page! Like I said, I’m really excited about this new feature, and I really hope you will check it out!
Another feature I want to bring to your attention is our YouTube page. We have some great videos up over there, and hopefully there will be more to come as this new season starts soon.
That about does it for the first half of your two part RCPro: Blogged update. The new for 2009 rides are looking very promising, and I wish I could have the chance to try them all out for myself to come back and give you solid reviews on them. Check back in a few days for the second half of the update, which will cover the Hard Rock Park situation as well as some other economic troubles in the amusement industry. As always, thanks for reading and check back for more!
