Ghostbusters Save The Day on New Ride at Heide Park

Heide Park, located in Soltau, Germany, has opened their new for 2017 blockbuster darkride, Ghostbusters 5D - The Ultimate Ghost Hunt.  The attraction is a modern dark ride offering passengers a multitude of special effects including dynamic vehicles and game play elements via in-car blasters, all while on a trip through the world of the Ghostbusters franchise.

© Heide Park

Riders who journey into Ghostbusters 5D enter a decrepit warehouse that has become infested with ghouls that are aiming to take over Heide Park.  The ride vehicles, which turned out beautifully, are themed as Ecto-x Hybrids that are motion based to add to the simulation efforts.  Each rider has their own proton blaster which is used to blast ghosts throughout the attraction, which is in 3-D video.

Heide Park partnered with Triotech to create the new ride, and also shared this video of the concepts they went through to create the ghosts of the ride.  Blasting these ghosts lets riders accumulate points, which in turn makes the ride have a competitive nature that keeps riders coming back to try it again.

Since the ride is in 3-D on-ride videos don't work so well, but I do suggest checking out the below video which shows off the ride in general.  Looks great - perhaps we will see this attraction come to other Merlin Entertainments parks in the future.

Mine Blower at Fun Spot America Opens Tomorrow

© Fun Spot America

Tomorrow is the big day!  Fun Spot America will open their brand new wooden roller coaster, Mine Blower, to eager riders.

Designed by The Gravity Group, this super compact ride just recently started testing and is now ready for passengers.  Standing 83 feet tall with an 82 foot first drop, the coaster's big element is the first after the plunge, a full corkscrew that takes place over the station.  With speeds of 49 miles per hour and a total track length of 2,290 feet, Mine Blower's compact layout seems designed to maintain speed from start to finish.  Additional elements on the coaster include extreme banking at 115 degree, two Timberliner trains and 12 different moments of air-time.

If you're interested in seeing how the ride is, The Gravity Group released a point of view video of the ride soon after it started testing.  So if you're not able to hit the park tomorrow, like me, enjoy a virtual ride instead!

Kings Dominion Drops First Tease for 2018 Addition(s?)

Now that it is officially summer, this is when we usually start to see some parks begin the process of teasing what they have planned for the following season.  Many 2018 projects around the globe are already announced, which is a recent trend we've seen, but that doesn't mean we know everything already.  To that end, Kings Dominion posted an image on social media to kick off their campaign:

© Kings Dominion

The park posted this image along with a note that "things aren't always as they seem."  The number 816 would appear to be a date, August 16th, which coincidentally is also National Roller Coaster Day.  There is an image of the park's iconic Eiffel Tower on the right side, but that's not much of a clue in my book.

If you look at the larger version of the image you'll see that there is actually text running vertically all over the image.  Some of the words that I've spotted are:  Grove, Snoopy, 2018, and Apple.

Now, we all know that the theme park closed Hurler two seasons ago and some obvious work is going on with the ride.  It would make sense that Grove and Apple are in the text, since the ride is in the Candy Apple Grove themed area.  And the year, well that's obvious too.

However Snoopy is a bit of a mystery, and perhaps that is what the park means by "things aren't always as they seem."  Maybe there is even more in store than fans are already anxiously awaiting?

We'll have to stay tuned to find out!

Phantasialand To Build World's First Launched Flying Roller Coaster

Germany's Phantasialand surprised us all today but revealing on social media that they are planning to build the world's first launched flying roller coaster as their next big attraction.

The announcement came via this video that the park shared:

The video starts by detailing the major additions the park has made in the last decade or so, which include three roller coasters, flat rides, an interactive dark ride and an elaborate log flume.  Even with that much added the park isn't stopping!

The video ends with the announcement of what they're calling F.L.Y., the "first flying launched coaster" and also "the longest flying coaster in the world."  Those are all the facts that are stated, other than that it will be located in Rookburgh within the park.  Rookburgh is a newly announced area for Phantasialand, which Theme Park Guide described as appearing to carry a theme based on "steam punk; futurism and the Victorian era."

Taking a look at RCDB's statistics for flying coasters, it appears that right now the longest is Flying Dinosaur at Universal Studios Japan, which is 3,688 feet long.  What makes F.L.Y.'s record more impressive is that it doesn't have a lift hill to add track length, with launch sections taking up far less track.

As for manufacturer, that's a guess right now.  Obviously B&M is known for their flying coasters, but Vekoma has also thrown their name in the ring over the years as well.  And technically the park hasn't said the new ride is for 2018, though that seems a safe assumption since they're teasing it already.

After the park's most recent coaster, Taron, opened to rave reviews and stunning theming, I have very high hopes for this next project!

Wonder Woman Soars Into Six Flags America With Towering New Ride

Now open at Six Flags America is Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth, a towering swing ride that has changed the skyline of the Maryland theme park.

The ride stands more than 240 feet tall, and is situated among other DC Comics themed rides based off characters like The Joker, Superman and Batman.

© Six Flags America

Riders on Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth board one of 16 swings, each holding two passengers, to start their adventure.  The ride begins to lift upward the 240 foot tower while spinning the swings, which eventually move in a 98 foot circle at speeds of 40 miles per hour.  From the top riders get unparalleled views of the metro D.C. area.

The attraction is one of Funtime's popular StarFlyers, which have opened at nearly all Six Flags parks within the past few years.   This is the first to carry the Wonder Woman theme, however.

© Six Flags America

This wider view of the tower shows off the Wonder Woman-appropriate colors of the tower, along with a decorative topper with her logo.  Due to its location in the park and towering height, it can't be missed!  Wonder Woman Lasso officially opened at Six Flags America last week, so fans no longer need to wait to experience it!

SeaWorld San Antonio Opens Wave Breaker - New Rescue Themed Launch Coaster

This weekend marks the grand opening of the highly anticipated Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster at SeaWorld San Antonio.  The double-launch thrill coaster is inspired by the heroics of the SeaWorld Animal Rescue Team, carrying a theme of riders boarding jet skis to blast off on a rescue mission.

The coaster's jet ski inspired trains are the first of their kind to open in North America, according to SeaWorld San Antonio.

© SeaWorld San Antonio

"Wave Breaker is an exciting and novel coaster for families to ride together, and adds to SeaWorld's strong lineup of top-rated coasters," said SeaWorld San Antonio Park President Carl Lum. "But what truly delights me is that this attraction best represents what SeaWorld is all about – it brings together the best of SeaWorld in one thrilling ride, and carries a message that leaves guests feeling inspired." 

© SeaWorld San Antonio

The new coaster is positioned so that the vast majority of its track is totally over the theme park's central lagoon.  It features many low to the ground maneuvers that simulate skimming across the surface of the water.  Each train is assigned its own rescue mission, either a sea turtle, dolphin or sea lion during a pre-launch briefing.  The station and queue celebrate some of the 30,000 animal rescues that the SeaWorld team has completed over the past 50 years.

© SeaWorld San Antonio

This aerial shot of Wave Breaker shows the entire layout, which includes a quick trip to an island in the middle of the lagoon.

"Wave Breaker provides a coaster experience unlike anything in the current theme park landscape," said SeaWorld Vice President of Theme Park Development Mike Denninger. "While other coasters feature dramatic changes in speed, once you hit Wave Breaker's first launch you are moving fast throughout the entire ride. When you combine that consistent high speed with the banked and serpentine turns throughout the ride track that is 90 percent over the surface of the water, you get an unparalleled ride experience."

Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster features two separate tire-driven launches, reaching speeds of up to 44 miles per hour.  Created by Intamin, the coaster stands 61 feet tall and has 2,600 feet of track.

Ready to head out on a rescue mission?  If so, check out the video below, from The Coaster Crew.