Weekly Rewind 4.23.11

Vekoma's new family Boomerang coaster, named Ben 10 Ultimate Mission at Drayton Manor, has now opened to guests. Looks like a zippy little ride - I wonder if more of these will start showing up?

Q Investments has now said that they have no confidence in Cedar Fair being able to choose a successor for Dick Kinzel.  The firm says they heard that the company has considered Mark Shapiro, former Six Flags CEO, for the title - and they hate that.  Would it really be so bad, I wonder?

Disney Parks has shared a video that shows off some of the tricks the ghosts are now capable of in the finale to the Haunted Mansion.  I'd love them them to take my head off! 

Landry's is still moving forward with their plan for an amusement pier in Galveston, Texas.  This article includes some concept art and mentions a double-decker Carousel and Ferris Wheel among other rides.

Kings Island is opening for the year with two gigantic new attractions, but the press would still rather talk about Son of Beast.  Sigh - never mind that 300 foot thrill ride or the enormous forest of dinosaurs!

Six Flags America is now open for the season, with plenty of changes to be seen in the park.  For one, the only one-year-old Thomas Town has been completely rethemed.  Check out a photo report here.

Cedar Point is readying Ocean Motion for its new home in the park, and adding some surprising theming along the way!  Check out the park's blog for details.

It is pretty crazy what people can make out of LEGO bricks.  Orlando Attractions was at the opening of the redesigned LEGO Store at Downtown Disney this past week, and has video and photos of many impressive displays.

The Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amsuement Park is opening today!  The new family sized wooden coaster looks to pack quite a punch. 

The Green Lantern: First Flight at Six Flags Magic Mountain is slowly starting to take shape at the park.  Looks like a maze of supports at this point!

Brazil is coming to Epcot's World Showcase?  It's a rumor, but interesting anyway.  Inside The Magic reported on a story in the Brazil press that makes it sound like it could happen.  Many World Showcase pavilions have been planned, then scrapped in the past, though.

I love amusement park anniversaries, it just another sign of all the history that goes into these parks!  Six Flags St. Louis is celebrating 40 years in 2011.  This story takes a look at the park's past, and also shares a great photo gallery.

Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa is testing at what looks like a speed somewhat close to the final one.  There's some video on YouTube of exactly this.

The Steel Coaster Poll is now open for votes!  Well, it actually has been for a while now.  Ballots are accepted until May 5th - make sure to gets yours in!

Even in the middle of nowhere, a neighbor will still complain about a park possibly expanding.  Silverwood wants to change the zoning on its adjacent property to commercial, to allow for possible future expansion.  I say go Silverwood!

Ben 10 - Vekoma's Junior Boomerang

Ever since Drayton Manor announced they would add a new coaster, named Ben 10 - Ultimate Mission, I've been wanting to know more about this new Vekoma junior boomerang design.

Finally, with the coaster well on its way to being completed, some great photos have surfaced of the ride.  Being a junior ride no inversions were expected, and the ride delivered on that point.  It looks like the coaster will head up the first lift backwards, then release to head through the course.

A couple banked turns and a helix make up most of the track, but pay close attention to the crazy camel-hump in the middle of the ride's second tower!  Pretty wild looking.  Ben 10 will definitely be something unique for guests of Drayton Manor in 2011.

Ben 10 Comes to Drayton Manor Theme Park

I admit it, I've seen quite a few episodes of Ben 10 - I even could answer what an Omnitrix is without having to look it up!  I guess that's what happens when you have kids in the house.

Still, there's a point to me talking about the show - since Drayton Manor Theme Park, located in the UK, just announced the first Ben 10 themed roller coaster for the park's 2011 season.

If you aren't familiar, Ben 10 is a animated series featuring Ben Tennyson "who is able to turn into a variety of alien superheroes, each with unique powers, thanks to his mysterious Omnitrix watch."  Naturally he always stops the bad guys during his adventures as well.

Drayton Manor will build the coaster themed to his adventures in a new Cartoon Network Street area, which will also feature a restaurant and shop.  Both of those will also be themed to Cartoon Network brands, and you'll be able to pick up plenty of themed merchandise as well.

As for the actual coaster ride - the park is keeping some secrets still.  They're supposed to be building the world's first Vekoma 'Junior Boomerang.'  The inverting nature of the Boomerang design doesn't lend itself well to anything 'Junior' - so we're all wondering exactly how this ride will turn out.

Drayton Manor has no problem boasting that they've been the first to add several types of rides, such as the stand-up freefall and Europe's first Thomas themed area.  The park promises more details closer to the opening of the ride, which is set for Easter 2011. 

Drayton Manor Has Happy Feet in 2010

Drayton Manor Theme Park, Staffordshire, England, will be showing a specially adapted version of the film Happy Feet in its 4-D theater in 2010. Happy Feet tells the story of Mumble the penguin, who tried to save his friends from starvation after their supply of food is taken from them. The original film won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2007.

The version showing at Drayton Manor will be further enhanced by special effects inside the theater. Moving seats, water sprays, and the use of scents are among the effects visitors will encounter.

The new film is part of the park's 60th anniversary celebration. Opening day for Drayton Manor is March 20th.

Aerial Antics: Drayton Manor Theme Park

Did you know that Drayton Manor, Staffordshire, England, celebrated it's 60th anniversary in 2009? Me neither! But to help celebrate, let's take a look at the park in this week's Aerial Antics.

The theme park, set amid some rather pretty green rolling fields, has quite an interesting selection of rides and attractions. Above we find Stormforce 10, added in 1999, a splash boat ride themed to the "drama of a lifeboat rescue in storm tossed seas." Quite a theme, right? It has a backwards drop, too.

G Force is hard to describe. It looks like a dysfunctional twisted mess of steel, but in our world I suppose that's a good thing. The Maurer Sohne coaster takes rides up the lift 180 degrees and then sends them off through the ride's course.

If you used to watch "World's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills" on VHS all the time like I did, then you'll remember the above ride as the 7-Up Shockwave. Now just Shockwave, this Intamin stand-up ride was quite the big deal when it first opened and really helped Drayton Manor make a name for itself.

This section of Drayton Manor is no longer as it appears in this image. That's because it's transformed into Thomas Land! Now it looks something more like this:

And while I commend Six Flags for heading back to themed environments with their Thomas Town additions, they really can't hold a candle to Drayton Manor's similar area! Seriously, google it. I dare you.

And we'll end with a 2-Fer. Thought I wasn't going to use it this week, didn't ya? The park is home to a powered Zamperla ride, the Buffalo Mountain Coaster. Here you can see how it takes riders out for a spin over the lake that the park hugs.

That goodness of a freefall tower is Apocalypse, which lets riders choose the seating style of their ride. Yes, you can go on an average sit down car, or a stand up one, or really take it up a notch with a floorless stand up car. I'll take a ride on all three!

If you want to see the aerials for yourself, here's a link.

Drayton Manor 2009

Drayton Manor Park, United Kingdom, will add a 4-D theater for the 2009 season. Designed by Simworx, "the theatre will screen the award-winning feature film Curse of Skull Rock, a family adventure that tells the story of Captain Scabb’s quest to find lost treasure."

Not only will the film be in 3-D, but the theater will feature plenty of physical effects to keep patrons guessing what may come next.

Drayton Manor is coming off of the massive success they had with their 2008 attraction, Thomas Land. Think the Thomas Town's that Six Flags has added to some U.S. parks times ten in terms of rides and theming.

Aerial Antics: UK Park + Ride Aerials

Friday is a good day for Live Local aerial obsessing. Today the site took me to jolly old England and I found some treasures, like:

Thorpe Park. Home of the 10 Inversion Colossus, B&M Inverted Nemesis Inferno, the Intamin launched Stealth, and a new for 2009 Gerstlauer Euro Fighter.

The Vampire, at Chessington World of Adventures. This Arrow Dynamics suspended coaster opened in 1990, and received some great new trains from Vekoma in 2002.

G-Force at Drayton Manor park. What a funky little ride! It opened in 2005 and was designed by Mauher Sohne. Oh, and it's not a launched ride, that weird loopish track on the right side is the lift!

Blackpool Pleasure Beach - with the Pepsi Max towering over everything. You also have to love how crammed in everything is at the park.

Take a Look at This Thomas Land

© DraytonManorPlus

Drayton Manor Park, Staffordshire UK, is building a new Thomas Town of its own for 2008. DraytonManorPlus has construction phtos of the new land, and it's quite impressive. It certainly puts the ones that Six Flags is doing to shame.

© DraytonManorPlus

The area looks to feature several rides, including a family roller coaster, and an antique car style ride that goes inside and through a Thomas gift shop.

You can check out more construction pics on DraytonManorPlus.