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  1. BigBad

    Modern Mack Trains (e.g., DC Rivals, Helix)

    One of the aspects of B&M trains that I like (and suspect I am not alone) is how open they are. Intamin and RMC have stronger air, but there is something about how open and roomy the B&M trains are that enhances their airtime compared to the tight cars on Intamin and RMC coasters. That my feet...
  2. BigBad

    Best STEEL Coasters at Night

    There has been a lot of talk about how great Kings Island's Beast is at night. Ditto for the Voyage, Boulder Dash, Mystic Timbers, The Raven, and other terrain coasters. These tend to be wooden coasters, and I'm having trouble coming up with any steel coasters I've ridden that provide the kind...
  3. BigBad

    El Toro Closed For The Season

    https://www.sixflags.com/greatadventure/attractions/thrill-rides The Great Adventure website lists El Toro as closed for the season. Anyone know why? That's my home park, and I want to ride it!
  4. BigBad

    Tallest Turbo Drop

    I've started liking drop towers, and I've realized that the S&S ejector air drop is cooler than free fall. Which drop tower with that kind of drop is the tallest? I've seen that SFOT has a very tall S&S drop tower, but it doesn't appear to have the long ejector drop like I've gotten on, for...
  5. BigBad

    Dark Ride vs Haunted House

    I get that there can be differences, like how It's A Small World is a dark ride even if not a haunted house, but when the term "Dark Ride" is used in the present day (particularly with Cedar Fair and "Triotech dark rides"), what is meant? I tend only to ride coasters when I go to parks, so I...
  6. BigBad

    How did Intamin get the Millennium Force contract?

    I didn't put this in Q&A because it's almost a rhetorical question, although if some of the senior members (or anyone) have insight, I'd definitely like to hear it. When Millennium Force opened, Intamin had built one hyper, and it had only opened the previous year and for Six Flags, meaning...
  7. BigBad

    OTSRs...obsolete?

    When I was young, I noticed that when coasters inverted, they had OTSRs, and when they didn't invert, it was just a lap bar. Since then, whenever I've encountered a coaster the inverts without OTSR, I've considered it bush league. At least in the 90s, B&M was the king of inverting coasters...
  8. BigBad

    Best & Worst Names

    Some coasters have great names. Lake Compounce must have been proud when they thought up Boulder Dash. That's such a terrific pun. Nitro is also a great name. It makes a bit more sense for a launched coaster, but using kind of a slang science term for a known explosive is awesome for a huge...
  9. BigBad

    How did it become your favorite?

    One of the "polls" threads, the one about the best coaster at Great Adventure, got me to explain how Diamondback became my favorite coaster, and it got me wondering how others got their favorite coaster to be their favorite. For me, I hit Kings Island at the end of a multi-park trip. I got...
  10. BigBad

    No Original RMC Hybrids

    Why aren't there any original RMC hybrids? They're all based on existing wood coasters: Texas Giant, Rattler, Cyclone, etc. I have a few thoughts. Maybe others have additional or confirmed ideas. 1. MONEY!!!!! Hybrids might be more expensive. 2. Lightning Rod will be the world's fastest...
  11. BigBad

    Intamin Aqua Trax vs. Water Coaster

    I somehow found myself on Intamin's website and was surprised to see that they listed both the aqua trax and the water coaster. I can't tell how they differ. What am I missing?
  12. BigBad

    Staggered B&M giga theory

    I saw Fury 325 at the top of the page. It was a close picture of the train, showing that it had the standard 4-across arrangement rather than Diamondback-style. "There should be a B&M giga with staggered seats," I thought. "Let me go work on that in NoLimits." But then I realized that those...
  13. BigBad

    For the lovers of forceful coasters...

    Why the insistence on "forcefulness"? I like forces, particularly the negative ones, but why do you consider it necessary? I've gotten my dad on a few big coasters. His comment about two B&Ms, Raptor and Hulk, was that they made it feel like he was flying or skiing, as if he wasn't moving but...
  14. BigBad

    Awesome Settings

    My closest big park (or at least the one I go to the most) is Great Adventure. Most of their coasters are near the paths. El Toro is along a main path. Batman is surrounded by paths. Kingda Ka is by the parking lot, which is something like a path. Nitro goes into the hills, away from most...
  15. BigBad

    RMC Catwalks and Rails

    Something about the classic wood coaster look is appealing, including the rails along the side. Is there any engineering reason why RMCs don't have catwalks and rails along the track for most of the layout? I get why it's problematic when there are rolls beyond 90* (which they do plenty), but...
  16. BigBad

    Verifying Stats

    Who verifies stats? I'm curious if, for instance, Cedar Point could have gotten away with MF's drop being 299 feet instead of their claimed 300. (I've never heard this as a rumor, but it seems like something that could happen.)
  17. BigBad

    Lake Compounce (and Boulder Dash in the snow?)

    I will be around eastern Long Island a bit when summer hits. I've Googled my ride time and it's 2.5 hours each way, assuming that I don't get smacked going through NYC (though I have yet to look into taking a ferry to Connecticut). I have a bit of a problem going there for one coaster. What...
  18. BigBad

    What is a barrel turn?

    What is a barrel turn (of Fury 325 fame)? I've seen what the element does, but what does it have to do with a barrel or barrel roll? Has the term been used before? I've wondered this since Fury was announced.
  19. BigBad

    Cool hill-like elements

    I am designing a coaster in NoLimits 2 and would like your help. It's a 400ft terarcoaster (or whatever category it should be...I say teracoaster because a terabyte comes after a gigabyte and stratacoaster seems like a word for the TTD style rather than just a height) with the B&M track style...
  20. BigBad

    Intamin pre-fab didn't catch on

    I live within an easy drive of Great Adventure, so I've become a big fan of El Toro. It's fast, smooth, and has excellent air, and I have to imagine that it was cheaper than a steel coaster of comparable size. Fast, smooth, great air, and relatively inexpensive...sounds like a park's dream. I...
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