Texas Giant opening date confirmed

[RCF]

From Screamscape,

(9/18/10) Screamscape sources have confirmed that the new Texas Giant cars will indeed look like big Cadillacs with Bull Horns on the front. Boss Hogg would be proud my friends!

This can either look really cool, or completely stupid. El Toro remake?

 

[Jer]

Are they like Xcelerators trains? because that would be BAD ASS! I need pictures though.

 

[RCF]

Hell if I know. Apparently a picture was posted on SFOT's official TG page but was taken off shortly afterwords. No pictures as of yet but if they have any I will post them.


And btw, if you go to TG's official page and look at the time lapse pictures, in the bottom left corner you can see a little bank going into the brake run, which means the best ending on a coaster ever will return! Also the ledgers are banked around as well so this is awesome!

http://www.sixflags.com/overTexas/rides/TexasGiant.aspx

 

[RCF]

From texcoaster at TPR, just came back from Lone Star Coasterthon:

Just got back from Lone Star Coasterthon.

I had hoped to post lots of pics and info from a Q&A session, but all of that was rained out. Johnson creek flooded again and the entire site was unsafe for folks to go tromping about in. Sharon, the SFOT public relations queen, was really bummed about it since they had planned to let us climb the lift hill (!)
Anyway, I'm not sure what we'd have learned in the Q&A anyway, since the one guy they had on hand to talk to us was VERY tight-lipped about pretty much everything, especially about specifics of the layout, the trains, etc. Lots of "you'll have to wait and see" and "I'm not going to lose my job by telling y'all that" kind of answers.

Steve Martindale (SFOT pres) did confirm that they have a train onsite and it's "not like anything we've ever seen before". He didn't confirm nor deny any specifics about the looks of them.

We did get to walk up the exit ramp (still raining heavily, so I didn't get pics) and get a closer look than what you can see from the park. The pics don't do this thing justice. It is amazing looking. I had my doubts about this project, though I was hoping for the best. Now I'm completely stoked and even bought a SFOT season pass for 2011 yesterday. (We got to get them at the price for a ticket upgrade of $39.95)

Some tidbits: The first drop is insane. The double-up doesn't look as violent as it does in the pics, but the turn after it looks SICK. The second drop is a lot steeper than before and goes about 20ft or so further down than the original. The overbanked turn that lines back up with the first drop still looks impossible. There HAS to be more structure going up on that. Period.
After the midcourse, the ride used to do a twisting drop into the structure. That part looks pretty much like before. After a curving hilltop, the original layout dipped slightly and then rose into a high turn to enter the lift hill helix. The new layout does the drop off the midcourse, a curving hilltop, and then a STEEP drop through the structure into a wicked ground-level turn right at the edge of the station, then shoots all the way back up to a highly-banked turn that should then cross over the lift like before. Whether or not it will circle around again before the finale remains to be seen. There was no way to tell from the supports that currently exist.
As for the finale, only the final bunny hop is installed. I looked as best I could and even rode the antique car ride for a different angle, but I couldn't see ANY new ledgers or wood anywhere on that section of the ride. Clearly, the final bunny hop is going to have to come from track that is inside the structure, so the lack (so far) of new track ledgers might indicate that if there are changes to be made on that section, they probably won't be major - at least not major enough to alter the structure for it.

Pretty much sums up everything I wanted to say, if you go to TG's website (http://www.sixflags.com/overTexas/rides/TexasGiant.aspx) you can really see the bank starting to take shape, but in person, it looks insane. You can really see the progress from the lift hills of Titan and Shockwave. And a great view atop Superman.

Will try to get some type of picture evidence soon. And as for the train, I saw nothing that looked like it would have a train, but next time I go I will try to look for some sort of evidence.

EDIT: Some pictures from LSC:

The drop in its awesome splendor

The water level at the construction site

A bit of everything, including the first double up, MCBR, and last bunny hop of the "magic carpet ending"

More ledgers for the ending

How delicious

The first overbank looking awesome

Magnetic brakes and drive wheels on the final brake run

A crane inside the area of the second helix putting up ledgers

These are for the new drop leading into the helixes

Look closely and you'll see the wooden blocks where the ledgers will be for the helix. These drops and turns will be low and tight!

Just how much it rained

and finally, an updated graphic

 

[bezzzzzer]

My God this thing looks incredible! I haven't really been looking at this topic and now I see it I'm like PHWOAR! I just hope they don't do a KD because trims on that first drop would just be horrid.

I really like the red too, unique and cool. My this looks good. I wish there were more reasons to go to Texas!

 

[jjjjustin]

the pic wasn't coming up so here
thats how much it rained

 

[Antinos]

First of all, that's a lot of water!

Oh yeah...the ride. The old helix portion looks like it's going to be interesting. I hope they start to progress faster so we can see how much the layout has changed.

 

[Xpress]

Cadillac with bull horns?? That may just turn out to be awesome..

 

[Ben]

Am I the only one that thinks some of that track work is really, REALLY dodgy? Especially going in/out of that overbank... thing, it looks like a dodgy NL coaster built by a blind person.

 

[Snoo]

Nope.. I actually thought the same when I saw the picture. It could either give some interesting laterals or be painfully bone jarring.

 

[CPcisco]

You are not the only one Ben. I winced a little the first time I saw that lead in to the overbank. It does have the potential to be really neat if done correctly like Snoo mentioned. I also have to agree with UC that it going to be going to be the weirdest iteration of a coaster that we have yet seen.

 

[Hyde]

That's been my skepticism this entire time, just how smooth the new transitions will be. This will either rival El Toro, or go the way of the Villain. There is no between.

 

[Thom25]

Ben, you aren't alone and share your skeptism. I also agree and think this will either be better than El Toro or an absolute disaster with no in-between.

 

[RCF]

Oh don't worry guys, I'll be able to tell you when it opens :wink:

 

[Xpress]

Leadin to the overbank looks fine to me. I mean, look at The Voyage if you want a rough leadin...

 

[RCF]

TRAIN PHOTOS!!!!!!

I actually really like these. No doubt they're unique and they just look cool. Notice the little saddle horn on the restraints. This is so cool!

 

[Snoo]

As I said to RCF.. besides the gay windows.. it's awesome.

 

[Error]

Hi, what the hell is the windows for? I don't think they really serve a purpose besides making an annoying flaw.

Other then that, it looks great!

WOW REALLY!!?? YOU'D DO THAT FOR US!!??

GUYS, WE'RE SAVED!! WE NO LONGER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW SMOOTH IT IS BECAUSE THE GREAT RCF IS ON THE CASE!!

Seriously, no one cares. Fun fact: EVERYONE will be able to figure out when it opens.

Ah Stephen, how I missed you so.

 

[jjjjustin]

wow! I don't like the blue, they should have done a light brown and white. red against brown against blue doesn't seem like it will look to good.But in the background of the first photo with the picture that says go big it shows red trains so each one might be a different color different. I hope the head lights on the front will work maybe flash or something. Also the windows prevent you from putting your arms out and losing them on the supports. On the front of the train there is a spot for a license plate, I hope they put something there.

 

[Antinos]

They're definitely unique. I like the look. Although it doesn't look like the bogeys have suspension. That's a shame.