Top Spin Variance

[reddude333]

I've been wondering for a while now, which top spin-esque rides actually get you wet and which ones just threaten you with water? Is it just a manufacturer thing or model thing or is it up to the operations of each individual park?

 

[Lofty]

It's got nothing to do with the manufacturer as far as I know. It's down to the park installing that element to the ride and their disclosure wether they want to use it or not. There's quite a lot out there that don't even have the fountain element to them.

 

[Rachel]

Huss has designed the ride so that park and carnival operators may choose one of 8 preset ride "programs." Most last no more than 2 minutes and consist of several moderate-speed loops, flips, and face-down gondola "hangtime" before unlocking the gondola hydraulics and swinging the riders back and forth. Some Top Spin rides have the added feature of water fountains which are mainly used at the end of the ride sequence soaking the riders as they are slowly lowered face first into the un-escapable water jets. Cycles can be customized to include more intense repetitive flips and also be under manual operator control. Cycles may tend to be longer at carnivals. A world record was set with over 100 gondola flips during a cycle with a theme park model in Germany.

Source is from Wikpedia, don't know how accurate we can take that as, but sounds pretty valid. Looks like the manufacturer send out a standard model, then the park just decides how they want to operate it, and with or without the fountains.

 

[Martyn B]

I found it quite ironic that the two Topspin's in Madrid don't have water fountains, yet the two in England do!

 

[reddude333]

Guess I should have just looked it up myself...for some reason I didn't think that info would be in such an obvious place. Anyway, thanks for finding the info Rachel!

 

[Mark]

I found it quite ironic that the two Topspin's in Madrid don't have water fountains, yet the two in England do!

Indeed. I have always thought that. I think we have a bizarre and strange disposition in the UK for getting wet on rides. The number of people I see riding Tidal Wave in the cold always confuses me.

 

[Lofty]

I found it quite ironic that the two Topspin's in Madrid don't have water fountains, yet the two in England do!

Indeed. I have always thought that. I think we have a bizarre and strange disposition in the UK for getting wet on rides. The number of people I see riding Tidal Wave in the cold always confuses me.

I have to admit, I'm one of those idiots. I LOVE water rides, no matter the weather, I'll ride them, yes I am a **** moron ha.

 

[Mark]

I didn't say that those people were idiots... Im just always perplexed by it

 

[Martyn B]

Yeah, the amount of people that go on Tidal Wave on a cold March day does confuse me. I like water rides, don't get me wrong, but getting soaked right through, on a cold day where you probably wont get dry, just seems insane.

 

[CookieCoasters]

I love water rides and I will ride them in the cold if I am at a new park and it means I would not get to ride it if I didn't. I don't like tidal wave mainly because at the bottom of the drop you are forced into the massive bar which I think is uncomfortable and makes me a little breathless.

 

[Rachel]

I'm not the greatest fan of water rides in general, only tend to go on them if its especially hot, but for me I find it annoying when I want to enjoy a Top Spin but don't want to get wet. Can be really annoying when you're one of the last people to be let on the ride and all the end seats have been taken.

 

[Screaming Coasters]

Chessingtons water on Rameses Revenge is manually controlled by the operator. It has a 3 second delay from when you press the button, so you have to time it just right. Most breakdowns on Rameses Revenge is due to water in the electrics. The engineers are too lazy to take off and put on the base plate during morning checks, so just leave it off. Wet inside that and shutdown.

 

[reddude333]

Really? That's odd...seems pretty careless (by operators)/bad engineering. Interesting that there is so much variance between the way top spins operate.

 

[robbeal]

I can't think of a Top Spin outside the UK that i've seen water on! Its only Ripsaw and Rameses that i've ever got wet on I think, and not on Ripsaw for a good age. Mind you, I tend to sit them out a lot of the time, hateful things...

 

[gavin]

^I've seen quite a lot of them with the fountains, but not many that I can think of where they actually use them to soak riders in the way that they do on Ramses and Ripsaw. They tend to lower people towards them and then drop the fountains as they get close. Pointless really.

 

[reddude333]

I think it was Riptide at Valleyfair! that I got soaked on. It was fantastic!

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Bit of a tangent but...does anyone know which companies produce the 'static' models (e.g. Ramses) and which produce the '3D models rotating' (e.g. Tombraider at Moviepark, Italy), or do some companies offer both?

 

[CanobieFan]

Well, if I read your question right....
Huss would make the standard Top Spin (Ripsaw at Alton , Ramses at CWoA, Twister at SF New England and Great Adventure to name a few)

As far as "3D" (I'd say independent arm)
Zamperla has the Windshear - Flip-N-Out owned by Reithoffer Shows
Moser has the Loop on Top - Superman II at Prater
Moser also has a mini LoT called Maverick - Twister at Rye Playland (now removed)
Vekoma has the Super Flip - Wipeout at Dreamworld

I'm kind of a big flatride loser, if you showed me a photo I'd be able to tell you who made it :X
(Like how most people have a coaster count... I've started this horrifying "All ride" count - http://www.coasterwiki.org/wiki/index.p ... _Flatrides )

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Great answer, thanks very much - just what I was asking (in a very cumbersome way)

And total respect: that is some list!!!

 

[BraveNewWhirls]

I've only been on Ripsaw and the one at Tibidabo.

It was July, boiling hot and I was sweating like a pig in Tibidabo. Never have I been more disappointed not to be sprayed in the face with water whilst hanging upside-down.