Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Construction Discussion

[SailwiththeTide]

Hopefully everyone will see the forest for the trees! :bolt::bolt:

For anyone concerned about the tree coverage immersion factor(disclaimer- I'm no botanist, just a lifelong Floridian):

The majority of the trees appear to be longleaf pines. In my experience, they grow pretty quickly, and are native so they stay pretty healthy most of the year. The area where I was born has a state forest that's mostly slash and longleaf pines, and the longleafs are regularly 60+ feet tall. For an example, I found this picture of the Withlacoochee State Forest.

While it's no Forbidden Forest, eventually the pine trees will get taller, and the other trees will fill in. Another thing to consider is that there's gonna be a significant amount of tree debris dirtying and staining the area around the coaster that will only further the immersion in my opinion.

 

[captainryborg]

Verbolten isn’t a pure free fall like this is.

Yes, it is.

 

[Nathan]

Yes, it is.

Verbolten is a powered free fall meaning the track is being forced down by a high speed elevator

 

[WarriorOfLight]

Orlando Informer got some great high quality footage of portions of the queue in their video. And the brief on-ride POV clips don't look sped up (at least to my eyes) like Universal's promo from earlier.

 

[captainryborg]

Verbolten is a powered free fall meaning the track is being forced down by a high speed elevator

Again, as another poster pointed out, that's like saying that Tower of Terror isn't a drop ride - it's all semantics. At the end of the day, Verbolten is the first roller coaster in the US with a drop track section, and I find it really disingenuous for UO to claim otherwise.

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

Again, as another poster pointed out, that's like saying that Tower of Terror isn't a drop ride - it's all semantics. At the end of the day, Verbolten is the first roller coaster in the US with a drop track section, and I find it really disingenuous for UO to claim otherwise.

Universal stated a fact which was true and just because you didn’t realize what they meant doesn’t mean that all of the sudden you get to call them disingenuous. You’re allowed to not know everything, it’s going to be okay.

 

[shiekra38]

Orlando Informer got some great high quality footage of portions of the queue in their video. And the brief on-ride POV clips don't look sped up (at least to my eyes) like Universal's promo from earlier.

They painted the grey/faded sound barrier in the back...Not sure if it has been mentioned yet, but that's awesome!

 

[OLSinFLA]

So with the pre-shows is it going to be stop and held in a room like Gringotts, or a pass-through like FJ?

 

[Teebin]

I wonder if a true free fall is less technically demanding than forced and that is why Universal went with it?

 

[captainryborg]

Universal stated a fact which was true and just because you didn’t realize what they meant doesn’t mean that all of the sudden you get to call them disingenuous. You’re allowed to not know everything, it’s going to be okay.

BGW is my home park - very familiar with it, thanks.

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

So with the pre-shows is it going to be stop and held in a room like Gringotts, or a pass-through like FJ?

This is totally a guess but I’m gonna say pass through like FJ because it’s continuous loading

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

I wonder if a true free fall is less technically demanding than forced and that is why Universal went with it?

Intamin’s freefall element has always been a true freefall, dating all the way back to Th13teen at Alton Towers. There’s some great YouTube videos on how the element works, spoken by engineers and creative who explain the mechanics behind the sequence.

 

[Brian G.]

Brian, did you happen to get a closeup of that really fuzzy moss near the castle entrance?

Never mind, I found it! Thanks for taking it! What in hell is that stuff they have pasted on? It isn’t just stippled concrete at all.

Photo: Brian IU

I actually took this photo with you in mind. Haha

 

[devinp267]

Orlando Informer got some great high quality footage of portions of the queue in their video. And the brief on-ride POV clips don't look sped up (at least to my eyes) like Universal's promo from earlier.

None of them looked sped up to me at all they looked like normal speed.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

Are people really still upset over Dueling Dragons? Like seriously?

Seriously. When the dueling left, all special qualities about the coaster left with it. I’m glad this one is here, now.

It's a dilemma, to be sure. You know how so many Disney die-hards felt about, say, Horizons? The original Journey Into Imagination? Mr. Toad's?

That was Dragons for me, and for many in the coaster community. Dragons combined two seemingly opposing worlds--the world of big, thrilling coasters with the world of brilliantly themed storytelling. I actually once wrote a seven page essay for an assignment about my first ride on it (I would post it here if it didn't give away too much personal info)--it was and still is one of my favorite memories. I would call the original experience an absolute work of art.

However, it is true that Dragons became a shell of its old self when the queue was ripped out and then when the dueling had to stop. I don't know how that could've been prevented, there's just several different accounts as to what happened--sometimes I wish that Hogsmeade had one fewer store so they could've moved back the entrance a bit and kept the entrance to Dragons in Lost Continent.

I was devastated when I awoke to the news they were tearing them down. If you look on TPR in particular, you could find many who shared my sentiment at the time. And when you consider that this was before SWE finally stopped its bleeding last year (seemingly, hopefully), it really looked like Florida was in danger of going from nine B&Ms to just one in a few years flat--and that one being a real headbanger.

Thankfully, most of the news coming out of SWE recently has been encouraging, and with them building a thrilling coaster in Jurassic Park, it makes the loss of Dragons far easier to stomach. Which in turn, makes it far easier to appreciate how good HMCMA looks.

 

[OrlLover]

The ride looks amazing and I can see all the work Uni has put in to make the experience as authentic as possible.

 

[P@n!K_Sw1tC#]

Yeah the hardscape on this bad boy looks great

 

[Fluffy's Caretaker]

So with the pre-shows is it going to be stop and held in a room like Gringotts, or a pass-through like FJ?

I clearly remember reading an article earlier today stating that the pre show will stop guests, and will be similar to the one for Greengotts, so your intitial wait will be to enter the pre show.

 

[brianlo]

This will really look great in about a decade. Not as huge of a fan of the coniferous trees that they picked. Especially around some of the back stage on-ride viewable facilities. But that will fix itself slowly with growth.

I'll be the other annoying person to point out marketing doesn't get to just pat themselves on the back with random accolades.

This is not the World's first story coaster. It's definitely not even Universal's first story coaster...?


But 100% this looks like a really great, needed addition. Further cementing IOA as THE park.

>>>>Dragon Challenge.

 

[Teebin]

So, are those things hanging from branches supposed to be pixie nests? There are similar nests to be found at Animal Kingdom constructed by some African bird.