SDC's 2017 Project(s) and Park Developments

[Grapeslie]

I'm assuming that type of cost also includes the re-theme of the area. That said I think it's pretty safe to say we might actually be getting that Giga Coaster or a really big Wing Rider. hoping for the giga myself but I won't complain about either! I'm very curious what the new theme for the area will be! Either way we should see ground work fairly early in the season for a project this large.

[Swoosh]

Adding more fuel to the fire... there have been a few tour companies mentioning that 2017 will be a "very good year" to visit Branson to perform and to visit SDC

[shavethewhales]

That's always nice. They did the same thing back in 2012 if I recall. The park always puts out enough info to vendors to get people hyped up and paying attention.

So thinking of potential attractions, the last two B&M wing coasters look really nice. I got to experience Thunderbird for myself this summer and really enjoyed it a lot more than I even thought I would. Flug der Dämonen in Germany has a really nice looking layout: http://rcdb.com/6667.htm#p=52067

I've mentioned before that I wasn't overly impressed with Wild Eagle. It's OK, but really the highlight of the ride is simply the location. The layout is very meh, like they just slapped wing cars onto the most basic sit-down layout they could come up with. I definitely think it's a case of B&M needing time to perfect the form of the wing coaster and not treat it like just a seating gimmick.

I'd rather see a massive dark ride, a new shopping/craft district, or even a B&M hyper, but it's difficult to see anything else that could be as easily marketed as a Wing coasters right now. But we'll just see. It's usually not what I expect.

[Swoosh]

I'm pretty confident that the location of the ride will make all the difference

[cowboy]

What if they put this coaster between Powder Keg and Wildfire - you could put a very large coaster back there and it still not be easily seen from the rest of the park or outside (unless you were at the lake).

I think it would be awesome to put a wing rider that would be a combination of the designs they have now. Imagine a lift a little over a hundred feet with a twist and dive off the edge of the hill into a massive coaster utilizing the hillside....then a launch in the bottom of the valley to bring you back to the top of the hill with some nice inversions to finish off the ride.

Connect the PK area with the WF area helping to reduce some of the congestion in front of the saloon. Of course this would greatly unbalance the park by putting three big coasters right next to each other......

Jay

[History Buff]

The advantage to unbalance is that it keeps the thrillseekers contained in certain parts of the park, theoretically away from the young families and senior citizens, who may not be interested.

Traditionally, the thrill rides have been located in the outer ring of the park, but they may break with that plan to put a coaster in the center of the park.

[Duelist]

I'm still thinking it's going to have something to do with the Fireman's Landing theme.

[Swoosh]

I'm still thinking it's going to have something to do with the Fireman's Landing theme.

Not this time.  I do see them revisiting that area some time in the future though

[shavethewhales]

The only reason I could see them adding yet another coaster in the "coaster corner" is if there's some sort of geotechnical concern going on with supports not being able to be dug deep enough anywhere else. Why else would they build up so much over there when you have the area behind GE/FL and the area by Echo Hollow?

It wasn't so long ago that we saw the land between GE and Echo get marked up as if they were planning something huge, and the rumors started flying about a Mystery Mine-like concept, but that all went up in smoke apparently.

[Swoosh]

The only reason I could see them adding yet another coaster in the "coaster corner" is if there's some sort of geotechnical concern going on with supports not being able to be dug deep enough anywhere else. Why else would they build up so much over there when you have the area behind GE/FL and the area by Echo Hollow?

It wasn't so long ago that we saw the land between GE and Echo get marked up as if they were planning something huge, and the rumors started flying about a Mystery Mine-like concept, but that all went up in smoke apparently.

That was back when they planned to remove Echo Hollow.  Now they are investing major money into it.  For example a new access road from Indian Point Road.  They are redoing the restrooms as we speak and there are to be even more improvements.  They are doing this to attract bigger names to perform there.   So with that in mind, why would they want a noisy coaster in that same area?  Seems counterproductive. 

[mammalone]

At this point I'm not sure sure where it's going should be such a secret, but I'll leave that up to shave.

[MissinTheGreenTrams]

I do not mind having a coaster corner. These things do not bother me. I would hate to see one built over by GE. You can already see some of it from the road the way it is. Again not a HUGE deal but still some disappointment there. Is EH going to turn into a pay event? Do you think a paid ticket or season pass holder will have to pay extra?

[Swoosh]

EH may become a hard ticket venue for some bigger name acts, but that remains to be seen.

Good discussion on TPR right now about what type of coaster this could be and reasons why it could be this or that. 

Regarding "Coaster Corner" - how is that different than Dollywood with TN Tornado, Blazing Fury, Wild Eagle, Firechasher Express - and you could almost count Mystery Mine and Thunderhead too as they are just around the corner

[cowboy]

The reasons I mentioned the wing rider is because it's a little more family (height restriction) friendly than BM's other types and because that would be different than anything in this area.

Something else that would be different and cause a huge buzz would be the new single rail coaster from Rocky Mountain Construction. https://www.facebook.com/154373424599786/photos/pcb.936529383050849/936529319717522/?type=3&theater

Swoosh, any chance for something like that?

Jay

[shavethewhales]

^Yeah, the height restriction is a good point that I had forgotten about. That really does tilt the favor in the wing coaster direction for a park like this.

As for the location, DW has things a little bit different because the coasters basically dominate the back of the park, bringing people up either side of the hill that WE is on. That creates more of a loop than at SDC where they are off on random spurs in one corner. I'm fine with it either way, I just assumed they would try to even it out a little. Keeping the coasters "contained" would be good for the heart of the city as far as I'm concerned.

That's some tight spacing over there though. You could put a station behind the waterfall, or even in place of it, but the track is going to have to play with PK and Wildfire a bit. I also wonder how they would be able to fit anything without completely locking out that expansion point. I always assumed they would eventually try to build down that way somehow, but maybe that was out of the question already due to the slope and the land they have on the other side to work with.

I'd hope they would keep the waterfall. It might make a neat queue line area.