John Hunt’s Roller Coaster Models
Got a rec room, bonus room, or den that is missing that key display piece to show of your roller coaster fandom? One of John Hunt’s roller coaster models may be just what you need.
3 Things A Good Halloween Haunt Must Have
Large-scale, professional Halloween haunts have become the rage – part of a multi-billion dollar industry. Knott’s Berry Farm blazed the trail for the industry to follow in 1973, when it hosted a special, hard ticket Halloween event – Halloween Haunt – which was an immediate success. Now, companies such as Universal, Busch Gardens and even the Walt Disney Company are in on the holiday, bringing in...[Read More]
Taking the Duel Out of the Dragons
Universal Orlando recently announced a major operating change for the Dragon Challenge roller coasters. Let’s look back at how this incredible thrill ride pioneered the control system technology enabling dueling coasters to consistently time their near-miss collisions. Art of the Duel Dueling roller coasters offer a thrilling element not typically found on single track rides: the near-miss collisi...[Read More]
Trip Report from a Dream Vacation: Six Flags Coaster Tour
If you’re reading this article, I’ll bet money that you are a roller coaster enthusiast. As an enthusiast, I’d also bet that at one time or another you’ve dreamed about taking a vacation that took you around the country riding a bunch of roller coasters at different parks, right? What if you got a phone call out of the blue one day and someone offered to send you on just such a trip? That kind of ...[Read More]
Rick Davis of the DAFE Lists His 5 Favorite Halloween Haunts
ThrillNetwork’s Rick Barber asked Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts founder, Rick Davis, all about Halloween haunts. Davis shares his five favorite haunts and tells us about his own home haunt. ThrillNetwork: How many haunts have you been to (seasonal, part time, full time)? Rick: Honestly, I don’t know. Trying to remember back to what I did as a kid (when there were a LOT more parks open) I...[Read More]
What It’s Like to Be Lance: The Man Behind Screamscape
Lance Hart was kind enough to answer a few questions about what it’s like to run the definitive theme park news and rumor website, Screamscape. Joel: Can you speak to the origins of Screamscape? Describe the early days of the site and what originally inspired you to launch it? Lance: While Screamscape.com officially launched in December 1998, I had been running the site for about three years...[Read More]
Why a Theme Park Reality Show Would Be Great
While reality shows are among the top-rated television shows, many love to bash them calling them mindless entertainment. Maybe they are, but I think a reality show that focused on a theme park could be incredible. Shows like The Jersey Shore, dominate the highest rated TV shows. You’ve likely found yourself shamefully admitted to tuning in or hurling a few less than desirable terms at them....[Read More]
3 Reasons Why the UK Hasn’t Built a Wooden Coaster in Years
Of the 169 roller coasters currently operating in the UK, only 9 are made of wood. Wooden coasters have reached acclaim amongst enthusiasts around the world. Their forces feel uncontrived and imperfect, unpredictable and somewhat dangerously out of control. Even tamer ones are fairly intense compared to steel coasters of similar scale. They are, I suppose, the very essence of what a roller coaster...[Read More]
Geek Speak: Verbolten Announcement Reactions
[box_light]Geek Speak is a special feature that will present the opinions of theme park fans on a specific topic or news story. Every issue we’ll highlight the buzz and reactions (both positive & negative) to give an overview of how news is being received. Every effort will be taken to attempt to present a variety of opinions from a variety of sources.[/box_light] This edition of Geek Sp...[Read More]