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Universal Studios Beijing | 2021

Pokemaniac

Mountain monkey
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Is that smog? If so, holy hell.
Could also be dust from the relatively nearby Gobi desert. Northeast China is bone dry most of the year, so there's quite a lot of dust in the air "naturally" as well. Not saying pollution doesn't factor in somewhere, but note how the colour of the air fits pretty well with the colour of the piles of soil in the foreground.
 

Pokemaniac

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I'm not entirely sure, but this has to be one of the rides with the longest time span between the construction of the original coaster and the construction of its first clone, right? Hulk was 20 years old last week, and only now is the first clone being built (its own replacement notwithstanding). So strange to see them clone a layout after so long instead of designing something new from the ground up. Would the original design files even be readable in the current industry formats?
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
I'm assuming this will use LSM like Thunderbird, and not the tyre launch found on Hulk? That uses up a tonne of power, doesn't it?
 

cookie

Giga Poster
I'm not entirely sure, but this has to be one of the rides with the longest time span between the construction of the original coaster and the construction of its first clone, right? Hulk was 20 years old last week, and only now is the first clone being built (its own replacement notwithstanding). So strange to see them clone a layout after so long instead of designing something new from the ground up. Would the original design files even be readable in the current industry formats?
Hasn't a Hulk clone been in the plans since Universal Dubailand in some form or another? If so it hasn't been for a lack of trying.

I think between this and Battlestar Galactica Universal just likes the concept of a launch coaster with a cobra roll over the central lake.
 
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emoo

Hyper Poster
If the original files did need updating wouldn't that have been done for the Hulk track replacement? If so then these revised plans would be a new toy and a good way to make good use of the recent work undertaken.
 

Lofty

CF Legend
I wonder if they're going to just clone it or refine any of the banking, especially the weird banking after the corkscrew at the end of the coaster.
 

Hixee

Flojector
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I wonder if they're going to just clone it or refine any of the banking, especially the weird banking after the corkscrew at the end of the coaster.
What did they do with the retracking at IoA? Was that a piece for piece replacement, or did they tweak the shaping?

If they tweaked the shaping, I could see that being the basis of this clone.
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
From what I remember from POVs, the shaping has stayed exactly the same, I think? I do hope they change the shaping of the elements after the corkscrew, they look so awkward!
 

bob_3_

Giga Poster
I wonder if they're going to just clone it or refine any of the banking, especially the weird banking after the corkscrew at the end of the coaster.

There'a already evidence there that the track shaping has been changed from the original hulk, the most obvious is how the banking change in the zero-g. It has a much more gradual roll and the centre point has been moved away from being the highest point and follows the drop a little more.
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
^ Where is this evidence, out of interest? Looking at images on Google of it before and after the retract, they look identical?
 

Hixee

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^ Where is this evidence, out of interest? Looking at images on Google of it before and after the retract, they look identical?
I think he's referring to the new one going up now compared to the Hulk, rather than the changes to the Hulk.


At lest, that's how I read it.
 

Ethan

Strata Poster
I think he's referring to the new one going up now compared to the Hulk, rather than the changes to the Hulk.


At lest, that's how I read it.
Ah that would make more sense! On the last page of this thread I did say I thought the dive after the zero-g looked steeper in photos, so hopefully they've changed other parts too!
 

Antinos

Slut for Spinners
From what I remember, the Hulk track replacement was a near exact profile match. I remember seeing some translucent overlays of before and after and they essentially lined up perfectly. Although interestingly enough, they did change up the supports slightly in certain areas, specifically where support tubes join together and how they interface with the track.
 

bob_3_

Giga Poster
Ah that would make more sense! On the last page of this thread I did say I thought the dive after the zero-g looked steeper in photos, so hopefully they've changed other parts too!
Yeah sorry I wasn't clear. The retracked orlando Hulk was identical to it's original, whereas this already has very different banking and profiling, a lot more modern B&M. When was the last time they built a sit-down model (apart from replacing hulk) or are we expecting floorless trains on this?
 

Hixee

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When was the last time they built a sit-down model (apart from replacing hulk) or are we expecting floorless trains on this?
Led Zeppelin? Can't think of a more recent one than that off the top of my head.
 
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