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Fuji-Q | Zokko | Intamin Multi-Launch Motorbike | 2023

Wow! I was genuinely expecting “cancelled/delayed due to COVID”, what with it not being due until 2022, so to see it actively getting teased is a pleasant surprise!

I don’t know whether I’m being too optimistic, but the fact they’re teasing it now, in July 2020, for a 2022 opening leads me to believe it could be something very big...
 
I mean, the country of Japan might be as close to a utopia as humans on earth can possibly get (mind you, this opinion is coming from a disheartened American who hasn't yet visited) where they actually have things like common sense and an understanding of the common good. Coronavirus was a relatively small blip on their radar compared to the UK or US.

I will be keenly watching this over the next couple years. Japan is #2 on my list of places to visit (gotta take the lady to Spain first) and I'm hoping I'll get a trip there right around the time this opens.
 
Google Translate says the Tweet translates to:
"Fujikyu Highland is now ○○!
#Fujikyu #Fujikyu Highland"

So ... not much of substance yet. But still interesting to see they are going forward with this. Japan has been pretty quiet outside of Disney, Universal, and Nagashima Spaland for the past few years. Given the number of parks and big coasters in the country, the additions over the past decade or so have been pretty abysmal. Hopefully, this would at least keep Fuji-Q in the game.
 
I mean, the country of Japan might be as close to a utopia as humans on earth can possibly get (mind you, this opinion is coming from a disheartened American who hasn't yet visited) where they actually have things like common sense and an understanding of the common good. Coronavirus was a relatively small blip on their radar compared to the UK or US.

I will be keenly watching this over the next couple years. Japan is #2 on my list of places to visit (gotta take the lady to Spain first) and I'm hoping I'll get a trip there right around the time this opens.
Oh uWu silly goose you. Calm yourself.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 
Oh uWu silly goose you. Calm yourself.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
UwU

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I had a thought; could this potentially be an S&S Axis coaster? Fuji-Q seems to have a penchant for buying new, ambitious concepts from S&S (Eejanaika was S&S’ first 4D coaster after buying the model from Arrow, and Dodonpa was purchased when the S&S Thrust Air Coaster was very much still in its infancy), and S&S has reportedly said that we could be seeing an Axis pop up somewhere in around 2 years’ time, as was mentioned over in the Axis thread.

Although then again, I suppose there are certain things that lead me away from the idea of an Axis as well. The cost being mooted for this project is huge (around the same as Eejanaika cost and more than Dodonpa, Takabisha or Fujiyama cost, and the amount equates to around $33.6millionUSD/£26.8million), while I get the impression that the Axis coaster was designed as a more compact, low-cost model. Then again, I suppose the Euro-Fighter was also designed as a compact, low-cost model, and Fuji-Q built a supersized one in the form of Takabisha, but that project did cost almost 20% less than this one will.

My personal bet is still on something like a T-Rex, but I definitely think that the Axis is a model worth considering.
 
Would an RMC T-Rex honestly be out of the question? I mean what else can it be besides that, an Axis, or a B&M/Intamin Giga for the price? Or maybe even the world's largest Xtreme Spinner. Whatever they get, I reckon Fujiyama will be biting the dust to provide space for the addition, as the park are landlocked and it makes the most logical sense. They also removed the Wild Mouse which was next to Fujiyama, which makes me think the ride will go over the midway to an extent. If they're looking at a 2022 opening there will no doubt be some construction taking place this winter, as this is clearly a huge project that will likely take two years to build. If Fujiyama is to be removed I very much expect this will be its last season, and a closing announcement probably wouldn't be too far off.
 
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I had a thought; could this potentially be an S&S Axis coaster? Fuji-Q seems to have a penchant for buying new, ambitious concepts from S&S (Eejanaika was S&S’ first 4D coaster after buying the model from Arrow, and Dodonpa was purchased when the S&S Thrust Air Coaster was very much still in its infancy), and S&S has reportedly said that we could be seeing an Axis pop up somewhere in around 2 years’ time, as was mentioned over in the Axis thread.

Although then again, I suppose there are certain things that lead me away from the idea of an Axis as well. The cost being mooted for this project is huge (around the same as Eejanaika cost and more than Dodonpa, Takabisha or Fujiyama cost, and the amount equates to around $33.6millionUSD/£26.8million), while I get the impression that the Axis coaster was designed as a more compact, low-cost model. Then again, I suppose the Euro-Fighter was also designed as a compact, low-cost model, and Fuji-Q built a supersized one in the form of Takabisha, but that project did cost almost 20% less than this one will.

My personal bet is still on something like a T-Rex, but I definitely think that the Axis is a model worth considering.
As incredible as a massive Axis would be, I don't think the timing quite works out. If Fuji-Q was announcing a pricetag for this ride, it must be more mature of a project in its design space than we'd initially think. Plus S&S stated not quite a month ago to us that they didn't have any customers yet, and with virtually all borders closed to the US due to the pandemic, Fuji-Q reps wouldn't have had an opportunity to visit S&S and demo the prototype. It's a good thought though!


Would an RMC T-Rex honestly be out of the question? I mean what else can it be besides that, an Axis, or a B&M/Intamin Giga for the price? Or maybe even the world's largest Xtreme Spinner. Whatever they get, I reckon Fujiyama will be biting the dust to provide space for the addition, as the park are landlocked and it makes the most logical sense. They also removed the Wild Mouse which was next to Fujiyama, which makes me think the ride will go over the midway to an extent. If they're looking at a 2022 opening there will no doubt be some construction taking place this winter, as this is clearly a huge project that will likely take two years to build. If Fujiyama is to be removed I very much expect this will be its last season, and a closing announcement probably wouldn't be too far off.
Unfortunately, yes. In the words of RMC's COO, "T-rex will have its day," but the company needs to overcome two big hurdles before T-rex is ready: they need to implement a bunch of lessons learned from Raptor, and they need to develop/implement a mechanically aided means to fabricate the track. Raptor track (and topper and I-box) have small enough profiles where fabricators can hand-bend the sheet into place, but T-rex's track gauge is so big that it will require machinery to pre-bend or aid in bending as they lay up the pieces prior to welding.

Now, I mentioned T-Rex last week following my S&S write up stating that I'd elaborate on it. Jake played his cards pretty close to the chest in general throughout the tour so we honestly don't have any top secret, exclusive information (aside from the destination clearly etched in the Raptor track). But he did allude to there being interest in the product even though RMC isn't quite ready to build one. One aspect about this is the shear amount of lessons learned from Raptor. If they already learned so much from two stock models to more or less redesign the product, it'd be worth to delay production of a scaled up product and implement those lessons learned in T-Rex. The other reason, and arguably the more important reason, is that T-Rex track is huge and will require extra fabrication capabilities that the company simply doesn't have yet. Currently, RMC uses thin enough and long enough strips of plate that fabricators can hand-position each strip - bending, forming, and clamping all by hand - regardless of whether it's I-box, topper, or Raptor track. Since T-Rex will be such a huge gauge, fabricators won't be able to lift, bend, and form sections without machine assistance. RMC is absolutely positive that they'll be building these absolute monsters of coasters eventually, but in the meantime it'll require more development on both the product design side and the manufacturing side.
 
We could see something as underwhelming as Steel Curtain Mark II, but I think Fuji-Q would go more out of the box than that. I mean what other possible coasters are there that they would get that costs as much as Eejanaika?
 
So looking into this a bit and there's not much else out there. Although did find a Japanese page with some speculation, and who doesn't love speculation.


I'll summarise the main points.

1) the petrol station in the car park to the north of Fujiyamas main drop was closed along with mad mouse allowing for a possible routing of a ride out that way.
Although that would involve closing some of that parking lot.

2) Fuji Q has local ordinance giving it a height ceiling which wouldn't allow it to go for a height record.

3) there is a driving school to the south which has been abandoned for a while. If Fuji Q have picked up that land its a substantial plot for a ride. Or its possible if the ride used part of the northern parking lot and they do own this plot of land this could be used as overflow parking.

Screenshot_20200721_012825_com.google.android.apps.maps.jpg

There's some more wild guess work on the page but it also points out that they can't really go for a speed record with dododonpa and height is out of the question.

However I can't see any reason they couldn't go for a height record of a particular coaster type, flyer, wing, invert, wooden etc etc you could get any of those within their height limits fairly easily

Anyway possibly asks more questions than it answers but thought it was interesting
 
Man, this is a real head-scratcher. My first thought is a B&M giga, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense given the amount of space. Doubt it will be a launch coaster for obvious reasons (AKA Takabisha and Do-Dodonpa), unless it's something akin to Red Force or Pantheon. Other than the Axis, I can't see anything from S&S. A B&M Dive Coaster doesn't make a ton of sense with Takabisha nearby, but I can see that being an option.

Maybe a Mack Hyper Coaster (akin to DC Rivals) or an Xtreme Spinner?
 
To throw my hat in the ring, I'll predict a multi-looper of some fashion. Possibly inverted, flying, or wing. For the price, and given the amount of space they need, I don't see a woodie being likely. An S&S Axis would also be out of the question for all the reasons stated (as well as its likeness to Eejanaika). They already have a hyper, and if they can't build a Giga I don't see them going for another coaster of that type.

Personally, I'm hoping for something like Maverick, which had a concept so good I'm still baffled as to why it wasn't done again. But given how Takabisha already does the thing with a beyond-vertical drop and a launch halfway through the layout, I don't find it likely.
 
How is Steel Curtain underwhelming? The ride itself is quite good and I know others who have ridden it were left pretty impressed.
I've heard many mixed reviews even though the layout looks decent. I just know they are better alternatives that they could get.
 
I've heard many mixed reviews even though the layout looks decent. I just know they are better alternatives that they could get.
Honestly I wouldn't mind seeing another S&S monster looper at some point. Sure, there are better types of rides out there, but in the realm of big multi-looping coasters, something similar to Curtain would be a good investment.
 
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