Nara Dreamland to close
Matt Crowther
Today we received information from Nara Dreamland by mail.
Unfortunately, they
have decided to close that park at August 31, 2006. We don't know
whether they sell
or scrap Aska and other coaster
**************
A shame, but not unexpected, the times I visited the park was always
very uncrowded.
Aska is an outstanding woodie, I hope it can be saved, but I am not
optimistic.
Matt
kevind...@astound.net
to rebuild it by scratch.
Benoit De Groote
is still standing. And it is. Bandit at Movie Park Germany.
B.
"Matt Crowther" <mcro...@mindspring.com> schreef in bericht
news:mcrowther-ED7F7...@news.east.earthlink.net...
steelforce
Benoit De Groote wrote:
> Aska is a clone. I don't care if it gets scrapped,
So, you wouldn't care if one of the worlds consistently high rated
woodies is scrapped?
Some coaster fan you turned out to be LOL!
Todd Long
>How much would it cost to move Aska to the USA? I would guess more than
>to rebuild it by scratch.
Sounds like another for your list of philanthropic endeavors once you
hit the ol' powerball.
What ya gonna call that park anyway? Can I come?
T
A few of my rave reviews...
"what an Idoit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"- Papa...@aol.com 3/27/04
"Sometimes I wonder if some of you are actually
capable of anything other than smart remarks,
flamewars, and comedy............" - Sam M. 5/3/04
"Sadly, I don't think you ever will grow up."
- Daniel W Rouse Jr. 5/4/04
"40 never looked so good!" - Mamoosh 4/8/05
"... dumbass!" - Kevin D. 5/5/05
"I dunno, but you don't add anything to the group
but flames." - Rob Viands 5/8/05
"...your all stupid and live in the same world that
ended." - Steve R Neel 5/26/05
"...vulgar insect he is." - Scooby 6/16/05
"...you guys are mean" - tvdu...@gmail.com 4/16/06
Benoit De Groote
> woodies is scrapped?
If the ride was unique...yes, I would care.
If the ride was the first of a series...I would care too.
Aska is not unique, nor was it the first. So I don't care. Big deal.
Make room for unique stuff. Besides, the entire Dreamland park was Xeroxed.
B.
Mark Rosenzweig
Benoit De Groote wrote:
> Aska is a clone. I don't care if it gets scrapped, as long as the original
> is still standing. And it is. Bandit at Movie Park Germany.
>
>
> B.
>
But doesn't Bandit run the god awful SOB style Premier trains that make
it nearly unrideable in the same way SOB is?
Looking at Aska, it looks to also resemble SFGAm's Viper- which
thankfully runs good trains and is maintained meticulously.
-Mark
Don Flint
last summer said it SUCKED.
kipross
<<Aska is a clone. I don't care if it gets scrapped, as long as the
original
is still standing. And it is. Bandit at Movie Park Germany.>>
>From what I've gathered, the closest resemblance to Aska is SFGAm's
Viper, and Aska has been said to run even better that Viper (mirror);
plus, the lift chain doesn't slow down at the top of Aska, right?
Comparing a woodie that runs PTC's to a woodie that runs Premier trains
is a laugh at the least.
What I don't understand is why Nara Dreamland took such impecible care
of this woodie, but (apparently) let the rest of the park run down to
creepiness.
/kip
Benoit De Groote
Same Werner Stengel design...same Intamin contractor...same RCCA
constructor.
So you would save an entire ride, just because it has different trains ? Why
not take the trains and put them on Bandit then ?
And didn't Aska have Intamin trains ?
Bandit originanly opened with Intamin trains (very similar to PTC's), but
the park quickly got rid of them because they sucked ass. The Premier trains
are a major improvement.
You do need to ride it when it has rained...and preferably at night. A wet
ride in pitch black conditions is brilliant !
About the lifthill, the WWW / Bandit lifthill speeds up at the top,giving
the train an extra boost into the first drop. Ejector airtime at the back of
the train.
B.
"kipross" <kip...@comcast.net> schreef in bericht
news:1145726781....@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
kipross
<<Same Werner Stengel design...same Intamin contractor...same RCCA
constructor.>>
Unless Bandit and Aska have the same team of people maintaining them on
a daily basis, I doubt they run identically.
<<So you would save an entire ride, just because it has different
trains ? Why
not take the trains and put them on Bandit then ?>>
No, I'd rather save the entire ride and have one extra woodie on Earth.
Woodies, even clones, are not disposable, IMO.
<<And didn't Aska have Intamin trains ?>>
I don't know what Aska opened with, but it was running PTC's as of last
year.
/kip
David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply
<benoitdegr...@telenet.be> wrote:
>Aska = WWW / Bandit
>
>Same Werner Stengel design...same Intamin contractor...same RCCA
>constructor.
>
>So you would save an entire ride, just because it has different trains ? Why
>not take the trains and put them on Bandit then ?
>
>And didn't Aska have Intamin trains ?
>Bandit originanly opened with Intamin trains (very similar to PTC's), but
>the park quickly got rid of them because they sucked ass. The Premier trains
>are a major improvement.
>You do need to ride it when it has rained...and preferably at night. A wet
>ride in pitch black conditions is brilliant !
>
>About the lifthill, the WWW / Bandit lifthill speeds up at the top,giving
>the train an extra boost into the first drop. Ejector airtime at the back of
>the train.
>
It's interesting to take a look at the results of the 2005 Internet Wooden
Tracked Roller Coaster Poll. this poll is generally considered to be the
most accurate poll out there on judging which coasters coaster enthusiasts
like best. And it's also the only poll out there with an algorithm for
trying to eliminate the bias for coasters in popular areas for enthusiasts,
and against those coasters in international parks where fewer of the
connected enthusiasts live and have visited.
Last year Aska ranked at #5. It has raked in the top 10 for the past three
years. It has always ranked in the top 25.
Last year Bandit ranked at #166. That's in the BOTTOM TEN of all wooden
coasters on the planet!!! (Except for seven of them that didn't get enough
voted to qualify for ranking in the poll.) It has consistently ranked
among the bottom of the poll, with its highest ever ranking at #101 --
seven years ago, when it was brand new.
Every single one of the twelve riders who took the poll who ranked both
coasters ranked Aska as better than Bandit. Every one of them.
I can't speak personally of Bandit. All I can say is that every person I
know who has told me about it has said that it is crap.
I can speak of Aska. I rode it last year, and it was amazing. I ranked it
at #5 of 135 wooden coasters that I've ridden. It didn't just ejector
airtime at just the back of the train. It gave ejector airtime all over
the train at many points on the ride. (In fact, I preferred the front,
especially row 2.) It's easily the best woodie in Japan, and probably the
best coaster in Japan (or close to it.) And it's generally considered to
be one of the best woodies in the world. It is truly a masterpiece. And
it would be a terrible shame to see it destroyed. I REALLY hope that it
can be saved in some way, especially if it were to be moved closer to me!
So, while Bandit MIGHT be of more historical significance, Aska would be a
true loss to the world of coasters if it were destroyed.
That said, I'd hate to see any woodie destroyed. (Although I admit that I
didn't shed too many tears at the news of Hercules' destruction.)
David H, davi...@STOPSPAMbellatlantic.net, Boston, MA
PLEASE remove "STOPSPAM" from my address when replying via e-mail.
"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by
the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree
in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support
him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not
to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he
fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is
unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or
anyone else."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
kipross
<<It's easily the best woodie in Japan, and probably the
best coaster in Japan (or close to it.) And it's generally considered
to be one of the best woodies in the world. It is truly a masterpiece.
And it would be a terrible shame to see it destroyed. I REALLY hope
that it can be saved in some way, especially if it were to be moved
closer to me!>>
Also, let's not forget Nara's Matterhorn knock-off coaster (dubbed
"Bobsleigh"). It's 45 years old this year! I think losing a coaster
like that is just as sad as losing Aska, personally.
/kip
Wolf
> to rebuild it by scratch.
Except it's got three (nee four) clones in the US.
--
|\-/|
<0 0>
=(o)=
-Wolf
Wolf
Isn't it kind of disingenuous to compare it to Viper, when the mother-clone
is at Coney?
Wolf
It's interesting to compare all of the Cy-clones. There's a bunch of them
now. And the primary differences are the trains, maintenance, and details.
It's a great matched set of rides which can be compare to show how those
three categories affect a ride's performance, even though they grossly all
have the same track plan.
mamoosh
> Except it's got three (nee four) clones in the US.
Didn't stop Six Flags from moving a Batman clone from Japan to New
Orleans after there were seven others already built [eight if you
include Canada].
David F
wrote:
>Looking at Aska, it looks to also resemble SFGAm's Viper- which
>thankfully runs good trains and is maintained meticulously.
>
I experienced both Aska and Viper for the first time last season.
I thought Viper was a heaping pile of meh!
Aska became my #4 woodie.
The park also has Bobsleigh, a take on the Matterhorn that will also
be a pity to lose: Mountain coasters of any type are rare. There is
also a Corkscrew with the apt name Screw Coaster, Fantasy Coaster a
mine ride and a standard Big Apple/Wacky Worm.
Regards,
David
Remove NOSPAM to contact me.
Proud to be an Attraction Traveller:
Amusement and Theme Parks
Zoos and Aquaria
Historic Sights
Museums
Urban Centers and Urban Hiking
Unique Commercial Sights
Americana and Kitsch
I know, its a euphemism for "tourist" but I don't care!
Benoit De Groote
> a daily basis, I doubt they run identically.
There you have it.
Do you really think that if the ride gets relocated & rebuilt...it will
offer you the same experience Aska did ?
B.
kipross
<<There you have it.
Do you really think that if the ride gets relocated & rebuilt...it will
offer you the same experience Aska did ?>>
True. However, if the right park were to buy it, it could run similar
to or even *better* than Aska runs now.
BTW, I'm not saying it's going to be moved. I doubt it will. I'm
thinking the park will abandon it and it will rot away.
/kip