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| Statistics | |||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard | ||||||||||||
| Product | Sitting Coaster | ||||||||||||
| Designer / calculations | Ing.-Büro Stengel GmbH | ||||||||||||
| Type | Steel - Launched | ||||||||||||
| Hourly capacity | 1920 | ||||||||||||
| Propulsion | Tire propelled launch | ||||||||||||
| Height | 110 feet | ||||||||||||
| Drop | 104.9 feet | ||||||||||||
| Top speed | 67 mph | ||||||||||||
| Length | 3700 feet | ||||||||||||
| Inversions | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2:15 | ||||||||||||
| G-Force | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Rolling stock | |||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard (replaced 2015) | ||||||||||||
| Riders per train | 32 | ||||||||||||
The Incredible Hulk Coaster is a B&M steel launched roller coaster located at Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, USA. It is named for the popular Marvel comic book superhero character, the Incredible Hulk.
The ride features an upwards tire propelled launch; however this was subcontracted to a separate company. It was the first and only launch on a Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster until the opening of Thunderbird at Holiday World.
A very similar roller coaster opened at Universal Studios Beijing on September 20, 2021. It is named Decepticoaster and themed to the Transformers franchise.
History
A prototype launch system was designed in January 1995. The prototype consisted of a series of boxcars welded together to form a launch tunnel. A track-mounted dune buggy was then propelled inside the tunnel through the use of a weight drop launch mechanism. The designers then experimented with different rates of acceleration, each emitting between one and five times the force of gravity. The final system which was implemented on The Incredible Hulk Coaster sees trains launch from 0 to 40 mph per hour in 2 seconds. Riders travel at an angle of 30 degrees through a 150 foot long tunnel, pulling 1 G. To power this launch the designers investigated a variety of systems ranging from hydraulic, pneumatic, cable, steam catapult, and conveyor belt. At the end, a drive tire system was selected, where 220 electrical drive motors power a set of tires that pinch the train's underside to provide propulsion. The system would require eight megawatts of power to launch a single train. In order to reduce brownouts, the park added several customized motor generators with 10,000 pound flywheels.[1]
Construction on The Incredible Hulk Coaster began in 1997. The ride officially opened on May 28, 1999, along with the park.
In 2015, metal detectors were added to the queue line.[2]
On August 14, 2015, Universal announced that the ride would be given a renovation. The Incredible Hulk Coaster was closed on September 7, 2015 for an overhaul.[3] In late September, pieces of track were removed from the ride. By November, almost all of the ride had been removed, with only the enclosed lift hill and station left. It reopened in August 2016.[4] Bolliger & Mabillard replaced the ride hardware. In January 2016, the new track and supports began to be built. In late March 2016, the ride's new track and supports were finished, and Universal moved on to thematic works. On May 19, 2016, the coaster began testing with its new track and trains. Two months later, on August 1, the ride began technical rehearsals in preparation for an official opening on August 4. The refurbishment involved new track, a new story, a new queue line and new launch effects.[5]
Design
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Ride experience
After the train departs the station, riders make a left turn and enter the gamma-ray accelerator. In the original version, the anxious voice of Bruce Banner was issued from speakers in the walls: "Everything looks good...I think...I think this time it's...going to work!" On speaker, a female voice announces that there was a malfunction. Alarms began to sound inside the tube as Dr. Banner screamed in terror: "No. No! No!! No!!!" The last "No!" caused the train to launch. Currently, a female announcer is heard on speakers saying, "Initiating Gamma Exposure. Hulk Transformation: Accelerating. Do not be afraid." A few moments later, the train is launched from 0-40 mph in two seconds with a drive-tire launch, the train then enters a zero-g roll. After this, the train drops 105 feet and reaches a max speed of 67 mph. Riders enter the cobra roll above the water, followed by a vertical loop. The train enters a tunnel and approaches a helix that wraps around the gamma-ray accelerator. The helix is followed by a corkscrew and a drop. This drop is followed by a second vertical loop and a few more turns. When riders hit the brakes, the train enters into the last inversion, which is a second corkscrew. Riders then through a few turns, then passing sideways through an on-ride camera zone and then to the ride's final brakes leading to the station.
Colour scheme
Green track and grey supports.
Trains
8 cars per train. In each car, riders are arranged 4 across in a single row, for a total of 32 riders per train.
Facts
A tire-propelled Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster with a mirror-image of Hulk's layout is included in Planet Coaster under the name Argentum.
Images
Original
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The old entrance -
The original safety sign -
The test seats -
The row lanes -
The former queue line interior -
The gamma spire -
The original station -
The original train in the station
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References
- ↑ Stilwell, Andrew (July 4, 2019). "19 For '99: Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure". Coaster101. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ↑ Metal detectors become permanent at 3 Universal rides
- ↑ Universal: Hulk coaster going down for improvements - Orlando Sentinel
- ↑ The Incredible Hulk coaster smashed at Universal Studios Orlando amid renovation project - Inside The Magic
- ↑ "Universal's rehabbed Hulk coaster roars to life, King Kong looms large".
External links
- Incredible Hulk Coaster on the Roller Coaster DataBase.
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