GoGoBoy

Great expansion on the original editorial, and definitely on the money again. I can't believe they still have the same incredibly dated websites. Movie World's online park map wasn't even updated with the Justice League facade (it's still Wayne Manor), let alone Doomsday, as someone else mentioned. Potential guests should be able to visit park websites and get all of the latest and most up-to-date info, otherwise, what's the point of a website??? I'm just hoping they have a plan to re-launch all of the sites along with the launch of the coaster. Surely. Oh, and VRTP's social media! THE WORST! Directionless and tepid were certainly good ways to describe their posts. Every day it's just 'Are you ready for Superman Escape? Epic pic shared by .............'. And you know it's the same person doing the posts for all VRL properties, even Wet 'n' Wild Las Vegas, because they are all identically weak.

I just remembered they actually did make a really good TVC for it -- I just don't think they actually played it anywhere! Certainly I don't believe anyone in NSW would know about the new ride and area if they weren't park enthusiasts.

I've probably said it before but I'll say it again - the news articles and editorials on Parkz are so insightful and well written. The bosses of our parks would do well to heed the not-so-subtle advice contained in them. I could not agree more with this article. What happened to VRTP's formerly excellent marketing department/s? And by formerly, I'm talking many years ago. There was a time when virtually everybody in the country knew about it when a new attraction opened. Everything from the printed collateral, to outdoor, to their TVCs brilliantly drummed home the message that there was something new and exciting going on. That's how the GC parks became such a success story. Now, unless you're a diehard park fan, or maybe a local, you're unlikely to have the faintest idea about some of the recent additions, and would certainly know nothing about anything planned. At a time when parks internationally are thriving, led by new attractions and openings and the serious hyping of them, and even smaller regional parks here at home are doing the same, VRL parks have become shrinking violets. Maybe it's time for the big guys on the GC to start taking advice from some of the smaller operators around the country who seem to be getting a leg up? These parks have clued in to the importance of ramping up new-attraction-based marketing and are profiting as a result. As an example, just take a look at this case study from Funfields in Victoria - http://www.theinstituteofwow.com/case-studies/funfields/

These things are fine and the brand suits a theme park, but retail stores won't bring people to the park. I assume they know that. Hopefully there'll be some announcements coming in the near future that aren't retail related.

I really knew nothing about any of these parks in Melbourne until this thread made me do a bit of research. They are really starting to come into their own. It's interesting and very positive that a number of these smaller parks are now seeing the value in investing in major new attractions. Adventure Park in Geelong is about to install a Tornado and the ad on the website is up there on par with the GC parks in terms of design, as you can see. I've always felt bad for Melbourne for only having the very below average Luna Park, but it looks like things are on the up down there.

Thanks for this article - it raises a point I have given a lot of thought to myself recently. We all know that despite the quality of Movie World's offering, Dreamworld has generally taken the mantle of the thrill park; even just the 'ride' park (ie. the park that wins simply because it has the most rides). For most of the general public, DW has always been a favourite for its perceived larger offering and its emphasis on thrills. It has always been viewed as the full-day park. Movie World has never quite been able to reverse this perception, despite a very valiant and concerted effort in recent years. But I agree with the article that this new coaster changes everything. This thing is going to dominate the skyline like no other ride in Australia. The GP will see it as the type of ride you'd normally only find at major international parks (and they'd be right). I think it's going to be a big enough draw in its own right for people to choose to visit the park with the sole purpose of riding this coaster, even when it's no longer new, with the rest of MW's attractions being an added bonus.

Thanks for the info and pics on the maintenance bays, I find this really interesting; although I'm having a little trouble making out exactly what the set up is in those pics. So just to confirm, the roller coaster track ends in the bays and the main wheels actually completely come off the track? And it looks like the smaller wheels sit on two basic flat rails in the bay? But what guides them? And I'm assuming this is unique to Mack. Do most other coasters just continue the main track into the bays?

After hearing about the excellent news that Luna Park is planning to spend $20 million in capex on new rides and upgrades to the park, I finally decided to get down there to see how the place is going. I hadn't visited the park in years and since my last trip the Hair Raiser has been added and Tango Train replaced with the new version. I could create a new trip report but I really feel like this is all related to the improvements that have been announced, so I'll keep it here. I also only went on two attractions - Hair Raiser and Mystery Manor. The rest of the time I was just walking around observing. My initial reaction is that the current management now sincerely cares about the amusement park part of the business. It is evident from the moment you walk in with classic carnival music playing and lots of homages to the old 1930's Luna Park characters around the place. This is a big improvement from when the park first re-opened in its current incarnation in 2004. The new Tango Train looks a treat. It is such a big upgrade to the old one, certainly in terms of aesthetics. The old-style amusement park detail is great; it has now become part of Luna Park Sydney and branded as such, rather than just a generic travelling ride plonked at the park. It actually looks PERMANENT. The colours and artwork are terrific, and the lighting show at night is a spectacle. It has a new queuing system that starts from the original queue entry but now wraps around behind the ride and to the other side. There is a new holding bay for getting the next riders scanned and measured up before they ride, cleverly designed to increase capacity. It also has automatic gates linked to each ride cycle! One of the things that really impressed me was that all of the walls of the backstage ancillary buildings that are now exposed as a result of the new queue path have been dressed up and painted to match the theme. It adds to the atmosphere. No detail has been spared. The starry ceiling covering the ride itself is particularly impressive and the tunnel section is now covered with stars that actually light up at night, instead of a blank canvas wall. One of my disappointments as a kid going on these Musik Express-style rides was that the tunnel section never had anything interesting in it. Well, now it does. The Hair Raiser is, in my opinion, the perfect new-ish addition to the park. It fits well in the small space next to the ice cream shop and adds an entirely new experience to the park that sets it apart from the other flat rides. It just makes so much sense. Also, what better way to make the most of LPS's incredible location on Sydney Harbour? I was slightly worried the ride itself would be a bit rough as that is what I had heard from some other reports. I also thought it wouldn't live up to the more major Intamin-style rides as obviously it is from a second tier manufacturer. Happy to report I was wrong and that the ride experience was excellent. I had the best seat looking out to the harbour and not only was the view great, it also made the journey up to the top more terrifying. I felt so exposed. The drop was intense but I didn't find it rough at all. A really great ride that exceeded my expectations. I had seen lots of great reviews of Mystery Manor but couldn't imagine how such a small and temporary-ish attraction could possibly work. In fact it did work and I was scared s***less. From the moment I walked in to the foyer area I felt very uneasy. The butler character on the day was top notch and really helped to set the scene. I won't give too much away but the theming, atmosphere and effects well surpassed my expectations. They managed to fit multiple scenes (or 'rooms' in the house) into just three shipping containers. I wanted to take in all of the theming detail as I walked through but I was constantly watching out for the next scare. There were also some visual effects used that surprised me in how advanced they were, and really helped to create a great atmosphere. Every person that came out of the attraction had a reaction. This is no lame ghost train at the Easter Show. I hope they keep it in place for even longer or do something similar, it really does add something to LPS. There are plenty of other smaller improvements around the park. Things like the refurbishment of the Big Dipper facade and the addition of a proper viewing area for Coney Island for those that don't want to participate. I am very pleased to read from the link posted by Jobe earlier in this thread that the areas of the park that look like they need a bit of work -- the crumbling lighthouse and the very basic facade around the base of the mouse (great painting but very 2D) -- are all about to get some significant work carried out to them. These upgrades look like they will be right on the money. And finally, in relation to the $20 million capex announced, after everything I have seen I am now extremely confident that the cash will be directed to the right areas. No doubt Maloney's Corner deserves to be a big recipient of that money. It has always just been a car park for rides. They have made some recent improvements to fences, umbrellas and ride operator shelters to make the area more appealing. But there is so much more that needs to be done. I have great faith in the current management who clearly know what they are doing and are committed to the amusement park. This makes such a change from earlier concerns that the bosses were only interested in the functions side of the business, with the fun park forced on them. They should definitely be applauded for this upcoming big investment and I'm sure it will pay off. I have a feeling it is going to be the type of park that I might actually want to visit reasonably often, and the sort of place I'd be happy to take an international visitor.

I just think the vast majority of people don't get scared about getting stuck on a ride, unless it's upside down or something. I doubt it would stop anyone from riding. And the responses from the park's PR people are getting much better - really explaining the technical issues relating to things such as sensors and fail-safe mechanisms. They're definitely getting that spiel down pat (and of course it's all true - not spin).

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that this amazing new coaster brings MW the massive (and sustained) attendance boost it will deserve, giving VRL the flexibility and confidence to fix up Scooby etc. I know all of us on here will certainly be doing our bit to help out! ???

Sadly it's more than an implication; stupid news.com.au actually falsely states it in the article - 'News of Caleb’s death, and the terrible scenes of his raft flying into the air, made headlines around the world'.

A couple of things. They may have been referring to the earlier sighting of the Mack crates, rather than the Superman track. And I thought it was a good Photoshop job! The track looked like it had actually been painted pink. I wouldn't have known if others hadn't pointed out it was Superman.

Which is a bit strange because that means the banner was up for such a short time. Perhaps there was a delay getting the banner up? Same thing happened with Doomsday didn't it?

I'm really happy it looks like we're getting a giant lift hill. There's nothing like the suspense a good lift hill delivers. I'm no fan of most launches; they make me feel like I'm having a brain aneurysm. We already have a decent launch coaster in Oz, and at the same park no less (and then there's also Motocoaster ? and Jet Rescue), but what we definitely don't have is a massive lift hill. It's time.

Yes I was slightly surprised Movie World chose Green Lantern as the focus.

Thanks for sharing. I actually thought Nine News did a pretty good job with this segment, particularly considering their extremely tight time restraints. I liked that they even showed you the proximity sensors on the Green Lantern coaster that detect where the cars are and operate the block system, as I referred to in my post here:

Yeah, VRL theme parks really, really, really, really need new websites for their individual parks. I was just thinking this yesterday when I looked up Movie World's site. They don't even update the park map. On another note, I see they did move Justice League from 'thrills' to the 'kids' category. This makes more sense, but it should really be family. Just shows another problem with the current site -- restrictive/inappropriate attraction categories. Maybe the new coaster will usher in a complete overhaul of the websites. Let's hope.

That was the point he was making. Because it's 'separate' to the overall ride system -- not linked to or triggered by the passage of ride vehicles -- it shouldn't suffer from the sync issues that sometimes affect various components of the actual ride scenes.

While I hate the hyperventilating over every ride stoppage, I can understand anxiety about the Giant Drop! It is terrifying sitting up there waiting for the click at the best of times. But if there was a major delay, particularly when you know it's not normal, I would also have been rather nervous. Not the most amazing place to be stuck, especially when you don't know what's going to happen next. Justified nerves in this case, I reckon. But yeah, in time the media will move on from all this to some extent. As soon as the public starts losing interest and things go back to normal. It's still very fresh.

Yeah it sounds like this is one ride that is not particularly good at picking up where it left off after any stoppage.

Thanks Maxx. Sounds like a mixed bag and probably depends on when you ride it. I've noticed that when it comes to dark rides and the amount of effects involved, the experience can literally vary from vehicle to vehicle, let alone from month to month (you can see this just by watching a few dark ride vids on Youtube from parks overseas). For whatever reason things get out of sync and various triggers sometimes fail. I guess that's computers for you. Some issues are more permanent/long-term failures, like the darkened screens issue I noted on JL. But it sounds like this has been fixed and the ride is certainly in a better state than when I visited. You mention the 'following door after the fog screen', but I believe this is the spaceship door isn't it? I don't think it has ever had teleport lighting -- it's just supposed to open in sync with Green Lantern. It's highly tempremental apparently.

In what way?

You might be right Joz. I just remember reading an article where an engineer suggested the accident may have been due to a faulty limit switch, ie. sensor. The suggestion was that the block system at that point of the ride shouldn't have allowed two rafts to close up on each other where they did if the limit switch had been working. But of course, we have virtually zero faith in the media when it comes to theme park reporting and the supposed experts they roll out, so we'll just have to wait and see. Regardless, the point is that routine ride stoppages tell us that the rides' safety systems are doing what they're meant to do.

That's good to hear. I thought they might have just given up on the fog screen and doors. Thumbs up to MW's maintenance team and techs. So the final two showdown screens were fully visible and illuminated to the same extent as the screens throughout the rest of the ride? When I last went on it they were so dark you could barely see the characters. It really stood out because the first few screens in the city scenes were so vivid.

I was just wondering if anyone has ridden JL at Movie World recently and can report on the state of the attraction at the moment. The last (and only) time I was on it was well over a year ago and it had a number of issues. There was no fog screen with the Starro projection, the space ship door was permanently open, and most critically, the final two interactive screens in the spaceship were so dull you could barely make out what was happening. I assume there was something majorly wrong with the projectors. I figured this would have all been fixed by now, but I came across a recent YouTube video that seems to show that isn't the case. On that note, does anybody feel like filming a full POV of the ride? Most on YouTube are from when JL first opened.