MF verses Steel Dragon 2000
My two cents:
Just spent the last 2 months in Osaka working for Universal Studios new park. Spent Tuesday at Nagashima Spaland and got 4 rides on Steel Dragon 2000, which by the way, cost me 4100yen in admission and about 9000yen travel costs (trains and buses) which translates to about $100 US.
The park itslef is not too bad and contains a HUGE water park (which was closed due to the temps and off season.) They have 7 other coasters at the park including a shuttle loop, a pair of Wild Mouses, a TOGO Ultra Twister, an Arrow corkscrew, and the huge White Cyclone, one of the only wooden coasters in Japan. The park also has a three legged Space Shot.@
Basically, I compare Steel Dragon to Magnum, Steel Force at Dorney, etc...it is TALL and FAST, but not nearly as thrilling as Millenium Force.
The lift hill takes almost 2 minutes to get to the top, and they utilize two chains. The cars themselves are ok but big and boxy. They have HUGE wheels on them for the high speeds, but are not nearly as sleek as Millenium Force's.
The first drop is nice and long, smooth and fast, but not as "scary" as MF. There is a great view of the park and White Cyclone which looks absolutely TINY in comparison! I LOVE the way MF pitches you over that first 80 degree drop. Steel Dragon slows at the top and gently drops you.
The back half of Steel Dragon is fun...lots of curves and drops, and the multiple bunny hops back to the station don't hurt like they do on Magnum.
Still, overall, Millenium Force gets my vote as the best of the two coasters. Steel Dragon may be a bit taller, longer, and faster, but Millenium Force BY FAR is the better thrill. Not to mention you don't have to travel half way around the world to ride it!
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John
CP Live Shows 1986-90, 2000!!
The IDORA Wildcat FOREVER!!
Just spent the last 2 months in Osaka working for Universal Studios new park. Spent Tuesday at Nagashima Spaland and got 4 rides on Steel Dragon 2000, which by the way, cost me 4100yen in admission and about 9000yen travel costs (trains and buses) which translates to about $100 US.
The park itslef is not too bad and contains a HUGE water park (which was closed due to the temps and off season.) They have 7 other coasters at the park including a shuttle loop, a pair of Wild Mouses, a TOGO Ultra Twister, an Arrow corkscrew, and the huge White Cyclone, one of the only wooden coasters in Japan. The park also has a three legged Space Shot.@
Basically, I compare Steel Dragon to Magnum, Steel Force at Dorney, etc...it is TALL and FAST, but not nearly as thrilling as Millenium Force.
The lift hill takes almost 2 minutes to get to the top, and they utilize two chains. The cars themselves are ok but big and boxy. They have HUGE wheels on them for the high speeds, but are not nearly as sleek as Millenium Force's.
The first drop is nice and long, smooth and fast, but not as "scary" as MF. There is a great view of the park and White Cyclone which looks absolutely TINY in comparison! I LOVE the way MF pitches you over that first 80 degree drop. Steel Dragon slows at the top and gently drops you.
The back half of Steel Dragon is fun...lots of curves and drops, and the multiple bunny hops back to the station don't hurt like they do on Magnum.
Still, overall, Millenium Force gets my vote as the best of the two coasters. Steel Dragon may be a bit taller, longer, and faster, but Millenium Force BY FAR is the better thrill. Not to mention you don't have to travel half way around the world to ride it!
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John
CP Live Shows 1986-90, 2000!!
The IDORA Wildcat FOREVER!!
B-Town, the two chains probably would'nt work any different from a standard chain. SD2K probably has a chain dog in the front car as well as one twards the middle of the train. As the train leaves one chain, the first chain dog grabs the next chain, while the other chain dog is still on the old chain. If the chains are going at the same speed you probably would'nt notice any change.
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We bought a lifetime supply of pudding? How wasted were we last night?!
*Dude, Where's my car?*
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We bought a lifetime supply of pudding? How wasted were we last night?!
*Dude, Where's my car?*
There's a coaster with two chains in North America. Dragon Mountain at MarineLand has two lift chains on it. Arrow uses a lift chain on one side of the center beam and an anti-rollback sawtooth on the opposite side. On Dragon Mountain, about half-way up the lift hill, the second lift replaces the anti-rollback...in fact, for a few feet, the two chains run parallel to one another until the first chain is replaced by the second anti-rollback.
One trick to this arrangement is that the two chains need to be moving at the same speed, or the second chain needs to be slightly faster than the first. If the first chain is faster, there will be a nasty jerk when the dog catches on the second lift.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
One trick to this arrangement is that the two chains need to be moving at the same speed, or the second chain needs to be slightly faster than the first. If the first chain is faster, there will be a nasty jerk when the dog catches on the second lift.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.
I believe a 60 degree descent
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2000 Raptor Flights: 246
2000 Force Rides: 106
CP pics:
www.imagestation.com/album/?id=429389474
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2000 Raptor Flights: 246
2000 Force Rides: 106
CP pics:
www.imagestation.com/album/?id=429389474
I think the point is that there is no Magnum in Japan, therefore Steel Dragon being similar to magnum or Steel Force really means nothing to them. And since most of us won't be riding SD anyway, who the heck cares? After awhile it just starts to seem like another excuse to put down a ride just because it's not at CP. Got it?
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