Recent content by Howie

Yeah and given that The Ride To Happiness stalled on the top hat once when somebody farted in the queue line, I suspect the Mack boys will be keen to avoid that happening again, especially on their newest hypercoaster's maiden test run with so much attention on it right now. Wouldn't be...

If I was Warner Bros though, I think I'd be saying a big fat yes to that, wouldn't you? Surely a huge influx of international Harry Potter fans coming to within an hour away of your Studio Tour would be a good thing, right? I can't imagine any Potterphile coming to the UK to visit Universal and...

Interesting watch, Mushy. 👍 Now then, what's this about chocolate toothpaste?

I kinda felt the same way at first, although I do wonder if, at 80-odd miles per hour, you'd even be able to hear any onboard audio above the sound of the wind and 24 screaming chavs. Probably not to be honest, so I'm ok with that call. However, to not install lights on these trains, along with...

Yep, first thing I thought of when I saw the train was 'Hey - it's a Lamborghini' but, being the old man that I am I immediately thought Countach rather than Gallardo. It's cool. I like it. It's kinda retro, just like the Countach. Please God let it have lights. I also rather liked the new...

I'm also reminded of how good it used to ride at Chessington. My first ever ride on it, or any Topscan for that matter, which would have been in 2002, was shocking! There was no build up, it went from a standing start to full-on, full speed, mental spin mode in a matter of seconds. It was...

May? Aww man, that's ages away. 😪 Some cheap holidays to Turkey about at the moment though, might just go and ride the one at Land of Legends instead. Can't be arsed waiting for this thing.

Got some updates on this from Monsieur Getley if anyone's interested: The trains were manufactured in Friborg, Switzerland by a company called Stephan S.A. https://www.stephan.ch/ It's funny, with him being a Stoke lad, I kinda assumed that train assembly took place somewhere nearby, ready to...

Dunno. Mrs Howie is on her way to work this morning with a list of questions to interrogate this guy with: where the train assembly took place? The company he worked for at the time (cos it wasn't B&M)? Who the other guys in the picture are? The guy in the third picture with the hat is a big...

My missus has got a new job. Part of that job involves managing a team. One of her team members is an engineer who worked on Oblivion's trains back in the day. That team member lent me a bunch of his personal photographs to share with you lot. Here are some of those photographs...

Yesssss! This is more like it Gav. 😁

I've loved Nemesis since I first rode it - which will be exactly 30 years ago next week. It was my outright number 1 coaster for 22 years running. It's very likely that my first ride on Nemesis is the reason I'm here now, 3 decades later, babbling sh*te about coasters late at night on an...

Enjoying these. Nice to read a Gav report that one can actually relate to, having not long been to Florida myself. Makes a change from all that Asian nonsense. 😉 Some main points I wish to convey my agree-ance with you: Yep, The Bourne Stuntacular is brilliant and criminally overlooked...

Ah ok, didn't realise that, but still... I'd be interested to find out if it was a B&M design change or was requested by the park. And again, whichever it was... why? Edit, thanks @Matt N , that certainly would make sense.

I wonder why they went for 7 seat train width? I mean, it's fine, I don't have any issue with it, I'm just curious as to what the thinking was behind that decision? B&M: "You'd like a Dive Coaster? No problem, we do them in 6, 8 or 10 seat wide configurations, which would you like?" Dorney...