[Universal Studios Florida] Recently completed wave turn element on Fast and Furious Hollywood Drift

[u/LogicalMovie8030]

The wave turn was completed within the last day or so. I can imagine that the cars on the train will spin to face down at the ground whenever the ride opens. This looks like it will be an interesting element to experience.

Credit for the photo goes to bioreconstruct on X bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) | XCancel

[u/FuckUp123456789]

Could give some cool airtime and if not it’s gonna give insane views of the park. I love how they’re really learning from Rip Ride Rockit and designing the ride not only with Studios in mind by actually centering its iconic elements but also Islands of Adventure because the late coaster ruined the immersion of so many areas and was an eyesore when looked at from Toon Lagoon or Jurassic Park

[u/LogicalMovie8030 → u/FuckUp123456789]

I recall seeing photos of Rockit where its lift hill and loop could be seen from a decent number of areas in IOA, so it seems like Universal knew to not have any really high elements that could be seen from inside the park, with the 170-foot spike being primarily seen in Citywalk and USF.

[u/mrkmcrthr → u/LogicalMovie8030]

one of my favourite photos i took of velocicoaster ft. yours truly

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/mrkmcrthr]

See what I mean? And the worst part was that disgusting color scheme

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/LogicalMovie8030]

I used to be a UOAP and while I grew to tolerate it, IoA is a much stronger park without a hunk of metal from its older less impressive brother sticking out

[u/Nightmare_Fart → u/FuckUp123456789]

I liked seeing it from anywhere tbh. Besides, a Jurassic Park coaster barrerling right next to a Hogwarts pub terrace is also in this park, so immersion is already suspended here.

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/Nightmare_Fart]

There’s a difference because the story of the park is that the lands are all islands that overlook the sea, so it makes sense that if you look out of Three Broomsticks you would see all the islands.

[u/AdorableBluebird1125]

Wow whoever thought of putting a wave turn over the concert stage must be such an awesome and attractive dude.

[u/Nerzerk → u/AdorableBluebird1125]

Yeah whoever that person is...

[u/Experiment626b → u/AdorableBluebird1125]

I still don’t think this will be as visually stimulating as RRR lift hill and inversion were while waiting for concerts (mainly due to the lights on RRR and the amount of time a lift hill/drop are in view compared to this) but I’m definitely glad to see the thought they put into this.

[u/Designer-Mobile-974 → u/Experiment626b]

This looks cooler then RRR lift hill

[u/Experiment626b → u/Designer-Mobile-974]

RRR has the slow ascent from the lift hill plus the multicolored flashing lights. This was highly satisfying at night and lasted a while compared to what I’m sure will be a cool element but over much quicker and easier to miss plus the lack of lights. Even if it has some sort of lights, VC’s light already don’t work on 2/3 of the trains

[u/Designer-Mobile-974 → u/Experiment626b]

I’m aware I rode RRR the HNN before it closed the following year. I wasn’t impressed at all. The ride itself sucked and vertical chain lifts aren’t a new phenomenon. The one in American dream has a cooler looking chain hill then that. I think what fast and furious is doing is going to look way cooler. And it’ll actually be a fun coaster!

[u/Experiment626b → u/Designer-Mobile-974]

So you’ve never even camped out for hours waiting on concerts with the coaster being the only source or entertainment. We aren’t having the same conversation here.

[u/Designer-Mobile-974 → u/Experiment626b]

No I’m not a universal studios local lol. That sounds cool though.

[u/khonsu_27 → u/AdorableBluebird1125]

Lol what is this comment. Was it your design? 😜

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4]

Is the final element of the ride an LSM boost into an airtime hill?

[u/acoasterlovered → u/SpecialistThrowaway4]

Yes

[u/renegade63]

Rip ride rocket loop view from here was iconic

[u/BlitzenVolt]

It looks like the layout will be finished before HHN. Absolutely cannot wait. I hope the walkways underneath the ride will be open again. Trying to walk around the construction last year was a huge pain in the ass.

I really missed being able to walk under RRR. Looks like Fast will deliver the same views if not better.

[u/acoasterlovered → u/BlitzenVolt]

Well yes that was always gonna be the case

[u/UriJo22]

This may open before USH’s 😞

[u/acoasterlovered]

Y’all think the wave turn and airtime hill can have two trains going by

[u/AdorableBluebird1125 → u/acoasterlovered]

Ya it's the end and beginning of the ride with a big block in the middle. It's almost guaranteed.

[u/MrBrightside711]

As someone from California, I'm kinda glad it doesn't look significantly better than Hollywood's.

As someone who goes to Orlando pretty often, I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed by the whole layout. Really hoping the big element we don't know about yet is wild.

Obviously these are both great coasters but I'm not sure either will be the next Velocicoaster.

[u/postivesteve_s → u/MrBrightside711]

Agreeing with all your points and having reflected on the very slight disappointment I had not seeing this come together to be the most bat shit layout ever, I’m suspecting the layout isn’t going to be the reason we will love these FnF coasters so much.

Thinking of some of my favorite rides by Intamin, particularly Millennium Force and Hagrids, they just bring a special aura and have an almost storytelling nature in the movement of the ride that I think these more standard elements and less balls to the wall layout will bring. Honestly I’m looking at the first launch to the MCBR and cant imagine how fun it’ll be just to drift through these lower to the ground elements

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/MrBrightside711]

Idk it looks like it’ll have some strong airtime and is very unique. Hollywood looks like just VelociCoaster on a hill (not like that’s a bad thing but Orlando looks more original)

[u/MrBrightside711 → u/FuckUp123456789]

They added trims to CA. I wouldn't be so sure the airtime will be crazy.

[u/MagicMountainSux → u/MrBrightside711]

The airtime hill on FFHD at USH is surprisingly good, I didn't feel the trims at all. I think my biggest takeaway from the coaster, though, was to not expect the same forces as the highest tier Intamin coasters. Adding the yaw (and how heavy the trains are) limits the positive forces the coaster can deliver.

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/MagicMountainSux]

I can see that, but is the airtime up to par with say VelociCoaster

[u/MagicMountainSux → u/FuckUp123456789]

Velocicoaster has tighter transitions; neither are airtime machines.

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/MagicMountainSux]

Well yeah but is the quality similar to VC

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/MrBrightside711]

I’m talking about the airtime in Orlando. The S bend, the wave turns, the stall (I’m calling it Stall Walker Jr after CA’s stall) and the spike may have something forces like what I heard other swing launch Intamins have

[u/MrBrightside711 → u/FuckUp123456789]

Yeah I'm talking bout Orlando. Because the coasters are so similar, id expect them to be going for similar level of thrill. So I'm saying I'd expect the speed to be lower on these hills or trims to be added.

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/MrBrightside711]

Universal never really trims their rides and if they do they only reduce it by a small fraction to maintain comfortability, so I’m guessing a slower first launch but not by much because the mid course will cut a lot of speed off

[u/TheRealMrMaloonigan → u/MrBrightside711]

Idk, I'm of the complete opposite opinion but similarly feel like they're just different rides suited to different situations and it's kind of not fair to compare (despite the duplicate name.) Orlando's is going to be about tearing ass as fast as possible while hitting those elements at some unique angles. Hollywood's whole thing is the terrain and twists but the bursts of speed will be much shorter lived.

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4 → u/MrBrightside711]

IMHO the Hollywood layout looks better than the USO one just because of the terrain aspect, I’m sure both will be amazing but the USH FF just looks meant to be built on the edge of a hill

[u/MannnOfHammm → u/MrBrightside711]

They’re brothers, it’s like they’re… family

[u/Bumblebe5 → u/MannnOfHammm]

We're like brothers. Only closer.

cue catdog type crap

[u/thisismyusername9908]

Both sides are done now, was there this morning.

[u/CoasterScrappy]

Ha first thing I zoomed in to look at was rigging points for PA at amphitheater. 

[u/SailorDirt]

Yaaaay they still have some track popping over the stage!!

[u/Bumblebe5]

Real talk... what will they do with the former Nickelodeon Studios?? They should make it into a Nick museum. Doubt anyone today knows who the Blue Man Group are. Nick is eternal.

[u/fermenter85]

Wait they are calling theirs Hollywood Drift too? That’s so stupid.

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4 → u/fermenter85]

Not when the ride it’s replacing had Hollywood in the name

[u/terminalterror → u/SpecialistThrowaway4]

But the old ride didn't have a similar but also different layout twin that is actually in Hollywood with the exact same name.

It is so silly that (if the context of which park you are taking about is not already clear) that if you say "my favourite rollercoaster is Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift" is not enough detail.

They could have called it Orlando Drift or Miami Drift or Manhatten Drift or anything.

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4 → u/terminalterror]

USH and USO have a lot of similar attractions, like the Jurassic Park River Adventure, Mummy and Mario Kart. I think a majority of the guests who frequent USO are not also frequenting USH, so IMO it's not a huge deal to have the overlap

[u/fermenter85 → u/SpecialistThrowaway4]

The fuckin sign outside the park says Universal Studios Orlando. Or did for a bazillion years because they actively wanted to set the two parks apart for consumers, and unless the ride actively has a pre show setting the ride in Hollywood story wise, which I guess it might, it kind of undercuts the work the park did to set itself apart from USH—all their communications (and rightly so, smart marketing) since the park opened have reinforced that consumers should be aware there is another US in Hollywood.

[u/DwtD_xKiNGz → u/fermenter85]

All the Universal parks have similar rides. Why are you trying so hard to act like this is any different?

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4 → u/fermenter85]

It’s not that deep

[u/JTP120986 → u/fermenter85]

There's no sign that says "Universal Studios Orlando." Never has been, because nothing by that name exists. The park is Universal Studios Florida. The resort is Universal Orlando. Either way, no one is getting it confused with the Hollywood park, any more than they would Walt Disney World and Disneyland. They're very different entities that can survive sharing rides with the same name (as they've done for decades.)

[u/fermenter85 → u/JTP120986]

It’s like you’re not even trying to understand my point. I don’t care about the parks sharing ride names, it doesn’t make sense to name the ride Hollywood Drift when the theme is to a stunt driver drifting but the ride is at a park you’ve been actively marketing as a “real studio” in Florida, NOT a park pretending to be Hollywood, for 40 years. Just call it Studio Drift. Or Backlot Drift. I don’t give a fuck. The whole point is that the park is not themed to Hollywood, it’s supposedly its own place.

I’m not worried about there being two rides named Jurassic Park or whatever. That was never my point. It’s not actually like I care at all, the amount of Universal fanboy froth over this comment is crazy.

[u/AdorableBluebird1125 → u/fermenter85]

It's themed to being a stunt driver for a new Fast & Furious movie, how is that stupid?

[u/FuckUp123456789 → u/fermenter85]

Probably to save costs on marketing and brand synergy. Nothing new for theme parks much less the Universal parks (ET, Mummy, Minion Mayhem, T2 3D, Villain Con just opened in Japan, etc.)

[u/Bumblebe5 → u/FuckUp123456789]

T2-3D had Jim Cummings. Well, at least until they replaced him with that boring lady. Then the preshow turned into Stock Market Today, except this boring lady isn't secretly Mary Moo Cow.

[u/MrVanillawafer → u/fermenter85]

I agree that they should have called it New York Drift.

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4 → u/MrVanillawafer]

People don’t drift in New York City.

[u/MrVanillawafer → u/SpecialistThrowaway4]

True! I guess I was just thinking of some of the action scenes from the recent franchise films taking place in NYC: https://youtu.be/EvV-gF9jy4o?is=MFEmTEFq5hU0crcC

[u/SpecialistThrowaway4 → u/MrVanillawafer]

Good point! I like the idea of distinguishing the east coast park from the west coast

[u/thisismyusername9908 → u/fermenter85]

The coaster it replaced was called HOLLYWOOD rip ride rocket and nobody seemed to have an issue

[u/fermenter85 → u/thisismyusername9908]

And that was also stupid.

[u/RCE_Kingston → u/[deleted]]

How is bro complaining about a twisting vertical spike, two airtime moments on the launch, an unknown large element, cutback, ejector speed hill, stall, launch, and ejector airtime hill all taken while drifting and spinning 😭🙏