The Coaster Critic's Blog

Magic Mountain Announces Details of Terminator: The Coaster
Terminator: The Coaster will be a Great Coasters International twister woodie. Twisters offer lots of banked turns and speed. The ride will also feature a station fly-through like the acclaimed Thunderhead at Dollywood. Also, like Thunderhead, Terminator will feature GCI's Millennium Flyer trains. That's about where the similarites end as the new coaster does not look like a complete clone of Thunderhead. And even if it were that would not necessarily be a bad thing. Thunderhead is very popular and has won the Golden Ticket Award for best wooden coaster. If that coaster's success is any indication, Terminator will be an excellent addition.

Terminator: The Coaster will be 100' feet tall (10 stories), over 2,800 feet long, and reach speeds of 55 mph. There's also mentions of a "state-of-the-art sound package" and "on-board entertainment" in the official press release. If this means on-board speakers like on the Led Zeppelin Coaster, it would be the first I can remember seeing such technology on a wooden coaster. The total cost of the project will be $10 million.

An Important Coaster for Magic Mountain & California
Not only will Terminator add a much needed woodie to Magic Mountain's huge collection, it will be the park's 16th coaster, it will bring something to the entire state. While California is both the most populous state and also has the most roller coasters, it's collection is not among the best. The state particularly falls short on quality wooden roller coasters. To illustrate this point, Terminator will take the place of the much maligned Psyclone. Psyclone and Great America's Grizzly placed at the very bottom of Mitch Hawker's Internet Poll basically ranking as the World's Worst Wooden Coasters.

Knott's Berry Farm's Ghostrider is popular, but by most accounts has seen better days. The Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was the best ranked wooden coaster in the state at 39th. And I also hear some buzz from time to time about the Giant Dipper at Belmont Park. See the entire 2007 wooden coaster poll results. Regardless, Cali's woodies couldn't hold a candle to many other state's and Terminator will help with this shortcoming.

Questionable Theming?
Lastly, I think the theming is a bit of a mismatch. A wooden coaster tied to a movie about evil machines that take over the world? Maybe the riders, as members of the resistance prefer good old-fashioned, natural wood because they don't trust steel anymore. But, as I said in a previous post, Six Flags is likely looking for that fun, family friendly ride that will have wider appeal. Under the Dan Snyder-Mark Shapiro regime, going after the families and away from the massive, expensive thrill rides has been the company's m.o. So all-in-all, this should be a great and much needed addition to the coaster landscape out West.

Get a preview, check out the Terminator coaster video below:

Recent Theme Park News Stories - Transformers, Terminator, & More
Since I've been busy working on Coaster Portal, I've missed a few news stories. Here's a recap of the biggest stories from the past month or so:

Gravity Group Launches Blog & Podcast - Gravitycast
The Gravity Group, acclaimed wooden roller coaster designers, recently launched their blog and podcast known as Gravitycast. If you're not familiar with their coasters check out my reviews of The Voyage, Hades, and Ravine Flyer II. They're all amazing and all three are in my Top Ten. Gravitycast looks to be more than just a place for the designers to post updates (which would be enough for coaster geeks out there like myself), they've essentially opened up a conversation with the fans. Read more at: Coaster Portal

Magic Mountain to Announce Details of the Terminator Coaster
UPDATE 10/23 - Six Flags Announces Details of the Terminator Coaster.

The LA Times Funland Blog has information on the new GCI Terminator wooden coaster coming to Six Flags Magic Mountain in 2009. Six Flags is expected to make an official announcement later this week. I still think it's a little odd that a Terminator-themed coaster wouldn't be a steel coaster, but Six Flags is likely looking for that fun, family friendly ride that will have wider appeal. Plus, Magic Mountain could use another woodie as they only have the old racing coaster, Colossus. Read more at the LA Times Funland Blog.

Universal Announces Transformers Ride for 2011
Also on the LA Times Funland Blog, are a few details confirming the rumored Transformers ride. Universal will build a dark ride that sounds similar to the Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure and Curse of Darkastle at Busch Gardens Europe. Read more about those rides on my Top 3 Dark Rides post. One major difference with the Transformers ride will be that this ride will built many years lafter those rides and will benefit from enhancement in high definition 3D technology. Not only that, but it will feature two-story tall robots going at it all around you. Universal will build the ride at the Universal Hollywood park as well as the Universal Singapore park. Sorry East Coasters. Read more at The LA Times Funland Blog.

Dollywood Cancels 2009 Attraction - Adventure Mountain
We may have one of the first 2009 projects to fall victim to the struggling economy. Recently, Dollywood had to unannounce their 2009 attraction known as Adventure Mountain. They sight the economic downturn as the reason for putting the ride on hold. I give them credit for coming out with a statement rather than just sweeping the project under the rug. Read the full announcement.

What do you think of this news? Leave a comment below.

Thorpe Park Announces Saw: The Ride for 2009
Thorpe Park recently announced the name and theme of its 2009 Gerstlauer Eurofighter. It will be themed after the popular horror movie series, Saw. The ride will feature a 100' climb and a beyond vertical drop of 100 degrees. Saw may be in the same vein as Dollywood's Mystery Mine which was also a custom Eurofighter.

I didn't know that the Saw series was so popular in the UK, but apparently it is. If you're a fan of the movies, the you'll really appreciate the site.

**Warning this site is not appropriate for children.** Check out the official web site for Saw: The Ride.

The Best Batman-Themed Roller Coasters
With the Dark Knight movie on pace to set a new box office record (look out Titanic), I figured counting down the top Batman-themed roller coasters would be appropriate. This year's new Dark Knight coaster isn't getting the best reviews, but this week's Top 3 has the most popular Batman coasters around.

3 - Batman & Robin: The Chiller @ Six Flags Great Adventure
The Chiller operated at Great Adventure from 1998 until 2007. As the name suggests, it features a Batman and a Robin track that dueled at two points. While the Batman train performed a top hat, the Robin train did a cobra roll. Then, both of them did corkscrews together as they reached the pike, before they repeated the trip in reverse. Unfortunately, on both of my visits to the park it was closed. Likely because of the frequent downtime, Chiller was scrapped in 2007. Again, I never got ride it, but the theming looked pretty strong and the concept was definitely unique. Dueling launched shuttle coasters don't grow on trees.

2 - Batwing @ Six Flags America
Batwing is a Vekoma flying coaster that does an excellent job of simulating flight. Riders 'fly' face down while the track performs several inversions and swooping turns. It's easily one of Six Flags America's best rides. It's similar to Firehawk at Kings Island and Nighthawk at Carowinds.

1 - Batman - The Ride @ Various Six Flags Parks
Bolliger & Mabillard changed the game in 1992 with this popular inverted coaster that's credited for revolutionizing the coaster industry. First built at Six Flags Great America near Chicago, the ride was so successful it was cloned at 8 other Six Flags parks. Then the same layout was applied to five other coasters around the world. Click here to see all the Batman clones. The ride is short and bit compact for today's standards, but as a prototype it is still quite impressive. The 2700' course is packed with 5 inversions including a loop, zero-g roll, loop, corkscrew and another corkscrew. Check out this onride video at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Best Bat-Villain Coasters
Riddler's Revenge is a record-holding stand-up looper at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Mr. Freeze is a launched shuttle coaster at Six Flags St. Louis. Joker's Jinx is a launched looper at Six Flags America. It's an outdoor version of Flight of Fear at Kings Dominion. Read a full review here.

What's your favorite Batman-themed coaster? Leave a comment below.

MotoCoaster Marks New Era for De-Flagged Darien Lake

On my recent trip to Darien Lake, near Buffalo, NY, I was happy to see that the park is thriving post-Six Flags. PARC Management, the new operators, have the park hitting on all cylinders. They even invested in a first-of-its kind motorcycle-themed launch coaster in the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster.

Darien Lake did a great job tying in the "Orange County Choppers" TV show. The souvenir shop had the custom chopper that the Tuetuls built for the ride on display. If you've never seen the Discovery Channel show it's pretty cool. It follows a family of custom bike makers in Orange County, New York. It's an enjoyable show even if you're like me and have no interest in bikes.

On a Thursday, we waited about 5 minutes before boarding the 'crotch-rocket' like cars. You straddle them just like a real bike. After boarding, a restraint bar slowly rises up until it reaches your back. The bar doesn't smash you into the bike, it still allows you to sit up, but at the same time won't allow you to fall out. The ride starts with a quick right hand turn out of the station. Then the train, with 6 rows of two bikes across, creeps to the starting line and then stops. The racing lights switch to green and you're off.

The train thrusts forward at a fun, but not too intense, 0 to 38 mph in 3 seconds. The launch is generated via a flywheel unlike the LIMs found on most launch coasters. It felt much faster than I expected. Part of that might have been the seating position, I'm not sure. After the launch the train climbs up and into the contained twisted layout. I would've preferred a more open layout that would've traveled around that section of Darien Lake, like Knott's Berry Farm's Pony Express, or just had a larger footprint like the Italian Job coasters, but Darien was probably a little short on space.

The layout was still fun. I found myself through my hands up and then holding on for the tighter turns. The idea of a bike-themed coaster may seem a little gimmicky, but I prefer the seating position over stand-up coasters. (I smell another coasterology 101 posts.) Overall, the OCC MotoCoaster is a fun ride with surprising speed, some fun momentary g-forces, and a unique (or at least pretty new) seating position. This is the perfect coaster to re-launch a theme park and hopefully bring the masses back. A new launch coaster for a park this size is a strong addition. Final Rating - 7.5 (Good Approaching Great)

Check out this onride video of the OCC MotoCoaster at Darien Lake:Have you ridden the OCC MotoCoaster? What did you think? Leave a comment below.

The Best of Top 3 Thursdays
For this week's Top 3 Thursday I'm doing a 'Best of' post. I'm recapping my favorite Top 3's and their number 1's.

Top 3 Most Annoying Things at an Amusement Park
I ranted about the most annoying things I find at my favorite places to be. Number 1 was line cutters.

Line Cutters
There's nothing worse than waiting in a long line, just to have some rude people push by you to "join their friends in the front of the line". It's enough to nearly ruin a visit.

I've decided to stop letting people cut in front of me. Somehow I manage to never have to cut in line or have my friends cut in line to join me. Ride queues are first come first serve people! If I'm in line ahead of you too bad.

The "Line Cutters Beware" T-shirt can be bought at Coaster-Net.

Read the other things that annoy me (and most likely you) at theme parks here.

Top 3 Movie Coaster Appearances
Corkscrew @ Playland Park
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ryan Merriman, Chris Lemche, Gina Holden
The Corkscrew at Playland Park in Vancouver, British Columbia plays a major role in Final Destination 3. In reality, it's a very tame coaster (pictured here), but thanks to a nice dosage of CG effects, Devil's Flight is a monster of a coaster. One of the riders has a premonition of the disaster that's about to happen so she, and several other riders are released from the train before it departs. The remaining riders experience a ride from hell. Their restraints become inoperable and they are thrown from the ride at high speeds while the coaster does more loops than you would find at an entire park.

After the ride, the surviving riders are picked off one at a time because they cheated death by getting off of Devil's Flight before the accident. The deaths are some of the most gruesome imaginable, but it is an interesting twist on the teenage slasher flicks. Check out my full review.

Read the rest of the Top 3 Movie Coaster Appearances.

Top 3 Extreme Air Time Roller Coasters
In May 2007 I wrote about the most extreme moments of airtime on of the 150+ roller coasters I've ridden. My top choice wasn't a consistent air time ride like Knoebel's Phoenix, it was Cyclops at Mt. Olympus which offers one scary ejector-like pop of airtime.

Cyclops at Mt. Olympus
Wisconsin Dells, WI
You have to be 18 or older to ride in the back seat of the Cyclops at Mount Olympus. This must be because of the infamous drop towards the end of the ride. It's innocent looking enough, but has been known to launch riders in the back seat. I've read accounts of riders landing in the lap of the rider next to them. (See Timberman's review). These aren't exaggerations. I experienced it myself last Summer. It was as scary as advertised launching me higher than the seat divider.

On re-rides I would stay away from the back seat, I enjoy a thrill as much as the next guy, but the airtime on the end of Cyclops coupled with the age of the ride takes this airtime past my comfort level. The subterranean monster known as Hades is also at Mt. Olympus, check out my full Hades roller coaster review.

Read the rest of Top 3 Extreme Airtime Roller Coasters.

What's your favorite air time moment on a roller coaster or coaster movie appearance? What's the most annoying thing for you at an amusement park? Leave a comment below.

New Wooden Coaster to have a Terminator Theme?
UPDATE 10/23 - Six Flags Announces Details of the Terminator Coaster

For a while now there have been confirmed mentions from Six Flags that Magic Mountain will get a new Great Coasters International (GCI) wooden coaster in 2009. Apparently at an American Coaster Enthusiast conference, Mark Shapiro CEO of Six Flags spilled the beans about the new coaster. He announced that the new GCI woodie will be themed after Terminator. This will likely coincide with the release of the 2009 Terminator: Salvation movie starring Christian Bale and directed by McG (from Charlie's Angels!)

One glance at Magic Mountain's lineup and you can see the park's lack of wood. SFMM boasts an incredible 15 roller coasters, but only one woodie. When Mark Shapiro ascended to the throne of Six Flags, he said the days of the large, ultra expensive thrill rides would be over. He wants the chain to focus more on family rides and attractions. For these two reasons a wooden coaster for Magic Mountain makes a lot of sense.

But one themed after Terminator seems a bit weird. I'm usually all about theming and at least its better than recycling another one of their overused names like Vortex or Goliath. But how will they theme a good old traditional wooden coaster after a movie about a dark future where robots hunt humans down and terminate them like pests. It doesn't really fit the family feel their going for.

And I can't fault Six Flags for trying to do a tie-in, but it's not really working out with the Dark Knight coasters at Great America and Great Adventure. Those coasters are getting hammered by my readers. As I wrote in the 'Does Theming Matter' round table discussion it all comes down to the quality of the ride.

What do you think about Magic Mountain's Terminator coaster? Leave a comment below.

Biggest Loser for Coaster Enthusiasts, So They Can Ride Again
It goes without saying that safety's important when riding roller coasters. If restraints like lap bars and over the shoulder harnesses do not fit correctly, riders would be in danger. Add the U.S.'s growing obesity rate and you have more and more theme park guests getting turned away just as their about to enjoy a great coaster.

For example see Cedar Point's "Guests with Exceptional Size" section of their Rider Safety Guide:

"Due to rider restraint system requirements, guests of exceptional size may not be accommodated on some of our rides. This may apply, but not be limited to, guests who exceed 6'2" or those who exceed 225 pounds, have a 40" waistline or 52" chest or females who exceed 200 pounds or wear a size 18 or larger.

Our larger guests may experience difficulty on Blue Streak, Chaos, Corkscrew, Disaster Transport, Mantis, Maverick, maXair, Mean Streak, Millennium Force, Mine Ride, Power Tower, Raptor, Skyhawk, Top Thrill Dragster, Wave Swinger and Wicked Twister."

I've ridden with people who have had to take the 'walk of shame' and were asked to get off the train. Another positive for my beloved B&M coasters is that they typically have trains with a few larger seats for just this reason. I wonder if they have these special seats on their European and Asian coasters. Hmmm.... Having to get off the train and move to another seat must still be embarrassing.

One of the guys over at CoasterCrew was unable to ride Millennium Force and now he's decided to do something about it. They're working on starting a Biggest Loser-type competition to help the enthusiasts on the site get back into riding shape again. Good for them. Any excuse to get in shape and adopt a healthy lifestyle is great. Especially if it allows you to enjoy one of your passions.

What do you think about this issue? Have you ever been unable to ride a coaster? Leave a comment below.

Simpsons Ride Opens at Universal Studios Florida

Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon Buy Six Flags For the Night
Even celebrities can't resist roller coasters. This week, newlyweds Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey bought out Six Flags Magic Mountain for a private party. If you're thinking of doing the same for your next get together, you better have $250,000 laying around, because allegedly that's what it costs. I doubt Tom and Kate Cruise paid a dime when they had Six Flags America all to themselves as they were VIP guests of Six Flags owner Dan Snyder.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that Nick & Mariah are strapped into B&M flying coaster Tatsu in this picture. If nothing else, maybe it will be some good press for Magic Mountain. Living in L.A., there were a number of theme parks the couple could've visited including Knotts Berry Farm, California Adventures, Disneyland, etc.

Ever wish you could have an entire amusement park to yourself? Leave a comment below. Image courtesy of TheInsiderOnline.

Darien Lake's MotoCoaster Gets a New Name
Darien Lake, near Buffalo, NY, is building the first Zamperla MotoCoaster. This week, the park announced a new name for its first new coaster in nine years. Named after the popular reality show, the ride will be known as the Orange County Choppers MotoCoaster. The partnership makes sense. Especially when you consider that the show is based in Orange County, upstate New York, not 'The OC' in Cali like many think. The Teutuls are even going to design a custom bike that will be on display at Darien Lake.

Instead of standard seats, the trains will contain rows of bikes. Aside from the interesting riding position, the OCC MotoCoaster will feature a 38 mph launch via a flywheel system. More on the OCC MotoCoaster including a video.

What do you think of the Orange County Chopper name change? Leave a comment below.

Walt Disney World & American Idol Team Up

"Guest performers with the highest votes will compete in an end-of-day Grand Finale show at Walt Disney World, and the winner of the Grand Finale show will receive a guaranteed reservation for a future regional stadium audition -- to ensure no waiting in long lines. But when it comes down to the television show auditions, everyone is treated equal."

We can only hope there's a cheesy host that stops the show for a commercial break just as you're about to find out if you've been voted off or not. The attraction is set to open later this year. I'm really more of a coaster guy than anything else so I can't say I'm really all that interested in the news. It is a neat idea, I guess. For the full press release and a press video click here.

What do you think of the American Idol attraction coming to Disney World? Sounds a little pitchy to me, dawg. Leave a comment below.

Transformers Could Be Rolling into a Theme Park
Like The World of Harry Potter and The Batman Dark Knight Coasters, the Transformers may be making the move from the big screen to the theme park world. There are rumors that Paramount is planning a theme park attraction based on everyone's favorite robots in disguise. The Transformers attraction is said to be a dark ride and will allegedly open in between Transformers 2 and Transformers 3. Transformers 2 has a release date of June 2009, so the ride would probably open in 2010 at the earliest. To bad Paramount doesn't have their own parks to open the ride in anymore.

Read the full story at Cinema Blend.

What do you think of Transformers Dark Ride? Leave a comment below.

Video Game Company Looks to Expand Theme Park Business
Sega has plans to open an indoor theme park in Dubai according to an article from GamesIndustry. It will be similar to Sega's Joypolis centers in Japan. The park will be part of the 76,000 square foot Dubai Mall and also the site of the world's tallest tower, the amazing Burj Dubai. On a side not, check out this diagram of the world's tallest buildings.

Sega Corp. and Dubai's Emaar Properties have also announced that they will be building additional theme parks in North Africa and South Asia. No word yet on similar parks in the U.S.

What do you think of Sega getting into the theme park industry? Leave a comment below.

Six Flags St. Louis will Introduce Evel Knievel Coaster in 2008
Six Flags St. Louis will follow up this year's Tony Hawk's Big Spin coaster with its second new roller coaster in 2 years. In 2008, they will introduce their ninth coaster named after the daredevil Evel Knievel. Great Coasters International has designed the wooden twister that's reminiscent of the Wildcat at Hersheypark and Roar at Six Flags America.

I think naming the coaster after Evel Knievel is a bit of weird choice. The coaster doesn't really fit the daredevil's insane jumps and I doubt many kids under 20 will know who Knievel is. One look at the layout reminds me of the Wildcat at Hersheypark. Hopefully Evel Knievel will offer a smoother ride for longer than just its first five or six years unlike Roar and Wildcat.

Evel Knievel Roller Coaster Stats
Length: 2700'
Height: 82'
Drop: 80'
Speed: 50 mph
Cost: $7,000,000

Excited about the Evel Knievel coaster? Leave a comment below.

Dark Knight Roller Coasters Swoop into Six Flags in 2008
Six Flags looks to mass produce (well mass produce in coaster terms) a new indoor roller coaster for three of its parks. In 2008, Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ), Six Flags New England (Springfield, MA), and Six Flags Great America (Chicago, IL) will get Mack Wild Mouse coasters enclosed in a Batman themed building.

The Name Game
Normally I can't stand Six Flags excessive recycling of names, (see my rant here) but at least these Dark Knight coasters will coincide with the Batman Begins sequel. Christian Bale will reprise his role as Batman as he battles the Joker played by Heath Ledger in the "Dark Knight". It's set to open July 2008. Six Flags had to rename the B&M Floorless Coaster also called Dark Knight at Six Flags New England to avoid confusion. So there's more strategy behind the naming of these new coasters than usual.

To get an idea of what Dark Knight will be like, check out this onride video of the Ricochet at Carowinds . It's the exact same Mack Wild Mouse model that will be used in the new ride. Just imagine it in the dark with lots of Gotham City-esque theming.

Italian Job Stunt Track @ Kings Island | Coaster Reviews
The most noteworthy thing about the Italian Job coasters are the Mini Cooper themed trains. They're straight from the ride's namesake, the 2003 movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. With the aforementioned movie theme and and en vogue Minis, right away Italian Job is the opposite of a timeless classic. But it'll please the masses and theme parks like movie production companies, need crowdpleasers. I've never been in a Mini, but these Mini train cars must be much smaller than the real cars. Each 4 person car featured onboard speakers and reminded me of Power Wheels from my childhood.

As soon as everyone's buckled in, you're shot into a large upward helix in a faux parking deck. The launch (40 mph) is gentle compared to many of today's launch coasters, but it feels fast enough. A small hill follows and next the train weaves through a highway themed area. After a few twists and turns you come to a halt. I'm guessing this next section is an industrial area of some kind. A black helicopter starts shooting at the riders. The gas tanks nearby explode and you can feel the heat. A second launch propels the trains into a building where it's near pitch black. In the dark, the train dips and turns and has a somewhat disorientating effect. Next, you burst back into daylight straight through a billboard and down into a trench. As you dive into the trench you just miss a bridge. The train then swoops to the left and the ride is over.

I'm not a fan of short, gimmicky coasters (ahem...Hypesonic XLC), but for a family coaster Italian Job is pretty good. It even boarders on great for the audience it's intended for. What makes me a little ill is when average park goers compare Italian Job and its clones to real thrill coasters. It's a relatively tame family launch coaster, in that context, Italian Job is a winner. Final Rating - 6.5

Check out this onride video of Italian Job Stunt Track at Kings Island:


Similar Roller Coasters:
Italian Job Stunt Track at Canada's Wonderland
Italian Job Turbo Coaster at Kings Dominion

Got a question or comment about Italian Job (the coaster or the movies)? Leave a comment below.

Top 3 Family Roller Coasters
This week's Top 3 is fun for all ages. Not all roller coasters push the limits of human g-force tolerance like Kingda Ka. Family roller coasters are crowd-pleasers that are usually pretty tame.

Italian Job Stunt Coaster at Kings Island
Several former Paramount parks (Kings Island, Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland) are home to launch coasters with Mini Cooper trains themed after the Italian Job movies. Feature three tame, but fun launch sections, Hollywood pyrotechnics, and a twisted trip through a tunnel.

Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld Orlando
Most flume-type rides aren't roller coasters, but the new Mack water coasters are the exception. Water coasters are hybrids because they offer both flume and tracked sections. Also, check out the clones at SeaWorld San Antonio and SeaWorld San Diego.

Mr. Six's Pandemonium at Six Flags New England
Despite it's terrible name, Mr. Six's Pandemonium is by far one of the best family roller coasters I've ever ridden. The ride length, unique layout, spinning cars, and the fact that you can get a slightly different ride depending on your weight distribution make this a great coaster. Check out my full review of Mr. Six's Pandemonium at Six Flags New England.


Honorable Mentions: Tony Hawk's Big Spin Coasters at Six Flags St. Louis & Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Roller Soaker at Hersheypark.

Chime in with your favorite family coaster. Leave a comment below. Picture 1 & 2 courtesy of CoasterImage.

SheiKra will be featured on Discovery Channel's show BUILD IT BIGGER, which premieres Tuesday, July 10th at 10 PM (ET/PT).

In the show, they refer to Sheikra as the world's tallest dive coaster. I'm sure it was at the time they filmed, but since late May that title has been transfered to Griffon. Speaking of Griffon, I will finally get a chance to ride it tomorrow. Expect a full review of Griffon later this week. And tune into the Discovery Channel special, Build it Bigger. From the clip below it looks pretty cool:

Harry Potter Attraction Planned for Universal's Islands of Adventure
Warner Brothers and Universal will be teaming up for a new Harry Potter attraction at Orlando's Universal Islands of Adventure. It has been described as the world’s first fully immersive Harry Potter themed environment. Also, as a theme park within a theme park.

Guests will be able to visit the village of Hogsmeade, the mysterious Forbidden Forest, and even Hogwarts castle. The 'Wizarding World of Harry Potter' is expected to open in 2009. An opening that puts it between the Half-Blood Prince (2008) and Deathly Hollow (2010) movies.

Check out the full story at ThrillNetwork