electromagnetic

"A new story. A new ride vehicle. A new queue experience. A new entrance. The only things you’ll recognize when The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure re-opens in late summer are the world-famous twists and turns of the ride track." These are the things Universal is touting about the completely overhauled Hulk Coaster, which has been closed for refurbishment for nine months now. The newly updated ride will feature an incredible new entrance with a full-size statue of Hulk (no more 2D wooden cutout) and he'll be holding up a large section of track. The track pieces were salvaged from the original ride, which is a great piece of trivia for a nerd like me. The newly designed ride vehicles will feature on-board audio, as has been rumored, featuring a new musical score by Patrick Stump, front man of Fall Out Boy. There's going to be a new storyline and fully redesigned queue as well. See the video, concept art, and full description of all the great changes coming below and stay tuned for more construction updates coming soon!

...continue reading →

Universal Orlando's official blog has just announced that The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure will undergo major enhancement and refurbishment work beginning September 8th. And it will not re-open until NEXT SUMMER! There had been rumors that the refurb would happen in stages, reopening the ride during peak times of year, such as Christmas and Spring Break, but now it looks like the entire ride will remain closed for the better part of a year.

Universal says the beloved coaster will be getting some TLC in the form of some great, new enhancements to its storyline, ride vehicles and overall experience. Rumors have the entire queue building being completely rebuilt from the ground up, entire sections of track being replaced, and most importantly, the launch system being upgraded from tires to an electromagnetic (LIM) launch system. This will not only offer a smoother launch, but cost less in maintenance for park operations, without having to replace tires every few weeks. When the Hulk first opened electromagnetic launch systems were not yet up to the task for such a big endeavor, but as time went on the technology has improved, and the time has finally come. I for one am excited to see an updated queue building and improved storyline... Although I may miss the techno-rave party feel in the queue.