Incredible Hulk Refurbishment Confirmed

[StageFrenzy]

Hold your tongue, sir! The Spider-Man one sends you through the awesome dark room scene.

and the wonky file cabinet room.

 

[Ginzuishou]

Great! Maybe it won't be so rough anymore. Every time I rode this, I felt dizzy afterwards.

 

[Bairstow]

It is SOP to fill the box spine of the B&M track with sand to reduce noise. With Hulk they intentionally didn't do that so that it has that distinctive Hulk roar.

Oh, and for a little perspective, Transformers took 11 months total to build. This refurb is 10 months.

Sounds good to me.
I like "B&M roar" but get my fill of it from Kumba.

Has anyone whipped up any fan art to show what the new paint scheme might look like?

 

[danpam1024]

Great! Maybe it won't be so rough anymore. Every time I rode this, I felt dizzy afterwards.

it's really rough on bouncing your head around- I don't remember it being that bad when the park opened- I was quite a bit younger though.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Soo.. it's been open for over a year now... how's she holding up?

The lockers are disgusting, dirty, sticky, sweltering hot. Universal of course never learns their lesson to not make the locker areas as cramped and stressful as possible.
The queue is absolutely filthy, dirt and grime all over the ground.
One of the three DNA displays is broken, literally cracked, and doesn't spin.
Half the headlights are out on every train.
The audio almost never works, it either cuts in and out the entire time or blares and crackles... or doesn't play at all.
Still can't hear whatever is being said in the launch tube.

I hate how the parks always act like the show quality on roller coasters doesn't matter. BUT, I will say that its smoother now than when it first re-opened.

 

[Mikejakester]

Soo.. it's been open for over a year now... how's she holding up?

The lockers are disgusting, dirty, sticky, sweltering hot. Universal of course never learns their lesson to not make the locker areas as cramped and stressful as possible.
The queue is absolutely filthy, dirt and grime all over the ground.
One of the three DNA displays is broken, literally cracked, and doesn't spin.
Half the headlights are out on every train.
The audio almost never works, it either cuts in and out the entire time or blares and crackles... or doesn't play at all.
Still can't hear whatever is being said in the launch tube.

I hate how the parks always act like the show quality on roller coasters doesn't matter. BUT, I will say that its smoother now than when it first re-opened.

I've gotten a chance to ride it twice. The first time the audio didn't work. the second time the audio did work, however, I could not make out what the music was. I also agree that you can't make out what the audio is saying in the tube either. The ride is in fact significantly smoother. I remember my head bouncing around a lot before, however, not anymore in the new version. I actually think the lockers are an improvement on efficiency (altho a little confusing to use for the first time) however, they are kind of small for anything bigger than cel phones or wallets (like bags). I did notice the broken DNA.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

BUT, I will say that its smoother now than when it first re-opened.

Just a reminder that Hulk's smooth/rough factor is simply a byproduct of the condition of the wheels in use. Since they didn't replace the launch mechanism during the refurb and are continuing to use the friction drive tire system, they can't use B&M's tensioned and adjustable wheel assemblies as there always has to be some slop in the gauge to account for the condition of the pneumatic tires on the launch.

You can get a smooth ride on Hulk with the following conditions:

- New wheels (this allows for the closest tolerances) as most of the roughness on Hulk comes from wheel slap against the rails that translates in shock through the train and usually into a nice pop to the noggin.
- The harder cold weather wheels on an unexpectedly hot day making the ride run much faster and pinning the train in place easier thanks to g-force. You can tell the difference in wheel compounds by the color. Parks control the speed of the ride by swapping softer compound wheels out for the harder nylon ones when it gets cooler to compensate for the viscosity differences of the grease in the bearings. Cooler conditions slow the bearings down. So, the perfect storm for a B&M is a hot day in the middle of a normally cold portion of the year. To get an idea of the difference the wheel compounds make, find a video of a B&M coaster under testing conditions before it opens to the public for the first time. There is a video online of Mako on its maiden run that shows the difference (well, that and the trim brakes being off).
​

So, if she's running better now it's likely some wheel replacements as I doubt they've started mixing in any nylon just yet. I don't know Universal's threshold; but, I think it's sub 50 degree lows during operating where they usually starting putting a few on in most parks (or they do it in parks that may have high winds that can cause rollbacks - Cedar Point, cough cough).

All B&M's LOVE the harder compound cold weather wheels. On a day when Hulk was smooth, that was always the day to be riding Fire Dragon as usually a smooth (fast) Hulk meant an insane ride on Dragons. Oh, the memories of the magic back right seat on Fire. She will be sorely missed (I do think replacing it for the FF coaster is the right choice though).

 

[JoeCamel]

Just a reminder that Hulk's smooth/rough factor is simply a byproduct of the condition of the wheels in use. Since they didn't replace the launch mechanism during the refurb and are continuing to use the friction drive tire system, they can't use B&M's tensioned and adjustable wheel assemblies as there always has to be some slop in the gauge to account for the condition of the pneumatic tires on the launch.

You can get a smooth ride on Hulk with the following conditions:

- New wheels (this allows for the closest tolerances) as most of the roughness on Hulk comes from wheel slap against the rails that translates in shock through the train and usually into a nice pop to the noggin.
- The harder cold weather wheels on an unexpectedly hot day making the ride run much faster and pinning the train in place easier thanks to g-force. You can tell the difference in wheel compounds by the color. Parks control the speed of the ride by swapping softer compound wheels out for the harder nylon ones when it gets cooler to compensate for the viscosity differences of the grease in the bearings. Cooler conditions slow the bearings down. So, the perfect storm for a B&M is a hot day in the middle of a normally cold portion of the year. To get an idea of the difference the wheel compounds make, find a video of a B&M coaster under testing conditions before it opens to the public for the first time. There is a video online of Mako on its maiden run that shows the difference (well, that and the trim brakes being off).
​

So, if she's running better now it's likely some wheel replacements as I doubt they've started mixing in any nylon just yet. I don't know Universal's threshold; but, I think it's sub 50 degree lows during operating where they usually starting putting a few on in most parks (or they do it in parks that may have high winds that can cause rollbacks - Cedar Point, cough cough).

All B&M's LOVE the harder compound cold weather wheels. On a day when Hulk was smooth, that was always the day to be riding Fire Dragon as usually a smooth (fast) Hulk meant an insane ride on Dragons. Oh, the memories of the magic back right seat on Fire. She will be sorely missed (I do think replacing it for the FF coaster is the right choice though).

So we need to start a wheel watch?

 

[Tom Morrow]

Just to clarify, my observations, including about smoothness, account for several rides over the last few months, not just one ride. It's been consistently smooth - perhaps they are focusing more on replacing worn wheels faster?

Just a reminder that Hulk's smooth/rough factor is simply a byproduct of the condition of the wheels in use. Since they didn't replace the launch mechanism during the refurb and are continuing to use the friction drive tire system, they can't use B&M's tensioned and adjustable wheel assemblies as there always has to be some slop in the gauge to account for the condition of the pneumatic tires on the launch.

You can get a smooth ride on Hulk with the following conditions:

- New wheels (this allows for the closest tolerances) as most of the roughness on Hulk comes from wheel slap against the rails that translates in shock through the train and usually into a nice pop to the noggin.
- The harder cold weather wheels on an unexpectedly hot day making the ride run much faster and pinning the train in place easier thanks to g-force. You can tell the difference in wheel compounds by the color. Parks control the speed of the ride by swapping softer compound wheels out for the harder nylon ones when it gets cooler to compensate for the viscosity differences of the grease in the bearings. Cooler conditions slow the bearings down. So, the perfect storm for a B&M is a hot day in the middle of a normally cold portion of the year. To get an idea of the difference the wheel compounds make, find a video of a B&M coaster under testing conditions before it opens to the public for the first time. There is a video online of Mako on its maiden run that shows the difference (well, that and the trim brakes being off).
​

So, if she's running better now it's likely some wheel replacements as I doubt they've started mixing in any nylon just yet. I don't know Universal's threshold; but, I think it's sub 50 degree lows during operating where they usually starting putting a few on in most parks (or they do it in parks that may have high winds that can cause rollbacks - Cedar Point, cough cough).

All B&M's LOVE the harder compound cold weather wheels. On a day when Hulk was smooth, that was always the day to be riding Fire Dragon as usually a smooth (fast) Hulk meant an insane ride on Dragons. Oh, the memories of the magic back right seat on Fire. She will be sorely missed (I do think replacing it for the FF coaster is the right choice though).

What color are the cold weather wheels? The wheels on Hulk are a white material.

 

[JoeCamel]

Just to clarify, my observations, including about smoothness, account for several rides over the last few months, not just one ride. It's been consistently smooth - perhaps they are focusing more on replacing worn wheels faster?


What color are the cold weather wheels? The wheels on Hulk are a white material.

I hope it is smoother. I had high hopes after the rebuild and took one daytime and one night time ride. Didn't think it was any better than before the new trains so I haven't been back. Love the layout but hate the banging. Guess I give it another go to see if it is better.

 

[sedati]

I hope it is smoother. I had high hopes after the rebuild and took one daytime and one night time ride. Didn't think it was any better than before the new trains so I haven't been back. Love the layout but hate the banging. Guess I give it another go to see if it is better.

Experiencing it last month was pretty much as I'd remembered it from when it was new. The first half with its huge sweeping maneuvers was wonderful, but the tight and twisty back half does beat you up. Love the cool mist tube. Didn't notice any audio in the launch tube on two separate rides hours apart.

 

[raven]

I've ridden it several times since it reopened, most recently last weekend, and it's been smooth the entire time. Audio worked on every ride as well and at night all of the lights seemed to be working just fine. I'm sure it has glitches and bulb burnouts just like every other ride across the planet but to me it seems like they are keeping on top of it.

 

[JediMasterMatt]

Just to clarify, my observations, including about smoothness, account for several rides over the last few months, not just one ride. It's been consistently smooth - perhaps they are focusing more on replacing worn wheels faster?

What color are the cold weather wheels? The wheels on Hulk are a white material.

B&M has different color compounds (that have different colors) for different ranges of speed/temp. The white ones are on the softer/slower side and you'll see those in the majority on the Orlando rides because of the heat.

All the trains are new when it reopened, so they are in the best shape they can be currently.

They typically don't make it all the way to being retired from just regular wear. They usually have some sort of failure (delamination) where it will get a flat spot or a part of the material will necessitate the change. You'll see the different compounds start to get used as it cools down.