| The Incredible Hulk Coaster | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) Attraction logo (2016-present) (top) The Incredible Hulk in 2007 (bottom) | |
| Universal Islands of Adventure | |
| Location | Universal Islands of Adventure |
| Park section | Marvel Super Hero Island |
| Coordinates | 28°28′16″N81°28′06″W / 28.471168°N 81.468424°W /28.471168; -81.468424 |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | March 27, 1999 (1999-03-27) |
| Opening date | May 28, 1999 (1999-05-28) |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel –Launched |
| Manufacturer | Bolliger & Mabillard |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Sitting Coaster – Custom |
| Lift/launch system | Tire propelled launch |
| Height | 110 ft (34 m) |
| Drop | 104.9 ft (32.0 m) |
| Length | 3,700 ft (1,100 m) |
| Speed | 67 mph (108 km/h) |
| Inversions | 7 |
| Duration | 2:15 |
| Capacity | 1920 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0 to 40 mph (0 to 64 km/h)in 2 seconds |
| G-force | 4 |
| Height restriction | 54 in (137 cm) |
| Trains | 8 cars. Riders are arranged 4 across in a single row for a total of 32 riders per train. |
| Theme | Hulk |
 Universal Express Pass available | |
 Single rider line available | |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
| The Incredible Hulk Coaster at RCDB | |
The Incredible Hulk Coaster is alaunched roller coaster located atUniversal Islands of Adventure theme park within theUniversal Orlando Resort. Designed byWerner Stengel and manufactured byBolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the roller coaster is themed after theHulk comic book superhero and opened to the public on May 28, 1999. It is the first B&M coaster themed to aMarvel Comics superhero character and the first to feature a launch design, which was primarily implemented byUniversal Creative andMTS Systems Corporation.
The launchedlift hill of the Incredible Hulk Coaster accelerates riders up to 40 mph (64 km/h) in two seconds, and the coaster eventually reaches a maximum speed of 67 mph (108 km/h). It features seveninversions throughout the course of the 3,670-foot-long (1,120 m) ride, which was positively received when it opened. A major refurbishment began in September 2015, which included an updated queue line, slight theme modifications, new sections of track, and new trains that feature on-board audio. It reopened to the public on August 4, 2016.
In 1991, planning began for a new theme park adjacent toUniversal Studios Florida. By the end of 1993, it was decided that one area of the future Islands of music theme park would be themed afterMarvel Comics, with a Hulk theme being selected for a thrill ride.[1] The designers of the ride wanted to simulate being fired out of a cannon and subsequently set about prototyping a launch system.Universal Creative andMTS Systems Corporation had a working prototype in January 1995. Methods to achieve this acceleration were investigated into mid-1996.[2] On-site construction of Islands of Adventure was underway in 1997,[3] with Superior Rigging & Erection being responsible for erecting the supports and track of the roller coaster.[4] On May 28, 1999, Islands of Adventure officially opened to the public, with The Incredible Hulk being one of its debut attractions.[5]
On August 14, 2015, Universal announced that the coaster would undergo major enhancement and refurbishment work.[6][7] The ride closed on September 8, 2015, and re-opened to the public on August 4, 2016, after several days of technical rehearsals.[8][9] The refurbishment involved heavy modifications to the line queue and entrance, along with a storyline theme.[8][9] To improve the smoothness of the ride, sections of track were also replaced along with the trains, which were enhanced with on-board audio and special lighting effects.[8][9] The launch tunnel's exterior was repainted black and the old track and trains were recycled for scrap.[10]
Concept art released in 2015 for the upcomingUniversal Studios Beijing showed that the park would include a clone of the Incredible Hulk Coaster.[11] However, Universal later clarified in 2019 that the roller coaster clone,Decepticoaster, would instead be themed to theTransformers franchise.[12][13]
The Incredible Hulk is asitting coaster by Swiss firmBolliger & Mabillard (B&M). The 3,670-foot-long (1,120 m) ride features seveninversions including azero-G roll, acobra roll, twovertical loops, and twocorkscrews. The ride features a maximum height of 110 feet (34 m), and a first drop stretching 105 feet (32 m). Riders reach a top speed of 67 miles per hour (108 km/h) on the two-and-a-quarter minute ride. Each of The Incredible Hulk'strains feature eight cars which seat riders four abreast, giving each train a maximum capacity of 32 riders. Riders, who must be at least 54 inches (140 cm) tall, are restrained with ratcheting over-the-shoulder restraints. This train configuration allows the ride to achieve a theoretical hourly capacity of 1,920 riders per hour.[5] The ride features twosubterranean dives, is partially built over water, and is illuminated green at night.[5][14]
A unique launch system propels riders up the 110-foot-tall (34 m) hill.[15] The system was developed byUniversal Creative andMTS Systems Corporation.[14] A prototype launch system was designed by January 1995. The prototype consisted of a series ofboxcars welded together to form a launch tunnel. A track-mounteddune buggy was then propelled inside the tunnel through the use of aweight drop launch mechanism. The designers then experimented with different rates of acceleration, each emitting between one and five times theforce of gravity.[2] The final system which was implemented on The Incredible Hulk sees trains launch from 0 to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) in 2 seconds. Riders travel at an angle of 30 degrees through a 150-foot-long (46 m) tunnel, pulling 1 G.[14] To power this launch the designers investigated a variety of systems ranging fromhydraulic,pneumatic, cable,steam catapult, andconveyor belt.[2] In the end adrive tire system was selected, where 230 electrical motors power a set of tires that pinch the train's underside to provide propulsion.[2][14] As this system required 8 megawatts (11,000 hp) of power to propel each train, the park built several customized motor generator sets with largeflywheels to reduce the risk ofbrowning-out the local energy grid with every launch.[2] The launch system made The Incredible Hulk the only B&M ride to feature a launch, untilThunderbird opened atHoliday World in 2015.[16] Unlike The Incredible Hulk, Thunderbird uses alinear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system.[17][18]
In the original version, the queue began with thescience laboratory ofDr. Bruce Banner with many televisions showing a cartoon about the story of Hulk, featuring appearances from Bruce,General Thunderbolt Ross,Betty Ross Banner, andthe Rhino.[14][19] Bruce tried to find a way to reverse the effects of gamma mutation, which the guests were about to take part in. While walking through the lab they encountered items including the generator, the gamma core and the towers of power. Guests waiting in line were also able to see the roller coaster through large holes in the walls as well as listen to the ride as it did a number of passes.[20]
After boarding, the train moved into another area of the station themed as a gamma-ray accelerator, while a recording of Dr. Bruce Banner was played anxiously stating, "Everything looks good...I think...I think this time it's...going to work!" A female voice then exclaimed, "Warning! Coolant levels dropping!" and announced that there was a malfunction.Alarms began to go off inside the accelerator as Dr. Banner screamed in terror, "No! No! No! No!" The last "No!" was synchronized with the tire-propelled launch mechanism, which propelled the train from 0 to 40 mph (0 to 64 km/h) in 2 seconds at an upward angle exiting the station.[21]
Immediately after exiting the tunnel, the train entered azero-g roll inverting element and plunged down a 105-foot (32 m) drop. The train then reached a top speed of 67 miles per hour (108 km/h), followed by acobra roll over the park's main lagoon. The train then proceeded through avertical loop, followed by a subterranean tunnel full of mist. Upon exiting the tunnel, the track encircled the station, sending the train into acorkscrew and a secondvertical loop, which wrapped around themid-course brake run and was flanked by two over-banked turns. This led into the mid-course brake run slowing the train before descending another hill into a secondcorkscrew and a turn-around. The train then tilted sideways during the final stretch of track as riders passed anon-ride camera and entered a helix, which ended at the coaster's finalbrake run.[5][14][21]
Following a major refurbishment that was completed in 2016, a new, original storyline was added with a completely redesigned queue experience that places guests inside a perilous scientific experiment led byGeneral Thaddeus Ross. The entrance features a statue of Hulk holding one of the ride's vehicles over his head, and arching tracks passing over him. These arching coaster tracks came from the original Hulk Roller Coaster. The televisions now showCGI animations of test subjects being exposed to gamma radiation and being transformed into Hulk-like creatures.[22] As of April 2015, riders must pass through metal detectors and security personnel and must rid themselves of all loose items from their pockets.[23][24]
The refurbishment added new, immersive elements such as a revamped launch tunnel and audio speakers integrated on-board each train. After walking through the queue, guests arrive at General Ross' launching platform. After boarding, the train departs the platform and enters an area themed as a gamma core. The train begins to ascend a launch tunnel, while a female voice recording announces, "Initiating Gamma Exposure. Hulk Transformation: Accelerating. Do not be afraid." Visual and audio effects portraying the reaction of a gamma accelerator are activated, as a tire-propelled launch mechanism sends riders catapulting out of the launch tunnel. Riders experience the same track layout from the original Hulk ride that was rebuilt with new track pieces. An original score composed byPatrick Stump ofFall Out Boy is played over the on-board speakers.[25]
The Incredible Hulk has been well received. In its debut year, the ride was voted the best roller coaster byDiscovery Channel viewers and appeared on theThrills, Chills and Spills documentary.[26][27]Amusement Business described The Incredible Hulk as one of Islands of Adventure's two world-class roller coasters (the other being the now-dismantledDueling Dragons, later known as Dragon Challenge).[28] Dewayne Bevil of theOrlando Sentinel rated the ride as his eighth favorite attraction in Orlando. He states the ride is "too intense to take back-to-back trips. It rattles our nerves, in a good way."[29] Arthur Levine ofAbout.com gave the ride 9 out of 10 stars. Levine describes the ride as "both terrifying and exhilarating" and "not for the faint of heart".[19]
InAmusement Today's annualGolden Ticket Awards, The Incredible Hulk was consistently ranked until 2013.[30] It debuted at position 19 in 1999 before reaching its peak ranking of 9 in 2001.[31][32]
| Year | 1998 | 1999 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | – | 19[31] | ||||||||
| Year | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Ranking | 11[33] | 9[32] | 17[34] | 21[35] | 20[36] | 19[37] | 21[38] | 30[39] | 26[40] | 29[41] |
| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Ranking | 43[42] | 35[43] | 47[44] | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | ||||
| Ranking | N/A | – | – | – | – | – |
On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old fromJensen Beach, Florida, suffered a heart attack from an unknown heart condition while riding The Incredible Hulk coaster. She was rushed to Sand Lake Hospital in critical condition, but never regained consciousness and died shortly after being taken off of life support.[45][46]
Media related toThe Incredible Hulk (roller coaster) at Wikimedia Commons| Marvel Super Hero Island |  | |
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| Skull Island | ||
| Jurassic Park | ||
| The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade | ||
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