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Iron Gwazi (General Discussion)

RMC Gwazi construction update photos from 6/11/19, care of user flyingdrums over on the r/rollercoasters Reddit. This RMC is shaping up to be especially twisted and tangled, given the area they're working in :grin::grin: (original reddit post)

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This ride seems awesome. Haven't been to BG since pre Falcons Fury, but honestly am considering a day in Tampa on my next trip. The new rides look awesome!
 
This ride seems awesome. Haven't been to BG since pre Falcons Fury, but honestly am considering a day in Tampa on my next trip. The new rides look awesome!

RMC Gwazi alone will be worth the trip, no doubt. :grin::grin: I feel like a huge fangirl, continually hyping the RMC coasters, but they really are in a class all their own. Be they I-Box, Topper Track, or Raptor/single-rail, they all amaze in their own way. BGT chose wisely, in this case. Whatever ends up replacing Gwazi will be a top addition to the park. These coasters are super fun to watch going up during construction, too! :rock:
 
Holy cow what is going on with the positioning of those bents? Outward banked curve right after a 200 ft drop? Sounds killer

That's the best part of watching these bad riders being built--you can only guess at what kind of batsh*t crazy-fun elements these will be. And, yeah, something like that is child's play for an RMC, lol.

Edited to add new construction pictures that were posted to the RMC Connoisseurs FB group today (didn't want to double-post, sorry; and yes, I'm a coaster nerd and belong to a bunch of groups lol). Pics are by group member Ian Jordan Chaille and were taken today from the concert field after it opened at 8pm. (original post is here though I believe you need to be a member to view it)**If there is a way to add these behind a collapsible link or something, please let me know!** Also, there are other images in this member's post that I'm not including here, because I can't be positive they weren't in an employee-only area, or VERY close. It seems like you can walk up to this area from the concert field, but I tried to be careful with the pics I chose anyway, just in case.

(Fun fact: RMC top-off/completion ceremonies usually feature the team lowering in and bolting down/connecting a piece of the final barrel roll element track, or some other, easily viewed inversion element, as opposed to the highest-point/lift-hill element seen in other coaster topping off ceremonies. :) The famous barrel rolls are often the last element before the final brake run into the station, so these are especially symbolic for RMC. We are very far off from that ceremony, though.)
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Maybe I'm too naive/uniformed but Id assume, simply based on looking at layout, this would be the longest coaster in Florida right? Maybe just the simple and sheer scale of this ride makes it seem that way to me but this project just seems massive.
 
Maybe I'm too naive/uniformed but Id assume, simply based on looking at layout, this would be the longest coaster in Florida right? Maybe just the simple and sheer scale of this ride makes it seem that way to me but this project just seems massive.
I feel like Hagrid will have that title for a while...However, if they combine the track lengths of Gwazi you would have the longest coaster at 7,000 feet (combined)
 
Another aerial of the site, care of user dreadmon over on the r/rollercoasters Reddit (original post here). This one is closer and clearer, showing a more top-down view of the site. Taken 5-ish days after the aerial pics linked above.
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This is without a doubt going to be the most intense ride in Florida. I remember old Gwazi fondly despite the many critics out there!
 
A new permit was filed today with the City of Tampa for "new and modified" foundations. Since the job value is only $100,000 I'm assuming it isn't for very many - likely only the ones needed for the new lift structure and the first part of the ride out of the station. Either way, those aerial images should start getting more exciting soon!

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The only previous permit was for demolition and did not include any new construction. But you're right, this very well could be for station/transfer work too - but it's clearly not for any new buildings, as the permit explicitly says zero buildings and zero square feet of construction covered by a roof.
 
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