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Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon

Coordinates: 1°15′14.92″N 103°49′20.27″E / 1.2541444°N 103.8222972°E / 1.2541444; 103.8222972
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Battlestar Galactica:
Human vs. Cylon
An overview of the nested tracks of Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon.
Universal Studios Singapore
Park section Sci-Fi City
Coordinates 1°15′14.92″N 103°49′20.27″E / 1.2541444°N 103.8222972°E / 1.2541444; 103.8222972
Status Operating
Opening date 18 March 2010 (2010-03-18)
General Statistics
Type Steel – Dueling – Launched
Manufacturer Vekoma
Model Custom
Lift/launch system LSM
Cylon (Inverted) Human (Sit-down)
Height 140 ft (42.7 m) 140 ft (42.7 m)
Speed 51.0 mph (82.1 km/h) 56 mph (90.1 km/h)
Inversions 5 0
Height restriction 49.2 in (125 cm)
Battlestar Galactica:
Human vs. Cylon at RCDB

Pictures of Battlestar Galactica:
Human vs. Cylon at RCDB

Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is a pair of steel, dueling roller coasters at Universal Studios Singapore. One of the coasters is an inverted roller coaster track in blue, and the other half is a traditional seated roller coaster in red. It is the tallest dueling coaster in the world at 42.5 metres (139 ft).[1] The roller coaster trains are launched from their stations at high speed instead of the traditional chain lift. Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) are used for high-acceleration speed during launching. Similar to the Dragon Challenge at Universal's Islands of Adventure, these coasters feature several near collisions mere inches apart. Part of the ride took place over the park's central lagoon. The coasters were the first Vekoma coasters after the Flying Dutchman to feature four-abreast seating, similar to coasters by Bolliger & Mabillard and Premier Rides. The ride was closed down in 2013 for an attraction review and reopened officially on 27 May 2015.[2] Necessary changes have been made to make the coaster safe after repeated problems arising after opening.

Timeline of events

One of the suspended trains on the Cylon side of Battlestar Galactica
  • 18 March 2010 – Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is one of 16 attractions that opened during Universal Studios Singapore's soft opening.
  • 25 March 2010 – The ride was closed due to a technical problem in one of the trains, barely a week after it opened.[3][4] Both rides remained closed for about 11 months thereafter.[5]
  • 20 August 2010 – It was announced that the closure was due to cracks found in the welded joints of the seat-post supports of the "Human" coaster car.[6]
  • 21 December 2010 – Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon entered the final testing stage with newly reinforced cars for both the "Human" and "Cylon" coasters. The ride was scheduled to re-open in the first half of 2011.[7]
  • 4 February 2011 – The ride was opened unofficially for "technical rehearsals".[8][9]
  • 21 February 2011 – The scheduled official re-opening of the ride.[10][11][12][13]
  • 21 July 2013 – The ride was closed again for review.[14]
  • 28 November 2014 – Resorts World Sentosa has officially announced that Battlestar Galactica: Human vs Cylon will reopen in early 2015 with new trains.[15]
  • 25 May 2015 – Universal Studios Singapore announced that the ride will return with all-new ride vehicles on 27 May 2015.[2]
  • 27 May 2015 - The ride is reopened officially. The ride vehicles were changed from four-abreast seating to two-abreast seating.[16]

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon is an inverted roller coaster and travels on the blue track.

The Cylon coaster is a coaster designed like the Cylon Raider suspended from the track with legs free that performs intense maneuvers including several inversions in the form of a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews and vertical loops. The Cylon coaster also plunges into a 5-metre (16 ft) deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a near miss with the ground. It also includes sudden turns close to buildings emphasizing the sensation of a near miss.

Battlestar Galactica: Human

One of the old sit down trains on the Human side of Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica: Human features a seated roller coaster and travels on the red track.

The Human coaster is designed for riders who want a roller coaster experience without inversions. According to Universal Studios Singapore engineers, riders on the Human track experience more G-forces than those on the Cylon track.[17] At certain point of the ride, the coaster reaches speed of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph).

Problems

The ride's entrance.

Just a week after its soft opening on 18 March 2010, Universal Studios Singapore identified a problem in a ride vehicle during routine testing. The ride closed for repair on 25 March 2010.[18] In August 2010, Resorts World Sentosa publicly addressed the reason for closure of the ride, stating that the problem lies with the design of the ride vehicles and not the track layout.[19] Higher than anticipated stress and vibration levels caused fatigue cracks to develop in a welded component on the ride's seat-post supports. The redesigned component will eliminate the weld entirely and will also be installed with additional strength-reinforcement parts. Extensive ride testing cycles and inspections have been conducted since September 2010. The ride will need to be re-certified before it reopens to the public.[20] In early February 2011, Universal Studios Singapore announced the rides would re-open on 21 February 2011,[10] although it was opened unofficially for "technical rehearsals" on 4 February 2011.[8][9] The ride was operational for over 2 years before closing again in July 2013. The ride has since reopened on 27 May 2015 after 22 months of closure.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Unveiling the Best of Universal Studios at Universal Studios Singapore". BlogSpot. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Battlestar Galactica: HUMAN vs. CYLON takes to the skies again at Universal Studios Singapore". Resorts World Sentosa. 25 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Battlestar Galactica closes due to technical glitch". Channel NewsAsia. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  4. ^ "Battlestar Galactica shuts down". The Straits Times. 26 March 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  5. ^ "Battlestar Galactica may be closed for weeks". Channel NewsAsia. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  6. ^ "Cracks found in welded seat-post support of Battlestar Galactica's Human coaster cars". Channel NewsAsia. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Battlestar Galactica enters final testing stage". Channel NewsAsia. 21 December 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  8. ^ a b Bigbearsg (4 February 2011). "A Look at the Reopening of Battlestar Dueling Coaster Universal Studios Singapore". Video. YouTube. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Oh FEB, you come too soon". BlogSpot. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  10. ^ a b Universal Studios Singapore. "Resorts World Sentosa – Sci-Fi City". Resorts World Sentosa. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  11. ^ Ling, Ng Kai (2 February 2011). "Battlestar Galactica ride to reopen on Feb 21". Straits Times. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  12. ^ Saad, Imelda (2 February 2011). "Battlestar Galactica roller coaster to reopen on Feb 21". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 4 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Battlestar Galactica to reopen later this month". Asia One. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  14. ^ "Battlestar Galactica ride at Universal Studios Singapore closed". Channel NewsAsia. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Resorts World Sentosa. "Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon at Universal Studios Singapore Will Re-Open With All-New Ride Vehicles" (PDF). Resorts World Sentosa. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  16. ^ "Battlestar Galactica Reopens This Week at Universal Studios Singapore". 25 May 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  17. ^ Loh, Larry (30 November 2009). "Man or machine? The Battlestar Galactica ride at Universal Studios Singapore". Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  18. ^ Resorts World at Sentosa: STATEMENT – BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, 25 March 2010. Retrieved on 13.06.10 from Facebook.
  19. ^ "Roller coaster cars 'flawed'". Straits Times. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  20. ^ Resorts World Sentosa Blogs (20 August 2010). "Preliminary Findings on Battlestar Galactica Roller Coaster". BlogSpot. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2010. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)