Knott's Berry Farm Update: Hangtime Track Completed

Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA

Hey, guys! It's been a spell since our last theme park update, but it's time to get back into the swing of things.  We've got a lot of content from our local parks this week too, so for those who've been missing Westcoaster things (I mean, if such people exist), we're about to make up January's lapse in a hurry.

Today, we've got a bit of a quickie to ease us back into things, as we look at the progress on HangTime at Knott's Berry Farm.  And progressed it has!  The last time we checked in, just barely over a month ago, the track was not even half done.  But they've been throwing up steel in a flurry these past several weeks, and as of a little over a week ago, the track is completely done.  Lets check out what Knott's roller coaster offering for 2018 is currently looking like!

HangTime Construction

With its recent track installation completion, HangTime is well ahead of schedule.  At this point, the only remaining items are the ride station, queue, lighting, signage, and landscaping.  Once the station goes up, it shouldn't be long before we see testing.  And though one would expect the opening date to be around the Memorial Day time period to catch the summer season, it seems likely that Knott's replacement for Boomerang could open well before that.  It's definitely an exciting sight to behold!

In addition, Knott's has added construction-related Peanuts comics on the work walls that are pretty darn adorable.  It's a nice touch to a utilitarian structure.

Welcome back to The Boardwalk!  Hey look, HangTime is done!

Well, not done done.  But the track is complete!

The work walls have some cute Peanuts comics.

This is fitting for the Knott's Peanuts Celebration, going on now through February 25.

There are more comics than what I'm showing, but you get the common theme here.

Meanwhile, with regards to the track, things are very twisty and curvy.

A peek through the work walls shows that work is starting to kick into gear for the loading station.

The coaster already looks great.

I really love the color scheme here.

Once upon a time, Knott's used to cause a lot of consternation with its roller coaster track color selections.

Remember when, say, Boomerang was purple and lime green?

But HangTime's ocean vibe colors look fantastic.

There is zero straight section of track between the vertical lift hill and the brake run. 

It's relentless change in direction.

The vertical, beige track down the middle of the lift tower feeds the lift chain back to the bottom of the lift hill.

The ride runs noticeably closer to the Boardwalk midway than Boomerang used to!

And it wraps around itself like a bowl of spaghetti.

The big, sweeping corkscrew in the middle of the layout.

This sexy turnaround is one of five inversions on the ride, technically the first "dive coaster" in California.

While everything looks pristine, some parts of track can use a bit of touch-up paint.

A bit of marks on some of the support on the lower left too.  On the right, those vertical fins serve as electro-magnetic anti-rollback brakes.

The coaster will pause briefly on the sloped section after the crest of the hill before plunging down the beyond-vertical drop.

The ride's tangled mass of track makes for some fun zoomed in shots showing how intertwined everything is.

A loop, a not-actual-loop, and another loop can be seen in this shot.

So many twisty turny bits.

And sexy curves.

Another shot of the first drop.

it's a very photogenic ride.

Especially in the blue California sky.

That Gerstlauer track looks pretty good up close!

Another shot of the non-inverting drive "loop" into what's basically an Immelmann.

Detail.

This sweeping cobra roll (or boomerang, depending on manufacturer) occurs near the end of the course.  It's also a bit of a nice homage to the roller coaster that previously stood here (intentional or not).

It's going to be a lot of fun zipping through these elements.

The bottom of the first drop in the foreground.

A view of the non-inverting dive "loop" into "Immelmann" from the other side.

There are a LOT of supports in this ride.  It's defintely been over-engineered to meet California's strict seismic standards.

Although from certain angles, it feels as though portions of the track lack enough supports.

My favorite structural support element on this ride is that tiny bit of pipe steel that connects the dive "loop" with the "Immelmann."

Three coasters. One shot.

There will be a lot of great angles for close-up roller coaster shots with HangTime!

So this update also functions as a bit of a scouting mission.

Hangtime peeking up from behind Boardwalk BBQ.

The ride from the other side, near the employee entrance to the Lakeside cafeteria.

So many supports...

This is certainly a ride that stands out from all angles.

Stairs to help riders if the train ever becomes stranded up there.  Although evacuation to ground level hasn't fully been installed yet.

A close-up at the other side of the boomerang.

As I mentioned, this 150-foot tall roller coaster is not one to blend in, so it has sightlines from well outside of The Boardwalk.

Add this to Knott's ever-progressing skyline!

Xcelerator Status Update

Um... it's still closed.  I have no idea when it will reopen, but at this point, it might be fun to start wagering if HangTime will debut before Xcelerator reopens.  We'll see.

Xcelerator is still closed indefinitely.  At this rate, HangTime may open before this reopens!

Later this week, we'll have a report from Knott's Peanuts Celebration event taking place on weekends now through the end of next month.  We'll also catch up on all the construction updates that have transpired at the Disneyland Resort and also see what's going on with their Lunar New Year celebration this year!  It may be the "off season," but that doesn't mean the local parks are standing idle.  That's more interest for us, the theme park patrons!

Zoom bah!