The Incredible Hulk Coaster is a launched roller coaster located at Islands of Adventure theme park within the Universal Orlando Resort. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), the roller coaster is themed after the Hulk comic book superhero and opened to the public on May 28, 1999. It is the first B&M coaster themed to a Marvel Comics superhero character and the first to feature a launch design, which was primarily implemented by Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation.
The launched lift hill of the Incredible Hulk Coaster accelerates riders up to in two seconds, and the coaster eventually reaches a maximum speed of . It features seven inversions throughout the course of the 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.
History
In 1991, planning began for a new theme park adjacent to Universal Studios Florida. By the end of 1993, it was decided that one area of the future Islands of Adventure theme park would be themed after Marvel Comics, with a Hulk theme being selected for a thrill ride. The designers of the ride wanted to simulate being fired out of a cannon and subsequently set about prototyping a launch system. Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation had a working prototype in January 1995. Methods to achieve this acceleration were investigated into mid-1996. On-site construction of Islands of Adventure was underway in 1997, with Superior Rigging & Erection being responsible for erecting the supports and track of the roller coaster. On May 28, 1999, Islands of Adventure officially opened to the public, with The Incredible Hulk being one of its debut attractions.
On August 14, 2015, Universal announced that the coaster would undergo major enhancement and refurbishment work. The ride closed on September 8, 2015, and re-opened to the public on August 4, 2016, after several days of technical rehearsals. The refurbishment involved heavy modifications to the line queue and entrance, along with a storyline theme. 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. The launch tunnel's exterior was repainted black and the old track and trains were recycled for scrap.
Concept art released in 2015 for the upcoming Universal Studios Beijing showed that the park would include a clone of the Incredible Hulk Coaster. However, Universal later clarified in 2019 that the depicted roller coaster clone would instead be themed to the Transformers franchise.
Characteristics
The Incredible Hulk is a sitting coaster by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M). The ride features seven inversions including a zero-G roll, a cobra roll, two vertical loops, and two corkscrews. The ride features a maximum height of , and a first drop stretching . Riders reach a top speed of on the two-and-a-quarter minute ride. Each of The Incredible Hulk's trains feature eight cars which seat riders four abreast, giving each train a maximum capacity of 32 riders. Riders, who must be at least 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. The ride features two subterranean dives, is partially built over water, and is illuminated green at night.