Hey guys, I got to stop by the park this afternoon and took some photos of the on going construction of Manta. The drop is completely done now and looks a lot larger in person than the photos portray. I think what tricks people is the unusual shape of the coaster in comparison to something like Kraken, just a few hundred feet to the south of the site.
The Sky Tower was not in operation today, so I wasn't able to go up to get any areal photos of the site. If you have any questions please let me know.
-Mike
Manta is officially a staple piece of the park's entrance. As guests enter, they immediately start pointing at the coaster and talk about what they think it'll be like.
This is what you see at the end of the entrance plaza. From here you have to chose either to go right or left. Going left gets you to the coasters much faster. In 2009, everybody is going to want to go left
The train barn tells us that we'll have at least 3 trains circulating the course at a given time. My guess (judging from Busch's maintenance strategies) is that they'll purchase 4, and every 3 months they will take one off the line to do an annual check on.
As you approach the ride, you start to get a sense of how tall it really is. Whats weird about Manta is that from the parking lot, it looks huge. At the front gate, it doesn't look so big, but once you stand under it that huge-ness feeling returns. Definitely a deception of the eye.
This is probably SeaWorld's most important pathway, a major artery for the park. It's currently blocked off due to the drop construction of Manta. Guests are re-routed past the Stingray pools, and around the Dolphin area.
Here's another shot standing under the coaster.
From the sting ray habitat the ride is still visible. Coming from this way is going to be especially impressive for guests. The coaster's entrance will be next to the drop, so it'll definitely intimidate some people.
From the other end of the construction site you can get a better sense of what the drop looks like. Although it's shallow in comparison to some inverted coasters, it seems quite steep for a flyer (coming from somebody who's been on both B&M and Vekoma models).
Unfortunately I'm not 8 feet tall, so its hard to see over the fence. But you can definitely see the latest track piece installed and its slight bank.
For anybody who needed the extra shot - this one's for you.
Catwalks for the lift have been installed, and the spot that once held the Good Luck Tree is not occupied by a square support.
From the Walrus stadium, you definitely get a nice view of the ride. In my opinion, this is where you definitely notice it's size.
An alternate view...
Finally, a shot showing the overview of the site as it stands right now. Manta will be divided into two parts, separated by the lift. Although it may be difficult to judge the exact layout right now - hints point to this being another Florida classic...