Thunder Dolphin (サンダードルフィン) is a steel roller coaster at the Tokyo Dome City Attractions amusement park, which is part of Tokyo Dome City in Tokyo, Japan. The ride was designed and constructed by Intamin. At 80 metres (262.5 ft) tall, Thunder Dolphin is one of the tallest continuous circuit roller coasters in the world, currently ranked number 10. Following an incident in which a 25 centimetres (9.8 in) long bolt fell from the ride while in motion on 5 December 2010, injuring a 9-year-old visitor,[1][2] operation of the ride was suspended until 1 August 2013, when the ride reopened.[3][4][5]
| Thunder Dolphin | |
|---|---|
 Thunder Dolphin's Lift Hill | |
| Tokyo Dome City Attractions | |
| Location | Tokyo Dome City Attractions |
| Park section | LaQua |
| Coordinates | 35°42′23″N 139°45′12″E / 35.706336°N 139.753277°E |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | May 1, 2003 |
| Cost | $37,000,000 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel |
| Manufacturer | Intamin |
| Designer | Werner Stengel |
| Model | Mega Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | Cable lift hill |
| Height | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Drop | 66 m (217 ft) |
| Length | 1,066 m (3,497 ft) |
| Speed | 130 km/h (81 mph) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Duration | 1:30 |
| Max vertical angle | 80° |
| Capacity | 1,660 riders per hour |
| G-force | 4.4 |
| Height restriction | 130 cm (4 ft 3 in) |
| Thunder Dolphin at RCDB | |
Thunder Dolphin's 1,066.8 metres (3,500 ft) long course passes through both a hole in the LaQua building, and through the Big-O, the world's first centerless Ferris wheel. Thunder Dolphin has a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph).
References
edit- ^ 遊園地でボルト落下、小学生軽傷 東京ドーム [Elementary school child injured by falling bolt at Tokyo Dome amusement park]. 47 News (in Japanese). Japan: Press Net Japan Co., Ltd. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- ^ コースター部品、落下は設計ミス 東京ドームで女児軽傷 [Tokyo Dome rollercoaster accident due to design error]. Nikkei Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan: Nikkei Inc. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- ^ サンダードルフィン [Thunder Dolphin]. Tokyo Dome City Attractions official website (in Japanese). Japan: Tokyo Dome. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- ^ "Thunder Dolphin at LaQua reopens after 2 and a half years!". 12 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ "Thunder Dolphin". RCDB.com. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)
- Thunder Dolphin at the Roller Coaster DataBase