The Incredible Hulk is a steel launched roller coaster, located at Universal's Islands of
Adventure, part of the Universal Orlando Resort.
As the name of the ride suggests, the Incredible Hulk is themed to just that, the Hulk, one
of the many marvel superheroes.
By boarding the attraction, riders are given the chance to become their own Hulk on a fast
paced roller coaster experience.
Many around the globe may recognise the attraction, due to its lasting location at the Islands
of Adventure Park.
The Incredible Hulk coaster has become an icon of the Universal Orlando Resort, as well
as roller coasters in general.
Many remember it’s distinct launch experience, which propels riders out of a gamma ray cannon,
in true Hulk fashion.
A key reason for the ride becoming such an icon, is due to its lengthy and consistent
operation, at one of the most popular theme parks on earth.
The Incredible Hulk opened to the public with the debut of Universal’s Island of Adventure,
in 1999.
As a result, the ride quickly became the image of the resort, alongside Dragon Challenge,
a pair of now defunct inverted roller coasters.
A ride on the Incredible Hulk begins with guests immersing themselves in the attractions
storyline.
After passing a statue of the Hulk, riders enter the attraction’s building.
At this point, they find themselves as part of an experiment.
Around them, guests see equipment of General Thaddeus Ross, the man behind the creation
of the Incredible Hulk himself.
A huge nuclear reactor sits in the centre of the queue line, while multiple tubes encase
the spinning helical structure of DNA.
Various monitors scattered throughout the building show CCTV recordings of previous
experiments, in which test subjects transform into Hulk like creatures.
Once riders reach the station platform, they begin the experiment.
Guests board the ride vehicles, made up of 8 cars, each of which seat 4 riders, for a
total of 32 subjects per experiment.
At this point, riders edge forwards and enter the gamma core.
Guests move into the Gamma Ray launch tunnel, and the experimental procedure begins.
Riders are blasted with radiation, giving them super-human strength, before being accelerated
out of the gamma ray cannon.
The roller coaster uses a tyre launch system, which propels the trains to 64kmh(40mph),
in roughly 2 seconds.
Interestingly, the ride was the first launch coaster be constructed by it’s manufacturer,
Bolliger & Mabillard.
To fabricate the launch, B&M, as well as Universal, looked to an external engineering company.
Once riders have traversed the launch, they exit the gamma ray cannon, and climb to a
maximum height of 33.5m (110ft).
At this point, the trains enter the first inversion of the ride, a Zero-G roll.
This is immediately followed by another inverting element, a cobra roll, which takes place over
the park’s lake.
Riders then traverse a vertical loop, followed by a brief tunnel within the water.
The trains navigate a multitude of twists and turns, before completing a corkscrew,
as well as a second vertical loop.
Riders complete further twists, and pass through a mid-course brake run.
At this point guests navigate the rides final, and 7th invesion, a second corkscrew.
The roller coaster experience finishes with several turns, leading riders into the final
brake run.
In total, guests enjoy approximately 68 seconds of exciting ride time, in which they reach
the top speed of 108kmh (67mph), and navigate 1128m (3700ft) of track.
To maintain the rides enjoyable nature, as well as bring the older effects back to life;
The Incredible Hulk roller coaster closed for renovation at the end of 2015.
Between the 7th of September 2015, and the 4th of August 2016, the attraction underwent
a major overhaul.
As part of the renovation, the majority of the rides track was replaced with newer and
identical pieces.
On top of this, the attraction gained new, modern trains.
The replacement trains saw the introduction of onboard audio, in which a soundtrack by
Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy plays throughout the ride.
The storyline of the experience was also changed, resulting in the introduction of more theming
elements throughout the queue line.
To finalise the renovation, the entrance was upgraded to feature a statue of the Hulk,
holding a replica of the new trains.
Track from the original coaster was also placed around the rides entrance plaza.
Overall, the Incredible Hulk is an extremely successful part of the Universal Orlando Resort.
The B&M sitdown coaster not only provides an intense ride experience, but has a high
throughput of 1920 riders per hour, minimising potential queue times.
On top of this, many love the fast paced, and smooth nature of the attraction, especially
after it’s recent renovation.
With plans for Universal’s Islands of Adventure to construct a new roller coaster, would you
like to see another thrilling ride like the Incredible Hulk?
What’s your opinion?
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