The Incredible Hulk Coaster

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.[1] 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.[2] On-site construction of Islands of Adventure was underway in 1997,[3] with Superior Rigging & Erection being responsible for erecting the supports and track of the roller coaster.[4] On May 28, 1999, Islands of Adventure officially opened to the public, with The Incredible Hulk being one of its debut attractions.[5]

On August 14, 2015, Universal announced that the coaster would undergo major enhancement and refurbishment work.[6][7] The ride closed on September 8, 2015, and re-opened to the public on August 4, 2016, after several days of technical rehearsals.[8][9] The refurbishment involved heavy modifications to the line queue and entrance, along with a storyline theme.[8][9] 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.[8][9] The launch tunnel's exterior was repainted black and the old track and trains were recycled for scrap.[10]

Concept art released in 2015 for the upcoming Universal Studios Beijing showed that the park would include a clone of the Incredible Hulk Coaster.[11] However, Universal later clarified in 2019 that the depicted roller coaster clone would instead be themed to the Transformers franchise.[12][13]

The Incredible Hulk is a sitting coaster by Swiss firm Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M). The 3,670-foot-long (1,120 m) 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 110 feet (34 m), and a first drop stretching 105 feet (32 m). Riders reach a top speed of 67 miles per hour (108 km/h) 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 54 inches (140 cm) 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.[5] The ride features two subterranean dives, is partially built over water, and is illuminated green at night.[5][14]

A unique launch system propels riders up the 110-foot-tall (34 m) hill.[15] The system was developed by Universal Creative and MTS Systems Corporation.[14] A prototype launch system was designed by January 1995. The prototype consisted of a series of boxcars welded together to form a launch tunnel. A track-mounted dune buggy was then propelled inside the tunnel through the use of a weight drop launch mechanism. The designers then experimented with different rates of acceleration, each emitting between one and five times the force of gravity.[2] The final system which was implemented on The Incredible Hulk sees trains launch from 0 to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) in 2 seconds. Riders travel at an angle of 30 degrees through a 150-foot-long (46 m) tunnel, pulling 1 G.[14] To power this launch the designers investigated a variety of systems ranging from hydraulic, pneumatic, cable, steam catapult, and conveyor belt.[2] In the end a drive tire system was selected, where 230 electrical motors power a set of tires that pinch the train's underside to provide propulsion.[2][14] As this system required eight megawatts of power to propel each train, the park built several customized motor generator sets with large flywheels to reduce the risk of browning-out the local energy grid with every launch.[2] The launch system made The Incredible Hulk the only B&M ride to feature a launch, until Thunderbird opened at Holiday World in 2015.[16] Unlike The Incredible Hulk, Thunderbird uses a linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch system.[17][18]

The Incredible Hulk has been well received. In its debut year, the ride was voted the best roller coaster by Discovery Channel viewers and appeared on the Thrills, Chills and Spills documentary.[26][27] Amusement Business described The Incredible Hulk as one of Islands of Adventure's two world-class roller coasters (the other being the now-dismantled Dueling Dragons, later known as Dragon Challenge).[28] Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel rated the ride as his eighth favorite attraction in Orlando. He states the ride is "too intense to take back-to-back trips. It rattles our nerves, in a good way."[29] Arthur Levine of About.com gave the ride 9 out of 10 stars. Levine describes the ride as "both terrifying and exhilarating" and "not for the faint of heart".[19]

In Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards, The Incredible Hulk was consistently ranked until 2013.[30] It debuted at position 19 in 1999 before reaching its peak ranking of 9 in 2001.[31][32]

On September 23, 2003, a 34-year-old from Jensen Beach, Florida, suffered a heart attack from an unknown heart condition while riding The Incredible Hulk coaster. She was rushed to Sand Lake Hospital in critical condition, but never regained consciousness and died shortly after being taken off of life support.[45][46]

• Incidents at Universal parks

• Official website
• Media related to The Incredible Hulk (roller coaster) at Wikimedia Commons