(a brief diversion from our major announcement: Just like we like T words for clues like Timber, T also stands for Tuesday which will be a big day for TGG.  now back to our regular scheduled programming)

The Fireball at the new Happy Valley Shanghai is nearing an important milestone in his young life. No, his voice isn’t changing. Nor is he going on his first date (although we’ve caught him staring at the shot towers going in nearby).

Young Fireball reaching toward the sky.

The Fireball is experiencing a growth spurt. The crew has just set the tallest portion of the ride into place, which stands 108 feet (33m) tall. In the photo above, which was taken a few days ago, the structure was towering over the job site at 104 feet (31m) tall.

Then the crew prepared to set the final portion of the tallest bent. This is always a momentous occasion in the development of a wood coaster. Just as the train will pick up speed once it passes this point of the ride, so will the construction. Smaller bents can be assembled and installed more quickly than larger ones, so from here on out, construction can progress at a faster pace than it has over the last couple of weeks.

These are now the foremost Chinese authorities on wood coaster construction.

In the early planning phases of the ride, the people at Happy Valley suggested that the coaster should resemble a “giant wall of bamboo”. I don’t know about the bamboo part, but the “giant wall” is definitely beginning to take shape. In the photo below, the three tallest lift hill bents can be seen, topped with several flags. The flags represent (from right to left) OCT Regional (OCT is the company that owns the Happy Valley parks), Quebec, OCT China, MVR’s Canadian bank, China, and Canada. I guess it’s about time The Gravity Group gets a flag made.

108 feet (33m) above the ground.

The station is coming right along as well. The park will be handling the design and construction of the building that will surround the station deck. Based on the artist’s renderings that I’ve seen, the entire coaster entrance, including the station, will be very nicely themed in typical Happy Valley style.

This won't be recognizable once the theming is finished.

So we are all very proud of our little Fireball here at The Gravity Group. And even though his life will be filled with ups and downs, we think he’s on the right track.