The Top Spin is a thrill ride developed by HUSS Park Attractions, and is the generic name for a series of rides from other manufacturers that follow the same principle. The ride consists of a passenger platform suspended between two counterweighted arms. The arms are turned by motors, while the platform generally only has brakes that are engaged and disengaged at various points of the ride cycle. A typical top spin program runs the main arm motors while engaging and disengaging the platform brakes so that it will rotate in exciting ways. The minimum rider height requirement is 54 inches; maximum is 80 inches due to the seat and restraint design. The ride was debuted in 1990 with it proving an instant success with European fairgoers.
Huss has designed the ride so that park and carnival operators may choose one of eight preset ride "programs." Most last no more than two minutes and consist of several moderate-speed loops, flips, and face-down gondola "hangtime" before unlocking the gondola hydraulics and swinging the riders back and forth. Some Top Spin rides have the added feature of water fountains which are mainly used at the end of the ride sequence soaking the riders as they are slowly lowered face first into the un-escapable water jets. Cycles can be customized to include more intense repetitive flips and also be under manual operator control. Cycles may tend to be longer at carnivals. A world record was set with over 100 gondola flips during a cycle with a theme park model in Germany.
The original Topspin concept has two rows of seating with self lowering lap bars and rider spotlights.
The Giant Top Spin is a larger version of the Top Spin, seating 77 passengers in three rows on the platform. Only one park in the United States featured a Giant Top Spin, The Crypt at Kings Island in Ohio. However, its third row was removed in 2008, reducing the capacity. The ride structure was still larger than any other. It closed after the 2011 season.
The Suspended Top Spin is a floorless version of the ride that can hold 38 passengers in two rows back to back.
The Top Spin 2 is a smaller version of the original, designed for showmen who require a ride that fits onto a single trailer. Interestingly this version enables the platform to perform almost endless loops. This version tends to have telescoping drum supports to hold the main control arms.[1]
There are also numerous other Top Spin rides that were later developed by other companies as rivals to the Huss versions.
In addition to this, various manufacturers such as Mondial, Moser, Vekoma, and Zamperla make an improved version of the Top Spin where each individual arm is controlled separately; this results in diagonal gondola inversions and makes for a much more interesting ride. Such rides are known by names like "Wind Shear", "Super Loop on Top", "Waikiki Wave Super Flip","Super Nova" and "Discovery".
The Top Spin was once a common ride at travelling funfairs, particularly in Germany. Over time, many of the travelling versions of the ride have been sold to amusement parks. Huss also makes several models of Top Spin specifically for static locations.
Argentina:
Desorbitado at Parque de la Costa (Preston's International Suspended top spin)
Australia:
Rampage (Moser Maverick) at Adventure World
Wipeout at Dreamworld (Waikiki Wave Super Flip, Vekoma)
Austria:
Top Spin at Prater
Belgium:
Buzzsaw/Screamer at Walibi Belgium
Brazil:
Ekatomb at Hopi Hari
Canada:
Hell's Gate at Playland (Vancouver)
Demon (Mondial Roll Over) at La Ronde
Riptide (Mondial Splash Over) at Canada's Wonderland
Chile:
Top Spin at Fantasilandia
Costa Rica:
Tornado F5 at Parque Nacional de Diversiones
Egypt:
Top Spin at Dream Park
Finland:
Kieputin by Linnanmäki
France:
Top Spin Fresh at Fleur
Germany:
NYC Transformer at Movie Park Germany
Talocan at Phantasialand (Suspended)
Top Spin at Serengeti Park
Aqua Spin at Heide Park
Top Spin by Ludewigt
Top Spin No.1 by Bausch (Prototype)
Top Spin Fresh by Zehle
Revolution by Kinzle-Nickel
Top Spin 2 by Langhoff
Top Spin 2 by Kollmann
Top Spin by Scheele
Yukan Raft at Fort Fun Abenteurland (Top Spin 2)
Guatemala:
Estrugensen at Xetulul, (Retalhuleu)
Hungary:
Top Spin at Vidámpark
India:
Essel World at Gorai
Indonesia:
Tornado (Zamperla Suspended Windshear) at Dunia Fantasi Jakarta
Israel:
טופ ספין (Top Spin) at Luna Park Tel Aviv
Italy:
Tomb Raider Machine (Zamperla Wind Shear) at Movieland Park
Top Spin at Gardaland
Vortigo at Etnaland (Super Loop on Top)
Japan:
Luna Swing (Waikiki Wave Super Flip) at Space World, closed 2008
Korea:
Double Rock Spin (Suspended Top Spin) at Everland
Monster Wind at SeoulLand
Waikiki Wave at Lotte World (closed 2012)
Mexico:
Huracan at Six Flags Mexico (Waikiki Wave Super Flip, Vekoma)
Top Spin at La Feria Chapultepec Magico
Moldova:
The Netherlands:
Excalibur at Walibi Holland
Montezuma's Revenge at Avonturenpark Hellendoorn
Waterspin at Duinrell
Pakistan:
Top Spin at Joyland, Fortress Stadium, Lahore
South Africa:
Miner's Revenge at Gold Reef City
Spain:
Hurakan at Tibidabo
Lex Luthor's Invertatron at Parque Warner
Top Spin at Parque de Atracciones de Madrid
Revolution' at Parque de Atracciones de Zaragoza
Revolution at Atracciones Lorente
Switzerland:
Top Spin by Buser
Sweden
Top Spin at Liseberg
Thailand:
Hurricane at Dream World Bangkok
Top Spin at Siam Park City Bangkok
United Kingdom:
Rameses Revenge at Chessington World of Adventures
Ripsaw at Alton Towers (closed 2015)
Terror Rack at Pleasure Island Family Theme Park - copied version of the ride built by Fabbri
Tidal Wave at Flamingo Land (Vekoma Waikiki Wave, closed 2008)
United States of America:
Cliffhanger at Lagoon Amusement Park (Mondial Splash Over)
The Crypt at Kings Dominion (Suspended Top Spin)
The Crypt at Kings Island (closed 2011) - "The King of Top Spins," the only Giant Top Spin in the world, completely enclosed.
Der Twister at Six Flags Fiesta Texas
Firefall at California's Great America (Originally the "Texas Twister" at Geauga Lake, the first in North America.)
King Chaos at Six Flags Great America (known as The Dying Trapeze during Fright Fest)
Quake (Vekoma Waikiki Wave) at Kentucky Kingdom (closed 2004)
RipTide at Knott's Berry Farm and Valleyfair (Suspended Top Spin)
Shake, Rattle & Roll at Elitch Gardens
Space Loop by Wade Shows, Inc. (Fabbri Whiplash)
Splash Over at Adventureland (Iowa)
Thunderhawk at Worlds of Fun
Top Spin by Deggeller Attractions
Top Spin with Happy World Shows
Top Spin with the Strates Shows railway carnival
Twister at Darien Lake
Twister at Six Flags Great Adventure
VooDoo at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
