SFMM to close Colossus after 36 years on August 16th

If true, it will be like when Kennywood announced that they were closing Steel Phantom at the end of the season. I cried at the end of my last ride on it, and not because of the headbanging and whiplash. In my defense, I was a very emotional teenager... lol

Imagine my delight when they announce that the bast parts of the ride were going to stay and the worst parts of the ride were going to get redesigned.

And now Phantom's Revenge is a great ride.

Hopefully, I can get my but out to CA someday to ride all the coasters at Magic Mountain.

An Intamin Prefab sounds like a fantastic addition (albeit typical enthusiast lust) which could replace an aging wooden monstrosity.

I rode this two weeks ago. It's not awful but it's not great. It ranks somewhere around the Mean Streaks and Rolling Thunders of the wooden coaster world.

I've ridden it once, and honestly don't remember anything about it. I know what the layout does, and I remember lusting over it as a kid (thanks, opening credits for Step by Step) but the actual ride...total blank spot. Definitely a product of its day, with the big drops followed by big flat turns, followed by big drops, followed by big flat turns...

What I meant by "good ride" is that the layout and racing concept are good. Racing coasters are some of the best (when they race). You get the added fun of competition. The coaster itself definitely needs some retracking and attention. Texas Giant and Rattler were never good.

These Rocky Mt coasters will get old quick. These parks have enough coasters with inversions.

Intamin does a great job with a smooth riding wooden coaster with high banked turns and without the inversions. A conversion of Colussus remaining a racing coaster with intamin track and high banked turns would be amazing. Making Coloussus a rocky mountain coaster with unnatural inversions loses it concept.

The squawking noises that Outlaw Run makes are not normal. It makes you wonder if this coaster will eventually have issues.

Thankful that Great America left American Eagle alone and built a new coaster.

Uh, never good? Both had seen far better days when they were reworked, but "never good" isn't a label I would put on them.

Meeee neither.

super7* said:

Texas Giant and Rattler were never good.

Texas Giant in its first season was unbelievable. Better than Voyage in my opinion, but back then NO ONE held your opinion of it.

You do realize who constructed the only Intamin plug and play coaster in the states, right? RMC...

And I wouldn't get too comfortable with American Eagle, either. I'm guessing it's day will come. Even if it doesn't get reworked into an RMC inversion coaster, they've done some beautiful work on traditional rides, too, if anyone is to believed about the reborn Thunder Run.

Not only that but speak for yourself. The 2 RMCs I've been on are compatible to intamins in every way. They are fantastic.

And they run!

super7* said:

These Rocky Mt coasters will get old quick. These parks have enough coasters with inversions.

This strikes me as an absurd argument. You could say the exact same about Gatekeeper, Banshee, or any of the other well received rides. You could have said the same thing about MF due to Gemini and Magnum.

Also, I've gotten about 20 laps every year since NTG opened and I have yet to think anything but "this is easily the best coaster in the park and probably the best coaster west of the Mississippi river."

Ditto. I say bring on more RMC. Em Toro has yet to get old, so I'm not thinking NTG will either.

I think "get old" requires a little definition....

If you mean age badly (thinking of the older GCII rides), then we'll see.

If you mean their newness will wear off and another "next big thing" will take their place...not so fast, my friend (H/T Coach Corso). I expect the RMC "fad" to last for another 3-5 years at least.

NB: Of RMC's creations, I have only ridden iRat - trackwork on existing rides doesn't apply here, IMO.

LJEdge said:

It's not awful but it's not great. It ranks somewhere around the Mean Streaks and Rolling Thunders of the wooden coaster world.

Interesting... I've never heard the words "not awful" and "Mean Streak/Rolling Thunder" used together in a sentence before.

(Okay, that was just a joke, sort of... MS has obviously had some work done this season, and I will say that my one front row ride this year was "not awful.")

Mean Streak isn't awful at all, it's just painfully boring.

The last time I rode Rolling Thunder, it wasn't bad either. I mean, it was no El Toro, but we rode it a couple of times.

I didn't find them bad either. Just more boring than a ride in a Dodge Caliber. For the definition of a truly shyteous coaster, look no further than White Cyclone at Yomiuri land. Any coaster with padded head restraints should be ground to sawdust.

Boring accurately describes all three of these rides. I prefer Racer at Kennywood over most dueling/racing coasters*. The only pair that beats Racer is Lightning Racer at Hershey Park.

*Note:(This is in comparison to Gwazi, Gemini, American Eagle, Racer at KI, Colossus, and Rolling Thunder)

Am I the only one who Isn't a fan of the RMC make overs? It seems like parks are just ripping up their quality woodies to chase records.

Quality wooden coasters? Lmao.

RMC have yet to touch a quality wooden coaster. Not even close. They also have yet to build a coaster not to be ranked among the best coasters in the world.

You're the first one that I have heard of that isn't a fan. What quality wood have they ripped up?