Posted
A teaser video says the stand-up roller coaster at Cedar Point will be squashed on October 19.
The following is the press release issued by the park:
It’s the “last stand” for one of Cedar Point’s steel scream machines. Earlier today, the park announced that the Mantis roller coaster will soon give its final rides.
Mantis was billed as the tallest, fastest and steepest stand-up roller coaster in the world when it opened on May 11, 1996. Featuring trains that secure guests in a standing position, Mantis provides its passengers with a unique ride experience. Mantis was built by the same legendary manufacturers that brought guests the Raptor and GateKeeper roller coasters – Bolliger and Mabillard (B & M), Monthey, Switzerland. In its 18-year history, Mantis has given more than 22 million thrilling rides.
“It’s time to say goodbye to one of the park’s coasters, and it’s certainly been a different kind of ride for our guests,” said Jason McClure, vice president and general manager of Cedar Point. “But we’re extremely excited about what the future holds here at the Roller Coaster Capital of the World™.”
Guests still have time to give Mantis a “standing ovation” before it shuts down permanently on Sunday, October 19 at 8 p.m. Additional plans for the 2015 season will be announced at a later date.
For continuing Cedar Point coverage, visit PointBuzz.
I can see the need to re-profile if you were put further away from the center of gravity but not closer. There would be less rotational force with a sit down than a stand up. It wouldn't exactly be heartline but I don;t think it necessarily needs to be. The transitions are pretty violent as it is now with the standup trains.
I dunno, they could re-profile but I am not betting on it.
I think the coaster will stay the same as it is, save for a new name and paint job, and the trains will be standard B&M four across trains complete with floor. Voila. No change to the station required.
If the heart line is a concern, (and I'm not sure the line was in the right place to begin with), I suppose the trains could be modified to make the seats an inch or two taller or whatever is required.
Really, I'm not sure where this notion that it absolutely has to be a floorless came from. With a simple switch out of the trains the park can market a "new" ride, and with whatever else is coming have a couple of things to talk about next season with minimal expense and construction on this ride. Everything about this no-announcement announcement points to something simple here. Otherwise I bet they'd be saying more already.
The heartline difference between a standup and floorless train are not that different... With a standup, the floor is very close to the running rails.
With a floorless, the seat itself is elevated quite high above the rails so your legs have clearance over the track for obvious reasons. The torso of a person standing on a standup train versus the same person sitting on a floorless train are very close.
I don't buy the whole heartline difference one bit, myself. I think they will work just fine as-is.
How many times have we seen people get on a stand-up train and then push the seat down, sit, and secure the restraints? Some parks make sure you're standing, others not so much. Clearly if it was such a big deal to keep CoG within such confined limits, B&M would put a lower bound on how far down the seats go. Since they don't, I'm in the camp of those who believe nothing will change other than the train replacement with a standard train...along with a color change and a new name.
That, and everyone's heart line is different when they stand- more so than when they are sitting in a chair and their leg length makes no difference. Or take a look at wing coasters, where the heartline follows a different path on either side of the train.
I can't believe we are still debating this after all these years.
I don't understand how this heartline thing festered into a factually identified challenge.
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
I figured it would be Susquehanna Valley Coasters coming in to reprofile the ride and install a multi-layer laminated wood track...
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mlnem4s said:
Everyone keeps talking floorless, floorless...does anyone realize how nicely Kumba style trains would work without a need to revamp the station or other areas of the ride to load/unload passengers? Just sayin'! ;)
They would, but I don't see that happening at Cedar Point because in my opinion it would be a disappointment for a new attraction that won't really excite people that much. Mantis has been at CP for 18 years, millions have ridden it. Is it really that marketable to say that you can ride the same ride you've ridden all these years, you can just ride it sitting down now? Big deal, stand-up, sit-down, it's still the same layout. Make it sit-down and you of course lose the stand-up gimmick that I think adds a bit of a thrill.
Now, move the ride to another park and convert it to a sit-down and you have a highly marketable new attraction for that park that most guests have not ridden before. Much better use of the ride in my opinion. And, CP will replace the ride with something great that is truly new and marketable.
I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks, than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.
Jeff said:
I don't understand how this heartline thing festered into a factually identified challenge.
Probably the same way SOB's wider than normal track gauge and things like that get perpetuated. Once something gets stated enough times, it becomes truth even though nobody can trace it back to a valid source. I was guilty of that one myself actually.
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