SteveWoA:
At this point anytime a new dive coaster gets announced I just think to myself... "Another dive coaster? Bet it has an immelman after the first drop!"
Guests love them so that is ultimately what counts... But selfishly, there is so much better to do with that money.
I kinda have to go with Steve on that one! Furthermore, since Six Flags Fiesta Texas already has a dive coaster, Id like to think that the first Six Flags ever erected would try something NOT found in Texas already like a giga(not diving giga), flying, or wing coaster. But hey, thats just me!
The only two Dives I've ridden are Sheikra at BGT and Dr. Diabolical at Fiesta. I thoroughly enjoyed them both and thought they were great additions to each park. I understand that Dives are not real popular with coaster enthusiasts, but I'm willing to give this one a chance since it will be a major new addition to the park. The last major new addition was Titan back in 2001, and no, RMC Giant doesn't count. On the other hand, Dives do have good rider capacity so that's a plus. If it turns out to be a Giga with a record breaking beyond vertical drop then it can't be all bad.
The one benefit of the dive coaster design is the wheel carriage assembly. The road wheels are large enough to absorb the heat from higher speeds which could allow for a traditional coaster design that is 400' - 500' in height. If that is what it takes to break the elusive 500' height barrier, I am all for it sitting in 6-8 passenger rows.
Coasterhound: Use the reply button, not the quote button. You don't need to quote the previous post. No one needs to read it twice.
I guess dive coasters are the new thing for enthusiasts to hate. I recall that wasn't the case when everyone was like, "OMFG Oblivion! I wish there was one in the US!!1!!"
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Well, it's one thing to wish for something you haven't experienced because it looks like it will be awesome, and then to be disappointed with the actual experience.
I agree that dive coasters are relatively boring. I rode Sheikra at media day and never rode it again. I rode Valravn once when it was new and never rode it again. Not that they are bad rides, I just always prefer to spend my time in the parks riding ones that are more fun to me.
It's kind of the opposite phenomenon of Maverick. I remember when Maverick was announced, a lot of folks (including myself) thought it would be boring because of the small size, but the ride surprised.
Back in the day, the thought of a Dive coaster seemed awesome. I even remember people speculating 90 degree drops weren't possible back then. Nowadays with vertical drops being found on rides like Steel Vengeance and Iron Gwazi, and then a bunch of other rides with vertical or beyond vertical drops. The vertical drop dive isn't as special as it once was. I think that's why enthusiasts aren't as fond of them as they used to be.
Wrath Of Rakshasa currently being built at SFGA looks to be an improvement over the previous versions. The main improvement seems to be the lack of a mcbr. Dr. Diabolical at Fiesta was built without a mcbr and the result seems to be positive. This means the ride maintains it's momentum throughout the course, that plus the elements seem well paced. WOR could turn out to be a big hit for SFGA.
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