Posted
Cedar Point announced this morning Wicked Twister, a 215-foot Intamin Impulse coaster that will reach 72 mph. This larger model will have twists in both spikes and go a full 450 degrees.
Meanwhile, the live entertainment portfolio will be expanded to include a new "Snoopy Rocks on Ice" show to cool of those hot summer days. The show will be performed in the "Good Time Theater," formerly known as the Cedar Point Cinema.
Link: Guide to The Point
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Ride the New England Bush!
BTW, right on Bernard.
SFGRAMBoy20, 1 year of difference in technology is 365 days. Thats a lot of time. We all know every 18 months that technology's power doubles. Well, that would mean that the tech on WT is 1 and 2/3rds times as good as V2s, which is... as good as S:UEs, which is... as Linear Gale's. Anyways, I'm sure when V2, S:UE, and even Gale was built, they could have the LIMs cool off faster. Just like in a computer, find a way to add extra fans, heat sinks, or water coolants (even if there isn't room, there is a way.)
So now, whats my take on this thing? Awesome! Who cares if there is a park with a similar ride right down the road? Don't they also have an inverted (I know, it's really an SLC, but most of the GP doesn't know!), and a few woodies? If I would complain about this being at CP because SFWoA has one too, I'd have to complain about Big Chief's having a woodie out-and-back just like SFGAm does.
It looks sweet, 450 degrees of backwards rotation. The more I think about it, the better it sounds than the holding LIMs on a vertical tower. A forwards spiral pushes you into your seat while pushing you to the side, but backwards will push you into your harness while spinning you. Sweet! I can't wait to ride this thing, along with Magnum, MF, Raptor, Mantis, and all of the other (now very well rounded collection of) coasters at CP next summer.
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Hi! I'm Hungry, whats your name?
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Ride the New England Bush!
The problem with X-Flight, more often than not, was sloth. There was no particular effort to dispatch on a given interval, and the passengers spent a lot of time just... waiting. The SLC was run fine, if with no particular verve. Superman, however, had some mroe interesting quirks. The ride could benefit with a few more people on load. At least two more than S:UE had. However, LIM alignment and load-test failure held things up as much as anything else did.
Batman, at SFGAm, while similar to Raptor in other ways, didn't seem to be checked as quickly as Raptor is. You had time to sit and wait. They moved quickly, but not... fast. Dueling Dragons is like this too, but worse. Their ops are just... pokey.
I think CP has proven that they can milk all the capacity out of a ride. Heck, that they can run 3 trains on Corkscrew is in itself amazing. That six can be had, and racing, on Gemini is pretty sweet, too. Corkscrew originally had manual brakes, too, although that may have changed. I don't see phenominal gains over what the 1st gen Impulses could do, but with an extra 4 seats and 25% check time improvement, they could see 800-1000 pph.
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-Matt
2001 Magnum Crew
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Batwing-Bow Down
you don't like it, fine!! CP is not the only park in the world, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!! To all you whiney CP goers who can never be satisfied with what they give you, why don't you jump on a plane and head over to SFMM! They have been gettin so much stuff lately maybe you'll find something over there that'll get ya to shut up!!!!!
tell them that the first ppl to get completely buckled in gets a free ride exit pass, lol, havethe computer detect who's first...lol...I can see the massive stampede onto the train right now....
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I think the capacity is a definite issue on this ride, but we'll see how serious. I've waited in fairly long lines for the Wildcat (another low capacity ride) and I'm sure I'll be willing to wait even longer for WT. I wonder if a 4-wide train was ever feasible or if it would have been too heavy.
Lastly, I was surprised by the price tag too. I would have thought an Impulse would have been cheaper, although I guess this isn't exactly a clone. Kudos to CP by the way for adding something innovative instead of just dropping in a taller, faster version of S:UE.
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"It looks like they just decided to hang up wheat all over the park" - my friend Steve, describing the FearFest decorating at Kings Island.
One thing to keep in mind though is ride breakdowns. Constant breakdowns could negatively affect capacity also. I have complete faith that the CP ops will be trained correctly but there are some things you can't plan for, especially with a tempermental launch shuttle.
As for the Superman/V2/Demon Drop debate, they are ALL forms of rollercoasters. Call them what YOU choose, but the park's have the right to call them what THEY want. End of story.
1. When did it become a rule that you couldn't build a great ride similar to another one near by?
2. You want to talk about loading inverted trains quickly? See: Raptor, 36 seats. Show me where any of the existing Impulses are using six people to load and get back to me.
3. Enthusiasts aren't even on the radar when they plan this stuff. The only questions asked are: Will the public like this? Is it unique? Can we put enough people on it quickly? Does it add to our overall capacity?
4. Am I the only one who recognizes that the back seat sensation of going up through the 450 degree twist backward, then straight down through it toward the ground, makes an already great ride even better?
5. Isn't having Raptor, Millennium Force, Magnum and the others already good enough? Does it make sense from a business perspective to build something like that every year? Who owes you anything like that anyway? If you're disappointed, stay the hell home or wait twice as long for a similar ride at another park.
Looking forward to media day!
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
Why has the inverted seat loading thing become such an issue? I simply stated that guests would need more assistance than other coasters because (once again)
1. The seats are quite a distance from the floor and
2. The intamin inverted seats are very restrictive. They are even (quite a bit) more restrictive than the B&M inverted seats.
I was in no way trying to attack Cedar Point or their choice for capital expansion, I was simply stating some capacity issues that is coupled with impulse coasters. You could put more people on the train (SFWoA goes with 2 or 3, SFGAm always runs with 4) but there are realistically only 3 places they can go while the ride is running if Wicked Twister (I will refuse to write WT) has the same station configuration...those being the remote dispatch "cage", behind the exit gate, or by the gate near the operator panel. That is, unless, you put them on the platform while the ride is running, which wouldn't be very safe. You can't just check your restraints and start the ride there, no corners can be cut if that things gonna rush through there at 70 mph.
Oh, and I'm kind of undecided on the back spike. Twisting up backwards would be cool, but I really love that helpless sense of weightlessness you get while being thrusted backwards vertically. Damn, looks like I'll just have to ride it! :)
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Ride the New England Bush!
*** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 11/21/2001. ***
*** This post was edited by Spacecase8310 on 11/21/2001. ***
- "What a cheap way to pull off another coaster count, it's just a giant version of an already existing coaster." (oh you guys already did that! Deja Vu anybody?)
- "How boring, it'll be just like the others."
- "Uhm, what's so different and special about it?"
- "See, Cedar Point goes for quality, not quantity." (this one is the biggest crock of ____ heard constantly by enthusiasts
- "It's just a gimmick."
- "Ohhh that's their THIRD shuttle coaster!!"
nice seats would work so much better (with a lapbar, of course)... and would truely make this ride unique..
All I see now is V2 with a little more "twisting" (not even the best part of the ride, the best part of the ride is where you fall into your OTSR (the only reason V2 needs these) on the back spike going straight down (nice sensation).
I don't care if I should be happy with what they are building, the truth of the matter is they are building a clone of what everyone else has.. What happened to the creativity and unique-rides we have come to expect from Cedar Point..
Not to mention the problem with the lines, expect to wait EVEN LONGER.. Now when you go to CP you can book 1 day for MF and this Ride (once, twice on each if you have good luck) and another to enjoy the multiple other rides the park has. At least have dual coasters, or longer trains with seats on the front and back (if that is done it would require OTSR, however).
I love how they are marketing it as the tallest "dual twisting" coaster. I would like to see another dual-twisting coster out there.. it's a clone for gods sake!
Creativity.. It has worked for them in the past, it will work for them in the future.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
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