Hersheypark closing Wildcat, last rides July 31

PhantomTails:

Bad news, Lightning Racer is starting to get pretty rough

I had my first ever visit to Hersheypark 3 weeks ago, compared to Wildcat LR was as smooth as glass. Wildcat was unbearably bad, one of the most unpleasant woodie experiences I've ever had. Meanwhile LR was practically transcendent, certainly no rougher than any other well maintained woodie, and the poetry of the 2 cars flying through together is a thing of beauty.

If you liked that one you should try it’s brother, Joris en de Draak at Efteling. Same, but better, with a real spirit of competition. The station transforms with signage and banners on the winners’ side.

Wow, somehow I'd never heard of Joris en de Draak. That looks pretty spectacular, and definitely more of a true race. LR feels more like the trains are dancing together than racing each other, and I found it quite beautiful.
As to the mention of ROAR at SFA, I rode ROAR 2 days before I rode Wildcat, and Roar is just as meh as ever but was rideable if not entirely pleasurable. Wildcat was just flatout miserable.

I agree with Steve a ways up. I wish they’d just do a full Titan Track retrack and keep the layout. I like RMC when they’re redoing an otherwise dull ride, but what Wildcat lacked in “comfort,” it more than made up for it with a great layout. It was my favorite wooden coaster at the park, and I would rather it keep its original character.

I rode it last year (for the last time apparently), it wasn’t enjoyable. But I also rode it in 1998 as a kid and it was my favorite ride at HP at the time. In ‘98 it was such a pretty coaster and the centerpiece of the new Midway America. Last year when I visited it was completely hidden by trees and kind of felt like an afterthought in the area. Certainly Lightning Racer is a superior ride, kind of makes Wildcat unnecessary…I really hope the RMC rumors are accurate, Wildcat would do great as a revamp.

I'm hoping for the first full GCI Titan track installation. We can't lose. I love RMC's as well.

BariMan:

Iron Wildcat

Steel Wildcat

Wicked Wildcat

Twisted Wildcat

New Wildcat

Following the pattern set by Michigan's Adventure, I really hope they call it Nittany Lion Wildcat.

I would like to see a Titan retrack with the same layout. The swooping high banked turns of this ride would be amazing if not so rough. It has a graceful layout

I am not a big fan of some of the unnaturally flowing elements of RMC. They also tend to try to cram too much into the length

For example Twisted Timbers first half feels great but after the overbank the second half of the ride features the offset hills, outward bank and 2 hills crammed into the final curve. It feels awkward and forced instead of flowing.

Can’t please everyone I guess. Twisted Timbers is my only RMC to date and I was impressed. And losing Hurler for it was a welcome trade off.

super7*:

I am not a big fan of some of the unnaturally flowing elements of RMC. They also tend to try to cram too much into the length

Agreed.

This is why my 2.5 favorites (That I've ridden, obviously) are Iron Rattler, Iron Gwazi, and the first half of Steel Vengeance. They are well paced, fast, fun, and don't seem like ten pounds crammed into a 5 pound bag. Unfortunately for my home park RMC, the second half of SV falls into that 10/5 category, IMO. Not complaining, I still love it, but if I could transplant IG to CP I would.

When I rode Wicked Cyclone and S:RoS back to back multiple times over a day a few years ago, I remembered how much the feeling of speed enhances the Intamin hypers. There are a couple of good, low straightaways where you really feel the wind blowing through your hair which are absent from the RMC's I've ridden.

Millennium Force has lots of wind blowing through your hair, low to the ground moments. A lot of people like it, some find it kind of boring that it doesn't "do more." But to each their own. SV to me is large enough that it has enough of both. I'd consider three sections of the ride to be fast, low to the ground, and relatively straight - bottom of first drop and both before and after the twisted snake dive or whatever it is they call it. Going through the structure also provides a sense of speed to me.

I also liked Twisted Timbers a ton too although that one is a lot more compact. Lightning Rod was great before they cut down all of the trees around it. That quad down is still hard to top.

S:ROS at SFNE is the best Intamin I've been on. I'd rate it a bit above Maverick and miles ahead of Millennium Force. I haven't been back there since they opened Wicked Cyclone.

It's been ages since I've been to Hershey, but a redone Wildcat might get me to plan a trip.

My experience with RMC has been Goliath and Outlaw Run. I love Goliath, and would love to see some of that style in Wildcat, but, overall, there's two completely different styles. It may just have been the day I was there or the ride, but I wasn't too impressed with Outlaw Run. But then again, it may have been the seatbelt buckle getting stuck between my thigh and the lapbar that didn't help a whole lot.

Agree above so much above about cramming in too much, repetitive, etc...

RMC wise, I've ridden Joker, Twisted Timbers, Goliath, Steel Vengeance, Storm Chaser, Twisted Colossus, Wicked Cylcone, Iron Rattler and Wonder Woman.

They are good rides overall, but they don't particularly strike me as world class rides. They miss balance for me. Over the top intensity, flow all wacky and terrible trains that are genuinely uncomfortable with their shin shattering airtime.

I'm good for a ride or two before I move on. I wish I liked them more, but at this time I still don't place any RMC in my top 10. Goliath and Twisted Colossus rank highest, Goliath due to the large elements and primarily that epic stall. Twisted Colossus when dueling was a great time.

I do think Iron Gwazi might stand a chance though. It seems to "fix" the worst parts of Steel Vengeance (the final 1/3), which is strong otherwise. That finale just kills it for me.

The last bunny hills of SV are another great example of trying to cram too much in. 1 or 2 smooth flowing airtime hills would have been better than all those janky riding little hills. Is it a poor attempt to advertise more airtime?

The other downside of RMCs is that they are so violent that parks make you empty your pockets to ride. I don’t particularly like leaving my wallet in a locker so I normally just skip those rides these days

I believe Hershey would definitely be better going with a unique first GCI conversion rather than another RMC that can already be found at many parks.

Sure they cram too much in to their layouts but I’d rather have their out of control feeling rides over the boring or painful wooden coaster they’re replacing or yet another B&M that trims the excitement out of every element.

A GCI conversion could be cool but Hershey already has two twister style woodies steps away from Wildcat.

super7*:

The other downside of RMCs is that they are so violent that parks make you empty your pockets to ride.

Not all of them… Also Coasterbuzz’s #1 or #2 makes you do the same.

Odd, this is the first real instance of RMC "bashing" I can recall. I thought everyone went nuts over them. I can't opine about any but the one I rode, but if anything, I feel RMC brings something new and crazy to roller coasting that we hadn't really seen before: nutty hills, turns, inversions taken at nutty speeds, but smoother than almost anything else out there. It's weird (well, not really, because enthusiasts) reading complaints that such-and-such RMC doesn't have the same things that make such-and-such other coaster great. Huh. But throw two B&M hypers in the same park and the pitchforks and torches come out along with questioning the mental stability of the park executives.

RMC adds a new variety to parks with the same old stuff we're used to. There's your balance.

My unpopular opinion is that SV is no better than the fourth-best coaster at Cedar Point, without even taking my nostalgia into account.

(That is certainly a better ranking than Mean Streak would have gotten, however.)

It's funny, my first ride on SV was with my wife, and she found the restraints and seats very uncomfortable, and I think the intensity was just too much for her, so her experience really colored my view of the ride. I had it ranked a 4 on here since that first experience. Last year, I rode it with my two girls (my wife sits it out now), and they loved it. A few days ago I was browsing through my track record and noticed my 4 ranking and thought to myself, "come on, this is a 5. You know it's a 5." So I changed it to a 5. Interesting how much the person you're riding with enjoys it can affect how much you enjoy it.

^^There are a handful of us around. I sat out while my friends rode Goliath at SF Great America yesterday - but we rode American Eagle 4x and it was running like a bat out of hell (blue side no less). I've been on a few RMCs and find them overwhelmingly... too fast (!?)/snappy and too tight. I'm not good with that super-tight-pinned-in feeling, the occasional ball-slap, and trapped legs.

I LOVE X2 and Voyage, so I'm good with intense rides. RMCs are new type of intensity; turn up the forces way up AND make the seats and restraints super-tight. The forces require those tight restraints. But clearly, people love them. Those rides get the highest badass points.

I loved Colossus the way it was... the new version nearly made me puke (I love spin rides!) I tried the one at Silver Dollar City a few times, just couldn't get with that pace or feel. The SFNE Wicked Cyclone I was OK with just because it's slower than the rest (was crazy over the former Cyclone). Oh well, it is was it is.

The one thing I did fall in love with was watching the construcion of the RMCs. I love that the entire track is hinged to the structure, so smart. And those super-solid hybrid structures are cool too. I was all-in until I rode one.

When Wildcat was brand new, it was a big deal. It was from this "new" company, and it had a twisting first drop. It was wild with surprises. I rode it years later and it wasn't as good, Lightning Racer was much better.