Kingda Ka Construction Update

In comparision of Nitro and Apollo's Chariot, since they are the only 2 of the mega's I have ridden I would take Nitro over Apollo's Chariot. But I will say temper that with the fact that I only have been to BGW one time and go to SFGAdv more since it is my home park. Apollo's Chariot was the first mega beemer I rode and it scared me silly since at the time I still feared heights and only having the lap restraints I wasn't too sure I was safe. Now I just slam the restraint down and laugh like crazy on Nitro. I will see if Apollo's Chariot can make me feel like that this season since I am going back to BGW sometime this season.

To keep this related to Ka, Anyone know how high Ka would have to be before we see it from I195 since it was not visible on the 11th when I was on I195? *** Edited 12/21/2004 6:38:48 PM UTC by dragonoffrost***

See, I feel the oppostite! I found Nitro to be fun but way too tame. It felt as if the major forces [positive and negative] were engineered right out of the ride.

Apollo was far more intense!

mOOSH

Ditto Moosh's take.

AC was certainly more 'forceful' (a relative term for B&M) and thus not the total snoozefest that I find Nitro (see, no Nyquil jabs :) ) to be.

Still, I landed AC at something like #30 on this year's Steel Coaster poll and Nitro a handful of spots behind that.

Understand that I'm certainly in the minority with my views on Nitro (and the non-looping B&M's), but after three trips to SFGAdv since Nitro was built, I still don't seem to 'get it' - maybe this year something will click?

You jerks don't like anything! :)

LOL, before the rides at Con, I thought Fabio's Chariot was a real snoozefest too...that night, I almost woke up in the ride! ;)

Seriously, it's those horrible trains that kill the forces, I'm *convinced*...esp. since Bull was NO better, and possibly worse...reduce the (over-)braking, put on something more like Gio/Intamin trains, and let those suckers FLY! :)

Ka will rule becuase it uses Intamin trains...:)

I think you're all a bunch of f'ing babies that don't remember how to have fun. I like Apollo better than Magnum. Nitro is too big for its own good, but that helix up to the mid-course is the shizzle.

Boo hoo! I can't touch the floor! Boo hoo! There's no stiff breeze flowing across my ass crack when I get air time! Boo hoo!

I'm just messin'. Or am I?

uh-oh....Jeff's got his CS (Captain Sarcasm) hat on today....be careful! ;) LOL ;)

I'd like Nitro better if there was a stiff breeze blowing across my...

...oh wait, nevermind.

Hey wait. We're still having fun. For what it's worth I put those two coasters at 30 and 34 on my ballot - out of 157 steel coasters ridden.

That's top 20% for the most part. Certainly nothing to scoff at. The coasters are fun and all (hell, even some of the lowest rated coasters on my list are still 'fun'), they're just not exactly coasters I think of when I'm thinking of a coaster I'd love to ride again. I still take a Nitro lap or two every visit to Jersey and it's easily one of the three best coasters at the park.

Plus, it's a good way to wind down at the end of the day. Can't wait until the kids are tall enough - seems like a good way to get them to sleep for the drive home. ;)

I doubt you'd remember since you fell asleep during all of your rides, but do you know if you ever rode in the back row, outside seats? I hate to be one of "those types", but seriously, if you can't get some sort of thrill out of the forces on the tops of hills 2 and ... well whatever hill is right beside 2 right before the helix ... on those whip-turns, well you're just using more than your fair share of gravity ;)

Oh yea, stay on topic - KingdaKaKaKaKa ROXORS! umm ... no?

*** Edited 12/21/2004 10:07:55 PM UTC by Impulse-ive***

Bah! I honestly don't know exactly where I've ridden the train. Last time at SFGAdv I believe we sat near the middle twice.

I have 7 laps on the ride. Not enough to be anything close to superfamiliar with the ride, but certainly more than "one bad ride" - I just don't necessarily dig the "floaty" thing.

Call it a preference, but I tend to lean more towards rides you can feel. Nitro is too perfect. All senses seem lost to me because it is done so flawlessly. It's been said a million times, but I think it's actually overengineered.

There's an attempt to analyze my view. I don't know why I (or anyone) likes any given ride. I just do or I don't. Nitro is fun, but I could name probably 40 other coasters that I find to be roughly equal to or better than it is and when it came time to try to sort it out in voting in Mitch's poll - Nitro landed at 34 or 35 (I'm not sure which).

I also tend to enjoy Arrow loopers and haven't found a single Togo experience to be unbearable. Want to really be sickened? Manhattan Express only landed about a half dozen spots below Nitro on my ballot. Want to be sickened even more? I have just as many laps on SFGAdv's Viper as I do Nitro. Want me to make you really sick? I rated Viper at SFMM and Anaconda at PKD higher than Nitro on my ballot.

Heck, go dig up my ballot on Mitch poll site and I'd bet most people would be appaled at some of my ratings. I can only be honest.

To each their own, I suppose. I just happen to take pleasure in being vocal about this one because:

1. So many people really seem to enjoy Nitro. I'm one of the few who offer an honest alternate view. (yes, that sounds good)

and

2. I like the Nyquil thing and will run it into the dirt long before I quit using it. :)

I have more than a dozen rides on my two visits. I've ridden in the front row, back row, and in various middle rows in outside and inside seats.

It was a fun ride and I would never fault someone for having Nitro as their personal favorite [just as I never fault someone for having Timbers as their favorite woodie despite my less-than-favorable feelings for it].

As Gonch said, its just not "my thing." I don't rank past a Top 5 Steel but once you see what I enjoy perhaps you'll understand why I feel the way I do about Nyqu--I mean Nitro.

Top 5 Steel:
1. Superman Ride of Steel [SFNE]
2. Phantom's Revenge
3. Montezooma's Revenge
4. Apollo's Chariot
5. X

mOOSH

Yeah well it's not any different than TTD's angle.

TTD-http://www.rcdb.com/ig1896.htm?picture=45

KK-http://http://amusementpics.com/2005/KK%20121904%20002%20copy.jpg *** Edited 12/21/2004 11:25:02 PM UTC by baller24*** *** Edited 12/21/2004 11:26:36 PM UTC by baller24***

LOL how everytime Nitro comes up it's the same few people "badmouthing" it (I mean that it the funnest way) and the same few people defending it. That's why this is all I have to say about it, I hate sounding like a broken record. ;)

Joe "loves Nitro ;)" C.

I'm not badmouthing Nitro. I said it was a fun ride.

As did I. :)

Moosh I have to agree with you about Superman (SFNE) that is my #1 as well, but I personally thought that Nitro blew away Apollo's Chariot and Phantoms Revenge.

You know the old saying... "Opinions are like A**holes, and so on..." ;) I'd have to put Nitro near the top of my list, but I have yet to hit the coasters in CALI. I have only made it as far west as Vegas.

1) Superman(SFNE) 2) Millennium Force 3)Storm Runner & Top Thrill Dragster 5) Nitro.

Oh yeah I am sure that Kingda Ka will edge out Nitro when I ride it. I have to make sure I get a few laps before It breaks down for the season. ;) I know a lot people don't agree with me about the Rocket Coasters, but I love em.

Oh I wasn't trying to diss your opinions, I don't understand the "overengineered" at all, and of course, I love the floater-type air (#1-6, WT, MF, Nitro, Storm Runner, Medusa, Kumba in no particular order, try and figure that set out! =) The only thing I've ever come up with is perhaps floater air!). I just wanted to know if other people seriously didn't feel what I felt on Nitro on my first and every ride.

Again, not bashing. And of course, I'll debate you up and down the block Gonch for all time weird-enthusiast-favorite list. Viper MM ahead of X? Beast at the bottom? TTD below most other launchers? Spider at Lagoon near the top? Heck, I sure don't understand it, maybe someone else could ;)

Mmm Nitro... I love the smoothness, the floating...True it's not the most intense coaster, but I love it! Better than AC, in my opinion.

Hey guys thanks for all the input about Nitro. This past season I experienced both Apollo's Chariot and Raging Bull for the first time and am eager to complete the "Trio". If I had to pick one I guess I'd go for AC mostly because the simplicity and airtime of "Out and Backs" really appeal to me. But then again RB in the back seat on the first drop was NICE. :)
I didn't participate in the survey but I am a big sucker for giant steep first drops on steel coasters. X's first hill alone had me sold!
Dragster was the first coaster construction that I watched obsessively and I get that feeling again looking at these Kingda Ka pics. As far as us freaks are concerned, there's a lot riding on that massive bunny hill, isn't there? ;) I personally think that's exactly what Dragster was missing. My buddy wants to fly right out to New Jersey to ride this thing and I can't believe I need to remind him about Dragster's opening season. I'm trying to talk him into doing 3 or more Pennsylvania parks(which we've never been to) and maybe waiting on SFGAdv. If he can't be swayed at least we'll have Nitro! :)

A thread about Nitro? Ofcourse I'll comment. Having ridden two of the megabeemers (Nitro and Apollo), I have to give the nod to Nitro (surpise?). I am yet to find where this intensity is people keep talking about on Apollo. What hill or turn, (I know some a ya'll done memorized the ride :)) I must say the last hill (where it drops about 50' into a ravine) was a nice surprise but other that that...meh...