Kings Island new Coaster 2014

Apart from Nessie, I wouldn't give a crap about any other Arrow multi-looper. Viper was okay though.

I think i305 is stellar. But then, Alpengeist is my favorite B&M, so I'm sure that renders my opinion invalid.

rollergator said:

For KI though, I'm still going with a full-circuit inverted, probably B&M. On the other hand (monkey wrench, meet works)...maybe a Vekoma like this one?

That Giant SLC is probably second on my Want to Ride in the UK list right behind Nemesis. If it's anything like Deja Vu, Vekoma doesn't seem to have trouble keeping their bigger-sized elements nice and forceful.

I love I305. It's one of my favorite coasters.

I love Dragon Wagon. It's one of my favorites.

I'm honestly not a fan of quick, forceful turns compared to things like sustained OR ejector air, so I can't imagine that I'd like I-305 any better than Millie. Not that I think I'm going to hate it (I really enjoyed Millie and loved Maverick and Skyrush--except the restraints on Skyrush), but I'd really like to see a B&M Giga at a US park over another Intamin giga/twister coaster. Just for a little variety.

Well, whatever it is going to be, I hope it is great...think they'd have enough space for a dueling invert? It looks like it, and it would certainly be unique (if I'm correct, there's only one of these in the states). In my heart though, I'm still hoping for Cedar Fair to get on the RMC or Intamin hybrid bandwagon and shock the heck out of everyone.

blasterboy6500 said:

I haven't been on it, but those twisties look pretty fun. More fun than tuns on typical coasters. Like Mav-oh, forget it.

It hurts to read that, because it totally misses the point of the "or Maverick" joke.

Quickly, buddy, I will let you in on the joke so you can implement it properly. I tell you this because I like you...

In Hersheyparks advertisement (or was it a Press Release?) about Fahrenheit touted it as the only coaster with a beyond 90° drop. We started listing coasters that had the same element. Maverick was mentioned a few times as if it were not yet mentioned, so people started mentioning it more and more in the thread. Because of that, "Or Maverick" became a CoasterBuzz meme. It is best used tacked on to the end of a post or by itself just after a post where it's origins can be humorously remembered and still be in context of the post.

At least that's my interpretation of the meme, anyways.

Lord Gonchar said:

Ugh. No 305 love from this direction. Middle of the pack at best.

Its higher on my list than that, and thankfully I rode with the soft restraints and no first drop trim. It's in my top 20, but I can think of at least 11 other steel coasters that I prefer to ride (and a few wood too!)

New Texas Giant Six Flags Over Tex TX,y,n,1
Favorite Wood Coaster Any Park Anywhere **,y,n,2 (El Toro)
Phantom's Revenge Kennywood Park PA,y,n,3
Bizarro SF New England MA,y,n,4
Maverick Cedar Point OH,y,n,5
X2 Six Flags Magic Mo CA,y,y,6
Superman - Ride of St Six Flags America MD,y,n,7
Revenge of the Mummy Universal Studios FL,y,n,8
Afterburn Carowinds NC,y,y,9
Raging Bull Six Flags Great Am IL,y,n,10
XCelerator Knott's Berry Farm CA,y,y,11
Silver Bullet Knott's Berry Farm CA,y,y,12
Intimidator 305 Kings Dominion VA,y,y,13

After my rides two weekends ago, I-305 remains my favorite steel coaster.

Sorry for my posts being so close together, but I'm am running around the house doing things...

I haven't been on I305 yet. The plans were to go this month, but they had to be pushed back to to illness in the family. Now the plans are to go to KD in September. I haven't been there in about 15 years. From what I have read online over the last few years, I thought that I305 was a failure in terms of popularity. At first, it was definitely a failure in terms of layout and intensity, but those problems were addressed. If it resembles Skyrush at all, I will probably not be too much of a fan.I will be riding Maverick this year as well, and I don't know if I am going to rave about it either.I am really hoping for B&M at KI next year. Intamin is less appealing to me, for some reason.

Intimidator 305 is like a more vicious version of SkyRush, but with milder airtime. It compensates with borderline neck-breaking direction changes, perhaps the single most intense turn in all of coasterdom, and a first drop that is the stuff of legends.

Ah, good times.

Walk-Off HBP said:

That Giant SLC is probably second on my Want to Ride in the UK list right behind Nemesis. If it's anything like Deja Vu, Vekoma doesn't seem to have trouble keeping their bigger-sized elements nice and forceful.

I sure would have liked to have ridden it - apparently it's a real problem operating in windy conditions, and didn't run at all during the brief stop we had a the park. The Millennium Roller Coaster (adjacent/interacting) was operating, and is a very nice sit-down Vekoma at 150' tall. But the star attraction at the park, by far, was The Beast, a manually-operated Top Scan of EPIC proportions - one of the very best flats I've ridden.

sirloindude said:

Intimidator 305 is like a more vicious version of SkyRush, but with milder airtime.

My first thought after riding I305 was "hey, this is where the rest of the track for Top Thrill Dragster went to!" It combines the face-blistering speed of TTD with an actual coaster layout. I think we can all agree that there's no other coaster quite like it.

I would also say that it may be the most polarizing coaster in existence right now. It's not a re-rideable coaster by many enthusiasts much less people in the general public, and I very rarely see people queuing up for a second go immediately. You still have to ride defensively in spots, particularly in the first turn and in the sharp twists. The same qualities that make it many enthusiasts #1 coaster are the same qualities that turn many people off to it.

Agreed. I think there's a distinct intensity level beyond which a ride becomes totally unbearable to some and beyond excellent for others, but nowhere in between. I'd toss SkyRush into the same category. You don't really hear people say "meh" about rides like that. It's either one of the greatest things ever or a complete atrocity.

I didn't think it was intense at all, I found it uncomfortable, bangy and boringly meandering. We rode once and were like, "Crap. We drove to Virginia for this?"

For the record we rode the original layout, but after the trims on the drop were installed. So perhaps that's what's flavoring my opinion?

Without the trims, it was uncomfortable, banging, and meandering....less boring though, since you were wondering where First Aid was located.

That being said, we had seen the layout the year before (they had a model in a gift shop near the park entrance) - my first impression was "where are the hills?"

Exactly, Gator. It doesn't go up and down. It just goes back and forth.

It was I305 that made realize what I like most about coasters is going up and down. Going back and forth isn't much fun at all.

Back and forth is fantastic, in my opinion, so long as a certain level of intensity is maintained. For example, much of what I enjoy about Mantis (and the reason I preferred it to Chang and Riddler's Revenge, to say nothing of Raptor) is because of what happens after the inclined loop. My favorite portion of Batman-The Ride is what comes after the second vertical loop. I enjoy airtime as much as the next person, but vicious positive g-forces are bliss to me.

For grins, I dug up the old thread about the announcement for the Carowinds Intimidator. Gonch, it sounds like that one is more up your alley, but it's funny reading that thread, because back then, our opinions were reversed (my original response is back on page 2 of the thread).

http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/Topic/carowinds-announces-intimidator/5

I will say that when I first rode I305, it had the trims on the first drop, and until I experienced the later un-trimmed version, I preferred the Carowinds version myself. Once those brakes got pulled, though, that ride took on a whole new persona.

I dig speed. I305 has speed. Plus some other stuff that other really fast coasters (the 120+mph twins) don't have, like turns and airtime hills.

Also, I dig height (I know, how juvenile). I305, Millennium Force, and Alpengeist are my top 3, and height and speed are probably the main reasons for that.

Then again, Thunderhawk at Dorney is my favorite woodie. I should probably break out the coaster enthusiast's handbook and study it sometime.

I read that handbook once. It turns out the Zyklon did it.