Worlds of Fun announces Prowler

I think that's a totally unqualified statement, and I know a great many people who actually in charge of maintenance budgets that would disagree with you. Hell, you just need to ride Hershey's Wildcat or Gwazi.

I think a lot having to do with a coaster's upkeep is how well the park protects it, and even the environment it is in. This past month I rode Hades for the first time since 2005, and it had become incredibly rough, bouncy, and painful. Does that mean I don't like it any more? Absolutely not, it is still amazing. The thing about Wisconsin Dells, however, is that they get a lot of snow in the winter time, which can alter a wooden coaster greatly.

I think part of it is the trains. Hershey ran PTC trains on Wildcat until last year, and Gwazi always has. Those Millennium Flyers are heavier, but flow smoothly around turns and banking, while PTCs have tracking issues on twisty layouts, dishing out abuse to the trackwork.

The new trains have not significantly helped Wildcat. It's still extremely rough.

Jeff do you feel it's worse this year as compared to last year?When I rode Wildcat in 2007, I found it much smoother than my previous visits. The ERT we had at Chocolate Buzz was a lot of fun. The only bad roughness I felt was at the very end of the ride coming into the brake run.

Wild Cat hurt me badly in its first year with the new trains. I wanted to love it but OUCH!

I haven't been there this year, but I rode it at the start of 2007 and was not impressed. One lap was enough.

Wildcat sucked with the old trains and it sucks with the new trains.

I have ridden Thunderhead, Ozark Wildcat, and Boardwalk Bullit and didn't think too much of any of them. Dont' get me wrong, they weren't bad, but they certainly weren't top 10 wood for me. Can't wait to get a crack at El Toro, RF2, or Voyage. To be honest, I haven't met a GCI that wowed me yet (still missing KRumbler and Renegade).

Rumbler will be the one to do it, IMO...

SteveWoA said:
The trackwork, trains, and design of GCI coasters are much superior to TGG... In my opinion at last... The fact most of their rides don't need trackwork for years after they are built should mean something in terms of quality.

That is because they don't push the intensity limit the way The Gravity Group does. And their trains may be superior in terms of tracking and not tearing up the track, but PTC's give a wilder ride. It's a trade-off. Hershey Wildcat used to be one of my top woodies when it had PTC's. Now with the GCI trains, it just crawls through the course and does nothing interesting. It went from a top 10 to the bottom of my top 100.

Yeah, but you like the Texas Giant, even in it's current form, so your opinion doesn't count. :-P ;)

I was waiting for YOU to say that. :)

You don't like Texas Giant OR Thunderhead! What do you like? LOL

How DO you folks judge a ride before riding it? Sorry, just gotta agree with Moosh on this, I can't tell how it's going to be until it is....and I've ridden. ;)

I don't know Gator. IMO, I've been right about most coasters I prejudged.

I like Phoenix and Boulder Dash, thank you very much!

Actually pretty much all my favorite coasters on both sides are out and backs so of all the GCI's that might wow me, this one has the most potential.

You gotta love the home coaster, Andy. "It's the Texas way". :)

ApolloAndy said:
I have ridden Thunderhead, Ozark Wildcat, and Boardwalk Bullit and didn't think too much of any of them. Dont' get me wrong, they weren't bad, but they certainly weren't top 10 wood for me. Can't wait to get a crack at El Toro, RF2, or Voyage. To be honest, I haven't met a GCI that wowed me yet (still missing KRumbler and Renegade).

Andy, you are aware that Boardwalk Bullit is a TGG coaster right. Just asking because you went ahead and grouped them with the GCI's that you don't like.

All the damage that was done to Wildcat, is because of the Personal Torture Chamber trains. The only way it will run anywhere near good is with a complete retracking, and dare I say rebuild. Maybe Hershey thought that, if you throw on a few Millenium Flyer trains then poof all will be healed. Well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that wasn't going to be the case.

From any of the times I have been with Andy, I come away with the feeling that he doesn't like anything anyone else does ;)

-Brent