thrillseeker4552

Deja Vu (SFMM) Colossus (SFMM) Perilous Plunge (KBF) Disaster Transport (CP) Windseeker (KBF)

I think it's because we've heard it over and over and over and over again from selfish coaster geeks that Cheetah Hunt wasn't what THEY wanted. But seeing it have so many supporters is a nice change. Not me. I was actually VERY happy when Busch didn't build a "Maverick Killer." They already had three VERY good 54 inch height requirement rides, two nice 42" rides, a kiddie coaster and really nothing of quality for the middle ground. Cheetah Hunt was PERFECT. And I personally love it as I feel it rounds out their coaster collection and brings a near-perfect balance to their selection of coasters. And removing Gwazi will actually help IMPROVE the overall quality of the rides there. And just like with Cheetah Hunt, I actually hope that the park replaces it with another 42" or 48" coaster that is accessible to younger ages because I feel that is what the park needs. I refer to Cheetah Hunt as "Florida's California Screamin'" (and I love that ride, too!) It's long, it launches, it has one inversion, has something for everyone, and all riders gets off smiling other than grumpy coaster geeks, and it's overall just a kick-ass ride every time I go on it! BGT doesn't need a Maverick-Killer, it doesn't need a hyper coaster, it needs something for everyone, and THEN I feel they can build another "big ride." Maverick was the perfect ride for Cedar Point, and Cheetah Hunt is the same for BGT. And I love them both equally for different reasons.

The amount of times I visit Knott's a year varies greatly. Some years, I have visited 10 times a year. Some years, it's only been 2 or 3 times a year. On average, though, I visit about 4 times a year.

I'm still in aw that this project is actually happening. It's FANTASTIC to see a super duper small park like Adventure City put together such a "big kid" ride. I love it. Gerstlauer seems to be putting together some great family coasters lately (i.e. FireChaser Express and this). I'd love to see even more of their family coasters pop up around the U.S. in the future.

X2--SFMM

I spy a trim on that airtime hill. But I expected it since the animation showed a suspiciously straight piece of track going up the hill. In the picture, it appears to be friction, not magnetic.

Oh sh*t. You'd better hurry up and contact the engineers to let them know. Especially the B&M engineers. They never do anything right.

This makes sense, because Scream is so out of place when you consider the direction MM was going in terms coaster installations at the time. They had just opened X and Deja Vu, which at the time were very innovative and cutting edge. It always struck me as strange that they'd follow up a 4D and GIB with a floorless clone I don't know where I heard it from, but I believe there was a reason they added Scream at that time. SFMM's goal for 2001 was to open 3 new rides: Deja Vu, X, and Goliath Jr. The only one that opened on-time was Goliath Jr; both Deja Vu and X were delayed due to mechanical issues. After opening Deja Vu late in 2001 and X in early 2002, SFMM wanted a reliable coaster next time. So the following year, 2003, they haphazardly added a B&M clone, knowing that it would be reliable and open on-time. That's the story I was told, but like I said, I forgot where I heard it from and if it is true or not.

We were originally going to visit the park on Wednesday (01/07) but plans changed, and we ended up visiting today (01/08). The park closed at 6:00, so I figured I'd have enough time tonight to post my trip report. I didn't take a ton of photos, but I did take some worth posting. This trip report will mostly be in writing, though. Anyway, here it is. Thursday, January 8th, 2015 Crowds: Since it was a weekday in January, after the holiday crowds have left, the lines for rides were very short. What made the day even better was that most major coasters were running two trains except Xcelerator, GhostRider, and obviously the shuttle coasters. Silver Bullet was a complete walk-on, and Sierra Sidewinder, Pony Express, Jaguar, and Coast Rider were 10 minutes at the most. Xcelerator was a station-wait early in the day but filled up to about 20 minutes later on. The longest wait in the park was GhostRider, but it was still only about 30 minutes. We took advantage of the crowds and rode every coaster (except the kiddie one) at least once, with re-rides on Silver Bullet and Xcelerator. The Log Ride, Calico Railroad, and Stagecoach were closed for maintenance. Even though I have been on these rides 2397245 times, I'll post a brief review for those interested in my opinion. Silver Bullet: It really bothers me when people say this ride is forceless. Does it have some of that "new B&M" stuff? Absolutely, but that does NOT make it forceless. The loop, cobra roll entrance/exit, and final helix are all very forceful. The ride also has a ridiculously-awesome overbanked curve, a "perfect" zero-g-roll, and two fairly snappy corkscrews to boot. It is also the smoothest B&M, maybe even the smoothest coaster, I have ever ridden. It's a great, solid ride, and NOT forceless in my opinion. Sierra Sidewinder: This is the best family coaster at the park in my opinion. It's one of those rides that you just laugh the whole time. Coast Rider: It's a wild mouse that runs pretty much trimless (except for a couple moments of magnetic braking). There's nothing else to really say. Pony Express: Decent family coaster, but way too short to enjoy. While the restraints aren't very comfortable, a longer ride would have been nicer. Nonetheless, it's popular with families, and that's what matters to Knott's. GhostRider: This ride is slowly getting better and better every time I ride it. We decided to ride near the back, and the first drop and MCBR drop are filled with great airtime. I can only imagine what the MCBR drop was like in the back car back when the trims were off. It's still rough, but it has really just come down to tolerance level. It's definitely not a coaster I could re-ride over and over again, but it's too good to pass up during a visit in my opinion. It could be smoother, but it could also be much worse. Xcelerator: This is the best ride in the park. After riding Top Thrill Dragster last summer and this today, I proudly state that I very much prefer Xcelerator to TTD. The launch is much more intense, and I like how there is more than just brakes after the top hat. Oh yeah, and the top hat has a lot of airtime. It's just a really good coaster. Enough said. Montezooma's Revenge: It's a classic Schwarzkopf shuttle loop; what is there not to like? And after seeing videos of other shuttle loops around the world, MR definitely goes the highest up the front and back spikes. Knott's better hold on to this one for quite a while longer. The ride has so much history and charm. Jaguar: And on the opposite side of where Sierra Sidewinder sits on the "good family coaster" spectrum is Jaguar. It's really not that good. It's quite rough and uncomfortable, but still retains some decency if you like a long "relaxing" ride. It's still quite popular, so I expect Knott's to keep it a while longer, but let's say if it was removed, I wouldn't be all that disappointed. Boomerang: I didn't ride this today nor did I have any desire too. I hate to say it, but Boomerang is a piece of crap, which is quite the shame considering how good it looks! Take any stereotype about a Vekoma Boomerang and it applies perfectly to the one at Knott's. Now on to some photos. These were all taken with an iPhone 6+. And we're here! The SoCal Cedar Fair park that I am proud to call my home park. The crowds were VERY light today. There sure are a lot of these running around the park/parking lot. We arrived around noon, so we decided to eat lunch here. These burgers are HUGE! It was very good for theme park food. Our first ride of the day was Pony Express. It was a 5-minute station-wait. Two trains running. Nothing major is being done yet on the outside of the building that will soon house Voyage. I'm sure there is a lot going on inside, though. We then headed to Coast Rider. About a 7-8 minute wait. Xcelerator was up next. And that is totally NOT my finger at the top of the photo. Station wait for the best ride in the park. Does it get any better than that? I'm sure you have NEVER seen this shot before. Supreme Scream was a short wait, too. Unless you want the front row, Silver Bullet was a walk-on. And it was running two trains! I'm starting to like Silver Bullet's color scheme more and more every day. Maybe it's just the fresh paint that's making it stand out more. Next was Sierra Sidewinder--also running two trains and rocking a fresh coat of paint. Twistyyyy. Mmm. Some classic Schwarzkopf yumminess. Also a walk-on. We then took a small break from coasters and relaxed a little. Silver Bullet is trying to tell you that it DOES have a snappy corkscrew (it's quick and forceful, yet still smooth enough to not knock my head into the harness (*cough* Batman *cough*)). GhostRider's queue line was past the bottom of the stairs about two switchback lengths.. I timed it at about 30 minutes, even with only one train running. I think I found my new desktop picture. If anyone else thinks it's good, feel free to use it. And I'll end with this night photo of the Mine Ride lit up pink for the Susan G. Komen event going on. Thanks for reading!

Agreed. What I find most painful about the ride is that the lap bars sit mid-thigh rather than at the waist. Upgrading the lap bars/trains would very well bump Magnum up a few spots on my list.

^There seems to be an issue with users double posting lately. It has happened to me a couple times recently as well. Back on topic, I read some Instagram/Twitter posts that mention new trains for Scream along with its new coat of paint. The commenter claimed they had spoken with the park president, but who knows if that is entirely true. Has anyone heard anything about new trains? While it would be great to see some next-generation B&M floorless trains, it just doesn't seem like something Six Flags would do (considering how they didn't upgrade the trains for Boomerang when it went from SFOT to SFSL).

This. Cheetah Hunt fits perfectly in the coaster line-up at BGT in my opinion. With arguably the best trio of B&Ms at any park, a less intense family Intamin launched coaster seems perfect. Not to mention, they just received a super awesome first-of-its-kind drop tower. Actually, after thinking about it, BGT has got to have one of the best collections of rides in the U.S.

Wow! Twisted Colossus is looking really good. I'm still in aw that SoCal is getting an airtime machine RMC! The day has finally come!

Cool picture! I really like Cannibal's layout. It's just so...big!

When I last rode Apocalypse back in March, it was definitely rougher than I expected. It's really gotten worse over the years, compared to GhostRider which is steadily getting better. I'm also curious about how Apocalypse's wood faded so much so quickly. The ride is only 5 1/2 years old and it is almost completely white (at least on that turnaround). GhostRider is 16 years old and is still very dark in color. It must be the type of wood used, because they both get an equal amount of sun, it seems.

I pretty much go with what RCDB says. If it's not on RCDB, it's not a credit.

I didn't know if starting a new thread was appropriate, so I figured I'd post it here. Is there a 2014 Mitch Hawker poll? Does he plan on doing one? I'm just curious if anyone knows. They're normally around this time of year, right?

Thanks for the update. According to their website, GhostRider doesn't close for refurbishment until January 20. I'm heading to the park this Wednesday, and it'd be a bummer if the ride closed early. I'm going to get some photos while I'm there (specifically of the Voyage construction area) and hopefully post a photo trip report. I'm not expecting many crowds since most schools go back this week (except mine!) and Knott's has resumed to normal operating hours (10-6 on weekdays).

An * is a park I haven't been to yet. Absolutely: -Knott's Berry Farm -Six Flags Magic Mountain -LEGOLAND California -Universal Studios California* -Disneyland (might be in January of 2016) Possibly: -Lagoon -Walt Disney World (all 4 parks) -Busch Gardens Tampa* -Universal Studios Florida/Islands of Adventure* -Fun Spot America* -Seaworld Orlando* If the stars align: -Six Flags Great Adventure* -Six Flags America* -Six Flags New England* -Kings Dominion* -Busch Gardens Williamsburg* 2015 could potentially be the best year yet!

Intamin: Maverick B&M: Diamondback

-It is the only B&M Flying Coaster to use a "zero car". -It is the only flying coaster with a MCBR. -It is 3 years newer than Tatsu, yet it uses friction brakes, while Tatsu uses magnetic ones. Next: Desperado at Primm, NV

I'm 15 (right in the middle of my growth spurt) and it seems like I am growing so unevenly. I'm currently 5'7" (and the doctor said I am still going to grow quite a bit), yet my legs are freakishly long adult-sized legs, and I feel like I still have the torso of a 10 year old. I've been wearing the same sized shirts/jackets for over a year now, yet I've gone through so many pairs of pants/shorts that became too small for me. Come on, torso. Grow! I don't really mind if I stay 5'7", but at least make me proportional!

^They do, but they also advertise Full Throttle as the tallest and fastest looping coaster in the world, and it was confirmed by the Guiness Book of World Records. That record always seemed false to me, especially after all of the coasters the posters above me mentioned. Back on topic, I REALLY hope I can ride this in 2015! We're visiting family up in Utah this summer, and the extra 2 hour drive would be totally worth it for Cannibal!

I don't know why it hasn't been done yet, but I would definitely like to see inversions on a hyper-sized coaster. In fact, I just designed a coaster in RCT3 that is a B&M Floorless and is 218 feet, featuring a 147-foot cobra roll, and 122-foot vertical loop, an 80-foot loop, and interlocking corkscrews, as well as many airtime hills. One day my ideas will become a reality!

Wow, I forgot about all of those coasters! Then why the heck does SFMM advertise Full Throttle has the tallest and fastest looping coaster? That's bull crap!