Meteornotes Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I agree with almost everything that's been posted. Sure it was a good ride, but it didn't have that long of a queue lately and it was rapidly approaching the end of its life. The only bummer here is that it will give SFMM something else to gloat over even though they have no right to! Well, now that they have the coaster crown, SFMM can concentrate on taking the title of "world's foulest park bathrooms" away from Coney Beach. Not surprised to see Wildcat go, as this has been rumored for years. I am surprised they're not putting it into the CF dumping grounds (aka Dorney), so there must be something wrong with it they don't want to spend the money on to fix. Ah well... dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I always found it a bit odd that they kept the wildcat as long as they did and decided to keep it while getting rid of the Jumbi Jet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownStreak Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) I wonder if I could replace my couch with a few WildCat cars... There is an Arby's not far from Seabreeze that has an old bumper car as a planter... Anyways, it was a great little coaster - a nice tummy tickler. I know when I last worked at the park in 2007 it had an accident and then a delayed opening following that (the same year that MaXair took awhile to finally open). I am definitely going to assume that it didn't pass inspection as the Ohio Inspectors (under the Dept of Agriculture if I remember correctly) can be brutal. My first time working in the park (1999) they wouldn't let Kid Arthur's Court (Play Fort, about where Troika is now) open because the outer netting around the ball pit had one or two 'inch long' ropes missing. I'll bet the improvements needed to get Wildcat to pass were to high for the park to justify - otherwise it would definitely be headed to Dorney or MI Adv. I used to work at the similar ride that used to be at Fantasy Island (although it was the summer the park was called Two Flags over Niagara) and for some reason I do not think that they were exact clones. I loved the 'assembly line' set-up of the rides' load and unload and enjoyed working it better than other coasters (Can't tell you how many times I bumped my head working Batman and Raptor). Backstage Trivia: Fantasy Island was called Two Flags for one season because it was purchased by the former owner of Great Escape. They essentially bought the park to get their hands on the Comet, which was in storage at (and owned by) Fantasy Island. Once it was removed, the park was sold and the name reverted back to Fantasy Island under Martin's ownership. Edit: It was 2008 when I last worked for the park and was the year with the Wildcat accident and MaXair's delayed opening, sorry about that! Edited May 2, 2012 by BrownStreak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 (edited) Im still thinking there was an accident durring testing if it was just a matter of the Ohio inspectors being brutal certainly they would have tried to pass it off on another park in a different state before deciding to scrap it Edited May 2, 2012 by ScottBrown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twister II Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I have always felt that Wildcat was misplaced and just did not 'flow' with the park. This is a great opportunity for the park to improve! Im excited to see where this will go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDCOASTERFAN Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I'm honestly not one bit upset about WildCat being removed. While it did provide a nice thrill for families. I was always sort of scared of it's safety. Maybe Cedar Point can put a new family coaster in soon? Something that can appease everyone like Backlot Stunt Coaster at Kings Island or maybe even something Verbolten like (I know dream big). But that's just my two cents. Don't think a Backlot clone could fit there & capacity on that ride would be about the same if not worse with only 12 passengers per train....a spinning mouse can fit there pretty well though along the lines of spinning dragons. Aren't they using wildcat's footprint for the new luminosity show? if so then a new ride can be ruled out anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kumbarider1993 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 *sigh* not another schwarzkopf... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 ^ Seriously couldn't they at the very least have passed it on to Gerstlauer for a refurb and resale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorkscrewFoley Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 ^That's exactly what I was going to say...I'd have rather it been closed for a year, and let Gerstlauer go and do their thing with it. This was one Anton they couldn't save... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougMJr Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Random question. Does anyone know what became of the Wildcat at Martin's Fantasy Island (http://www.rcdb.com/414.htm?p=664). Did it end up as scrap? I got the credit as a kid, I recall it being a fun ride with a very forceful brake run. These are good coasters, nothing to write home about, but good coasters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 ^That's exactly what I was going to say...I'd have rather it been closed for a year, and let Gerstlauer go and do their thing with it. This was one Anton they couldn't save... I'm sure it could have been Cedair Fair just doesn't want anyone to have their sloppy seconds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadster Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 They're removing the wrong one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDCOASTERFAN Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Cedar Point still has 'America's roller coast' or 'Only park with four coasters over 200' tall' or 'Park with the first coaster over 200', 300', and 400'". I doubt not having the most really bothers them. The whole "who has the most coasters" battle between CP & SFMM has hurt both respective park chains as the capital needed to "fight" this ongoing "war" has resulted in many of their other parks being overlooked for substantial capital improvements over the years that could be of significant improvement to the chains instead of a short term gain for just one respective park. Six flags with more parks total vs. CF has obviously been effected more severely by this because by blowing their capex budget onMM year after year it has left the remaining parks with next to nothing just to maintain the loyalties of a very small demographic...the coaster enthusiast crowd annd I've said it so many times before:no one in Valencia,or Sandusky is gonna give a rats rear about the other park some 2,000 miles away from them having one more coaster in their count than their park does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hercules Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Next = Disaster Transport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Of Spades Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I'm surprised that the announcement of this came so suddenly, but not at all surprised that out of all the coasters at CP, this one's getting the boot. During my one four-day visit, it had consistently long lines even when other rides didn't (thanks to its inefficient operations, though I suppose that's just the nature of having a Wildcat in a park that big) and was down more than any other ride. I only bothered to ride it once for the credit, and it was (imo) nothing special. Now, how long until we see a "Save Wildcat!!!!1!!1!!!" charity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilosandwich Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 To paraphrase Einstein: "Two things in the universe are infinite, the universe and human stupidity . . ..the removal of the Wildcat is the latter." I'm happy i rode it last year, as it was its last . .. it will be missed .. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werner Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I have always felt that Wildcat was misplaced and just did not 'flow' with the park. This is a great opportunity for the park to improve! Im excited to see where this will go! Same feeling here, Maybe they can replace with a more modern family coaster. Or having my fantasy go crazy, an S&S air compressed launch coaster like the ones in China, going along the midway and trough tunnels and everthing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottBrown Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I think a jr shuttle might be a good replacement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Meh, I doubt this will be highly missed. I can imagine it's costing the a fortune for the customer satisfaction/ridership they get back from it. Next = Disaster Transport NEVER!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molemaster43 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 No. I love the WildCat. It was my first Schwarzkopf coaster and I will miss it. Freaking Cedar Point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterfreak101 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I always skipped this because every time I got in line, it hardly moved, and I decided my time was better spent at the Point on something I can't ride up in Frederick. Oh well...credit missed. Now for those dueling Zac-Spins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrykoala2112 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I enjoyed the ride. There's nothing amazing about it, but there wasn't anything bad about it either. On all of my 4 visits, the ride was a walk on, and I managed to get 3 rides on it. I agree that it does feel out of place at Cedar Point, more of a fair ride than a permanent installment. I hope we see a nice addition in it's place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megametal Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 It's kinda sad, but not a big surprise. Most people probably see it as too much like a carnival coaster and skip it. I believe there's still one at Keansburg Amusement Park in NJ if anyone is missing the experience. It was, let's face it, an eyesore, even if it did give a fun ride and was one of a dwindling number of coasters still around designed by our favorite coaster designer. These comments about Schwarzkopf coasters being near the end of their lives kinda concerns me. Does this mean Whizzer, Revolution, Mindbender, and Mind Bender will be scrapped in the next decade? Or is Gerstlauer working to make that less of an issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcdude Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 While Wildcat is certainly not the park's worst coaster, it is in the bottom third and has seemed like the most likely candidate for removal for some time. I rode it once and thought it was okay, but it wasn't good enough that I'd wait more than ten minutes to ride again (with the low capacity, that short of line is probably uncommon). Wildcats seem out of place at major parks, and I think they're a better fit for a small or medium sized park. I won't miss the ride when I next visit the park, and I'll be interested in seeing what replaces it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 Definitely not surprised. Hopefully it will be replaced with something better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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