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Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread


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Robb did a great job posting all the news from Kings Dominion today. Here's a look at the media event for . . .

 

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I'll let the photos and captions do the rest of the talking.

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Always good to know that one is in the right place.

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Hmm--you'd think they were announcing a new Haunt maze, based on this back story.

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KD is located in Hanover County--ergo, "Hanover Hill Orchard and Market." Twisted Timbers is set in an old apple orchard that was destroyed by some mysterious force. They played fiddle-and-banjo music, periodically interrupted by rumbling sounds and blowing wind, while we waited.

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'Welcome to our orchard tour! I'd like to point out this here tree. Then there's this tree. Lots of dirt too. Well, that's all."

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They should drive people around in this truck.

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These two locals are shocked that anyone would want to tour that old orchard, what with the horrible thing that happened, which left "timbers twisted like you'd never seen!"

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This fellow is the guy in charge.

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Oh no! Something has gone horribly wrong! At a theme park! How often does that happen? ;)

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That was the cue for the Twisted Timbers video. As you can see, the crowd was at least mildly interested . . . that may be an understatement, though.

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Scott Clemens (director of marketing), Gary Chadwick (vice president), and Katelyn Sherwood (public relations) told us about Twisted Timbers. But just before they sent us off to lunch . . .

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. . . there was a blizzard and Santa arrived!

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Kris Kringle was so excited about Twisted Timbers that he plans to ride it next spring himself--and stick around for . . .

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. . . Winterfest!

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Yes, Virginia is going to have two big theme-park holiday events in 2018.

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Nothing says "Christmas" more than snow, . . .

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. . . cookies, . . .

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. . . and beef sliders with bacon, cheese, and a fried egg.

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Hey, I'm all for starting new traditions.

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Those at the event also got a free Winterfest ornament (confused-looking reindeer optional).

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Of course I had my picture taken with Santa.

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Er, lady, you might want to watch where you step when walking behind a reindeer.

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"Hah! Her shoes are ruined! My vengeance is complete!"

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Let's have a look at how Twisted Timbers is coming along.

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Hmm--does the station count as a "shed"?;)

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Which looks cooler--the coaster or the car?

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This is going to be a HUGE step up from Hurler.

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A closer look at that sweet RMC steel.

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It's always nice to take in the view from the Eiffel Tower.

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Another close look at the top of the lift hill.

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Remember one of the old "Turns of Pain"?

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More Twisted Timbers! They'll get more twisted as the days move on.

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I remember holding on for dear life and grimacing in pain here--but that's going to change.

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One last look. I think with Twisted Timbers and Winterfest, 2018 is going to be a big year for Kings Dominion. Thanks for reading.

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I think a lot more theming will be added to the final product. It wouldn't surprise me to see a building around the back end of the brake run (it seems like they might be using blocks). At this point with the disappointment of the shed by enthusiasts it would make no sense to hype something like that up this early.

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Thanks for the photos, Chuck. It seems like the park held a nice event for the ride.

 

I can only imagine the area around the ride's entrance plaza, queue, and station will be heavily themed (for Cedar Fair standards) with music similar to what they were playing today throughout the area.

 

That's what I'm thinking, too.

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Now this looks interesting... it's RMC seeing what they can do with a more traditional out-and-back layout, but it still looks insane.

 

Though I guess my family would prefer to visit BGW during a trip to Virginia, if we go next year there's no reason for us to not hit both local parks. I could knock out my first Dive Machine, giga, and one of these bad boys along the way.

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Wowie! That looks amazing! And it seems like the themeing will be pretty great on it, too! I love that Cedar Fair is adding a little bit more themeing to their new coasters! I absolutely loved the theme of Mystic Timbers and this one looks like it will be great, too!

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Great pictures Chuck! Thanks for posting. Kings Dominion is kind of sentimental to me... I was there in 83 and 84, but didn't return until 2011. On that 2 day visit, it wasn't such a great time. I have a feeling Cedar Fair has got the park up to par now. Can't wait to get back!

 

 

Just check out any of the animations for Twisted Timbers or Steel Vengeance, and take a look at the wheel bogies. The cars ride on two wheel per side instead of the usual one, and the bodies seem to be elevated a bit more off the track.

 

Yes, I see now! I actually forgot about this, with all the jumble of excitement going on in our coaster/park world today. And the Knott's announcement is still 45 mins away...

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If this ride were to run three trains with any improved efficiency compared to two, they'd need to be able to consistently dispatch a train once the previous train drops off the lift (given how quick the layout is). With RMC trains and (I don't mean this to be rude in any fashion) Kings Dominion operations, they should never attempt to run three.

 

It's also blocked for two trains. Even with two blocks (main and transfer) on the brake run, RMC's aren't poorly blocked like old Intamins.

 

That said, this ride looks excellent! Can't wait to ride next year. I don't imagine capacity will ever be an issue at this park with a two train coaster not named Volcano.

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This is awesome. I really enjoyed Hurler when I went on it back in 2001 and I thought it had some decent g-forces and great airtime. It's nice to see that they are keeping some of those crazy airtime elements and throwing in some even more insane elements. I love that parks on the East Coast are doing more things for the Holiday season...that just makes it easier to travel out there because not all of us can escape during the summer time to hit up some of these parks.

 

Jimmy "I guess I should have submitted my resume to RMC when I had the chance" Bo

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Looks like RMC El Toro

Uhhhh... okay?

 

He's probably comparing them due to the sequence of multiple straight airtime hills (first for RMC)

 

Based on what I've seen from construction, I think the third airtime hill in that sequence may be banked (to the left, the opposite direction of the following turn). The animation may not be a 100% accurate representation of the ride, so it's possible we could see other differences, as with Twisted Colossus and Wicked Cyclone.

 

I'm so glad KD is getting this. Their lineup is going from good to great!

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I haven't been to the Virginia parks since 2002, and I've been wanting to get back ever since. I was thinking of going this year, until I got the feeling (earlier than most, if you search back through this thread) that Hurler was going to be RMC'd in 2018, and delayed that until next year. So now I'm really geeked for my highly anticipated return then! TT looks SO great, and it'll be my first time on I-305 as well! But yeah, KD hit it out of the park with this RMC makeover, and while it's not nearly as impressive as Steel Vengeance in my opinion, it's not too far behind!

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Great update!

 

This ride looks awesome. Once this thing opens I think you can make a strong case that Kings Dominion has the best coaster lineup in the chain after Cedar Point. Even if this is one of the weaker RMCs (and I doubt it will be), an RMC in the same park as the world's most intense giga coaster, probably the world's best floorless coaster, Volcano, Flight of Fear (which I love and find infinitely smoother and more enjoyable than the Kings Island version) and a bunch of other solid rides (like Avalanche, Grizzly and Backlot) sounds absolutely great.

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Flight of Fear (which I love and find infinitely smoother and more enjoyable than the Kings Island version)

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who strongly believes in this. Also, I agree on your statement of the park's lineup.

 

It should be noted that the placement of Twisted Timbers is fantastic too, as it will finally even crowds out within the park a bit more since Safari Village/Congo has all the 'big' coasters besides Dominator.

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Great update!

 

This ride looks awesome. Once this thing opens I think you can make a strong case that Kings Dominion has the best coaster lineup in the chain after Cedar Point. Even if this is one of the weaker RMCs (and I doubt it will be), an RMC in the same park as the world's most intense giga coaster, probably the world's best floorless coaster, Volcano, Flight of Fear (which I love and find infinitely smoother and more enjoyable than the Kings Island version) and a bunch of other solid rides (like Avalanche, Grizzly and Backlot) sounds absolutely great.

 

Not to mention a relatively solid flat collection! Delirium, Crypt, Windseeker, Drop Tower, etc (Oh and Shenandoah Lumber Company).

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Looking to the future, it wouldn't surprise me to see Dino's Alive be removed soon.

 

I sure hope not! I know I'm in the minority about the whole thing but it's the best Dinosaurs Alive that I've been through. Love me some dinos!

 

Great coverage on the announcements, Chuck! While TT isn't anywhere near as wild as SV, I'm really looking forward to it. Sometimes the most fun coasters are little and all the small bunny hills in TT are really appealing. I'll definitely be checking out Winterfest as well. It'll be interesting to see how it compares to BGW and SFGAdv in that respect.

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