SonofBaconator

Forgive my crude Snapchat edit. I think if they ripped out the squad cars, containers, billboards, rocks, etc and planted arborvitaes throughout the course of the ride, it would be somewhat reminiscent of what the land used to look like pre 2005 and give off a Hagrid’s vibe where riders are wizzing past trees. Of course there would have to be changes to the tunnel and such but I think this would be loads better.

Sums up Paramount perfectly.

That was honestly my first reaction when I saw the concept art- it’s quite similar to Skylab except for how you’re seated which I argue improves the rider’s experience. Witches Wheel at CP was fun but being in a small compartment made me feel sorta uneasy. I think a lot of GP who remember Skylab will compare it to Sol Spin, especially with where the ride is placed.

I put this in the ”Rumors” section because of past alterations to coasters. In 2014, the park rethemed Flight Deck to The Bat to tie in with Banshee and to bring back nostalgia for the original Bat. In 2019 The Beast trains were repainted to resemble their original color scheme; not a huge modification but still a visual change. In 2022 Racer was repainted back to its 1970s colors. In 2023 we see that Adventure Express is getting some work done thematically and Diamondback got a pretty significant paint job…. Now regarding coasters, Backlot has always seemed to be the elephant in the room. When it was the Italian Job Stunt Track, the ride was completely themed to the films’s chase scene. Now with the rights gone, the ride just takes up a generic stunt coaster theme. I know there are those who would like to see it go but I argue it’s too popular of an attraction with families to be taken out. That being said, do you think the park will overhaul Backlot Stunt Coaster into something different or at least make modifications to it?

I wish Invertigo had vest styled restraints but I’m sure it’ll be taken down before they would ever get new trains for it. Having an invert with vest restraints right across from Invertigo sorta aged it more imo.

What’s ironic is that the rides people have missed the most have started to come back: the Eagles (sort of), the Antique Cars, and now the Barrels and Sol Spin.

The Cincinnati Zoo did this in the early 2010s and it looks like they’re going to do it again https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/28-mw-solar-project-coming-to-cincinnati-zoo/#gref

Especially when it’s all of Enrique’s and Mercado. I’m not sure posting pictures of the same half painted building really generates excitement over, say, aggravation.

Double post: Concept Art is a double edged sword. If you do it, you may raise people’s expectations and not be able to deliver on what was drawn out. If you don’t do it, you can’t advertise your new product as effectively. I like the drawn concepts over the digital ones but I’m personally not a fan of the Adventure Port’s concept that features the pond because I don’t think they’ll be able to make the water that light blue but I’ve been wrong before. Concept art isn’t false advertising because it’s a concept on a product that’s not finalized but things can get exaggerated at times and maybe that’s our fault as the consumers.

Wasn’t The Racer running backwards in that concept as well?

I wouldn’t trust concept art either:

My argument for why we should get a Surf: Nostalgia sells. King cobra is in that sweet spot of being gone just long enough for older audiences to remember it and for younger audiences to get interested in it. The park has been appealing to people’s nostalgia a lot. They brought back the antique cars, they brought back a smaller version of the flying Eagles, they brought some of the train theming back, they brought some classical paint schemes back, they brought back the Phantom Theater in the form of show, and now they’re bringing back modern versions of two classic flat rides. Park goers have loved the return of these attractions so why not bring back another in a modern way? B&M. Not only is it manufactured right down the road, but park goers have become extremely fond of Orion, Banshee, and Diamondback since they’ve debuted. Their capacity is great and they’re reliable. If the trains flop, swap them out. If the trains end up not being a success, they could be swapped with floorless or even sit down trains. Not ideal or something that should be wanted with any ride….but most of B&M’s sit down trains are compatible with their sit down coasters (sit down, staggered, floorless). Like I said, not ideal but not a terrible worst case scenario It could help ease the loss of another KI coaster. Invertigo isn’t going to be around forever so replacing it (and Congo falls) with a brand new coaster would soften the blow. Even though Pipeline is a launched coaster doesn’t mean ours would have to be. It could be a nice to have a traditional L shaped chain lift coaster. Imagine it with a cobra roll which would not only be a play on the name but also pay homage to Invertigo.

With the ride being nearly 30 years old, would relocating it really be the best option? Wicked Twister was younger and they ripped that ride out. Dismantling transporting, and reassembling could add extra wear and tear on a ride as a whole. Considering they chose to demolish their other coasters, I don’t see them relocating any of their coasters to another park in the chain (unless it’s like kiddie coaster or something of that nature.)

KD has never got a ground up B&M ever in its existence so that would lead me to believe that there was some type of restriction. There are plenty of competing parks that have similar coasters: Fiesta Texas and Sea World San Antonio, have the same clone….heck KD and BGW both have arrow loopers. I don’t see any logic in Kings Dominion choosing not to go for a B&M, so there had to have been some type of exclusivity clause somewhere.

If we get anything, won’t come until at least 2025. Cedar Point is working on the TTD project which one can assume means they’re getting it ready for the 2024 season. It wouldn’t make any sense to debut 2 coasters in the same state in the same season. I consider Orion a 2021 attraction simply because not everyone got to experience it in 2020. Is waiting 5 years for a coaster isn’t something we haven’t encountered before

It’s all about how they want to market themselves. If they keep calling themselves “America’s Roller Coast” or the “Coaster Capital of the World”, people aren’t going to really care about other things. Compare that to Knott’s where they market themselves as “America’s oldest theme park” and people aren’t going to focus on the coasters as much as they would the theming, characters, etc.

The unique sliding station Zombie Ride from Bosque Mágico is being taken apart. Any thoughts on where it might end up?

And those who didn’t “get it” either weren’t used to it or just didn’t care for LARP. If you go to a Disney or Universal park, (heck throw in Knott’s), you have a lot of characters that walk around and talk to guests. If you’re used to this kinda stuff, it doesn’t phase you but if you aren’t, it can get uncomfortable. At least with costumed characters like Snoopy, Charlie Brown, etc they don’t speak so it takes some of the awkwardness out of it. I once knew someone who got uncomfortable at the local Renaissance fair because of the LARP aspect.

Remember when we all thought that Trio Tech was going to be at every park in the chain?

Coming to the big box in 2023:

How about Winter Weekends? Have I Street open for shopping, have festhaus open for shows, have KI theater open for bigger shows, have Planet Snoopy open for families, maybe the grand carousel, and leave it at that. Basically continue Winterfest without the holiday theme, keep the fountains frozen for ice skating, etc. I’m not sure how many people would go for it but after New Years, winter time in the greater Cincinnati region can get boring for families who might be tired of going to hockey games, the aquarium, etc.

It’s a shame that the Beach closed, they could’ve partnered with them following the CF breakup.

Since we’re on the topic of Rivertown…How long do you think it’s going to be before we see some updates to the shed?

I think you hit the nail on the head. When it was brand new, it needed to stand out with bright colors. Now that it’s nearly 15 years old, the new paint scheme certainly makes it seem more mature. With two brown coasters on either side of it, Diamondback’s paint scheme certainly helps it blend in more. Look at us, making a thesis on the color palette of a roller coaster.

The attention to detail is insane. I’m excited to see what else the park has in store for Adventure Express. I wish they returned to 3 train operations but I understand why they only run two trains.