New Inverted Coaster?

[The Interpreter]

When was the last time that Chance Morgan installed a major new coaster? The best I can tell, the last major coaster to come out of Morgan (prior to their merger with Chance Rides) was Quiksilver Express at Gilroy Gardens out in California. It seems that Chance Rides (according to RCDB) has made a few kiddy coasters a few years back.

I`d say the four major steel coaster manufacturers today are Vekoma, B&M, Intamin and Premier Rides. There are of course smaller companies like Mack that typically make smaller more portable type rides like Wild Mouse rides.

They also did Superman el Último Escape in Mexico City...

http://www.rcdb.com/2829.htm

[Fear the Four]

When was the last time that Chance Morgan installed a major new coaster? The best I can tell, the last major coaster to come out of Morgan (prior to their merger with Chance Rides) was Quiksilver Express at Gilroy Gardens out in California. It seems that Chance Rides (according to RCDB) has made a few kiddy coasters a few years back.

I`d say the four major steel coaster manufacturers today are Vekoma, B&M, Intamin and Premier Rides. There are of course smaller companies like Mack that typically make smaller more portable type rides like Wild Mouse rides.

http://www.chancemorgan.com/pressroom1107.html

[CoastersRZ]

I totally missed that on that page when I was there. Still, that ride opened in 2004. Hard as it may be to believe, but that was SIX years ago already!

[The Interpreter]

And it was meant to open in 2002. Six Flags had a payment dispute. Imagine that...

[Cormaster]

No doubt Kings Island needs an Invert. Its the one thing the park has been missing since they came out, however I think inverts are officially "discontinued" as of this point except for strange models such as our own Invertigo, or Wicked twister/vertical velocity. I was thinking though theres a nice Vekoma one thats just sitting around at Kentucky Kingdom right now... if they decide not to re-open that park maybe Cedar Fair could purchase that one? Ok so lets get real it won't happen but one can dream right?

I don't imagine they plan on adding anymore coasters for a while at Kings Island after the big chunk of change they spent on Diamondback!

[Purplehaze]

Fill all the empty spots with Skeeball.

[jlsbroc12]

Can I ask why people are saying they wont add a new coaster at Kings Island for awhile... im just curious how do u know this? I mean they do have to keep the guest coming...and look at the huge success Diamondback was, dont you think they want to keep making the guest happy.

[IslandAddict]

Yeah, but it costs so much money just to make one, making one a year would be nearly impossible. It's not like they have unlimited money. Aren't they running somewhat low on money, too?

[CincyMan98]

I say a new ride every 3 years is good enough. We don't want them to make a coaster really, because it could possibly not help them and make them lose tons of money. Possibly.

[bkroz]

No doubt Kings Island needs an Invert. Its the one thing the park has been missing since they came out, however I think inverts are officially "discontinued" as of this point except for strange models such as our own Invertigo, or Wicked twister/vertical velocity.

Not quite... B&M Inverts (the kind that is so desired for Kings Island) are still being rotated quite a bit - one was just "newly" opened in 2008 and another is due in 2010. Are they new? No. But if Worlds of Fun's Patriot was dismantled and brought to Kings Island, wouldn't we consider it a new ride? Wouldn't the public? It's happened before (see, Stealth aka BORG Assimilator aka Nighthawk. See also, X-Flight aka Firehawk).

The "strange models" you speak of are not all that strange - they're just other manufacturers take on the unique inverted layout. Intamin uses it in the inverted twisted impulse coasters, inverted catapult coaster as well as in more traditional, B&M like layouts.

Vekoma has their SLC, Standard Looping Coaster (aka Hang 'n' Bang) that has been so widely distributed you'd be hard-pressed to find a country that's never had one, and the Invertigo model, like we have. Even a kids model (our own Flying Ace) and "inverted" seats for Arrow suspended coasters like Vampire. Vekoma even used B&M's signature four-abreast seating for their newest inverted coaster at Universal Studios Singapore, which, to the naked eye, looks nearly indiscernible from a B&M creation (which was doubtlessly the point, since that ride is a "spiritual sequel" to Islands of Adventure's B&M dueling coaster).

The inverted coaster design was revolutionary, and even though B&M Inverts aren't necessarily still being cranked off the assembly line, they certainly aren't a "trend" the way that stand-ups or suspended coasters were. They're just the natural antithesis of the sitting roller coaster, and most every company has attempted to add their own spin to it.

[bkroz]

Can I ask why people are saying they wont add a new coaster at Kings Island for awhile... im just curious how do u know this? I mean they do have to keep the guest coming...and look at the huge success Diamondback was, dont you think they want to keep making the guest happy.

The answer to this lies within Cedar Fair's de facto motto: "Build a big, tall, fast ride, and they will come." And often, they do. But not forever. A simple scan of a timeline displays Paramount's plan: medium-sized additions rolled out across three or four of the parks all at once, every year. There were few years under Paramount that Kings Island went without a new ride. Very few were "major" mind you, but we got something most every year.

1998: Changed simulator, three new kid's rides, added water park attraction

1999: Face/Off, Drop Zone

2000: Son of Beast

2001: Nickelodeon Central, new restraints for Flight of Fear, changed simulator

2002: Tomb Raider: The Ride

2003: Scooby Doo & The Haunted Castle, Delirium, changed simulator.

2004: New parade, rethemed water park.

2005: Italian Job: Stunt Track, Winterfest

2006: Nickelodeon Universe

Things like Italian Job, the Nickelodeon parade, changing simulator movies every three years, rethemeing the water park --- these changes were made at all or most of the Paramount Parks, and were all mid-sized investments that were marketable.

Cedar Fair's policy is different: Add a huge ride, then coast on it for a couple of seasons, adding minimal things to the park before hyping up the next huge addition three or four years later. That hasn't really proven itself with the Paramount Parks thus far, because in 2007 the remains of Geauga Lake were split up (a small investment on the company's behalf that appears large) and the necessity of changing Nickelodeon to Snoopy. But if you imagine that Geauga Lake were still open, the timeline would look like this:

2006: New shows.

2007: Nothing.

2008: Nothing.

2009: Diamondback

2010: Kids area re-themed, re-themed dark ride, nighttime light show

2011: Nothing

...

Consider even if the Nickelodeon contract lasted another five years. Would the kids area be re-themed this year? Doubtful. It was done of necessity. So if that weren't absolutely required, we probably wouldn't have gotten anything this year... Or maybe we would've...

Neither way is necessarily "right." After all, one of the things Paramount never gave to Kings Island is a big, steel roller coaster because each season, every single park got something sizable... That's something we all know the park needed. We got it. But consider that now, we will most certainly never again receive a small, family-sized, fun addition like Italian Job or Flight of Fear - that's simply not grand enough to satisfy the Company - it needs to be big, tall, visible from everywhere, and able to be marketed for at least three years. Neither is right, neither is wrong. They're just very different.

Keep in mind, too, that Cedar Fair owned what, seven parks? Paramount owned five. Now, Cedar Fair owns twelve. Funds are spread more thinly across the board. Because of their "huge addition every few years" policy, we essentially just have to sit back and wait our turn, whereas before we were guaranteed something of mild significance most every year.

[Adventure Express]

Yeah that's been there for quite some time now :3

[Guest Millennium]

To anyone saying Inverted coasters aren't popular anymore, look at Montu at Busch Africa.

[PhantomTheater]

2006: New shows.

2007: Nothing.

2008: Nothing.

2009: Diamondback

2010: Kids area re-themed, re-themed dark ride, nighttime light show

2011: Nothing

...

2007: Firehawk

[CedarPointer]

2007: Firehawk

"But if you imagine that Geauga Lake were still open..."

[The Interpreter]

And if you imagined that Kings Island was never built...

So, what's your point?

[TylerRider]

Yeah, but it costs so much money just to make one, making one a year would be nearly impossible. It's not like they have unlimited money. Aren't they running somewhat low on money, too?

I think they are playing in Sandbox mode.

[Guest Millennium]

To anyone saying Inverted coasters aren't popular anymore, look at Montu at Busch Africa.

I'm not sure what I meant by this -- somehow I thought this ride opened in 2007. LOL.

[IslandAddict]

Yeah, but it costs so much money just to make one, making one a year would be nearly impossible. It's not like they have unlimited money. Aren't they running somewhat low on money, too?

I think they are playing in Sandbox mode.

If that's the case I can easily see a 5000 foot tall coaster that goes 1000 miles per hour put in every year.

[DropZone99]

Can I ask why people are saying they wont add a new coaster at Kings Island for awhile... im just curious how do u know this? I mean they do have to keep the guest coming...and look at the huge success Diamondback was, dont you think they want to keep making the guest happy.

The answer to this lies within Cedar Fair's de facto motto: "Build a big, tall, fast ride, and they will come." And often, they do. But not forever. A simple scan of a timeline displays Paramount's plan: medium-sized additions rolled out across three or four of the parks all at once, every year. There were few years under Paramount that Kings Island went without a new ride. Very few were "major" mind you, but we got something most every year.

1998: Changed simulator, three new kid's rides, added water park attraction

1999: Face/Off, Drop Zone

2000: Son of Beast

2001: Nickelodeon Central, new restraints for Flight of Fear, changed simulator

2002: Tomb Raider: The Ride

2003: Scooby Doo & The Haunted Castle, Delirium, changed simulator.

2004: New parade, rethemed water park.

2005: Italian Job: Stunt Track, Winterfest

2006: Nickelodeon Universe

Things like Italian Job, the Nickelodeon parade, changing simulator movies every three years, rethemeing the water park --- these changes were made at all or most of the Paramount Parks, and were all mid-sized investments that were marketable.

Cedar Fair's policy is different: Add a huge ride, then coast on it for a couple of seasons, adding minimal things to the park before hyping up the next huge addition three or four years later. That hasn't really proven itself with the Paramount Parks thus far, because in 2007 the remains of Geauga Lake were split up (a small investment on the company's behalf that appears large) and the necessity of changing Nickelodeon to Snoopy. But if you imagine that Geauga Lake were still open, the timeline would look like this:

2006: New shows.

2007: Nothing.

2008: Nothing.

2009: Diamondback

2010: Kids area re-themed, re-themed dark ride, nighttime light show

2011: Nothing

...

Consider even if the Nickelodeon contract lasted another five years. Would the kids area be re-themed this year? Doubtful. It was done of necessity. So if that weren't absolutely required, we probably wouldn't have gotten anything this year... Or maybe we would've...

Neither way is necessarily "right." After all, one of the things Paramount never gave to Kings Island is a big, steel roller coaster because each season, every single park got something sizable... That's something we all know the park needed. We got it. But consider that now, we will most certainly never again receive a small, family-sized, fun addition like Italian Job or Flight of Fear - that's simply not grand enough to satisfy the Company - it needs to be big, tall, visible from everywhere, and able to be marketed for at least three years. Neither is right, neither is wrong. They're just very different.

Keep in mind, too, that Cedar Fair owned what, seven parks? Paramount owned five. Now, Cedar Fair owns twelve. Funds are spread more thinly across the board. Because of their "huge addition every few years" policy, we essentially just have to sit back and wait our turn, whereas before we were guaranteed something of mild significance most every year.

One of a few reasons I'm a Paramount fanboy and not too happy with Cedar Fair's decisions.

[Pillsberry123]

What makes Cedar Fair the better company is the fact that they have improved day-to-day operations. Lines move faster, rides are dispatched faster, the park is cleaner, and the park looks a lot better.

You can't be angry at Cedar Fair for not adding something every single year. They've built the Diamondback, which has been the most popular new addition since Son of Beast. Considering that the economic situation is completely different than when Paramount owned the parks, one could only expect there to be less additions. If Cedar Fair started operating the park in 2001 or 2002 the situation and the park as a whole would be completely different.