Existing Roller Coaster Backlot Stunt Coaster
- Thread starter I305Evan
- Start date
Am I the only one that has noticed that the first back brake is broken? When the back brakes close all of them close except for the first one at the beginning of the ride. Just something I noticed last summer and fall. Maybe it's fixed, I haven't ridden it yet this year.
If it's gone on that long it definitely isn't a broken brake. It's probably an independent brake that only locks when the computer picks up a train entering the waiting block while another is in the station.
Mad Ludwig said:
Answering this question here... Backlot has very broken effects. The ride is horribly neglected after Cedar Fair took over and I don't blame them. I like the ride, but there is 3 of them. I don't really care for it too much.
- The cop scene is never turned on (s-turn with police cars- police lights)
- Billboards are INSANELY faded
- Subway stairs are falling apart. You can actually see pieces of the wall sitting under the launch container trucks as you go by.
- The MCBR effects are never on and half work. Helicopter, LED's on the gun. And the fire
- Billboard "break-out" is getting to be in rough shape
- The "splash-down" is pathetic. Only one side works and the water sprayers only spray water about 6-12 inches above the water.
By that, I hope you mean re-theme! Backlot needs EVERYTHING ripped out and simply replaced with anything 'jungle' related. Unbolt that helicopter and throw it away while bolting on a large gorilla or something. Riddle the whole area with fake vines, trees, animals or anything else remotely jungle themed. Cover all of the containers with fake rock or whatever volcano's mountain is. Put some nightime creature effects in the tunnel and done. FOF also needs to alienate the alien theme. Maybe turn it into a 'journey to the center of the earth' safari type thing. Of course none of this will ever happen. They don't even want to pay to keep what theming they have working.Connor said:
I didn't even know it used to be better. I thought the theming and effects just sucked.Evan said:
Evan said:
Actually, last I rode, on a rather empty Thursday evening, the lights were running. I was shocked, since this effect is pretty rare these days.
Oh how this makes me sad.
I haven't noticed this one, but of course this "effect" lasts about two seconds anyway.
The helicopter's audio still plays but it makes no sense since the helicopter itself doesn't work. I don't understand why this is as it's just on a little pneumatic platform that lifts it up and down, unless it was actually damaged and they aren't willing to fix it. The lights simulating gunshots don't work either, nor do the water effects simulating a gasoline spill. However, every time I visit the fire effect is working. However, it is poorly timed so you can only see it go off from the back of the train. Watch the ride from behind Hungry Hippo and you will see the fire ball.
Don't know if this is true, but a KD employee said the old Italian Job sign is still under the Backlot Stunt Coaster sticker.
The sticker was peeling like crazy last year, but it looks like they fixed that issue for this season.The splash ending doesn't really bother me (for a long time I thought the way it works now is normal). Still, it's no where near as dramatic and forceful as it used to be.
My biggest gripes about this ride are the faded signs, and more so the lack of effects at the MCBR. The signs make the ride look neglected. Moreover, the lack of working effects makes no sense and really takes away from what can be a really cool ride. It's sad, really.
I'm still totally down for a safari retheme of the ride for a new (not to mention better themed) experience. EDIT: Mazakman beat me to it. Zach, PK, Evan (sorta), and myself were actually writing a legitimate concept for this but it kind of came to a standstill.
Even when it was new the effects never really all worked, and the park was so apathetic that they didn't care. Hopefully the renewed energy at KD will be directed at this attraction soon. I quite like the ride.
I've been to Kings Dominion 13 times this year. And 3/4 the time, the effects are off. I'm confident it's them forgetting to turn them on each day. Because really, the police lights should always be on, but they're not.
Either way, the ride or the theme needs to go.
Either way, the ride or the theme needs to go.
It's a decent ride, there's no reason it should go. There's also no reason why they can't retheme it.
If done right, they could market it as a "new ride experience" and maybe make it part of the second year of the 40th celebration. Course, people would probably get all upset and bash the park for "scamming" them and "tricking" them into thinking it was a new ride.
If done right, they could market it as a "new ride experience" and maybe make it part of the second year of the 40th celebration. Course, people would probably get all upset and bash the park for "scamming" them and "tricking" them into thinking it was a new ride.
Most people wouldn't know any better. You could change the color and slap a new name on it and people will still think its a new ride.
That being said, a total jungle retheme would be perfect. Plant a few more trees around the ride, repaint the facades, remove the shipping containers and have the coaster launch into a temple and out some other cool-looking facade.
Plus it would be a perfect opportunity to scrap the (now) ugly Mini Cooper chassis and replace them with a cool overlay or get new trains altogether.
The issue with the shipping containers along the launch is that they store all of the electrical wires for the launch fins. It could even house the main ride computer and such to be completely honest. So those basically have to stay unless you want to look at a lot of money protecting are the inner works. I'm sure they can cut out the walls and put new regular walls up or just cover them with a new facade. I don't think they're close enough to the ride to enter the rider envelope.
I guess I'll share some of our ideas for the ride. If you guys like it, maybe I could turn it into a full-fledged concept.
- Basically, theme the ride to a safari. Swapping out the Mini Cooper shells for Jeep-like cars could work well and should be easy.
- Theme the ride to some sort of out-of-control safari. Zach, PK, Evan and I agreed that a chase after animal poachers would be pretty cool.
- Poacher camp/wildlife preserve props, signs, maybe even fake radio calls could set the story of a poacher chase safari in the queue.
- Paint the track brown, like a dirt road and either paint the supports a darker brown or paint them green to be like the jungle.
- Most of the shipping containers are permanent and cover mechanics for the ride. They could be repainted or covered with wooden facades and ropes to look like shipping grates, or some could be covered with fiberglass rock work to either look like an abandoned temple or a mountain.
- Remove the gravel and replace it with grass. Put in tropical-looking plants, and plant trees with fake fines and such hanging from them all around the ride.
- Turn the parking garage helix into a spiral into a temple. Just add some beams with voodoo designs and hang some vines along the (repainted) structure.
- Get rid of the cop cars along the S-curve and put in cages with fake animals. The cages could slightly obstruct the view of the animals, so the critters could just be stationary or have very simplistic movements (heads turning side to side, etc.) and appear real.
- If budget permits, letting a stream flow beneath the track on the S-curve could be really cool.
- The billboard signs could be replaced with props of abandoned poaching sites, traps, etc.
- Subway stairs could just be a little tunnel covered in vines and ivy
- MCBR effects could be essentially reused with slight changes. Change the helicopter to either a poaching truck or simply a poaching helicopter, shooting at you for trying to free the animals. Place animals in cages along the sides of the MCBR. Leave the fire effect, maybe put it in the crown of a statue of an African god or something.
- Have the cars launch into an abandoned temple like in Jungle Cruise (simple facade work needed). Inside, play animal noises or maybe the sounds of screeching bats. Red LEDs could even be hung around the inside to seem like you're in a cave of bats. Maybe they could even play different audio and have different effects to change up the ride each time like Verbolten, on a much smaller scale.
- Blast out of a mountain-like structure made of fiberglass like Volcano, built on top of the billboard. There could be a hole in the middle for the train to go through. A waterfall could fall on both sides of the rocky structure (blended in with shrubbery, of course) and spill into the pool below.
- The splash pool and effect could stay, with rocks put in to make it look natural. At Evan's request, animatronic gators could be put into the water just for an extra effect.
- The ride would end with a few animatronic animals (maybe with structures obstructing them from views of non-riders) standing free alongside the final turnaround greeting riders.
- A banner could be hung congratulating riders for saving the animals.
- The bridge leading to the loading station could be made to look like an old wooden bridge.
- The blacktop around the ride would be replaced with stamped concrete stamped with jungle leaf imprints, Jeep tracks, and maybe some animal footprints leading up to the entrance.
- Have the whole plaza around the ride filled with safari/camping props to hype the ride up.
So, this could be a decent fix for the ride. It's not too minimalist (though if they can go more in-depth, then all the better!). Everything put together could only cost around $1 million, give or take, which is pretty decent for what could be marketed as a "new ride experience."
What do you guys think? Also, I'm stuck on a name concept if anyone has any ideas.
- Basically, theme the ride to a safari. Swapping out the Mini Cooper shells for Jeep-like cars could work well and should be easy.
- Theme the ride to some sort of out-of-control safari. Zach, PK, Evan and I agreed that a chase after animal poachers would be pretty cool.
- Poacher camp/wildlife preserve props, signs, maybe even fake radio calls could set the story of a poacher chase safari in the queue.
- Paint the track brown, like a dirt road and either paint the supports a darker brown or paint them green to be like the jungle.
- Most of the shipping containers are permanent and cover mechanics for the ride. They could be repainted or covered with wooden facades and ropes to look like shipping grates, or some could be covered with fiberglass rock work to either look like an abandoned temple or a mountain.
- Remove the gravel and replace it with grass. Put in tropical-looking plants, and plant trees with fake fines and such hanging from them all around the ride.
- Turn the parking garage helix into a spiral into a temple. Just add some beams with voodoo designs and hang some vines along the (repainted) structure.
- Get rid of the cop cars along the S-curve and put in cages with fake animals. The cages could slightly obstruct the view of the animals, so the critters could just be stationary or have very simplistic movements (heads turning side to side, etc.) and appear real.
- If budget permits, letting a stream flow beneath the track on the S-curve could be really cool.
- The billboard signs could be replaced with props of abandoned poaching sites, traps, etc.
- Subway stairs could just be a little tunnel covered in vines and ivy
- MCBR effects could be essentially reused with slight changes. Change the helicopter to either a poaching truck or simply a poaching helicopter, shooting at you for trying to free the animals. Place animals in cages along the sides of the MCBR. Leave the fire effect, maybe put it in the crown of a statue of an African god or something.
- Have the cars launch into an abandoned temple like in Jungle Cruise (simple facade work needed). Inside, play animal noises or maybe the sounds of screeching bats. Red LEDs could even be hung around the inside to seem like you're in a cave of bats. Maybe they could even play different audio and have different effects to change up the ride each time like Verbolten, on a much smaller scale.
- Blast out of a mountain-like structure made of fiberglass like Volcano, built on top of the billboard. There could be a hole in the middle for the train to go through. A waterfall could fall on both sides of the rocky structure (blended in with shrubbery, of course) and spill into the pool below.
- The splash pool and effect could stay, with rocks put in to make it look natural. At Evan's request, animatronic gators could be put into the water just for an extra effect.
- The ride would end with a few animatronic animals (maybe with structures obstructing them from views of non-riders) standing free alongside the final turnaround greeting riders.
- A banner could be hung congratulating riders for saving the animals.
- The bridge leading to the loading station could be made to look like an old wooden bridge.
- The blacktop around the ride would be replaced with stamped concrete stamped with jungle leaf imprints, Jeep tracks, and maybe some animal footprints leading up to the entrance.
- Have the whole plaza around the ride filled with safari/camping props to hype the ride up.
So, this could be a decent fix for the ride. It's not too minimalist (though if they can go more in-depth, then all the better!). Everything put together could only cost around $1 million, give or take, which is pretty decent for what could be marketed as a "new ride experience."
What do you guys think? Also, I'm stuck on a name concept if anyone has any ideas.
Clearly, it should be rethemed to Miss Saigon. Vietnam is a jungle, and they can leave the helo...
