Defunct Roller Coaster Hyper Sonic XLC
- Thread starter I305Evan
- Start date
So I just realized something. Can we appreciate that between Xtreme Launch Coaster and Xtreme Skyflyer, KD once had two rides with the word "Xtreme" in their name... right next to each other?
I'm pulling this from a BGW thread just to highlight how absolutely absurd this fact is:
Paramount was legitimately insane.
Paramount was legitimately insane.
What is made even worse was that XLC was originally a demonstration prototype not originally meant for sale. Paramount wanted it so badly that S&S modified the original layout in order for XLC to fit with KD's needs.
The only other project of this nature I'm aware of is Viper @ SFGAdv, which wasn't modified from its demonstration model to its sale model.
Yeah, Paramount bought the toy-model prototype of a company's first-ever coaster right off the desert floor, with just enough mods to make it a full ride.
Incredibly though, that wasn't the most gonzo move of the era. Six Flags bought literally the most complicated mechanical roller coaster ride system ever to be built... from a dying company that had built exactly one truly major roller coaster in the previous five years... with 6F insisting it be 200' tall and full-length despite being the very first of its kind... and despite there existing no substantial real-life prototype whatsoever to adequately prove out the concept before the purchase. X's most substantial embodiment at the time of initial sale seems to have been some digital media Arrow created and plopped onto a CD-R disc for presentation via backpack. If not for an expensive and comprehensive re-engineering effort a relatively short time later, that ride would have been recycled into highway bridges, Geely car bumpers, and air fryers during the Great Recession.
There are some Youtube vids covering aspects of the five-year amusement industry era from 1996-2001 or so, but vids can't fully recreate the repeated wet-handed gobsmackings the industry gave itself during that time. Some good, some bad, most full-on mental. It truly was completely nuts.
Incredibly though, that wasn't the most gonzo move of the era. Six Flags bought literally the most complicated mechanical roller coaster ride system ever to be built... from a dying company that had built exactly one truly major roller coaster in the previous five years... with 6F insisting it be 200' tall and full-length despite being the very first of its kind... and despite there existing no substantial real-life prototype whatsoever to adequately prove out the concept before the purchase. X's most substantial embodiment at the time of initial sale seems to have been some digital media Arrow created and plopped onto a CD-R disc for presentation via backpack. If not for an expensive and comprehensive re-engineering effort a relatively short time later, that ride would have been recycled into highway bridges, Geely car bumpers, and air fryers during the Great Recession.
There are some Youtube vids covering aspects of the five-year amusement industry era from 1996-2001 or so, but vids can't fully recreate the repeated wet-handed gobsmackings the industry gave itself during that time. Some good, some bad, most full-on mental. It truly was completely nuts.
If CF went out and installed Hypersonic 2.0, with more evolved tech now, that would probably be a good business move at this point.
That would be amazing. I never had the chance to ride Hyper Sonic but its presence in the park for its height was astonishing. Nearly everyone in the area would have their eyes glued to the launch track waiting for that train to get sent hurtling down the track and into that 90 degrees top hat. It was an incredible cinematic experience for riders and non-riders with the colored lights at the side and the loud hiss of the launch followed by the banging of thousands of trash cans as it slammed into the brakes. While I doubt Windseeker is going away anytime soon if the park desired another launch coaster it would be sweet to see the station for XLC finally reutilized. A budget Intamin or S&S with some crazy acceleration, top hat, and maybe an element or two after would be a more than enough to fill the hole that this short-lived prototype launch coaster left. They might not be able to realistically compete with height or speed if any of the BGW Project 2022 rumors come to be, but they could take the fastest accelerating launch in the Mid-Atlantic if not the East Coast for a reasonable price.
Those trains looked SO badass by the standards of the time. Until perusing this thread today, I don't think I ever appreciated how wide they were for a 2-across vehicle. Some broad shoulders there.
So... um... I wouldn't say that missing the "opportunity" to ride this was a loss. I suppose it is credit? It was almost as boring as TTD. It was 100% mental. I don't recall really even experiencing any real forces (at least long enough for them to have any impact on me at all). It was essentially a very long (and loud) line, leading up to a ride that was over in the time it took you to blink.
I would hope they don't re-use the station, as the area is much nicer now opened up with Windseeker more in the corner. However, the launch on the original Hypersonic was the strongest of any ride I've ever been on and getting a re-make would be a big impact for KD.
I just remember the one time I was there when it was open I kept hearing a loud crack noise right before the trains hit the brakes, stared at it long enough to see a small gap in one of the rails. I was too young to know better and just assumed they wouldn't be running it if it wasn't safe. But looking back, the ops may not have noticed and maintenance welded it back up at some point later.
Can't say I remember the actual experience since it was so short, mostly the psychological freak-out waiting for the launch.
Can't say I remember the actual experience since it was so short, mostly the psychological freak-out waiting for the launch.
Over-Hypersonic more like.
It really wasn't all that great of a ride, it was and felt like a prototype. No substance, just proof of concept.
It really wasn't all that great of a ride, it was and felt like a prototype. No substance, just proof of concept.
I haven't been on TTD, but I really like Kingda Ka. Sure it's over with quick, but you definitely feel strong forces, especially if you sit in the front, and it's very fun. Now I have yet to wait in a long line for KK, maybe topping out at a 30 minute wait - I guess I'm good at picking days to go - so maybe my opinion would be different if I'd had to wait hours. Probably. Last time I went (a couple years ago) there was almost no wait for the front row. It was a "bonus" day at the end of the season and the weather ended up absolutely perfect. That was quite a win. Of course I did spend most of my time looping El Toro....
Anyway, I'd like to have experienced this thing. If nothing else than just to be able to say I'd been on it.
They scrapped Hypersonic right as I started to brave up to the larger rides. The biggest gripe I had was how short of a ride it was with a very long wait. I remember the ride easily having 1-2 hour waits on some days, even at the end of its life. I do wish I had tried it, but from what my dad told me, it wasn't worth the long wait.
It was a ride you had to do early in the day before lines built up. The ride was a thrill, but if there was a long line, there's no way it would be worth it especially with how often the ride would break down.