Project 2025/Caldera: Rapterra (Launched B&M Wing Coaster)

[CoasterAuditor]

I don't understand people calling this "off the shelf" or "plain" or "bland" honestly, I've seen this take quite a bit in other forms of social media, notably Coaster Studios video (which is consistent they generally complain if a ride isn't exactly what they want). I understand that's an opinion but there are literally 2 B&M Wing Coasters in the world with a launch technically 3 launching wings total including Furious Baco. Is saying it's "off the shelf" just a way to devalue what it is because it's not "the super intamin RMC orgasm heaven coaster with 900 outward banks and stalls?" How can people enjoy a hobby like this if every time a new attraction is built they immediately just go to complaining about it not being the "perfect for them" ride? Now if people want to point at what happened with BGW and Festhaus Park, that was a matter of expectations being set extremely high for years and then just shitting the bed which admittedly most of us set ourselves up for that with our own personal investment of time (and many on this forum, effort) into following the project and then the final result being deeply disappointing. This was setting the expectations where they needed to be and then exceeding them but people are complaining anyway.

I suppose this is a difference between people that slide more into "roller coaster enthusiast" than "theme park enthusiast" on the spectrum of theme park fans. I've learned over the years our control over the matter is limited and I just take what we can get and temper expectations accordingly. What did people "expect" Kings Dominion to build here? Cedar Fair has built a pile of B&Ms for years and rarely dabbled outside of that pool otherwise besides the odd GCI or the freak 2018. Do I wish they would dabble more? Yes, duh but Cedar Fair and B&M have an outstanding vendor customer relationship ostensibly.

But we're not just getting any B&M we're getting a unique custom B&M and a model the US is certainly not saturated with like the inverts and floorless coasters. This ride will stand out at KD and it will resonate in peoples minds as a symbol of the park. The layout is unique and I'm sure anybody here would love to go lap Voyage......um I mean Thunderbird yup definitely Thunderbird not the ride right next to it...............seriously I would have gladly rode it many more times than I if it didn't soar over the greatest wooden coaster I had ever encountered. Which brings me to another point what are the odds KD builds a roller coaster superior to Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers? Both sitting in the Top 20 worldwide on captaincoaster.net probably low and honestly I couldn't be happier Cedar Fair dabbled with RMC with us as well as dropping Millennium Force and Mavericks estranged and definitely doesn't have abandonment issues son in our park.

I also get it's replacing Volcano, and they are not rebuilding the mountain. If people are upset with that fact alone then I guess that's understandable but soon we get to ride a sick launching wing coaster in Virginia! If that doesn't help now just wait till it opens as currently it sounds much better than a large crater where Volcano was.

........also if you ask me as a coaster it looks more fun than Volcano, I said what I said. Doesn't mean I don't recognize how unique Volcano was and will always miss seeing it in that corner.

 

[Fenrihr]

People are just upset cause they wanted literally Volcano 2.0 with mountain and all, nevermind the actual feasibility of such a ride.

 

[Nicole]

I don’t think it is fair to namecheck Coaster Studios, when you are talking about a wider enthusiast response. In this case, in particular, I think they were very nuanced in their assessment of Project 2025. Sarah specifically said she likes the coaster and then teed up Taylor’s response by pointing out that he can’t be objective. It appeared to me that they intentionally structured the video to address both Project 2025 in a vacuum and how it can feel to people with strong nostalgia for Volcano.

Moreover, they highlighted that it is a great addition to the park and will fill a key gap between i305/Timbers and everything else. They also spoke at length about how excited they are for its likely path presence.

I, honestly, found their analysis fairly balanced and do not agree that they are the correct “poster children” for knee jerk disappointment to the ride on social media.

 

[MikePat]

Going off the current plans, I think THIS could be a wonderful addition to the park.

If they went with the original Wing Coaster plans, that felt like a quick fix replacement with little originality. THIS coaster is not that; this is a Wing Coaster with a taste of Thunderbird and Pipeline. The Kings Dominion project, the BG family invert projects, Pengiun Trek, Pipeline - all of these coasters, I think, are really showing how versatile B&M could be, and I don't think that trend is going to stop soon with B&M.

Let's also remember that judging by the rest of Jungle X-Pedition, this coaster should have great theming to give it that jungle feeling.

There are a lot of elements about this project that excite me. After this, which kind of acts as a strong headliner for the area, Jungle X-Pedition will undoubtedly be one of the strongest areas in any Cedar Fair park.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

I, honestly, found their analysis fairly balanced and do not agree that they are the correct “poster children” for knee jerk disappointment to the ride on social media.

Fair, and I'm not trying to make this about them specifically. I've noticed a track record of them making comments like that in analysis videos like in the Iron Menace video. Same thing for SFFT for Dr. D. I should state while I mentioned them they're not the focal point of the post it's more why can't people just be positive about anything? Ever?

Why is it so hard for people to "reframe" "oh it's not my perfect ideal idea for that idea" to "oh sweet we're getting a launched wing coaster! *positive emotions*" I mean I guess it's just more likely critics are to be more outspoken than cheerleaders who just consume the product quietly with their money.

I think I just want more positivity out of like..........existence than what it is currently. It sure as hell isn't in roller coasters I guess that's an idea my inner child needs to grasp.

 

[bill s]

KD lost both of its most powerful launch coasters, so I could see reason to hope this could beat those. Still, this will now be their most powerful launch in the park, maybe even of their history if you consider mass, even though not as fast. Theming may have more to do with its success, it was a big factor with Volcano.

It's a long walk to the ride, but this layout could help a lot with appearance of the giant FoF building, or at least keep it from being any worse. Or maybe that's a "hangar" to an aviation theme.

 

[rswashdc]

People are just upset cause they wanted literally Volcano 2.0 with mountain and all, nevermind the actual feasibility of such a ride.

Volcano 2.0 was certainly feasible (look at Velocicoaster as a close example), just cost an amount of money that wasn't going to be invested at KD.

 

[Mushroom]

Even Velocicoaster wasn’t built in a 200 foot manmade mountain. The only precedent that I can think of for building a mountain of that scale in modern times is Primordial and Expedition Everest. Primordial took 7 years to build and Everest cost $100 million, which for KD or Cedar Fair, I’d argue is about as close to the meaning of “infeasible” as you can get.

 

[warfelg]

I’m tepidly excited for this one. I hope the launch is enough to haul through some elements as I’ve found the other wing coasters I’ve been on to “crawl” through their elements.

As for is this a worthy replacement. Yes it is IMO with what we know. It’s a rare coaster type that looks to have unique theme elements that will offer up some good thrills. This is a more worthy successor to a legend than what’s going on down the road.

I think the only way to make this more worthy would be if it’s themed to a Phoenix and the story is that there was an egg in the volcano, and when it burned down a new one rose from the ashes to oversee the jungle.

 

[CoasterAuditor]

I’m tepidly excited for this one. I hope the launch is enough to haul through some elements as I’ve found the other wing coasters I’ve been on to “crawl” through their elements.

As for is this a worthy replacement. Yes it is IMO with what we know. It’s a rare coaster type that looks to have unique theme elements that will offer up some good thrills. This is a more worthy successor to a legend than what’s going on down the road.

I think the only way to make this more worthy would be if it’s themed to a Phoenix and the story is that there was an egg in the volcano, and when it burned down a new one rose from the ashes to oversee the jungle.

I thought Thunderbird had solid pacing to it overall. But I agree Wild Eagle and Gatekeeper didn't hold their pacing that well and were far more graceful. But agreed if it throws back Volcano at all and has a few solid near miss elements then I mean it's a standout attraction by far at KD even without those items.

 

[warfelg]

I thought Thunderbird had solid pacing to it overall. But I agree Wild Eagle and Gatekeeper didn't hold their pacing that well and were far more graceful. But agreed if it throws back Volcano at all and has a few solid near miss elements then I mean it's a standout attraction by far at KD even without those items.

I've been on Gatekeeper and Wild Eagle as well as Mandrill Meyham at Chessington world of adventure and they all just....meandered through the course.

 

[Fiender]

I rode Gatekeeper in May 2023 and found it quite a bit faster than my last visit in Oct 2021. It made me hopeful about any future wings we might get at a CF park. Anyone else notice a different ride experience?

 

[AIR]

I am very excited about this layout. It is a VERY good use of space and is unique locally and globally. From a practical standpoint, it seems to preserve whatever trees were left and also allows for plenty of new guest interaction on paths. It is using nearly every bit of open space while also still providing maintenance access. (Which was missing when Volcano was around).

I'm excited to see what fills the corridor of queue line behind the old Volcano building. It seems like there is some sort of centerpiece near the new station kinda like Darkastle queue.

 

[Jonesta6]

I rode Gatekeeper in May 2023 and found it quite a bit faster than my last visit in Oct 2021. It made me hopeful about any future wings we might get at a CF park. Anyone else notice a different ride experience?

I rode it in July, definitely hauled a lot more than I remembered (though I'm wondering if season and temperature had anything to do with it).

I kept finding myself thinking it's definitely overshadowed at CP, but it'd be awesome to have it and also have Rougarou in Virginia where they can stand out.

 

[guy305]

I think wings are supposed to meander through their layout, and it’s why a lot of the general public likes them. KD needs a meanderer lol…but it looks like it’ll take some of the low-to-the-ground elements with some speed, so maybe we’ll get the best of both worlds…

 

[CoasterAuditor]

I think the pacing looks to be pretty good based on the mock up. It really just depends what they go with for the final speed on the lunch and how high the cutback/top hat ends up being. Hopefully it’s in the 60-70 range then it should have Thunderbird like pacing at that point.

 

[Chungulatron]

Because the wing coaster rumor is actually very popular, I decided to do a Planet Coaster creation to see how one could fit in Volcano's land. I think it still needs some work, but it works as a wireframe concept. That funky element which would be on the gravel pile is a finnish loop; I don't know if it would work on a wing coaster but I felt that area was originally too blank. The area in red is a boundary so that the coaster doesn't go into the LGW backstage area (it does a little but it's not too big a deal).

And the gold medal for best prediction goes to @cschnizer!!!! The only mock-up that got the launch direction correct, it also features a dive loop and an almost exact match for the ending. The general layouts are very similar. The biggest deviation being the two vertical loops (which I personally don't think we need more of at KD). Nobody could have guessed how far KD was willing to interact with the midways, but we are all the luckier for it. Congrats @cschnizer on your skills at coaster forecasting!

 

[Intimidator325]

I rode both gate keeper and wild eagle for the first time this year and I was pleasantly surprised by both of them. Like @Jonesta6 and @Fiender said it definitely did feel like gatekeeper was hauling, I mean, I don’t have a previous season to compare it to because it was my first time riding it, but as a thusie you just kinda know lol. It wasn’t crazy fast, It just had a good pace, very graceful and fun without it feeling like it was meandering. Also I don’t know if it was just me the train the day, the weather, or what, but got pretty good floater on the airtime hill, so I I’m a little confused about that no airtime rumor. And I heard that the airtime hill on fénix at toverland is one of the best elements on the ride, so I am very hopeful, and excited about the one on KD’s. Also… idk why it isn’t talked about more but the slope on the launch!?!? Hello?? That’s sure to give a good pop of airtime right? Anyways this thing looks amazing and I can’t wait till we learn more about the theme and everything.

 

[Zachary]

I do really hope there's a step-up or a small dip at the end of the launch. The footer spacing widening and then abruptly narrowing with the tripod support definitely suggests something is happening with the height of the track, but it's really difficult to know what exactly. There are so few B&M launch coasters out there that we really don't have a comp to point to that tells us what to expect. There really is notable uncertainty through the second half of the first launch through the end of the first element. Very curious to see what B&M does.

 

[Intimidator325]

Oh snap I just realized this means no Tumbili, reptilian, or arachnidia for 2024. That whole section getting fenced off.