They’re probably doing final things to spice Pantherian up, or they don’t want to reveal the trains… on the other hand, big oof for flight of fear. The alien theme is going to CLASH with whatever the whey foundation lore is.
Project 2025/Caldera: Rapterra (Launched B&M Wing Coaster)
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I rode Rapterra 9 times today. The coaster is seriously awesome, but she is a tad bouncy.
The rattle is most noticeable in the "wingslide" over the midway. To verify suspicions: yes, there is a huge difference in ride quality between the inner and outer seats. Truly, the inside seats ride almost as good as any modern coaster, but all of the outer seats have varying degrees of bite to them. The back row outer seats are the worst; they would give you a headache if marathoned.
The inner seats in the back are the roughest of their kind (but still ride well) and the smoothness increases as you get closer to the front. If you want a silky-smooth ride, go for rows 1-3, inner seats. All the inner seats are good, they're just better closer to the front.
The rattle is most noticeable in the "wingslide" over the midway. To verify suspicions: yes, there is a huge difference in ride quality between the inner and outer seats. Truly, the inside seats ride almost as good as any modern coaster, but all of the outer seats have varying degrees of bite to them. The back row outer seats are the worst; they would give you a headache if marathoned.
The inner seats in the back are the roughest of their kind (but still ride well) and the smoothness increases as you get closer to the front. If you want a silky-smooth ride, go for rows 1-3, inner seats. All the inner seats are good, they're just better closer to the front.
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Everyone keeps screaming rattle, but bouncy appears to be a much better way to describe it. “Rattle” to me describes a vibration more, which for example you get in the same park on Dominator when you hit the first interlocking corkscrew. Based off all the POVs and rider cams, Rapterra doesn’t look like it has that sensation at all or the constant vibration you get on Penguin Trek/Phoenix Rising, which is a positive (but correct me if I’m wrong). Other than maybe the launch, the bounce looks like it has way more to do with the trains (the fact they’re wing trains and the tolerances) than the profiling of the track IMO.
Can’t tell you how happy the lake being full again makes me—I know how ridiculous that is, but I really like having a water feature.
Let’s not act like every single other wing coaster basically rides identical to Rapterra, no? Based on reports I’ve read, it’s no different than Wild Eagle, X-Flight, Gatekeeper, etc. Inside seats smooth, outside seats a bit bouncy at parts. All of them are still a ton of fun and people love them. They all do this.
48inch height requirement, zippy layout, and smooth by most regards. Rapterra is going to be a huge hit!
While this could be considered a bad thing, realistically, are we really expecting the capacity for this ride to allow for much marathoning at all anyways? If it’s not giving a headache after 2 rides back to back, then it’s pretty dang good. The park doesn’t allow more than 2 re-rides in a row during regular operation anyways.
Not you @CoasterSkinny - Your ride report was really well done. But some people are being way too hyper critical during a media day. Rapterra is going to be a very fun and memorable roller coaster for most people.
48inch height requirement, zippy layout, and smooth by most regards. Rapterra is going to be a huge hit!
While this could be considered a bad thing, realistically, are we really expecting the capacity for this ride to allow for much marathoning at all anyways? If it’s not giving a headache after 2 rides back to back, then it’s pretty dang good. The park doesn’t allow more than 2 re-rides in a row during regular operation anyways.
Not you @CoasterSkinny - Your ride report was really well done. But some people are being way too hyper critical during a media day. Rapterra is going to be a very fun and memorable roller coaster for most people.
^^Likewise. Not the best angle, but the new look is pretty wild... so much more open now.
(Pics from KD Fanatics)
(Pics from KD Fanatics)
The ones calling any B&M "rough" are the same ones who i bet ride Lochness/arrows back to back with no issue because "thats how theyre ment to be" if you can handle wooden coaster and arrows just fine then who cares about a wobble
Agreed! There is plenty more conversation to be had regarding this coaster than the unfortunate bounciness of some seats. There's definitely more positives than negatives here.
The launch is pretty forceful and exhilarating. The "wingover" is a super unique element that provides some cool floater/lateral goodness. The dive loop is elite. The airtime hill provides significantly more airtime than I was expecting, no matter what row you sit in. The raptor roll into the brakes is an awesome conclusion to the ride.
Small theming detail: The caldera is leaning slightly to one side, so the fake igneous rock is "leaking" out of the side facing away from the station. The queue pavers in that area match the color of the rocks in that one spot to give the illusion that the rocks have spilled over queue. I'm sure this is shown in some photo or video somewhere (area highlighted in yellow below)!
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Wow, the lake looks great. I’m also in the camp of being unreasonably happy that they refilled it. I love the way Pantherian towers over it too.
I’d really like to see them clean up the brush to open the sight lines to the lake from the Chicken Shack patio a bit. Drop in a fountain and you’ve got a lovely water feature.
Proof that something can be beautiful by simply taking out the trash.
The lack of attention or care for sight lines leads me to believe FoF is not part of the long term vision for this park unfortunately
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Well, they made Rapterra's station match FOF's building exactly. While I don't think that's indicative of FOF's future, it seems relevant.
I realize this material (white corrugated metal/steel?) was a cheap way to construct Rapterra's station, but I kinda really like it. It works next to FOF, and the theme inside the station really feels like an excavation site.
The aliens are part of the lore on the wall in the queue of Rapterra.
Watching the reverse POV's, my hypothesis is that the higher tolerances in the wheel carrier assembles cause oscillations that are far more noticeable on B&M wing coasters due to the train's heavy-off center seating arrangement. Coaster wheels have a natural arc to them so they can conform to the rail and navigate forces. The tolerances being different from what we are used to cause the wheel carriers and assemblies themselves to "wrestle" on an axial plane ever so slightly over the top of the rail, inducing a bump/bounce that is exacerbated by the wing design.
You can simulate this by placing your palm flat on a pool ball that is resting on a somewhat smooth surface while applying very high pressure, fingers outstretched widely flat, and trying to ensure the ball doesn't move *at all* under your flat palm and stays centered. The ball and your palm will try to counterbalance each other, but BOTH your palm and the ball move ever so slightly nonetheless since there is no tight forces on the sides of the ball, just the top where your palm is, and the surface on the bottom of the ball. The downward pressure exerted by your body (palm) will always cause some kind of micro-movement, no matter how hard one tries to keep it perfectly still. The tolerances in B&M's of late seem to permit more "palm to ball" movement than in years past.
Apply similar physics onto a rollercoaster wheel assembly moving through inversions and all kinds of directional changes - and there you have it. A lateral or vertical bounce depending on where you sit that becomes more or less noticeable.
It's not "fixable" per-se without a train tear down, but the GP will eat it up nonetheless. No real issue, unless you're like me...LOL
You can simulate this by placing your palm flat on a pool ball that is resting on a somewhat smooth surface while applying very high pressure, fingers outstretched widely flat, and trying to ensure the ball doesn't move *at all* under your flat palm and stays centered. The ball and your palm will try to counterbalance each other, but BOTH your palm and the ball move ever so slightly nonetheless since there is no tight forces on the sides of the ball, just the top where your palm is, and the surface on the bottom of the ball. The downward pressure exerted by your body (palm) will always cause some kind of micro-movement, no matter how hard one tries to keep it perfectly still. The tolerances in B&M's of late seem to permit more "palm to ball" movement than in years past.
Apply similar physics onto a rollercoaster wheel assembly moving through inversions and all kinds of directional changes - and there you have it. A lateral or vertical bounce depending on where you sit that becomes more or less noticeable.
It's not "fixable" per-se without a train tear down, but the GP will eat it up nonetheless. No real issue, unless you're like me...LOL
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I glanced at that picture really quick and swear I thought the poster under the clock said "Truth or Pigeon?".
Anyway, excited for this to open for real next weekend, and take my kid with me.
Anyway, excited for this to open for real next weekend, and take my kid with me.
There's an incredibly comprehensive photo update from media day via Theme Park Archive, here:
www.themeparkarchive.com
Rapterra Media Preview Event | Theme Park Archive
This page contains a photo trip report from Kings Dominion titled: Rapterra Media Preview Event.
www.themeparkarchive.com
Nice collection of Rapterra merch photos (including bonus KD 50th stuff too):
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Not thrilled with a lot of the merch honestly. The ringer logo shirt and hoodie are nice enough for a basic offering, but everything else is just really standard (pretty cringy) designs I've seen a dozen times before. I was really hoping for a robust merch rollout like we got for Timbers' opening year with an array of custom, original designs, in-universe lore merch, plush, polos, etc instead of the very Tumbili-like selection that we seem to be receiving. Hell, even the Tumbili Flat Rock and full bleed designs in the last photo above are better than anything I see for Rapterra...
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Not thrilled with a lot of the merch honestly. The ringer logo shirt and hoodie are nice enough for a basic offering, but everything else is just really standard (pretty cringy) designs I've seen a dozen times before. I was really hoping for a robust merch rollout like we got for Timbers' opening year with an array of custom, original designs, in-universe lore merch, plush, polos, etc instead of the very Tumbili-like selection that we seem to be receiving. Hell, even the Tumbili Flat Rock and full bleed designs in the last photo above are better than anything I see for Rapterra...
That is all horrible. I love when parks give a really cool IYKYK type designed merch. Like when VBolt had the "Black Forrest Tours" tshirts. That's so cool IMO. And this is more an industry wide complaint of mine, where CF/new SF is the BIGGEST offender but merch with ride logo, nothing else, then maybe stats on the back are the WORST. Personally I would never wear them anywhere.
Where's the really cool stuff. Like how cool would a button up safari shirt with a patch on one breast pocket side that said JUNGLE X and on the other it said TEAM _____ TEMPLE and the name was different to reference each ride? Hats of the same? TShirts on the front the referenced the lore of the area and on the side sleeve said "Rapterra Recovery Team"?
Hear me Six Flags? Hire me to do this stuff for you.
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