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

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I am here today and have gotten 6 rides in fairly close together trying each row. My personal opinion is that the front and middle of the train ride better then the rear. I kinda feel like the side that loads closes to Reptilian is a better ride but I really don't enough comparison to be totally sold on that opinion. It's also moved up to a solid 4th in the park behind Pantherian, Twisted, and Grizzly but knocking Flight of Fear down a peg in my opinion.
 
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TheNerdyEnthusiast said:
The best ride for me was Right Side, Second Row, Inside Seat. Smoothest ride I've gotten yet.
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From just a smoothness stand point inside of the third row seemed like the smoothest to me but is also not as fun of a ride in my opinion. Front outside on the Flight of Fear side is slightly ruffer but the view and force through the launch and several of those banks is just incredible an makes you feel like you are truly flying and more then makes up for the increase in ruffness. Baring discovering something new I think this likely will my go to seat if the wait isn't to extreme.
 
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First time posting here, but I was closely following the construction of Rapterra since its announcement, and have been going to Kings Dominion since the mid-2000s. I have to be honest in saying, while I appreciate the high level of theming that has gone into the attraction, the sightlines it contributes to the park, and the energy it has given the pathways around it, the ride experience itself leaves a lot to be desired. I've gotten in 7 rides now, in a variety of different seats, and the experience has ranged from passable but somewhat uncomfortable in the best seats, to downright unpleasant in the worst ones. I don't think the roughness of the ride can be attributed solely to the unique mechanics of a wing coaster, as some other people have been claiming, as I've ridden Gatekeeper and Wild Eagle, and they really don't feel the same way. This seems to me like just another instance of B&M's recent drop in quality, whatever the reason for that may be. I think the cause of the "rattle" on Iron Menace, Penguin Trek, etc., is present on Rapterra, but it registers a bit differently due to the way the forces are transmitted through the wing seating, which has led people to describe it as a "bounce" instead. That being said, the sensation of riding this coaster when it enters a valley and during some its transitions definitely reminds me of Iron Menace personally.
Despite what I've said, I still think the coaster is going to be a success, as it does seem highly marketable, and really any big new coaster after such a long drought would bring people into the park, but I would take most of the the other coasters in the park over this any day of the week. Dominator is a far better ride in my opinion.
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10 rides on Rapterra Today all after 4pm.

She went down for a quick fault that was remedied immediately after maintenance arrived.

In the last hour the Team was HUSTLING! They were attempting a dispatch record of 45, they reached 44. The energy was awesome.

My cousin had to tap out at 8 rides after a slight headache. Front is smooth, back is bouncy as most of us have learned by now.

The Raptor roll is so cool.
Floater, then hang time, laterals, and positives, all in one inversion. People should be raving about this!

Also you can see curvature of the earth when you invert going into the Dive loop, look down! 🌎

All in all spectacular day and Busch could take a lesson from KD in how to operate coasters. With enthusiasm.
 
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After my one ride ride last week (back row, right side, outside seat) I really enjoyed Rapterra and thought it was a super solid ride in the park. But I still probably would have placed it as my #4 in the park — behind Twisted Timbers, Grizzly, and Flight of Fear.

But today I got three more rides on it (all on the left side, in the second, middle, and back rows) and I am now a HUGE fan of this coaster. I must really like the left (FOF) side more, because every single ride was just so much fun. The launch is punchy, and I got some awesome forces — strong positive Gs at the low points, and some great “swoopy” feelings that I’m struggling to describe — that I didn’t feel nearly as much last week. I was literally laughing out loud.

I also thought the ride was perfectly smooth on the left side. There was maybe the occasional slight bump, but nothing I think I’d even register if I weren’t looking for it. I did notice what felt like a “pothole” on my right-side ride last week, but even that had a negligible impact on the ride experience IMO.

Couple the ride’s strengths with the fantastic presentation of this ride and the path interaction (which is super fun on-ride and something KD seriously lacked before) and Rapterra is a huge winner. It may even be a new #2 in the park for me (sorry Grizzly).

I have only two main critiques. One, I wish there were a few more dig site props scattered in the middle section of the queue; the beginning is awesome with the whole Research Center section, and the last bit with the caldera and temple and station obviously look fantastic, but the middle is mostly landscaping, and even just some shovels and signs would bring everything together more. Maybe more will be added, as I recall things being added to Tumbili’s queue into the summer. Two, and much more egregiously, the FOF show building sticks out like a sore thumb. I really wish they’d painted it to at least “age” it like TT’s station exterior, or painted a big Whey Foundation seal on the side or something. Or maybe the rumors are sadly true and FOF isn’t much longer for this world and they didn’t want to invest anything into the show building.

Regardless, Rapterra is going to be a huge hit for KD. And while nothing could ever replace the mountain itself, just comparing coaster to coaster, I personally think Rapterra is a far better coaster than Volcano was.
 
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horsesboy said:
From just a smoothness stand point inside of the third row seemed like the smoothest to me but is also not as fun of a ride in my opinion. Front outside on the Flight of Fear side is slightly ruffer but the view and force through the launch and several of those banks is just incredible an makes you feel like you are truly flying and more then makes up for the increase in ruffness. Baring discovering something new I think this likely will my go to seat if the wait isn't to extreme.
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Agree! Front, outside, left is my favorite seat overall so far.
 
My stab in the dark shot at why FOF's show building wasn't painted - they don't think it's going to be around long enough to justify the cost.
 
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Nate Dog said:
This seems to me like just another instance of B&M's recent drop in quality, whatever the reason for that may be.
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Nate Dog said:
Dominator is a far better ride in my opinion.
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Have you noticed Dominator's rattle coming out of the cobra roll, or especially in the corkscrews? These aren't just felt, but can easily be heard from the parking lot. And it isn't an age thing, as this coaster had rattles when it was in Ohio (but would have seemed very smooth right across the park from Raging Wolf Bobs).

I really like Dominator a lot, but I do admit it has some jarring spots.
 
Im also in agreeance Dominator is better than Rapterra. But atleast any jarringness to dominator can be argued due to age and it has been taken apart and put back together
 
MisterToro said:
Have you noticed Dominator's rattle coming out of the cobra roll, or especially in the corkscrews? These aren't just felt, but can easily be heard from the parking lot. And it isn't an age thing, as this coaster had rattles when it was in Ohio (but would have seemed very smooth right across the park from Raging Wolf Bobs).

I really like Dominator a lot, but I do admit it has some jarring spots.
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Dominator definitely has a bit of a rattle, especially in the corkscrew section as you said, but for me it's not enough to detract from the ride, whereas with Rapterra its much more noticeable throughout. The shaking is audible on Rapterra too, especially at the bottom of the dive loop, and if you look at the track there you can see that there are already heavy wear marks. I actually also rode Dominator back when it was at Geauga Lake, but I was too young to have much memory of how it rode then, so I can't comment on that part of your post. I do think that Dominator has to get some amount of leeway for being 25 years old and relocated, and even still the rattle on it just doesn't get to me in the same way as the one on Rapterra.

I realize that the physics of wing coasters are different, and probably some amount of cost-cutting has taken place at B&M, but you would expect that after all this time technology would have improved to the point where B&M can come out with a coaster that's not this rough right from day one. I don't hate the coaster or anything; I'll still try to get in a few rides in on it every time I go to KD, and maybe I'll get more tolerant of it over time, but right now I definitely prefer the park's other coaster offerings. I'm curious to see how WoR turns out to maybe get more insight into the B&M situation. I also plan on riding Rapterra and Thunderbird as close together as possible this summer so that I can directly compare them.
 
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Just got off of it and wow was it ever moving faster than it was last time I rode it. It was definitely more rough too, with the spot that was the worst to me being the valley out of the s curve. That being said I still don’t think it’s that bad. The ride I had on dominator today though really rattled me for some reason
 
I can say I understand why people would prefer Floorless coasters to wing coasters. Floorless coasters tend to feel more intense. Wing coasters are not inherently going for a lot of positives like a Floorless typically would. My issue with the Floorless model, they don’t really do a lot for me and I’d rather ride a lot of other coaster types.

I really like Kraken at SWO, Medusa at GADV, and Superman KC at Fiesta. But when I walk into a theme park anywhere, it’s straight up unlikely to not happening that I’m going to the parks B&M Floorless coaster first. That’s not untrue for wing coasters, but I did ride Gatekeeper first on my 2022 visit to Cedar Point and I hadn’t been since 2005 and my last two visits to Kings Dominion I went to Rapterra first and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens again many times. Wing coasters stand out to me for being different, but very fun and not necessarily intense. I really enjoy the presence of hangtime on them especially.

Also I’m in my thirties and sometimes I’m not trying to be snapped through tight Floorless corkscrews.
 
CoasterAuditor said:
I can say I understand why people would prefer Floorless coasters to wing coasters. Floorless coasters tend to feel more intense. Wing coasters are not inherently going for a lot of positives like a Floorless typically would. My issue with the Floorless model, they don’t really do a lot for me and I’d rather ride a lot of other coaster types.

I really like Kraken at SWO, Medusa at GADV, and Superman KC at Fiesta. But when I walk into a theme park anywhere, it’s straight up unlikely to not happening that I’m going to the parks B&M Floorless coaster first. That’s not untrue for wing coasters, but I did ride Gatekeeper first on my 2022 visit to Cedar Point and I hadn’t been since 2005 and my last two visits to Kings Dominion I went to Rapterra first and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens again many times. Wing coasters stand out to me for being different, but very fun and not necessarily intense. I really enjoy the presence of hangtime on them especially.

Also I’m in my thirties and sometimes I’m not trying to be snapped through tight Floorless corkscrews.
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Those corkscrews hurt my feeling today 😮‍💨😅
 
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