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Ultimate Rollercoaster > Discussion Forums > Roller Coasters, Parks & Attractions > Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me?

Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me?

PaulSF
Posted: 10/15/18 at 12:06:50 AM
Views: 16508

Hey guys. It has been more than a hot minute since I've visited forums like these. Good to see some activity here?

Anywho, this topic is *really* picking at me. Everyone seems to love them an RMC. Especially when they're re-vamping a "dated" coaster. I... actively dislike that. It feels like butchery to me, and just for the sake of appealing to a modern crowd that needs everything to be as extreme as possible in order to be good. Still, I visited Six Flags Over Georgia this past weekend with an open mind. Georgia Cyclone had been a favorite of mine (I'm passionate about traditional wood coasters), and to date has been the only Cyclone-clone I've ridden. I've not even had the pleasure of riding the original Coney island Cyclone. Alas, Twisted Cyclone it now is.

I think I may be one of the few (or only) people on the planet that isn't an RMC fan. At least, so far. Twisted Cyclone here is the only one I've personally done, and I (in another I'm sure rare or non-existent opinion) greatly preferred the aforementioned Georgia Cyclone. Traditional wood coasters are my jam to begin with, yes, but all this really did for me was attempt to turn my thighs into dust. You're violently pinned to the seat (I actually let out a "Whoa..." with how hard that bar was jammed into my nether region), in this case so you aren't flung to a gruesome death since the design is about ejecting you outward every half a second. This coaster made me feel like an old man yelling at a cloud. I love airtime. Look across the way of this park with Goliath; B & M hyper coaster perfection, enjoyable airtime. Your thighs aren't violently lunged into your restraints. It's incredible floater airtime with some mild pulls due to the steepness of the drops. The parks now lone woodie, Great American Scream Machine (which I love more than life), the best of both worlds in regards to airtime. You've got your floater moments mixed with a some really nice ejector moments... but unlike Twisted Cyclone, you're restrained with a loose belt, a traditional lap bar with a decent chunk of room between you, and with no need to be pinned against it. That's because GASM doesn't feel like its aiming to non-stop spit you to the concrete. It was carefully designed by John Allen and William Cobb to be a well paced experience, to be visually awe inspiring (and it still is). Now it's like new coasters are the ride equivalent of the loudest, most chaotic summer movie playing at the theater in July. "YOU LIKE AIRTIME!? ME TOO MOTHER F! HERE'S LIKE FIVE TIMES BEFORE EVEN THE LIFT HILL. ISN'T THAT CRAZZZY? LOOK HOW STEEEEEEEEEEEEP THE DROP. NOW FLIPPIN YA--AGAIN--AGAIN--AIRTIIIIME HAHA YOU'D BE SO DEAD RIGHT NOW IF NOT FOR THAT RESTRAINT, HUH? ARE YOU THRILLED, BRO??"

Just one RCM turned me into Brooks from Shawshank Redemption. When did everything have to be that extreme to be exciting? Airtime is great, but I don't need to feel like I'm going to be ejected into a pile of red goo every two (or less) seconds. Phoenix at Knoebel's looks like another perfect example of what a coaster should be that's loaded with airtime, yet knows where to use it. Somehow along the way, and I'm reminded of a quote and general theme from Jurassic World, "People want bigger, louder... more teeth". In order for interest to be sustained, real dinosaurs weren't enough anymore-- so they created hybrids. Meaner, louder, more extreme! It feels like exactly what's happening here, just without them eating people. Though if I recall, New Texas Giant which replaced The Texas Giant, took someones life at its earliest given opportunity after... how many years of The Texas Giant doing no such thing? One flaw in the riders body dimension/one mistake... someone gets a horrifying death partly because these new rides just have to be the most extreme, relentless two minutes created by man. This as opposed to a well balanced experience where precise twists, drops, and high speed were enough to thrill people. I didn't even have a single moment of fun riding Twisted Cyclone this past weekend. It just felt like a ride that was actively trying to end my life. Goliath and GASM reminded me soon after that I actually wasn't too old for rollercoasters these days, so at least that felt nice.

Is there anyone out there who shares this opinion?

* This post was modified at 10/15/18 1:44:16 AM *

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by SirWillow SirWillow Profile at 10/15/18 11:03:06 AM
Totally get where you are coming from. :-)

I love the RMC rides I've been on, but I'm not a great fan of the restraints. They certainly aren't comfortable, and I wish they could come up with a much better one that would make the coasters more comfortable to sit in.

I also don't like some of the coasters that they've "redone" such as Roar and your Georgia Cyclone. Those coasters had no need of being redone and were great rides on their own.

On the other hand, Texas Giant and Colossus were badly in need of the makeover as one was pretty much unridable and the other was a pale junky shadow of what it had been that was beyond repair. and Mean Streak needed to be torn down years ago.

Rumors are there may be one coming for The Boss at SFStL, which needs a major overhaul, but I also loved when it was running well and would like to see it returned to that instead of essentially removing it and putting in a new coaster.

All that being said, though, 3 of my top 10s are RMC's. I do really like their rides. I'm just not a fan of them replacing decent to good wood coasters because the parks don't want to take care of what is there.

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by PaulSF at 10/16/18 2:42:53 PM
Thanks for the reply! Whew. Not alone.

I think that's my main issue. It really bothers me seeing someone else's work of art tampered with, no matter what it is. Then there's the total discomfort issue. Before I even left the station, I wasn't having fun having a firm piece of rubber shoved into my crotch. I tried to adjust myself as I left so the bars wouldn't be at my thighs, to no avail. Just pure hell from there on out. Remember when coasters didn't have to crush the life out of you to be safe? I do. Can I have that back?

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by SirWillow SirWillow Profile at 10/17/18 2:29:58 PM
PaulSF said:

Remember when coasters didn't have to crush the life out of you to be safe? I do. Can I have that back?

Sadly the people who have been on rides that shouldn't have been, or that have gotten out of restraints during the ride only to be injured/ killed have been the cause of this. The RMC's weren't that bad until the woman on Texas Giant that never should have been allowed to ride.

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by ktujon ktujon Profile at 10/20/18 7:38:32 PM
I think RMC coasters in general are taking their 'ejector' airtime to the next level. Think more of Intamin coasters like Skyrush and El Toro that deliver that kind of airtime
Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by theRock-steel theRock-steel Profile at 10/21/18 7:33:18 AM
I'm not a big fan of ALL Intamin coasters either. Some moments of ejector air are short lived and are more painful than fun. (Yes, I'm talking about you Skyrush and El Toro.)

Anyway, that is why I like New Texas Giant better than most other RMC's and more than most people do. It has more floater air which is longer lasting and more fun to me.

Three of the eight RMC's that I have ridden had painful leg restraints so they weren't as fun for me as for everyone else. Rides on Steel Vengeance, Outlaw Run, and Storm Chaser were not that good. I had better experiences on Goliath, New Texas Giant, Iron Rattler, Twisted Cyclone, and Twisted Colossus.

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by dberkley77 dberkley77 Profile at 10/23/18 3:11:20 PM
I know for a fact that there are many wood enthusiasts and "purists" who hate RMC and Cedar Fair (because of Geauga Lake). I am a new enthusiast. I started riding coasters in July to overcome my fear of heights and became addicted. In fact, I just hit my 100th credit last weekend! I must say that Twisted Timbers is my number 1 favorite coaster.

My experiences with a lot of woodies has been that they no longer perform with their original glory (from what I hear). I often hear people make statements that start with "back when this coaster was built..." Then I ride the ride and I'm extremely underwhelmed. I have over 150 rides on El Toro, so it's not the wood I don't like. I love Wildcat (Hershey), Roar (SFA) and Twister (Knoebels). I truly enjoy some wooden coasters. Others just feel flat to me. I didn't get that much out of Beast (CP) or Phoenix (Knoebels).

I would say that while I appreciate the concept of protecting the past, I would much rather have a ride get a makeover and stay running so the stories of Mean Streak and Hurler can be passed on while riding Vengeance and Timbers than have them become rotting museums like the cyclone at Williams Grove Park. Or worse, put in storage to rot like the Starliner from Legoland. For this reason I am glad RMC has saved a few coasters from an inevitable fate and I hope they save more.

* This post was modified at 10/23/18 3:13:23 PM *

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by dberkley77 dberkley77 Profile at 10/23/18 3:12:48 PM
dberkley77 said:

I have over 15 rides on El Toro...

**Not impressed?? LOL. Just kidding. That was supposed to say over 150 rides on El Toro. Hahaha.

Re: Hot take RMC opinion... is it just me? by theRock-steel theRock-steel Profile at 10/24/18 11:08:25 PM
I can see why "purists" may not want a true wooden changed to a hybrid by RMC. I have ridden 113. Personally, I like GCI as the best maker of woodens. They have not been doing it for long, but there are other rides in my top 30 that have been around for quite a while.
#12 Cyclone - Brooklyn, NY (1927)
#13 Giant Dipper - Santa Cruz (1924)
#19 Comet - Hersheypark (1946)
#21 Yankee Cannonball - Canobie Lake (1936)
#22 Dragon Coaster - Rye, NY (1929)
#26 Screamin' Eagle - SFSTL (1976)
#29 Jack Rabbit - Kennywood (1920)
Most of those have had small makeovers to save them from rotting. In any case, RMC should not touch them.
I do know for sure that I have ridden two coasters before and after major re-tracking was done on them. Thunderhawk at Dorney Park was much much better in 2017 than it could ever have been if it had stayed like it was when I was there in 2012. GhostRider was very close to the bottom of my list as it was in 2013. As of the end of July of this year it is #9 !
Now it is true that there are pieces of garbage out there that still need more than a little re-tracking.
#78 Zues - Mt. Olympus
#82 Predator - Darien Lake
#83 Wild Beast - Canada's Wonderland
#85 Giant Dipper - Belmont Park
#87 Cyclone - Lakeside Amusement
I'm not sure if those are worth the trouble. I don't know the exact numbers, but RMC gets at lest 8 million to do a hybrid total re-do.
Even with all this said, I feel that Old Texas Giant, Rattler, Colossus, Hurler, Mean Streak, and Georgia Cyclone didn't have anything to offer that what replaced them didn't do better. I never got to ride Twisted Twins or SFNE's Cyclone, but from the look's of them, I don't really think that a RMC treatment was needed. I did ride SFDK's Roar, and I liked it. When I get back out to northern CA, I will probably think why did they bother.