CHANG WATCH: The Official Topic

[Jackluver18]

They wouldn't remove Demon, like someone said I dont think they would remove a ride they just redid

[monsterfan99]

^^^ There is no way it is fitting in the SWF and demon area, it is too wide. This is just the back half the ride

http://www.rcdb.com/275.htm?p=751

That is ride that's width would not fit there. Even it Demon and Dare Devil Dive go, you have to deal with the train, to which I have no clue where you could re-route that to get trough the ride.

About the only space it can fit in is either Whizzer plus somehow getting past the show build to the Space Shuttle America area or Iron Wolf, Camp Cartoon and maybe the train station goes. Either that or lift the ride by 20 plus feet somehow.

[Ilovthevu']

You have to remember though that you say back half of the ride, but I believe the first half of the ride is just the lifthill, and the loop. So, there isn't much to the front half as you may think. As I said previously, I think it would be possible with Splash Water Falls, Dare Devil Dive, Antique cars, and if needed Southwest Ampitheater. I wish I had the dimensions of both plots of land, and than I can easily say if it could go there or not. I just think we under-estimating the Splash Water Falls and cars area. In that space, you have a ride (formely Splash Water Falls) and another ride (Dare Devil Dive), within a ride (Great American Raceway)! They could move the train tracks a little closer to Eagle in that part too, but not that much. They could also take out some of the stuff in front of the Great American Raceway (the skeeball, stage, monster trucks, the drawing people), and move them elsewhere for even some more room.

[Goku1910]

The train tracks cannot be moved, they already too close to Eagle, and plus, it goes right next to it's queue Line.

[Chitown]

Lift hill and first loop start in the Go-Karts and SSA area and the balk half extends in to the parking lot.

[Goku1910]

let's just see the real size of this coaster.

[FParker185]

What I was thinking is that there is a clear strip of land extending from SSA all the way back to the waterpark enterance along the tracks and that whole green space. That would be a good spot for the lifthill, first drop loop, then the bulbous back half of the ride could fill up most of where SSA and it's entire plaza is now and extend somewhat into the parking lot. As most of what's by that fence is a large empty expanse of paver bricks now.

[Ilovthevu']

Rumor on Screamscape is that Whizzer might be in danger, and they put it in that area. Does that mean Pictorium is in danger too, and Hometown Fun Machine?

For that Chang ride, is there anyway you can measure it with that? Than, you can bring up Splash Water Falls area, and see how big that is too, and compare with that measurement.

If Chang becomes a stand up coaster, this just tells you how this company has no clue what they are doing. Why would you add another stand up coaster because after people going on Iron Wolf for so many years, they understand how painful they are, and are going to associate another stand up coaster with same feeling that Iron Wolf gave them. Also, you have areas that are dead in the park, and you are going to do nothing with them? Iron Wolf a painful coaster to many people is still sitting there after 20 years next year, but they took out Theatre Royale, Splash Water Falls, might take out Whizzer, and have taken out Deja Vu. Is this company nuts? Out of all these things, Iron Wolf should be gone based on it's lines, and what people say about the ride. If the lines are longer, it's because of really slow loading. It's not because of popularity.

Even Demon should be out based on what I overhear in line, and the lines I don't see on that ride before that other stuff. Heck even the crew for Demon understand why some people don't like it. They say something about hitting your head on the red train, or something like that. For Whizzer, you don't hear complaints from younger guests. You might hear complaints from older guests (teenagers) that it's boring, but that's not really who it's for.

[Jackluver18]

I really hope they don't get rid of Whizzer, Whizzer has a long line almost every time I go over there. IW hardly ever have a line when I go over by that area. I think Wolf should be the one to go.

[ebe2023]

I agree i only get on Iron Wolf when lines are to long for everything else and am willing to take a beating. IW should go before Whizzer. Unless we get a rehab and new cars for IW and Chang as our new stand-up. Then maybe whizzer can go.

[tp41190]

Check this out, for those saying Chang is to big for SWF?



Both images are AT SCALE to each other. And this is a very quick photoshop so sorry about the quality but it gets the job done.

[Chitown]

^That would be fine if they could custom wedge it in there but this isn't the case.

[tp41190]

Well If Demon goes all they would have to do is just clear all the land by SWF, GAR, DDD, with only parts of Demon and it would fit just fine.

[Chitown]

Anything is possible but I don't see that happening.

[Jackluver18]

I don't see why everyone is saying Demon might go, they just rehabed it. I could see Whizzer which I hope they don't but I think Demon is going anywhere if they just spent the money to rehab it and then tear it down.

[tp41190]

^All they did was 1 of the trains. And what they did do to the ride was in order for it to keep it open. Besides (if it goes) it wouldn't be until the end of next season. So why not spend some money to keep a ride running good for 2 seasons? Also, they can also sell the trains to other parks so there not wasting there money by rehabbing them.

[w00dland]

I guess I'm still not convinced since you are suggesting Six Flags removes the biggest coaster out of a park to add it here without really getting anything better.

How would people in Chicago react if Raging Bull just up and disappeared over a season? They would rethink coming to the park. Thats why I'll never buy this rumor.

[tp41190]

Its not like they want it to go. They might have to. Like I said the ride has structural cracks. Eventually its going to be beyond repair...just like Big Bad Wolf. In the next few years, you will see a lot of the Aarows going just due to there age.

[DejaVu2001]

^ All 3 trains have been redone in since 2007. Red train was done in 07, Black train was done this year, and Yellow train is a brand new train this year. They would not get a new train if they were only keeping the ride one more year. They just would have made Demon permanent 2 train op. The maintenance people know the rides they work on. Why would they get a new train if the ride itself isn't going to last?

^^ Yeah, losing Chang would suck majorly for SFKK, however, don't forget that Geauga Lake took out X-Flight AND Steel Venom the same year. Look at SFKK's recent additions compared to Geauga Lake's final years. All the new stuff is in the water park, dry park hasn't gotten anything since Greezed Lightning in 2003.

[Ilovthevu']

They wanted to sell SFKK anyway. On Screamscape, before the guy brought a very good point. How many of these older roller coasters are going to go to the garbage because of how old they are? For Six Flags alone, you have rides like Demon, Whizzer, Greezed Lightin, Revolution, Mindbender, the Arrow mine trains, and some more that are probably going to be destroyed because of old age.

To me, the bigger question is what looping coaster today would replace these older rides? Take a look at Disney, and they have a Intamin with a loop, and they have a Vekoma with maybe 2 inversions that could satisfy the lower height of requirement of rides with loops, but these are so much money for what you are getting. If they did take out Demon, I think they would still need to get another beginner looper. Chang is not a beginner looping ride (I consider advanced.). I like mouse coasters, but to me the perfect kids roller coasters that adults will enjoy also is something like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (even without all that theming), and of course as I just said something like a beginner looper ride. If they get rid of Whizzer, they need another ride like a mine train to keep those people that like Whizzer. To me, Whizzer is like Six Flags mine train.

For the Demon train, if they got rid of it, they could always give to Magic Mountain, or Great Adventure for their rides like they did for Shockwave. I think the plan for Demon was refurbishing the track for a number of years just like they are doing for Shockwave at Six Flags Over Georgia, but it could have changed. I don't know.

[monsterfan99]

I guess I'm still not convinced since you are suggesting Six Flags removes the biggest coaster out of a park to add it here without really getting anything better.

How would people in Chicago react if Raging Bull just up and disappeared over a season? They would rethink coming to the park. Thats why I'll never buy this rumor.

I'm not convinced the amusement park part of Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom will be there in 5 years. Every single report I've seen from there, minus the concert days and enthusiast events, has the amusement part dead but the water park packed. I saw the same thing myself in August.

The people have no reason to go to the park. The only amusement rides added since 2000 are Road Runner Express (2000,) Sky Coaster (2001) & Greezed Lightin' (2003.) Out of those one of them was a used ride that needed a home and the other cost extra. In that same time period, 13 rides have been removed and an entire area (with a racing coaster, water ride and a flat ride) are rotting. Add to that the Superman accident and you have yourself a dead park.

Even the park itself has no billboards on the major interstate. Not even a sign to say "Exit at (insert exit) for Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom." Yet Kings Island and Holiday World have ads right by those same exits and even the park itself. Hell, there is a Holiday World ad right across from the dormant Twisted Twins. That alone should be a clean sign that Six Flags just doesn't care.

Chang could come here or go to another park, I have no clue. But what I do think is the ride moves before 2010 is over.

[Goku1910]

I really hope they don't get rid of Whizzer, Whizzer has a long line almost every time I go over there. IW hardly ever have a line when I go over by that area. I think Wolf should be the one to go.

Now that I work at Iron Wolf, I understand it has a higher capacity than I thought. From experience, the line going to the queue house is barely even a half hour.

[Jackluver18]

^ well from what I see when I walk over there it's never full, I'm sure it has a high capacity but there isn't hardly a line on Saturday's when I go. I'm not going to get into an argument but that's how I feel

[tp41190]

Iron Wolfs capasity sucks. No matter what the ops do, there will always be people that have problems and slow down the line. I have never seen a Iron Wold dispatch on time. Even when there was no one on the ride the train was still stacked for 10 seconds, but that was last year. It seems like Iron Wolfs crew is a tad better the previous years. Although, I have had many 1-2 min stacks this season.

[Philly 589]

another update today:
(9/16/09) New rumors have started up, claiming that the Whizzer may once again be on the chopping block due to it’s age. The site would also be about the right size for Chang too.... hmmm....

lol here we go again.
now they'll probably take out Raging Bull instead