Search

Yea it does have the classic jerky arrow transitions. But the layout is killer so if there is any work I hope it stays the same. And I hope the trains keep the same look too.

Yeah, my dream is the same classic layout with smoother transitions

Did ask thunderation operators if this was the last year it would be running and they all said absolutely not. Sad to see the second train missing. It ran faster than I remember. It also runs smoother than expected except for the first down helix and in the tunnel. Shooting out of that tunnel all the way to the station is smooth as butter.

Chance Rides builds replacement trains for Arrow coasters. The park should purchasw two new trains.

I'm still thinking that next year thunderation will close for a major refurbishment, with new track, trains, and supports. Maybe some slight reprofiling to smooth out transitions. Project 2026 will help alleviate the lost capacity from TNT next year. They could market it like new FiTH.

True.
Also, I would worry about the social media rollout. They've been teasing something for a while, and come August I'm confident we'll know what.

[/quote]And with a whole new area they would need to move some employees or up the pay to hire some more workers.
[/quote]
It's never bad to pay employees more

You do bring up good points with the footers, I personally haven't seen them yet so in my mind any footer can be a giant one I guess haha. However, two standard B&M's right next to each other would rather silly in my mind, especially if one of them is just a taller version of the older one right next to it. The I think there has to be some kind of gimmick with this coaster, no matter the manufacturer, because it'll be sandwiched between a WF and PK. It'll need something to stand out. Maybe Screamscape was correct with it being a new prototype?

Or maybe Buzzsaw Falls is coming back with Mack's water coaster 

Actually, a b&m hyper wouldn't be redundant to wildfire, side wildfire is focused on inversions, and a hyper would be an airtime coaster. I do agree it needs something to stand out, so maybe it's a wing hyper? That would distinguish it from both wildfire and wild eagle at Dollywood.

after the update swoosh made to the rumor list saying its a "thrill ride that can be enjoyed by the family", I really think it will be a hypercoaster. The plot of land is too large for a compact stryker coaster (though i would love a stryker), and the footers are large enough to be a hyper. Whether its a mack or b&m is a toss up, but as sdcfan88 pointed out, the footers are a similar size for a b&m, and rumor has it the track is quite large and wide. if it is a dive, while it could be themed quite well, i would be concerned that the layout would be too generic. i would hope that sdc would pushb for a dive layout that is not "big drop + dive loop + vertical loop + mid course break run + zero g roll + helix + final break run. a wing coaster would be cool, but im struggling to think of how it would be themed. the flying machine has been taken by wildfire, and other solutions would be too fantastical/fantasy IMO.

So I checked out the rumor list from swoosh again, and the ride is now described as "a thrill ride that the family can enjoy." So I still think a hyper could be in the works. Hypers aren't too intense, and are crowd pleasers. As much as I would love a giga, it would be too tall for the park and too intense for the average guest. A hyper could be Under 200ft tall, and use the land to have a 200ft drop.

I'll take a 100ft mega coaster though!

I saw on airtime thrills YouTube channel that Dennis Spiegel (who has been in the industry for years) said there is a mystery 1000ft roller coaster project in the works. Could you imagine if that is what SDC is working on! Legend of the Ozarks: The Missouri Monster. The world's tallest fastest roller coaster!

Sorry, but I don't think SDC is building that coaster.
First, the attraction is currently being described as a "family attraction"
Second, A 1000ft coaster would stick out like a sore thumb in the park. SDC is known for hiding its rides away in the woods, and there's no way that they could hide a 1000ft coaster.
Personally I'm skeptical that a 1000ft coaster is being built at all, it's such a tall height with G forces too intense for the average person. We're just getting a 600ft coaster in the Middle East, and that coaster is built into a massive mountain!

I'm still not convinced that TNT is closing and being replaced.
SDC themselves said at the FITH media event that they were trying to keep TNT open, so why would they break their promise less then two years later? I'm betting on TNT closing next year for a full year refurbishment, with the new ride acting as the de facto "family coaster." New track, supports, a revamped queue, maybe a slight reprofiling to make it smoother, and even new trains (which would explain why they got rid of the second train.) then they could market it like a "new" ride, and it could easily operate another 30+ years. And it would be cheaper than a new coaster since they aren't designing a new one from scratch.

Trip Report 5/10/25
I was able to visit this past saturday, here's how it went:
Even though the place was crowded, Wildfire (at least when I went) only had one train operations, which was disappointing. but the line wasn't too bad, and the larger capacity of the ride helps move people through.
Powderkeg is still chugging along, but sadly no repaint yet. You can really notice the cleared out trees here.
Outlaw run was running WAY smoother, and I was in the very last row on a wheel seat. props to the maintenance crew. The cleared out trees were the most apparent here, but it was cool to see more of the ride, watching it glide across the track.
Thunderation was running much better, and felt less rough in the back. Still jerky as ever though lol.
Time traveler was running fine as ever, but on the second launch we were e-stopped and sat there for about 5mins. I wasn't too upset and honestly it was kinda cool since I have never been estopped before. However, instead of evacuating they just launched us at full throttle the rest of the way. Makes me wonder how the ride would feel with an expanded second half. Anyway the ride closed after that for a while.
Giant barn swing was finally running both side after like 4 years of it not. Or I was just unlucky for 4 years. Either way nice to see it running at full capacity. Mystic Rivers also ran just fine.
FITH had a long line and broke before I could ride and I had to leave
The new area connecting grand expo to fire district was nice and convenient, but a little disappointing. The themeing just isn't up to snuff with the rest of the park. However I will give it time to settle in with the rest of the park.
Sadly I was not able to get any construction photos of project 2026. no good areas to find and not much progress made.
My biggest criticism was ride reliability. It was a busy day and rides kept going down. Outlaw run, Time traveler (twice), FITH, and PowderKeg iirc. I know that this type of thing is unpredictable, and I feel for the maintanence crews and all the hard work they do, it was just a little disappointing.
Overall I had a great time but i'm definately ready for a new coaster. I do wish some more tlc was done to the rides, but like I said OR ran fantastic and is still my #1 coaster.

I know that HFEC has been on a spending spree, but once again I see an opportunity for them to scoop this park up and give it some TLC. if the could acquire frontier city as well, they'd almost have a monopoly in the area.

yeah, but the ride usually has a comparatively short line to the rest of the coasters. Unless the park is packed, it tops out at like 20-30mins. Now, I like the short lines of OR, but I imagine SDC would like to boost its ridership numbers.
And people are thrown off by the "roughness" of the ride. Idk to me the only truly rough part of the ride is the pothole at the bottom of the drop

(sorry if this gets off-topic)
speaking of AP, are there any expected upgrades to the ride, like new theming? since they extended the already long tunnel, there cant just be a pitch black tunnel for 2 minutes.

Has there been any more major construction spotted? I'll be going to SDC soon and I'll try to get some photos in the area.