Kingdaka days might be numbered?

[Plokoon111]

(6/19/09) While the park put in for the quick and dirty fix to get Kingda Ka back up and running as soon as possible, the results are said to have been less than spectacular. So far the reliability of the fix has been very inconsistent, where it has a good day here and there where it runs flawlessly and then suddenly the next morning it’s dead as a doorbell first thing in the morning. They scratch their heads, throw rocks at it, call it bad names and nothing works to fix it until like magic, it suddenly decides it wants to work again.
From what I’ve heard the problems with the ride are numerous... starting with some major mechanical issues with some of the launch system’s gears. The lightning blast also fried lots of the sensors and sections of the electrical system that really needs a complete overhaul now. I’ve also heard that the weather has been playing problems for them too, as for some reason there seems to be quite a bit of extra static electricity in the air this year that is causing some havoc with the damaged systems.
As for the current status... I’ve been told that currently Kingda Ka has been closed since Monday and it is impossible to even guess when it may be up and running again. Could be today... could be next week or even longer. Stay tuned...

^ From Screamscape.com it seems like this ride was a waste of money, well yes many coaster fans rode this and it was hyped up a lot. I could see this ride being defunct in a couple years or taken down by 2012 possibly.

[SnooSnoo]

Numerous things I wonder:

1. Why not fix the problems? If things are damaged on a $25 million dollar machine.. fix them?

2. Why was Six Flags dumb enough to rush KK into existence in the first place? Everyone knew TTD was having problems.. but they kept the project going anyway.

3. Why do these problems continue to plague this coaster? Not all rides are perfect.. but jesus christ, it should be in this much trouble for this long. TTD got its act together.. why can't KK?


In the end, this ALL comes down on Six Flags, plain and simple. If this coaster dies, it won't be the weathers fault.

[godsmuffinman]

Good. I haven't ridden it, but I think TTD deserves the "tallest, fastest coaster" record. So I don't think that I'd care if it was destroyed. :)

[-LiLDaReDeViL5-]

Good. I haven't ridden it, but I think TTD deserves the "tallest, fastest coaster" record. So I don't think that I'd care if it was destroyed. :)
God. Fanboy? Really? What makes it deserve it?

The ride isn't going anywhere. It'll be fixed and running again soon.

[Plokoon111]

Yeah but the fixes keep breaking from lightening and things like that and its expensive.

[liamrocks]

I think it may be on its final leg. Six flags has never, and I repeat never, cared too dearly about its rides. Its all about how much money is going in the companies pockets. I think that this was a long time coming, and knowing Six Flags, it will be taken down, and a new one will be made in its place. They have a marked history, so its not the first time...

[Plokoon111]

I mean for real today I saw a commercial for a new ride called Bizarro and was like, 'Oh wow!' I looked it up and find out its Medusa with a different color scheme. They advertised it as if it was a new ride, but they only want money and are ripping off people at times.

[-LiLDaReDeViL5-]

I mean for real today I saw a commercial for a new ride called Bizarro and was like, 'Oh wow!' I looked it up and find out its Medusa with a different color scheme. They advertised it as if it was a new ride, but they only want money and are ripping off people at times.
You know, it's not ripping people off at all. I'm not one to defend Six Flags, but it's brilliant on their part.

You guys are being friggen idiotic by thinking the park would take down their icon attraction, the world's tallest roller coaster. Maybe think for a second.

[Wild 1]

Umm, it was running fine earlier this year, I guess the lightning bolt did it in! Really I say give it the off season for them to repair it because as they have said they just patched it so it would not be down for months for the fix. Then during the off season they would replace the parts that are the problem without haveing to worry about it being down for months at a time.

[ytivarg]

Rides all over the planet are struck by lightning all the time. What do you expect when you construct something 400+ feet in the air and made of steel?

Sure, lightning can fry some proximity switches and such... but it shouldn't wipe out an entire electrical system. These rides are grounded, quite literally, and shouldn't be that affected by a lightning strike.

[Myn-o-mite]

all Six Flags wanted was something better than TTD to finally outshine CF, as the same with redoig Bizzaro to knock out MF. Kingda, as i've heard, is not and will never be better than TTD, if it goes down, oh well.

[CedarPointer]

You guys are being friggen idiotic by thinking the park would take down their icon attraction, the world's tallest roller coaster. Maybe think for a second.
The tallest and fastest wooden coaster might be leaving the building, too...

[-Bolt-]

all Six Flags wanted was something better than TTD to finally outshine CF, as the same with redoig Bizzaro to knock out MF. Kingda, as i've heard, is not and will never be better than TTD, if it goes down, oh well.
Uh...You do know that S:ROS was already ranked WAY higher than MF, even without the Bizarro transformation...?

[ytivarg]

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2006/11/destructoid-dot-com-fanboy-anatomy.jpg

There's a lot of them about.

[liamrocks]

The tallest and fastest wooden coaster might be leaving the building, too...
Whats that one? Is it Six or Cedar Fair owned?

[RangerStudios]

El Toro... I think.

[KingVeveraine]

Or he may mean SoB. They wouldn't remove a ride rated as highly as El Toro.

[Rupeeman]

I think he refers to SoB,since problems have been experienced there too lately.

[Myn-o-mite]

Uh...You do know that S:ROS was already ranked WAY higher than MF, even without the Bizarro transformation...?
yeah I know but I think with the transformation they are probably making sure that they will never switch spots again.

[Alpengeist]

I said it before and I'll say it again, building Kingda Ka was a big mistake!!! ...Plain and simple.



It just amazes me how much better TTD is than KK. Oh wait it's Six Flags, never mind.:p

[The Ghost]

Well, can't say I didn't see this coming. As good of a ride as it is, it was a waste of money in my opinion. Besides, remember what happened to another "revolutionary" launcher in the park...it died and was replaced by a wild mouse. The same can probably said for Kingda Ka, it will eventually come to the point where the entire ride system is fried and be replaced by some dark ride or something.

[LightGrenades]

No way in hell they are taking it out. I wish people would use their ****ING BRAINS sometimes.

Christ, some of you are just plain stupid. Do you honestly think they would take out one of their signature rides? Having the tallest, fastest roller coaster doesn't mean anything anymore? It still draws people all over to ride it.

Common sense people, do ANY OF YOU have it? They spent tons of money trying to build and advertise this ride, they aren't just going to say "Well that's it, tear it down boys!". They will fix this, because it still is a cashcow for them.

[simtanic8]

^Agreed.

The rides just getting replacement parts, why in the world would they take away the worlds tallest and fastest coaster? Apparently the reopened already, but closed again. How can TTD beat Kingda Ka anyways? If Kingda Ka was at Cedar Point and TTD at Six Flags, would TTD still be better?

-Simtanic8

[Alpengeist]

How can TTD beat Kingda Ka anyways? If Kingda Ka was at Cedar Point and TTD at Six Flags, would TTD still be better?

-Simtanic8

I guess you haven't been on both then or you wouldn't be asking this question. ...TTD launch is really smooth (one tug), while KK is almost jerky at times (multiple pulses). Unless you are in the first two rows on KK, you could say the launch is actually rough. ...not to mention the restraints and the trim break at the top that effects the back half of the train.

And yes, the park does make a difference, the maintenance at CP seems to be ten times better than at SFGAdv.


BTW LightGrenades, you need to chill a little. It's only a roller coaster forum.:rolleyes:

[-Bolt-]

BTW LightGrenades, you need to chill a little. It's only a roller coaster forum.:rolleyes:
But that's part of his CHARM! :)

And he's right, you know. Why the hell would they even consider such a notion. Jesus, in the short term, it would cost more to tear the damn thing down than to close it for a few months and retool it!

B8LT

[Wild 1]

Yeah, there is no way they are gonna tear that thing down, Heck when I went in April they still had at least 20 signs advertising the ride and the wait was (no joke) 2 hours long! It almost became 3 hours after lunch! This was not even in the peak of the season, it would just be cheaper to repair it!

[Alpengeist]

^^Yea, I never said he was right or wrong, nor did I ever say they should tear it down. I only said it was a mistake to begin with. Still there's no reason to get all worked up and insult people who are only giving their opinion, no matter how far off base it may seem.

In the end, the only opinion people should be worrying about is Six Flags', since they're the ones who will ultimately decide KK's future.;)

[iDelphi]

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2006/11/destructoid-dot-com-fanboy-anatomy.jpg

There's a lot of them about.
BLAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAA!:haha:

[liamrocks]

The point of that reply was...

[RangerStudios]

^ To laugh.

[-LiLDaReDeViL5-]

No way in hell they are taking it out. I wish people would use their ****ING BRAINS sometimes.

Christ, some of you are just plain stupid. Do you honestly think they would take out one of their signature rides? Having the tallest, fastest roller coaster doesn't mean anything anymore? It still draws people all over to ride it.

Common sense people, do ANY OF YOU have it? They spent tons of money trying to build and advertise this ride, they aren't just going to say "Well that's it, tear it down boys!". They will fix this, because it still is a cashcow for them.
For the first time ever, I agree with you. Thank you. Someone with a brain.

[Harpo]

I would think it would be unlikely for it to be torn down. However, I also thought it was stupid to build it, considering all the known problems for TTD. A smart move would have been to wait and see if the TTD problems were successfully solved before building something that's very similar.

As for Six Flags bringing in all sorts of money, keep in mind that they did just declare bankruptcy. It is likely to limit their spending capabilities for a while.

[Squid2]

From what's leaked out, capital expenditures for SFI next year will be in the $110 million range, with $120 million for 2011. I'm not concerned.

Squid2

[LightGrenades]

As for Six Flags bringing in all sorts of money, keep in mind that they did just declare bankruptcy. It is likely to limit their spending capabilities for a while.

Considering the location of the park, the kind of ride, and the fact that it is the tallest and fastest coaster in the world makes me think it will probably be one of the first things taken care of.

[Alpengeist]

Let's just hope it isn't another quick fix.;)

[ytivarg]

Also, it's my understanding that things that were "learned" from Dragster were applied to Kingda Ka... the cooling track is one example. It was modified onto Dragster, and IIRC, built into Ka.

I don't doubt that some of these problems might be unique to Ka.. so the "Well, they got Dragster going good.. what's the problem with Ka?" arguments might be invalid.