LegendLover Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Lord the Dragon was awful. I hate it even more than Ninja. Ninja is a little shakey, but Dragon had straight up potholes. At least the seats are nice and soft when you hit a pothole in a car, but hitting one with nothing but a plastic church pew of a seat was more painful than any headbanging. Also my bet is on either a launced coaster or a Chance Hyper GT-X. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11slataus Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 I can't really say I will miss Dragon, but I did like it better than I guess a lot of people did. The loops and first helix were so intense, and even though the ride was rough, I always thought the roughest part was (oddly) the pre-lift hops. Excited to see what they replace it with! And it will be interesting to see if they decide to build whatever new over the water, or to basically stick to the little strip of land that Dragon did. Dragon Slayer would be a cool name to use, too, seeing as that whole little area of the park is "Dragon Island." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Now that I am closer, I really want to visit this park in the future...have always wanted to visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Tell me why I momentarily freaked out when I saw this news. Then, of course, I realized it's just Dragon. Count me in, though, as someone who found it mildly enjoyable and not too rough. Ninja is far worse. And please let the replacement be called Dragon Slayer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 This must be a pretty sizable addition if they're already taking down Dragon rather than waiting until after the year. And while I liked Dragon more than most, I'm guessing what they have in store will be an improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Either that or it's old and needs some expensive work that they don't feel like doing because it's a piece of crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Peck Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 This is one coaster I will never ride having not been to the park. Doesn't look like I missed much, though. Hopefully they will build a Giga! (just kidding of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 I wonder if they had planned on running it this year until July or so, but with the uncertainty around opening dates they decided to pull the plug early. Anyway, Dragon was one of the roughest coasters I've been on so not a big loss. I'd personally like to see them add a Chance Hyper GT-X like Lightning Run at Kentucky Kingdom, it would be a fantastic coaster that probably wouldn't have a terribly high pricetag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillseeker4552 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 ^That would be such a great fit. I seriously do not understand why parks aren't snatching up that model. Lightning Run opened 6 years ago and not a single other has been built! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwuaraeC Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 KCCI put out a video of the skycam going over the demo site. It's a much better look than what I could get from outside the park. Edit: Almost forgot the link to the footage - View from KCCI sky cam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeelTheFORCE Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Excited to see what they add next. They've been knocking it out of the park with their last few additions, and this park has a great charm to it. Dragon was closed all day when I was there in 2017, but I would definitely go back for Monster alone. Not to mention the amount of places you can get beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I personally have not been on a raptor, but would the ride experience be quite similar to what Monster already provides? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DILinator Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I don't see 2020 as the year I finally make it out to this park, but I'm excited to see what they have in store for 2021, and hopefully I'll make it out that way next year! As for never riding Dragon, I am one who will never lose sleep over missing out on riding an old looper, especially one with a reputation for being as rough as Dragon. I too agree that a custom RMC Raptor similar to Jersey Devil would look great there in Dragon's old spot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlp94 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Sad to see that I'm one of the rare few that really liked Dragon. One of the most underrated coasters I've ridden I'd like to see a new gen Vekoma go there personally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 New hint from the park... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwuaraeC Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 For those who haven't seen the gif from the park, The image VF15 posted is rotating 360 degrees. Link to the Gif: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WolfBobs Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I'll quietly keep my fingers crossed a new gen Vekoma makes its way stateside finally. Lech looks amazing and wouldn't mind having one within a days drive. Or whatever the wonderful nonsense of track Energylandia currently has under construction from Vekoma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryder Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I actually didn't hate Dragon. I found the worst part by far was that opening section of bunny hills before the lift--that was awful. The rest of it was not smooth, but I feel there's worse out there. But I will say from the off-ride point of view, it was very scenically located behind that pond. From a photography point of view, it'll be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 One of the options I was wondering is if the presumed replacement would use the entirety of Dragon's current footprint or if they'd keep it on that thin stretch of land by the station (and not cross the water). With the spinning picture, could it maybe be a hint at a free spin? It would be unique to the region, super marketable, and in line with their past coaster additions from a budget perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 I wonder how much Lech Coaster cost? RCDB lists 12 million EUR while Coasterpedia lists 4.36 million EUR. Monster cost $9 million, so regardless, I don’t see a new Vekoma coaster being out of the realm of possibility. I also can’t imagine a better addition for this park (especially as a replacement for Dragon). Vekoma’s new creations are truly fantastic. A top 20 coaster in Iowa? What a way to really put this park on the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Parks benefit more from a thousand families visiting 3-4 times a year, than from a thousand enthusiasts visiting once every 3-4 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillseeker4552 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 There are lots of budget coaster options they could go with (assuming this is a coaster). I am keeping my expectations reasonable, but I also never would have predicted a park like this build a ride like Monster, so you never know! Hopefully they are able to move forward with their 2021 plans through this pandemic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwuaraeC Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 Looks like the park is also removing their top spin style ride SplashOver. Now they have Dragon’s footprint, as well as a good plot right along the midway for another good flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBru Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I’m hating this top spin genocide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerManic Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 How many are left now in the US? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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