Iron Dragon Demolition

Astounding... I came on, blatantly stated that I pulled all this out my magic arse, and clearly stated the entire topic was bulls**t...

Yet y'all are still breaking out the pitch forks and torches...

Let me be clear... I'm just a random a**hole on the internet. There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the ID is going to be torn down.

Frankly, of all the Arrow's, I could make a stronger case for almost any of it's other siblings.

The point about adding more "whole family" rides is well taken (and I mostly agree).

My guess? We'll probably see more added in 2017-2018. My perception is that family rides are smaller and cheaper...

So if we get a major addition in 2016 (Dive Coaster), then the subsequent seasons would be a logical place to make those smaller investments. It would also be a 3-4 year gap after PipeScream and LEE.

One of those years will probably be a dark ride... So whichever year doesn't get the dark ride will probably get family stuff.

Last edited by Mystical Matthew,

It is funny how this thread is 6 pages. I got the ruse from the beginning. Hence my post on the first page.

Lash said:
The Beaver Tail Girl told me it's all a lie.

I think she's the second cousin twice removed from the Lemon Chill and Dippin Dots guys.

Last edited by Lash,

Mystical Matthew said:
Astounding... I came on, blatantly stated that I pulled all this out my magic arse, and clearly stated the entire topic was bulls**t...
Yet y'all are still breaking out the pitch forks and torches...

I don't see anyone marking their calendars for a dragon slaying event just yet.

Except for a stray remark here or there, most of the discussion that has taken place since your previous comment has been centered around family coasters, park preferences, height requirements, etc. :)

jsmith7300 said:
I don't see anyone marking their calendars for a dragon slaying event just yet.
Except for a stray remark here or there, most of the discussion that has taken place since your previous comment has been centered around family coasters, park preferences, height requirements, etc. :)

Fair enough. I do see the point. I don't have kids, but I know how important CP was to my childhood. I loved the Mill Race before it was replaced by Raptor... (Did I just reveal my age? Oops!)

They need to get more general audience attractions and rides back in for small children to grandma. That's why Western Cruise, Earthquake, Pirate Ride were so nice to have, and the lower height limit Mine Ride. Old and young could ride them together. Shows are nice, but there will come a day when I can't ride certain rides and will be bummed I am relegated to shows because there isn't much else and I'll probably just stop going. Pipe Scream was a nice addition but it does make me queasy at my age and people didn't go to the park back in the day for the sole purpose of rides like Schwabinchen.

Upside-down Fun House
Kris

Mystical Matthew said:
Astounding... I came on, blatantly stated that I pulled all this out my magic arse, and clearly stated the entire topic was bulls**t...

I'm sorry Matthew. I'm one of the people that took you seriously. I know good grief! Lol! However, It surprises me that these type of roller coasters are becoming extinct because of the parts issues. Hopefully Cedar Point can continue to keep Iron Dragon as long as they can. It's a great family ride, I know from experience. ;)

Iron Dragon isn't going anywhere, anytime soon! It's CP's best family coaster and management cherishes that ride.

And that more or less sums it up perfectly. Cedar Point's best family coaster isn't even a family coaster.

Last edited by Kevinj,

Promoter of fog.

In hindsight, I'm kind of curious what the initial reaction was to Iron Dragon when it originally opened. Would've been the 4th suspended coaster in the US, so obviously not a whole many points of comparison, but I do wonder how much the general public/whatever enthusiasts there were at the time recalled the teething issues that plagued the original Bat over at Kings Island.

I guess I mean reaction in the sense of whether it was considered to be a relatively tame family coaster when it debuted or if it sat a little higher in the perceived 'intensity' pantheon.

I can tell you. Iron Dragon was considered an overall disappointment to the enthusiasts. Cedar Point's marketing and advertising for the ride was geared toward the "scary monster" and led everyone to believe that a thrill ride had been installed. Upon arrival it was easy to see that that wasn't really the case. It was popular, though, and people flocked to ride it.

Side note:
That year I was asked to write a "first person" article for the ACE magazine and I put a considerable amount of time and effort into not only describing the ride but giving it a fair review. I mentioned that the ride wasn't much for the thrill seekers, but turned out to be a great family ride. I suggested a better theme for the ride might've been the bi planes that Arrow was showing for suspended coasters, as the dragon in his lair was a bit of an over reach. I wasn't unkind to Cedar Point in any way, but gave my honest assessment of an overall enjoyable ride.
Anyway, when the article finally appeared the editor had taken it upon himself to rewrite my essay into one he would've written himself. I got a note from him stating that he hoped I didn't mind but for the sake of brevity he had to edit. I was hard pressed to find words I had actually written.

So:
There was something else that over shadowed Cedar Point's new ride that year and that was Kings Island's new ride. Vortex also debuted in 1989 and it was well known as the replacement for the ill-fated Bat. So in the great war of Ohio coasters, that round went to KI. Vortex was the clear winner for thrill seekers with it's high speed, huge drop, and multiple inversions.

Another thing to remember in thinking about Iron Dragon was that the suspended coaster was in the process of getting reinvented. The Bat (prototype) was so poorly designed that it seldom ran, and as we all know lateral forces on some of the more thrilling turns caused the ride to shut down so often the ride was finally scrapped. Astroworld took a chance on the design but took no chances on downtime and XLR8 was a total snooze fest. That same year Big Bad Wolf debuted with a more thrilling layout, but remember it wasn't originally Arrow's project or design. It proved, however, that they had finally hit upon a reliable design for the track profile and brakes and the way was paved for future rides like Ninja and Vortex. In the meantime Iron Dragon squeaked in there with an overall design that wasn't super high on thrills, but carried a high reliability factor. Like I said, it was a popular ride (and still is) with the general public and in light of subsequent installations has become known as more of a family coaster than one with thrills.

That's my take on it, anyway.

Last edited by RCMAC,

RCMAC said:
There was something else that over shadowed Cedar Point's new ride that year and that was Kings Island's new ride. Vortex also debuted in 1989 and it was well known as the replacement for the ill-fated Bat.

Iron Dragon-1987

I remember very well the anticipation I had for Iron Dragon. I was 16, and when I actually saw it for the first time, I was very underwhelmed. A nice ride, just not up to the hype of the advertising on TV.

That's interesting. I had forgotten that Iron Dragon and Vortex debuted the same year. The only other year that both Ohio parks debuted new coasters (excluding kiddie coasters) was 2000. I wonder if that will ever happen again under Cedar Fair.

Last edited by Chuck Wagon,

-- Chuck Wagon --
aka Pagoda Gift Shop

RCMAC, I certainly remember the ads for Iron Dragon and it was a let down due to the hype. It never was a real thrill but it did make a good tamer family coaster.

Upside-down Fun House
Kris

I'm sorry, the date for both was '87. My mistake, and I had even looked it up to make sure. Either I mistyped or my short term memory is fading fast...

Chuck, it already did.

Both Banshee & Pipe Scream opened last year. :)

If, of course, you consider Pipe Scream a coaster. (CP apparently does)

This Isn't A Hospital--It's An Insane Asylum!

So does Zamperla if you look at their website.