Is Mantis smoother with new paintjob?

I am going this Friday and was wondering if the Mantis was any smoother or quicker with it's new paint.

I seriously doubt paint would make Mantis faster or smoother, but I haven't been so I wouldn't know. Hey, they might have done some track work or something but I doubt it!
*** This post was edited by TheTitan_04 5/21/2003 1:44:32 PM ***

Well a lot of people have said that after the Raptor was repainted it felt a lot faster.

I had my first Mantis lap of the season on 5-19. We used Freeway and waited for the front car. We had an amazingly smooth ride but since the trims were off on the first drop I couldn't tell for sure if it was because of the paint, the front car or a combination of both. Mantis rocks!

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Millennium Force Laps-104
**Vertigo Launches-21**
Dragster Launches-2

I was there last Sunday and I also had a freeway pass for mantis , I could tell a big difference in the ride from the last time I rode it , It was extremely faster and smoother , while I was boarding the ride ,the ride op even commented to us that mantis had a new paint job and was much slicker , I didnt think it would make a difference , but after I rode it I can honestly say either trims were off or it was definetly the new paint job !

Does anybody have pics of Mantis with the new paint?

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-life without danger is a waste of oxygen-

You still get a bit of head banging, but it does seem a good deal smoother. I noticed the extra speed more though...last year the train would hesitate a bit in the first loop, but every time I've ridden it this year it cruises right through. I don't think the paint has an effect on it though, especially because a lot of the paint where the wheels run is starting to peel anyways.

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CP 2K3: 3

Mantis is definitly "Paint Fast", or at least it was on my trimless ride. At any rate it is not worse.

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"Enjoy your day at America's Rockn' Rollercoast!"
Mine Rides 03: 1

when they painted it they probably sanded the track first. So it has to be smooth as a babies bottom. lol.

I went the first monday of the regular season, when Mantis was one of the only coasters running, and I ended up riding it 5 times. I normally never ride more than once in a trip.

The ride was definately smoother than usual, but I think that may have had to do with 4 laps being in the front. On a lap in the second row, I did get some headbanging, but overall, the ride seemed to feel more comfortable than last year.

Whether or not its the paint, Mantis does seem to be running better this year. Now if they could only put in a test seat, or add an unload station, maybe they could run 3 trains again.

-Sam
Who went on Mantis on 1 trip in 2003 as many times as in 7 trips in 2002!
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Avalanche Run - My first Roller Coaster.
Magnum XL-200 - The BEST Roller Coaster!

Mantis was never a rough ride. Any coaster with over the shoulder restraints requires that you keep your head against the head rest at all times; Mantis is no exception. If you keep your head back, your ride will be smoother than silk...

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Current Coaster Count: 89

I rode Mantis last week twice. It delivered each time and I was duly impressed.

I'm definitely going to allot more time to ride it this season. Now, if we could just get Mean Streak…

There was no trim braking on the first hill all day Sunday. This makes the ride much more intense (which I like). This may be simply because the temperature hasn't been so high.

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*- Chuck Wagon - *
- The best food in the park -
formerly CP_Fan

Any coaster with over the shoulder restraints requires that you keep your head against the head rest at all times

Interesting. I found that on Kong @ SFMW (a vekoma SLC), holding my head well forward minimized the headbanging.

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It's not war, famine, or pestilence; it's only downtime.

I too noticed Mantis was smoother, but I thought it was because the trim breaks were off. The thought never occurred to me that a new paint job would make it smoother... That seems a little off the wall to me... but who knows.

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ONE freeway stamp a day... ONE

I agree with Brian, when Kong was Hangman at Opryland here in Nashville I remember that if you kept your head back it could really beat you up. I guess it depends on the ride.

Did anyone else notice how crappy the paint job was? I was in total disbelief that CP would allow such a sloppy paint job when I was there on 5/14. A number of the supports were half painted, there was noticeable bleeding on the color transitions, and you can see paint spills when you exit the ride.

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Life is too short...go ride a coaster!!

Well to help CP out on the paint job issue. Some of the supports that were only half painted are because they are not done yet. You could see the ropes and little car that they use to get up there still sitting by the main supports.

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2003 Statistics
Top Thrill Dragster: 1
Millennium Force: 5
Wicked Twister: 5

Just to further exploit the issue, check out some of the supports on the right side of this photo...

http://www.pbase.com/image/16319691

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Current Coaster Count: 89

Interesting how that one section of track is the only unpainted part. I wonder why that is? Oh well. It doesn't matter to me whether Mantis is painted or not. It can be a crappy job for all I care. It doesn't take away from the ride effect you get because you're going to fast on the ride to notice. It doesn't bother me. If the paint job had a big effect on the ride, then I might mind, but in this case, it's no big deal.

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and remember, if you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter