HersheyPark

Visited: May 29, 2023

Attending: Brian, various Buzzed Bars (Kelli, JohnMike, Allison, Mullet, Lucas, others)

The big attraction for this visit was Wildcat’s Revenge, the new RMC built on the bones of the former Wildcat. It was set to open to the public on Friday June 2, with Media Day on June 1, but they offered three days of pass-holder preview before that, and the first of those coincided with Memorial Day. I, along with some other Buzzed Bars, was lucky enough to reserve a ticket in the first timeslot of the day, so I planned to head over there for a few hours early in the day.

Candymonium

I arrived at the park around 9:30, which was way early for my ticketed time, but I suspected club members would arrive early. I was right about that, but they chose to wait in the entrance line rather than tailgate in the parking lot. So we stood around having a good time until the gates opened at 10, and then we headed for Candymonium. With eight of us, we occupied rows 2 and 3 (apparently consensus is that it’s a front-row ride). It was running nicely even early in the day, so it proved to be a good ride. This was only my second time riding it, but I do enjoy a B&M hyper. The second hill has very impressive sustained floater, several seconds worth, which is a good trick even for B&M. The turnaround is just OK, and then the trims take some of the fun out of the remaining camelbacks. The off-axis hill, sadly, just isn’t worth it. And the final helix is kinda fun, but not terribly forceful. The first half is quality, the second half is just average. I don’t think it’s a top-tier hyper.

Wildcat’s Revenge

Although it was still pretty early, we wanted to make sure we were in plenty of time for Wildcat, so we headed over there. Had a bit of a wait in the crowd until the back of the park opened at 11, but they mostly went to the water park, so that was OK. The line was out onto the midway by the time we reached it, which was surprising; I didn’t think there were that many pass-holders. However, they had ticket-scanners at multiple points in the line, and weren’t using any of the switchbacks, so the queue wasn’t bad at all. We saw Taylor and Sarah on their way out as we were heading in, so we gave them a wave. The queue passes right by the coaster, so you can get all kinds of views of several of the elements; it’s great fun to watch while you’re waiting. We noted some significant sway in the turns, and we could hear the timbers creaking for several seconds after the train had passed, which was strange. There are free pass-through lockers similar to Steel Vengeance, which aren’t huge, but are pretty convenient.

When we got to the platform, we were directed to rows 4 and 5. Not really where we’d choose to be, but with this kind of crowd, we weren’t going to argue. We noted that the restraints not only have vertical grab-handles (better than the straps), but also a large elastic loop in the middle. Not sure what that’s for, but we didn’t intend to hold on anyway. There’s a lot of space for a pre-lift on this ride, and RMC makes the most of it. I wasn’t expecting a wave turn before the lift. The first drop is decent, expected for the height. The underflip is sharp, almost violent. The second hill has the most definitive “sustained ejector” I’ve experienced yet. The stall is nice and long, probably about the same as Goliath’s. I thought the ride was going to end after that, but I’m pleased to have been wrong. There are a few more inversions, and they’re very forceful. As well as a wall stall that’s fun, but not exceptional. It hits the brakes with a good amount of speed still left in it, but that’s standard for an RMC.

The folks in our group who’ve ridden Zadra think that “mini-Zadra” is a very apt description for Wildcat. I can agree from a visual perspective, but I’ll mostly have to take their word for it. There was also a lot of comparison to Aerie Force 1, as the other new RMC for this year. The consensus is that they do very different things, so comparing them is apples-to-oranges. As for me, it reminded me most of Wicked Cyclone, in that the height deceives you into thinking it won’t be terribly forceful, and then proves you wrong. But elements like the underflip and the wall-stall are more recent RMC tricks, so it feels like an updated Wicked Cyclone. I’m not quite willing to place it yet without some more rides in different seats. It won’t be dethroning Steel Vengeance, but it may well be the best coaster in this park.

Lightning Racer

With our appointment out of the way, we met up with some of the other club members, and decided on Lightning Racer as a good next choice. As the “good GCI” in the park, it often feels fast and out of control, but in a good way. And having a race with other folks makes the whole thing even better. I didn’t realize just how many times the two trains interact, and you can see the other riders. Our train won, by a whisker, which is always good fun.

Skyrush

When Buzzed Bars is at Hershey, they’re going to ride Skyrush. Probably multiple times. I’m learning that although the park itself can be crowded, Skyrush almost never is. It’s not hugely scary, so I wonder if it’s just gotten a reputation, like i305. Regardless, we did a round, and I took row 7, on the outside. I don’t know if anything had changed since the last time I rode, but I didn’t want to keep my hands up for the first drop. It felt like I had a little bit more room than usual, but of course it didn’t stay that way. Skyrush definitely brings the intensity in a way that Candymonium doesn’t. The rest of the gang opted for another round, but I was worried about attracting a headache before my ride home, so I passed.

SooperDooperLooper

The group decided to do the Looper, seeing as it was right there, and some folks hadn’t done it. There was a bit more of a wait this time, but with one-train ops and awkward trains, that’s to be expected. I still think this should make a great “first inversion” coaster for folks, but maybe the lack of shoulder restraints would bother people, I don’t know. The initial loop is fun, not as dramatic as Revolution’s. And that’s really all there is to it, except for a rather punishing helix at the end.

It was mid-afternoon at this point, so I decided to head home. I definitely enjoyed my primary goal, which was Wildcat’s Revenge, but it was nice to see the rest of the club as well. I found out later that if I’d hung out a while longer, I might have been able to score another ride, and possibly appear in a Coaster Studios video, but life’s like that sometimes.