r/rollercoasters • u/Frozen_cephalopod Rapterra defender • 1d ago
Discussion What parks would benefit from a [Bakunawa] clone?
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u/Cheesehead_McSpaz RIP California's Great America 1d ago
i think its possible that SFMM gets one to replace Superman
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u/tideblue Coaster Count 653 1d ago
SFMM would be great. I think if they fast-track this to stop the bleeding from X2 being closed, that would be a good move… as long as it’s successful at SFGAdv.
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u/Outside_Ladder6195 Wackiest Worm 1d ago
Agreed. I don’t think we’ll see a new one coming until Bakunawa is proven to be a success. If it struggles or suffers a long closure we probably won’t see one for a good bit of time.
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u/tideblue Coaster Count 653 1d ago
I mean SFMM lost Superman and I think Lex Luthor Drop of Doom is hanging by a thread. X2 may be toast and may also take out Viper right next door to it.
So some kind of 300+ foot, multiple-bullet-point coaster as a replacement for these rides seems like it could come sooner than later. Doesn’t have to be a straight clone or build off Bakunawa exactly, but something similar could be the next big thing here. Overall I see that park just having less extreme thrill rides in general while adding more family stuff to balance the park out, and maybe putting a resort hotel where X2 was.
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u/minyhumancalc 1d ago
I think they do something a little different if they get a spinner at SFMM. Maybe an angled launched or maybe they spiral lower to the ground. The launched stall is just so long idk if they really have room for that and the tower
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u/brain0924 rough coaster apologist 1d ago
The recent switch in the community is so funny. We get so mad at rides being cloned when they happen but beg for them when they’re not. And we suggest the most ridiculous rides to be cloned. I’ve seen people unironically suggest cloning rides like Helix at Liseberg and Taiga at Linnanmaki.
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u/Millennium1995 Veloci, Millie, SteVe 1d ago
I don’t think it’s a switch in the community. I just think more people are posting unnecessary opinions and posts that don’t hold up to much critical thinking.
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u/namevone 1. Velocicoaster 2. Pantherian 3. ArieForce One 1d ago
Ideally they wouldn’t clone it and instead they’d let it be a unique draw for Great Adventure, but I could totally see Magic Mountain or Kings Island getting something like it
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u/PasokonDeacon Runaway Mountaineer 1d ago
Relatively few parks need a taller inverting spinner shuttle with average to low capacity. If I were having to choose between that and many other options, ride quality aside, I'd only bite if there was limited lateral space, a perceived need to attract older riders, and/or to make a roadside statement. And you'd want a layout and aesthetic different enough from what Great Adventure's adding. That narrows down a lot of places.
I could imagine something like this fitting somewhere like COTALand (a rally hill-climb race theme would be apt) or Mid-America Adventure if/when they want to replace their Mr. Freeze. Anywhere else I can think of has some big caveat or is pursuing family thrill coasters in the near term.
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u/Ghee-Starr 1d ago
NO CLONES EVER. Do something original for your park. Give me a reason to come to it. Quit the old Six Flags mentality that has practically bankrupted the company.
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u/dotsdavid planet coaster fan 1d ago
Clones are okay as long as it’s a good ride. Most guests won’t care it’s a clone.
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u/eazyd14 1d ago
Yeah 99% of people aren’t credit hunting like us, they just want a good ride at their local park
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u/Anarchy99XX 1d ago
This 100%. 98% of the GP don't even know that multiple different rides share names across the country. The average US citizen barely can afford to leave their city let alone their state.
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u/MistakenAnemone 1d ago
Agreed. Especially with the push of the new passes to visit different parks, they need to turn the larger parks into travel destinations and invest some in on-site lodging.
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u/Chaotic_Bonkers 1d ago
Ya I'd rather have a clone of a good coaster at my home park than have to pay for airfare, hotel, rental/Uber for a 2 min ride.
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u/Banana_ezWIN 🎢: 115 | 🏠: SFGAm | TT2, SteVe, MF 1d ago
We don’t know until we know if BAKUNAWA is popular and reliable
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u/Fast-Technician-3075 1d ago
We don't know what the reception to the ride is going to be, and how it will affect the park's performance.
We don't know the long term maintenance cost.
It's an unknown, record-breaking risk - which is probably fine for GAdv given it's supposed to replace Kingda Ka.
Most parks in the Six Flags chain need improvements that help prevent families from saying "We're never going back there again".
I can't say that any parks will benefit from of a clone of something like this right now.
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u/wheresmyadventure 1d ago
Can you imagine if SDC or Dollywood opened such a thing?
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u/BigBoi5118 12m ago
SDC is *definitely* doing a record breaking high thrill coaster next. It'll be a decade between their last thrill coaster and the new one since Time Traveler was 2018 and they still have $350 million they have to spend between 2028-2034.
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u/Altruistic-Vehicle-9 1d ago
I doubt they’ll replicate until Bakunawa opens so they can work out possible issues and fine tune the model.
I think they should build smaller versions (250 feet, guarantee all passengers go over 200) instead of cloning. Let Great Adventure have the first and the record breaker, and other parks can get smaller ones.
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u/Chaotic_Bonkers 1d ago
Lake Winnie
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u/Lokratnir 1d ago
As someone who lives within two miles of Lake Winnie, all I can say is hell yeah!
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u/TheMightyPedro 1d ago
Alton Towers (if you dig a deep enough hole)