The Coaster Critic's Blog

Maverick Survives Heart Surgery
Cedar Point's blog OnPoint! has reported that Maverick is finally open. The opening was delayed due to modifications that needed to be made to the track. Now it's clear that one of the inversions was removed, much to the disappointment of enthusiasts.

The heartline roll was replaced with an s-curve section of track. In my opinion the heartline roll appeared to be one of the highlights of the ride. It was taken low to the ground in a rocky canyon in the last third of the ride. Check out this Maverick coaster video to see it.

On the bright side Maverick doesn't look to be a one-trick pony. It will still have more exciting elements than you can shake a stick at. Including the two launches, a tunnel, that 95-degree drop, and 2 more inversions.

Cedar Point Delays Maverick's Opening
Sad news came out of Sandusky this week for all of those CP Fanatics. Maverick, the park's 17th rollercoaster won't be opening on time. Based on the test runs, the ride's designers have decided that three sections of steel track need to be replaced. As a result, Maverick's opening has been pushed back to early June.

Thousands of enthusiasts and average park-goers were likely planning visits to Cedar Point for May just to experience this pretty unique coaster. On the bright side, it should be open for the majority of the summer. Also, it's better that it opens late and runs correctly. The last thing Cedar Point wants is their brand new attraction to be a painful or uncomfortable experience. Be patient all you CP fanboys.

Check out the full story here.
Everything about Cedar Point's Maverick.

The Most Anticipated Roller Coasters of 2007
2006 was all about Voyage and Expedition Everest, although later on El Toro and Goliath (Six Flags Over Georgia) got some attention too. This Thurday, I'm counting down the most anticipated coasters of the Class of 2007.

3 - Mystery Mine at Dollywood
Dolly's new steel looper will help to solidify Dollywood as a must visit destination for coaster enthusiasts. If Thunderhead's back-to-back Golden Ticket wins weren't enough, Mystery Mine ought to wrangle some more visitors to East Tennessee. More on Mystery Mine...>>

2 - Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe
The genuis designers Bolliger & Mabillard team up with "America's Most Beautiful Theme Park" once again. Will they erect another masterpiece like Apollo's Chariot or Alpengeist? We'll know in just about a month and a half. The two 90-degree drops and ten abreast, floorless trains will still amaze the average park-goer that's never heard of SheiKra. More on Griffon...>>

1- Maverick at Cedar Point
The 'net is buzzing with anticipation of Cedar Point's 17th (that's right 17th!) roller coaster. At least for once the CP Hype is deserved. Maverick looks to be the odds on favorite for coaster of the year. It will have a wider appeal than the skyscrapers they normally build. Sure Maverick has two launches and a couple of inversions, but it's less likely to scare off Mom and Dad while still impressing the hard core enthusiasts. Smart move Cedar Fair! More on Maverick...>>

Check out this onride video of Maverick at Cedar Point:

Have any comments or questions about this week's Top 3 Thursday? Leave a comment below.

Great Off-Season Shots of Cedar Point & That New Steel Coaster
ThemeParkReview.com has some great new construction photos of Maverick, Cedar Point's new Intamin launch coaster. For once it looks like Cedar Point is getting away from its MO of tallest and fastest. This time they might produce another classic like Magnum XL-200. Check out the new construction photos of the Maverick at Cedar Point courtesy of the CoasterCrew. Also, visit the Maverick's official web site for more.

The Park Announces Details of Its 17th Coaster
Cedar Point, the self-proclaimed Coaster Capital of the World, has been working on a new coaster for 2007. The park has a track record of erecting jaw-dropping, record breakers. It's been home to the speed and height world record holders four times. In 1989 with Magnum XL-200, in 1991 with Mean Streak, in 2000 with Millennium Force, and again in 2003 with Top Thrill Dragster, the park boasted the king of steel or wooden coasters. It's safe to say that Cedar Point has been pushing the envelope in coaster design for years.

Throngs of coaster enthusiasts have been salivating as construction photos began appearing in the Frontier section of the park. Cedar Point has kept all of the details under wraps until today. This morning Cedar Point released the details on its 17th coaster. Maverick will be a steel launch coaster with speeds of 70 mph, three inversions (loops), and a drop at a staggering 95 degrees.

Not a Record Breaker
I will go ahead and state the obvious. Maverick will not be a record breaker. Earlier this year, Cedar Point's blog On Point hinted that the park may not build another height monster for its next coaster. In my opinion, this is a smart move. Is going 500 feet into the air really that much more thrilling than going up 400 feet as Top Thrill Dragster already does? I'm sure they'll return to the coaster arms race at a later date because that seems to be the park's bread and butter. It is nice to see them switching it up.

A Neo Mine Train Coaster
Maverick will be located in the Frontier section next to Mean Streak. From looking at the ride animation, the layout will be interesting with lots of theming and faux rock terrain. Via linear synchronous motors riders will be launched up an incline and immediately sent down a 100 feet drop. 100 foot drops are a dime a dozen these days, but this one is at 95 degrees. I still doubt seasoned veterans like me will be blown away by the drop, but at least they're trying. I'm more interested in the 4,450 foot long course that will twist and turn through the rocky terrain while staying low to the ground. Maverick will also feature eight airtime hills and three inversions. One of the inversions will be a one-of-a-kind twisted horseshoe roll. At one point the train will slow to only 5 mph before riders will be launched to 70 mph through a 400-foot tunnel. That sounds cool, but with two launch sections, I have to think that this coaster will have some down time.

Similar Coasters
There aren’t many coasters being built these days that look exactly like Maverick. This could be another chance for Cedar Point to start a trend like they did with Magnum XL-200 and hyper coasters. It appears Maverick will offer theming similar to a mine train coaster. It will be close to the ground and is more of a family attraction like mine train coasters. Built by Intamin, it may have similar trains, track, and the same overall feel of Stormrunner at Hershey. It will also boast an inversion that may be comparable to Stormrunner’s unique and disorienting flying snake dive. Lastly, it will use the same propulsion system that the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster at MGM Studios and Superman The Escape at Magic Mountain use.

While Maverick won't blast riders into the stratosphere it may go down as one of the park's most complete coasters. Other than Magnum XL-200, I wasn't blown away by the park's selection of coasters. Some were sub par, others were okay, and a few were good, but didn't have the complete package. If Cedar Point can actually pull off all of the purported elements of Maverick they could have a coaster loved by hard core coaster enthusiasts, families, and those not under its spell. I’m in that last group if you couldn’t tell.

What do you think about Maverick? Leave a comment below.