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Hypersonic XLC- Up for sale!!!

Kings Dominion: What do you guys think of this?

From Christy Shuman
Posted December 15, 2006 at 11:58 PM
OH NOOO!! They are putting XLC up for sale, What do you guys think of this? Check this site out!
http://www.italintl.com/detail_page.php?record_id=937


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Pete Brecht
Posted December 16, 2006 at 7:10 AM
Hypersonic is a cool ride, but frankly, I'm not all that upset that it's going away. It never ran reliably, and with the puny 8-car trains, the capacity was terrible for such a high-profile ride. Also, it made that section of the park look like a coaster junkyard: way too crowded.

If they're going to keep FOF and get rid of Hypersonic, I'm fine with that tradeoff. Of course, if they don't replace it with anything, that kind of sucks.

From Christy Shuman
Posted December 16, 2006 at 10:02 AM
I wonder if FOF will be running right next year. It didnt run at all this past season until august then in mid october it quit running again for the remainder of the season, thats pretty unreliable if you ask me. I personally loved XLC, but you are right, the capacity sucked and the reliability did too. But man was it a rush, sitting there waiting to hear that HISS right before you launch 0-80, I'm gonna miss it dearly!

From Jacob Palmer
Posted December 16, 2006 at 3:38 PM
Well, it is a fun ride, but I can't say that it really bothers me all that much. I mean, this was destined to happen, while Hypersonic got MUCH more reliable than it was the first couple of seasons, people tend to forget that this was the prototype model...that they just made changes to. It would be missed...but not that much. And that is a great description, by the way...a coaster junkyard i believe is what you said? or was it grave yard..wow, great memory...anyway, it really does look like that, and unfortunately, with all the tree removal that has already taken place in the area, it probably won't help that much. I will say this, though: If they remove this ride before Shockwave, they better have a good plan/reason. Because just the idea that it may be gone before Shockwave annoys me...and if this were just to create revenue...errrr.

From Christy Shuman
Posted December 17, 2006 at 10:10 AM
Oh I'm pretty sure XLC will be gone by this coming season unless no one just doesnt buy it. B/c they have it up for immediate sale. This just makes me want to cry. lol

From Jacob Palmer
Posted December 17, 2006 at 11:16 PM
Yeah, but that doesn't mean that some one is going to buy it. We don't know the asking price, and regardless of that, the cost of maintenance and operation for a ride like Hypersonic is extraordinary. I'm not saying it won't sell...I'm just saying that it's not a given that it will be gone. There are a lot more factors than just the fact that that it is up for sale. I mean, add that to the fact that it is very VERY unlikely that it would be bought by any park on the eastern sea board...So, yeah...that's all I'm saying.

From Adrienne McDonald
Posted December 18, 2006 at 12:21 AM
I wonder if they'll run it til someone buys it. I shudday rode it when I had then chance I guess. :( Darn, there goes another one! :( Me & my chicken self!

From steve lee
Posted December 18, 2006 at 10:16 AM
Between this and Superman out at SFMM being for sale, some little parks have some great opportunities to pick up some nice cheap stuff.

Of course, most little parks probably couldn't afford the electric bill to power these things...

Oops, nevermind. See what happens when you come to TPI before hitting Screamscape.

From Christy Shuman
Posted December 18, 2006 at 11:57 AM
Jacob, I hope they cant sell it, that would be great then it could stay at PKD. I pray everyday that it doesnt sell.

From Christy Shuman
Posted December 18, 2006 at 4:58 PM
Adrienne, You and your hubby can meet me and my boyfriend at @PKD this season if XLC is still there-- We'll get you on it !!! LOL

From vaughan crittenden
Posted December 18, 2006 at 7:01 PM
i just hope it doesnt turn into a drachen fire and sit there motionless until somebody decides what to do with it. and if they do that it will be a lot harder to close off that area cause of how the ride interacts with the whole area. i mean there is a lot of paths that go under HXL

From Adrienne McDonald
Posted December 19, 2006 at 10:36 PM
Christy, it's a date. Name when & what time (as long as it's a weekday. I hafta cheer on the wkends, til June anyway but if that's not convenient, I may hafta just get out of it somehow;) .)
What's this about Superman being for sale? Well at least I rode that one ;). Now if it'll just be running when I can finally drag my poor defensless hubby there to ride it too.

From steve lee
Posted December 20, 2006 at 10:43 AM
^for a couple of days there was a rumor that SFMM's Superman was on sale. There was a link with the sale information and everything. Turns out it was apparently some kind of crazy mixup and it shoulda been the park's freefall ride instead.

From Christy Shuman
Posted December 20, 2006 at 2:07 PM
Adrienne, I wont go unless its a weekday anyway lol. Email me @ Dragongirl31182@aol.com I hate long lines.

From Dustin Kern
Posted December 21, 2006 at 10:15 PM
Hypersonic was a great concept, but not a great long term coaster. Many reasons being for me is the fact that I would consider it a one-timer coaster. It's great to experience it but for many people, not a repeat rider because it's such a jolt. It is the roughest launch coaster that I've ever been on, from the launch, the turns, to the breaks.

Also, it is way too short of a ride to be standing in line for 2 hours for. FoF was much more worth the wait than Hypersonic ever was. Also, keeping FoF is better cause you can always retheme it and bring it up to date with more stunts and effects.

Yes it is a little crowded down by Hypersonic with having Grizzly, Hurler, Rebel Yell, and Ricochet all in one area. Also, Hypersonic doesn't really fit in that area with the color scheme, would've looked better next to Avalanche. What would be a neat thing to do is when Hypersonic is removed, scrap Shockwave cause that's about all it's worth. Then build a new station on the site where Shockwave is and have the lift hill and return track of a newer and larger coaster go through there. Have the track shoot right between the Hurler and Grizzly to a large complex of helixes, bunny hills, over banked turns, maybe a couple of corkscrews all out 'hidden' behind the Hurler, Rebel Yell, the Water Park, and the Grizzly. If done right, and not hastily like Hypersonic was, it could look really nice. You could always do the paint scheme with some brown, black, and green tones and replant some trees and turn that area back into the Old Dominion.

From Adrienne McDonald
Posted December 23, 2006 at 4:16 PM
Dustin, thanx for mentioning the Shockwave, I was gonna say it but ya beat me to it. lol ;). Christy, will do. :) Thanx Steve for taking a load off my mind.:)

From Kevin Sowinski
Posted December 29, 2006 at 8:56 AM
I rode it last summer for the first time and I wasn't that impressed. The launch is fast and forceful, but that's about it. It is a gimmick coaster, like Top Thrill Dragster or Kingda Ka, except it isn't even the tallest or the fastest. It will still be missed at this park by steel coaster enthusiasts, since the rest of their steel collection is lacking. Volcano is by far their best one. Flight of Fear is good and their wild mouse is highly regarded, but I don't like mice very much. Their wood collection is quite good, though.

From Dustin Kern
Posted December 29, 2006 at 10:50 AM
Hypersonice XLC was never intended to break any records. It was a prototype coaster for that style of ride. They only record that it did set was that it was the world's first air launched coaster (cause it was a prototype).

It's understandable that Cedar Entertainment Company would want to get ride of this ride because it doesn't really fit in that section of the park. Also it takes up a lot of space above the walkway cluttering it up. C.E.C. is much better at using space efficiently while incorporating the walkways in the ride.

I would really like to see C.E.C. take out Hypersonic XLC and Shockwave and put something that's between 250' and 300' tall. It would be awesome to see something like that.

From Dustin Kern
Posted January 4, 2007 at 9:30 AM
I was really bored and just tried calling the number at the bottom of the sale page to see if I could find out how much they want for the ride. It turns out that you need to have business/company information in order to purchase the ride.

...Does anyone have any of that information cause I'm really curious to see how much they want for this ride?

From matt dycus
Posted January 10, 2007 at 8:51 PM
Dustin the ride is for sale and it tells you how much at


http://www.pkdplace.com/index.php?page=hypersonic

From matt dycus
Posted January 10, 2007 at 8:51 PM
Dustin the ride is for sale and it tells you how much at


http://www.pkdplace.com/index.php?page=hypersonic

From Dustin Kern
Posted January 11, 2007 at 1:21 PM
I don't think that price is right. The coaster was built for $15,000,000 and there's no way that they would be selling the coaster for the same price as it cost for it to be built brand new.

From jeff norville
Posted January 11, 2007 at 2:13 PM
who would paid that. rode 1 time never again it was too rough and too short. hopefully somebody buys it and gets itout of the park this year. waste of money for paramount when they bought it to start with.. just like tomb raider and itialian job. kings dominion is going to have to get something major next year..

From Dustin Kern
Posted January 12, 2007 at 10:41 PM
Tomb Raider isn't that bad for a flat ride. They did need to add another flat ride to that area of the park. Granted a Huss Frisbee would've been better, but there wasn't the space there. The themeing would've been awesome with that having the fire and water spray up at you when you reached full height. Hopefully they'll realize that a coaster at about the 250 height would be nice.

What would be sweet is a coaster that started at the 250 foot mark that took a short dive into a half barrel roll around 225' into a vertical dive. Would set a new record for highest inversion.

From jeff norville
Posted January 13, 2007 at 8:03 AM
kd has no plans for rollercoaster till maybe 2009 or 2010 if then . if they put a major coaster in get in out of congo area . no room for nothing less. but i would love to see something big and better then volcano. but it might be awhile since cedarfair owns it now. names changing and shirts , signs , and on and on.. wait and see .

From Dustin Kern
Posted January 13, 2007 at 10:22 AM
I'd put money on KD getting a new coaster next year. There hasn't been a new 'real' coaster since 2001 with Hypersonic XLC. What better way to bring in a name change and theming change than with a new coaster to splash all over the new merchandise.

From jeff norville
Posted January 13, 2007 at 10:46 AM
this year waterpark updating next year improving the park area and building and surroundings to keep up with other parks. i would like to see a big coaster. some areas need a lot of updating in the park.

From matt dycus
Posted January 13, 2007 at 9:00 PM
yea it says on their web site that they are adding some new things to waterworks

From Jacob Palmer
Posted January 14, 2007 at 1:42 PM
I'm not sure why people keep saying they have no room for a new coaster. They own a ton of unused land around the park...

From jeff norville
Posted January 14, 2007 at 2:54 PM
going spend a bunch of money chaging names on everything during off season. we will see about a new coaster land no problem . but, money right now with cedarfair taking over now.

From steve lee
Posted January 14, 2007 at 6:16 PM
Huh?

From Dustin Kern
Posted January 14, 2007 at 11:59 PM
Translation: Cedar Entertainment Company (formerly Cedar Fair) will be spending a lot of money to rename and retheme everything during the off season next year. They will be getting a new coaster in the future for sure. They have a lot of land so there's no problem about the space that a coaster would take up. Money is just tight right now after paying to buy the parks.

From Derek Potter
Posted January 15, 2007 at 12:06 AM
Could be that they have 4 launch style coasters and this particular one is a one trick pony. Flight of Fear, Italian Job and Volcano are more than enough for one park. That particular type of coaster didn't sell as well either, so perhaps parts for it cost a little more than they want to pay, as well as the cost of operating the ride could be higher than they want. Obviously it isn't a gate smasher, or they wouldn't be selling the ride.

From Christy Shuman
Posted January 15, 2007 at 8:55 AM
Do you guys think Hypersonic will be running this seson? Have they already dismantled it? I hope it runs for at least 1 more season.

From steve lee
Posted January 15, 2007 at 12:37 PM
Has it been established that they are going to be retheming and renaming everything? I'm not asking for references or anything, but I wasn't sure if they had publicly stated what they were going to do with all of the various Paramount properties yet.

I was really hoping they'd keep some of it, while phasing out some of the more useless ones. Good luck trying to make any sense out of something like Italian Job...

From Derek Potter
Posted January 15, 2007 at 4:40 PM
Cedar Entertainment hasn't really said what they will do, because honestly I don't think they have it totally figured out yet. I do know that they have the Nick franchise for a few more years, but the Paramount labeling would probably start to be phased out ASAP.

The only thing that will happen to Italian Job is that the signage and the name will be changed. The ride won't change at all.

From jeff norville
Posted January 15, 2007 at 7:06 PM
changing names will be a good thing on most of the rides to get away from the movie theme bull. hope they did not change conga area.. not a thing is changing expext waterpark.. can not wait till march 31, opening day

From steve lee
Posted January 15, 2007 at 7:48 PM
Ugh, Italian Job is weak enough as it is - I just don't know how they're going to justify that ride without the theming (as far as the helicoptors and gunshots and whatnot). Same with PKI's Tomb Raider (I don't know how dense the theming is for the one at PKD, but I have to imagine having it outdoors will make it easier to change around).

I guess I'm just concerned that the Paramount parks are going to end up looking like Geauga Lake when it's all said and done. Nice park, mind you, but the whole place is just generic.

From Adrienne McDonald
Posted January 16, 2007 at 10:49 AM
Well XLC is still listed on the website soooo...I dunno what's going on w/that.

From Christy Shuman
Posted January 16, 2007 at 2:03 PM
I sure hope it will be running next season, but then again they probably hadnt updated their website either, b/c they dont even have the 2007 operating schedule dates and times up yet.

From jeff norville
Posted January 16, 2007 at 2:03 PM
kd web site is a joke. i called kd email kd trying to get someone to update website . the calandar for 2007 is not fixed for the year . tryed to call again today 1-16-07 to update website no one answer the phone at 1-804-876-5000. all other parks with cedar fair web site are finished.

From Christy Shuman
Posted January 16, 2007 at 3:31 PM
Thats what I dont understand is why is Carowinds and dorney and all the other CF parks updated but KD is not.

From jeff norville
Posted January 16, 2007 at 3:54 PM
i would like to know the same dam questions.the contacts on kd website does not go thru to them . email susan storey under media people and still repond 1-2-07. did not understand what is going on..

From Derek Potter
Posted January 17, 2007 at 6:55 PM
I imagine they will have it up for sale but still run it like they are doing with other rides like Demon Drop.

Like I said, I don't think Italian Job will change. There will probably still be the explosions and such, it just will be under some different name.

As far as the website goes, give them a break. It's January, it's the offseason, it's a company transition. If they are in fact relabeling rides and such, they have a lot of work to do....give em a break.

From Christy Shuman
Posted January 17, 2007 at 10:56 PM
I just didnt understand why all the parks websites are updated, PKD is the ONLY one that is not updated.

From Adrienne McDonald
Posted January 18, 2007 at 1:34 PM
I thought it HAD been updated. I must investigate...Hmmmm...

From Christy Shuman
Posted January 18, 2007 at 6:19 PM
They have added the new stuff for the waterpark, but they dont have the operating dates and times, and they dont have the 2007 prices, or online prices I should say.

From jeff norville
Posted January 18, 2007 at 6:16 PM
HOW MUCH MORE TIME DO WE KNEW TO GIVE THEM. THE PARK MUST NOT BE THERE ANYMORE . PHONES TO PARK DO NOT WORK ANYMORE 1-804-876-5000. WEBSITE DOES NOT WORK NOT MORE WITH CONTACT EMAIL. ARE THEY STILL THERE.. GO TO MEDIA CENTER AND EMAIL SUSAN STOREY WITH PROBLEMS . ITS MEDIA ONLY!! BUT TO THIS POINT WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WANT IS GOING ON WITH KD..I WILL EMAIL SUSAN NOW!!

From Derek Potter
Posted January 20, 2007 at 6:48 AM
geez dood...It will be alright man... I promise.

From jeff norville
Posted January 20, 2007 at 5:17 PM
with all the people there . what is wrong with the park . is it still there ? that is the question? phones does not work. they just ring back to us. website under conact us does not work. calendar not update still jan 5 2007 .susan storey from media center at pkd will not email me back .. sent 2 email last week . is the park still there ??

From Dustin Kern
Posted January 21, 2007 at 4:52 PM
Pretty much with the sale of the Hypersonic, we see that Cedar Fair is still holding to it's values of capacity rides. I think many will miss this ride, and many won't. I think that with them taking away one of the main coasters at PKD that we'll see only something bigger and better take it's place.

From Titus Rollins
Posted March 11, 2008 at 1:12 PM
I know their removing XLC but who ever siad they should remove Shockwave their crazy. Shockwave is the best coaster there. If any ride should be removed it should be Tomb Raider and Italian Job.

From Devon McKie
Posted June 7, 2008 at 4:20 PM
HEY TITUS ROLLINS your wacko the Italian Job is AWSOME!!! K i agree with you on the tomb rader but the italian job is just the right size for people who like coasters but not wild crazy ones ( like the HYPERSONIC XLC)

From Eli Katzman
Posted June 8, 2008 at 8:02 AM
you're about a year and a half late to respond here....

From Christy Shuman
Posted June 8, 2008 at 8:09 AM
I dont want to see Shockwave or IJTC gone. Now they should have a nice fire with hurler and put in a B&M hyper or invert in its place.

From steve lee
Posted June 8, 2008 at 8:26 AM
Well, at least we've identified the person who likes Italian Job. I'll notify my people that they can call off the search.

(it's okay, but apart from the launched helix it's nothing terribly special)

From matthew w
Posted July 20, 2008 at 1:09 AM
the rumors abound about this one, no one is quite getting a straight answer from park officials on why they are ditching hypersonic (the worlds record for fastest acceleration; not to be confused with speed- new jersey, sandusky and japan go faster, to 126 mph, but in 3 seconds, richmonds goes to 80 in 1.6 seconds)
according to the website, the ride lost its appeal,
according to a park official at guest services the lines were to long with only 8 riders at a time.
-I fail to see how either of these is the case, if kings dominion still advertises shockwave as if its the 80s all over again how can any ride lose its appeal, as well as long lines, if there is a demand for it, as there was, why would any business give up on any money maker?
My theory is probably it fell victim to the drachon fire syndrome, to bumpy, to intense, to many complaints. (lets face it, this one REALLY was a jolt out of no where, 0-80 in 1.6 is a real endurance test, they dont even tell you to keep your head back, god forbid one whacko tries something stupid kings dominion is looking at a concussion lawsuit. it was upon the debut of hypersonic one reviewer proclaimed "with this extreem launch coaster we have now gone from thrill rides to human endurence tests, where exactly is the final straw going to take us? this is how they test astronauts?"

p.s. if you couldnt believe they put this thing up on craigs list for sale as if someone could buy it and put it in their backyard, a park official told me they bought the new 08 coaster dominator off ebay!

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