Chang, the second-tallest stand-up coaster and largest coaster at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, is being taken down.
The park has begun dismantling Chang as it readies to expand its water park. The expansion will be the largest in the water park’s history.
Kentucky Kingdom expects Chang to come down over a few weeks.
When Chang opened in 1997, it was the tallest, fastest and longest stand-up roller coaster. It also had the most inversions for a stand-up. Those records were beaten the following year when Riddler’s Revenge opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Chang will be moved to another amusement park.
For more, visit wlky.com.
Tags: amusement park, Chang, Roller coaster, six flags, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
Over on another site, some yahoo thinks Kentucky Kingdom is turning into the next "Geauga Lake". Probably in the sense that the park is taking out a popular coaster for expanding a waterpark.
Let's just hope this doesn't bite KK in the rear later on...
I think depending on when a Batman 3 with a Riddler character comes out, we might have another Riddler's Revenge, just modernized theme wise. I'll take it for SFGADV even.
The park just lost 1 of 2 reasons to go to the park.
If they remove Greezed Lightnin', I'll probably never go back.
Honestly though, they could have taken out a few other coasters and expanded the water park.
T2 could have went instead. Then the walkway would have been opened up to include Penguin's Blizzard River with the waterpark.
Let's just hope this doesn't bite KK in the rear later on...
Old Country is still basically closed at Great Adventure. Only one end of it is just a sidewalk leading to the picnic area after some big gates now placed by Freefall's old site. It's not allowed for mainstream park guest usage to pass through. I'm not assuming it would be placed in the picnic area.
This is one park I will definitely not ever go to again. While it wasn't great and on the rough side, I liked the Twins coaster they had despite the fact it never raced. Since that coaster is more or less gone and now Chang too on top of their Intamin drop ride being removed, I have no reason to go there again. I'm thinking about going to both Holiday World and Kings Island and while that put me in the immediate area of SFKK, I'll pass right on by.
And I hope the rumors of Chang going to SFGAm aren't true. I think the third biggest and one of the most profitable parks in the chain deserves better than that after such a long time without a new "real" coaster.
^ where would a large coaster like that go without removal of something, even if you take out Iron wolf it leaves you with a lack of space. Maybe they will move rides similar to what CP did when they built Mille...
This is confusing, maybe they would do better to just close the park during this bankruptcy deal. I mean even with the recession Holiday World broke its own attendance record this year. They are on top of their game with free drinks, free sunscreen, high quality water attractions, cleanliness, and friendliness. I did go to KK this year for the first time and stayed long enough to ride the coasters. Chang was the most impressive visually and also as far as the ride itself. I don't see how a bigger water park is going to compete with Splashin Safari. I honestly am not just singing HW's praises, I just don't understand SFKK's logic. The steel coasters they have are the alternative to HW which has no adult steel coasters. Like I say that's why I went to KK myself. I went to ride the coasters and Mr Penguin's Blizzard River then I drove on down to HW for the rest of the day. I say sell the place or get out of the lease or whatever their arrangement is and move all the good rides elsewhere. That may be the best business decision. People in the KK area have HW and King's Island to go to.
The park seems to be the step child of the chain. The one time I went, the park looked horrible.
Half of it, over near T2 looked like an abandoned park, not one that was operating.
First Hellivator and now Chang. I just don't understand this one. Chang, the world's second tallest stand-up roller coaster is being removed from the park and why? Sure you want to expand the water park, but this isn't exactly Great Adventure or Magic Mountain where you can remove a large ride and have many to fall back on. The only thing they have left there is a mediocre rough SLC. So I'm pretty good at this. I predicted SF Astro World's demise and now I am predicting Kentucky Kingdom's demise too. There is just no way you can keep customers there without a signature roller coaster, which they will no longer have. Granted Chang wasn't the best ride out there, it was still a solid ride. This logic makes absolutely no sense to me.
SFStl would be a good place to put it. Let's take that Ninja built for a World Expo that doesn't look proportionate off their hands.
SFKK has been between a rock and a hard place for a very long time- the reality of the situation is it's in a horrible location and having a road slice the park in two ruins the magic of being in a 'theme park'... there is a reason why the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom is miles away- Walt didn't want you seeing the outside world... SFKK is split in two by it!
They have no expansion room to become a truly viable theme park, and IMO, this move was inevitable. It is obviously profitable or Six Flags would sell the land to the Fairgrounds that owns the parking lot and everything else around it... so they are building on their strengths there and more or less turning the park into a huge waterpark, which, from what I hear, is the most popular attraction there anyway. A classic supply/demand scenario in which the waterpark wins.
Maybe they are going to sell Kentucky Kingdom, but Chang wasn't part of the deal. I wonder what they're doing with it though. I hope Great America doesn't get get it. Maybe they're just getting the trains. Is anything being done to Iron Wolf?
^Now that doesn't make sense either. Why sell the whole park, minus the star attraction? That's like saying "I'll sell you Darien Lake, but I don't want Ride of Steel" or "I'll sell you Dorney Park, but I don't want Talon or Hydra."
They could have taken something else out. I'm not sure if this is really a good idea.
I'm going to say Kentucky Kingdom will ultimately become a water park only destination. Other non water park attractions will come down soon after Chang and be relocated to sister parks.
Thunder Run would be finished its run then in that case.
At least we're going to see first if they can fool the French Canadians GP with that SLC.
What I don't understand is this: Chang was on the right side of the park, not over near the water park from what I remember.
If they were making room near the water park, wouldn't Twisted Twins make more sense?
EDIT:
Now that I looked at the park on satellite, I guess I could see that happening, but then it would slice that side of the park in two. You'd have to walk through the water park to get to T2!
I'll continue to echo what I have said that I would gladly have Iron Wolf or Chang (or any B&M stand-up coaster) at any of my parks.
I'll take that one too. But Riddler's Revenge would be my first choice!
I'm amazed that any park wants a stand-up coaster. I mean, what can they say to market it?
It's the only coaster that beats the crap out of your gonads in the state!
Yeah, I was thinking of standing in the back of the park. lol In that case, it's on the right side.
It's the only coaster that beats the crap out of your gonads in the state!
SFgam could market it as the only park with 2 gonad crushers in the world...
^You know, if you leave only a couple of inches of room when the ride ops come around to check the restraints, your gonads will be absolutely fine. I rode Mantis this way, and I had no trouble at all. And actually, I find Mantis to be very fun. Is it rough? Yes, but only a LITTLE, and that's just in the back. In the front, it's as smooth as (or probably smoother than) Raptor, although the back is more intense.
I also have no problem as I prepare for this I just hear many people complain and thought that would be great advertising...
How hard would it be to add 5 feet to the lift and drop to make this the tallest stand up in history? That little change wouldn't effect the ride just footer placement and extra track and extensions on the supports for the curve before the drop.
Did Chang even have bamboo in the queue? There was just nothing but the logo sign to tie it to China unless it's themed to visiting trailer trash with Chinese tatoo symbols.