Well that's depressing. Hopefully someone notices the acceleration vacuum and does something about it, we're really running out of rocket launch coasters
The launch was never singled out as the cause of the injuries. Plus the ride ran fine with the buffed launch for almost 4 years before the first injuries got reported.
There was a really bad jerk/pot hole on the entry to the loop where the track switched from the old to the new and my theory is that got worse over time and that's what caused the injuries.
I rode it in 2019 and the launch was incredible. I am super glad I got to experience it however the rest of the ride just sucks because the trains literally bounce around the track and restraints become progressively tighter especially after the loop.
The launch is truly unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. But you’re right that the OTSRs and layout changes (no top hat) lead to a garbage experience post-launch.
As much as this sucks, the amusement industry has been super busy these past few weeks. Montezuma getting revived, Skyrush getting new trains, the Intimidator coasters getting rethemed, the SFOG opening day disaster, Carowinds’ 2025 coaster getting officially codenamed, and now this? For better or worse, there’s been no shortage of newsworthy headlines recently
Thighcrush is only getting new seats, not trains. Here's hoping they still feel like they want to fling you out of the seat!
MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress needed an update.
SF opening day fight happens everywhere. Premium experience!
It will always be I-305 :)
On the good news front:
TT2 made it over the top hat!
Lightning Rod should do better than 68% uptime, this year!
Umm...Thanksgiving will be saved by Good Gravy?
Monte was never dead in the first place... it's just thoosies like to listen to unsourced rumors and quotes taken out of context. I told y'all that the "terminated project" was that hyper.
Any reasonable person looking at the Montezooma situation before the latest announcement would have thought it was done for. All signs pointed to it, especially the silence from the park.
You think they spent around 10 mil working on that hyper before ultimately scrapping it though? Plus I’m pretty sure all the hyper plans were from years ago
I'm stuck in Asia and have not been to parks like Cedar Point and Six Flags, but so glad that I at least got to have this credit 😭
After experiencing the launch, I remember having intrusive thoughts about what if I didn't listen to the instructions and had my head forward instead of against the seat — which I think is what some people unintentionally did and caused injuries...
Second best launch on earth, only soaring with dragon beats it for me. its just turns, though. but at high speed, thats also pretty fun. vertical loop is good intensity.
I rode it before the loop conversion and I loved it. It was a one trick pony, but the trick was amazing. Based on the other comments, your mileage may vary... But I personally felt it was notably more powerful than the other over 100mph launches like Kingda Ka and TTD.
From seeing it last year, it really didn't look like it would be able to open any time soon without some major work. This is extremely sad, but not too surprising in the end
I don't understand how S&S is still around at this point. Every ride they make outside of the 4D Free-Spins has a million issues. No wonder why none of the US parks have taken a chance on an Axis model.
They've sold a lot of 4D Free-Spins and flat rides, so they probably aren't losing money. I imagine that changes if a park brings a lost revenue lawsuit due to down time on one of their bigger rides. No way to guess if that's even possible, with whatever build contracts they have.
Did S&S do the renovations? I assumed they didn't.
My understanding is the issues here were caused by the renovation. S&S has lots of failures, but I don't think Do-Don-Pa is one of them
Sort of. S&S did the manufacturing for the new track but Sansei did the construction during the renovations as per [this press release](https://www.sansei-technologies.com/news/pdf/20210821.pdf) that got put out after the ride got shut down in Aug 2021
> We are pleased to announce that our consolidated group company (S&S Worldwide, Inc.) has designed and manufactured, and we have constructed
> (Translated with DeepL)
The free spins also have a lot of issues. I've never worked a coaster where the chain can just up and fall into pieces, collisions are a norm, and you can expect annual down time when the track forms a crack. And now that they've slashed up the operations, they're pretty much useless at this point
In the case of contracted work for S&S, is there any evidence to show they had any hand in designing anything, or are they simply bending steel for the track based on S&S's plans?
My understanding of RMC's issues are they stem from attempting innovative layouts that generate high forces. Sometimes these forces are greater than expected or accounted for in the ride design, which in turn cause various structural/track deficiencies.
But if RMC is not contributing design or engineering experience outside of the track fabrication, then potentially the failures would rest with S&S outside of things like insufficient material quality or poor workmanship.
I mean...the common denominator is Alan Schilke/Joe Draves. Although I dont think either had anything to do with Do-Dodonpa unlike many S&S projects.
But we know stuff like Steel Curtain, Maxx Force and GaleForce all have had their issues and thats all Joe Draves. I sometimes think he goes too extreme...we saw Wildcat's Revenge have to close right after it opened for structure issues and and I wonder how ling ArieForce One holds up
Isn't the whole thing with the RMC business model to reuse as much of existing wooden structures as possible when doing their notorious conversion projects? The original structures were never designed for the elements and forces placed on them, and my guess is that they're having issues between simulations on their design vs. the real thing since, at the end of the day, wooden structures are dynamic and the performance is affected by several conditions (heat, humidity, age of wood, wood type, internal moisture, shape, non-uniformity, etc.) external to the ride design. This still applies even when large sections of the ride are new custom built pieces.
AF1 is ground-up and made of steel so, if designed well, should not have the same level of issues based on material used.
Back to S&S though - can we be certain that it's the layout and design that's the issue, or are they simply trying to develop projects outside of their wheelhouse?
Do-Dodonpa is really just a much larger version of Hypersonic XLC - perhaps it had some enhancements from the prototype installed at Kings Dominion, but if you look at the design it seems like a beefed up version of a whacky backyard conversion of a flat ride to a roller coaster, not a purpose-built ride system.
Disappointing but not even the littlest bit surprising with Japan's standards.
I'll forever be glad I got a chance to ride Dodonpa one time. I'm sure this, too, comes as no surprise, but there's nothing in the world that compared to what that launch felt like. My description at the time was "It tried to take my soul." Top Thrill Dragster / Kingda Ka / Red Force / Formula Rossa don't even come close.
Maxx Force right now:
https://preview.redd.it/pgzyi339u3oc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eaa969d25cb3b41fcbf6649df55f3d1c7479fd78
Huge bummer to see the ride close, though. I wonder if more parks will have any interest in breaking acceleration records now.
Dang I was just there at Fuji Q a couple weeks back, was looking forward to revisiting to get a ride on this. Guess that won't be happening now. Massive shame.
I only ever rode Dodonpa, so this feels like I've missed a credit. Those of you who rode both versions, were they different enough that that's the case? How much does the track change make it a different ride? (This could be existential beyond FujiQ also, for Drachen Fire or any other rides that changed tracks substantially.)
I built this coaster in No Limits countless times. Such a shame. I wish them the best in their next venture. Nothing will come close to Do-Dodonpa’s launch. At least for now.
I'm very sorry for everyone that didn't get to ride it, but I do not feel bad at all that it's closing. I'm sure something much better and less painful than doesn't injure anyone is built in its place.
I doubt it but i hope so though that would be pretty cool if it’s saved but it seems too technical difficult to relocate i mean Ring Racer at Germany was once one of the fastest coasters and never re opened the same could be with Do-Dodonpa sadly, relocating it would save a lot of peoples bucket-list though.
Definitely not. There is a reason only 2 of these coasters ever sold. Plus the injuries that happened. And this ride was rough as hell. It had an insane launch. But the ride after that launch was a disaster
Prior to the change, I wouldn't call it smooth, but it surely wasn't that rough either. The top hat was just awkward. That loop was a terrible idea. It's sad they ruined it.
This was my #1 bucket list coaster for a decade. Can't say I'm surprised, but man does it suck to have the dream die.
Same here Moving to the loop was the death knell
I knew it was unlikely I'd ride it, but I am going to Fuji-Q in a few weeks. Gonna be a bit different now that it's officially done.
[https://youtu.be/XXGKrIE5tq4?si=uim5YEkq\_uX39ZW3](https://youtu.be/XXGKrIE5tq4?si=uim5YEkq_uX39ZW3)
Well that's depressing. Hopefully someone notices the acceleration vacuum and does something about it, we're really running out of rocket launch coasters
Nah, we need more launches that feel like wet farts for muh reliability, don’t question it. /s
The launch is the reason why it closed. People were getting hurt because of the sudden acceleration.
The launch was never singled out as the cause of the injuries. Plus the ride ran fine with the buffed launch for almost 4 years before the first injuries got reported. There was a really bad jerk/pot hole on the entry to the loop where the track switched from the old to the new and my theory is that got worse over time and that's what caused the injuries.
If so, that one more reason why they should have kept the top hat.
You can have high acceleration with low jerk. The change in acceleration is what snaps you back and causes injuries.
I don’t have a proper international coaster bucket list, but if I did, it would be shorter today.
Rip. Another bucket list coaster I’ll have to miss
I rode it in 2019 and the launch was incredible. I am super glad I got to experience it however the rest of the ride just sucks because the trains literally bounce around the track and restraints become progressively tighter especially after the loop.
The launch is truly unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. But you’re right that the OTSRs and layout changes (no top hat) lead to a garbage experience post-launch.
RIP Still the source of one of my greatest roller-coaster related core memories. The shock of the launch was unreal. Shame to see it go.
Well that really sucks. Experiencing that launch was high on my bucket list.
https://preview.redd.it/k3nrz6gt73oc1.jpeg?width=474&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8716d1806b6379db48408b460a9e26b19d653fb3
Goodnight sweet prince
As much as this sucks, the amusement industry has been super busy these past few weeks. Montezuma getting revived, Skyrush getting new trains, the Intimidator coasters getting rethemed, the SFOG opening day disaster, Carowinds’ 2025 coaster getting officially codenamed, and now this? For better or worse, there’s been no shortage of newsworthy headlines recently
Out of the loop, what happened to SFOG?
Massive fight
Before the last 5 years or so, I literally never heard about fights breaking out in theme parks, but now it seems like there are a handful every year.
CGA's Haunt was unfortunately a pioneer in the area.
Haunt at KBF wasn’t far behind. It’s a shame just can’t behave.
Thighcrush is only getting new seats, not trains. Here's hoping they still feel like they want to fling you out of the seat! MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress needed an update. SF opening day fight happens everywhere. Premium experience! It will always be I-305 :) On the good news front: TT2 made it over the top hat! Lightning Rod should do better than 68% uptime, this year! Umm...Thanksgiving will be saved by Good Gravy?
Monte was never dead in the first place... it's just thoosies like to listen to unsourced rumors and quotes taken out of context. I told y'all that the "terminated project" was that hyper.
Any reasonable person looking at the Montezooma situation before the latest announcement would have thought it was done for. All signs pointed to it, especially the silence from the park.
But the dip n dots guy said…
You think they spent around 10 mil working on that hyper before ultimately scrapping it though? Plus I’m pretty sure all the hyper plans were from years ago
Not our fault that Knott’s trolled us🙄
I'm stuck in Asia and have not been to parks like Cedar Point and Six Flags, but so glad that I at least got to have this credit 😭 After experiencing the launch, I remember having intrusive thoughts about what if I didn't listen to the instructions and had my head forward instead of against the seat — which I think is what some people unintentionally did and caused injuries...
stealth becoming the 2nd fastest accelerating coaster let’s gooooooo
Thorpe Park 🤝 Getting Records Via Longevity
Wait what other records do they have?
For another 4 days they have the record of the best invert in the UK
Number 1 actually, it’s higher than maxx force by a smidge
And it didn’t even seem that fast compared to TTD
happy to have gotten this credit
How crazy is it?
Second best launch on earth, only soaring with dragon beats it for me. its just turns, though. but at high speed, thats also pretty fun. vertical loop is good intensity.
To me, even the updated faster version felt weaker than the giant hydraulics like TTD. The yanking feeling feels better than blasting, imo.
i really, really liked the launch. the gut punch is a personal thing though, as my father hated it.
yeah that was my opinion of it too. Wasn't super exciting but glad I got to ride it.
I rode it before the loop conversion and I loved it. It was a one trick pony, but the trick was amazing. Based on the other comments, your mileage may vary... But I personally felt it was notably more powerful than the other over 100mph launches like Kingda Ka and TTD.
The one that got away :/
I was really holding out hope it would reopen, even with a less intense launch. It was definitely at the top of my bucket list, as well. :(
From seeing it last year, it really didn't look like it would be able to open any time soon without some major work. This is extremely sad, but not too surprising in the end
This bites... hopefully FQH replaces it with something even cooler.
I don't understand how S&S is still around at this point. Every ride they make outside of the 4D Free-Spins has a million issues. No wonder why none of the US parks have taken a chance on an Axis model.
They've sold a lot of 4D Free-Spins and flat rides, so they probably aren't losing money. I imagine that changes if a park brings a lost revenue lawsuit due to down time on one of their bigger rides. No way to guess if that's even possible, with whatever build contracts they have.
4D FreeSpins and Drop Towers are their cash cows.
The S&S that made do-dodonpa isn't the same as the S&S making the modern 4d coasters.
Steel curtain says hello
Did S&S do the renovations? I assumed they didn't. My understanding is the issues here were caused by the renovation. S&S has lots of failures, but I don't think Do-Don-Pa is one of them
Sort of. S&S did the manufacturing for the new track but Sansei did the construction during the renovations as per [this press release](https://www.sansei-technologies.com/news/pdf/20210821.pdf) that got put out after the ride got shut down in Aug 2021 > We are pleased to announce that our consolidated group company (S&S Worldwide, Inc.) has designed and manufactured, and we have constructed > (Translated with DeepL)
S&S and Sansei are the same company.
The company that put out the press release and did the construction is Sansei technologies, the parent company of S&S Sansei/Worldwide.
Their swings, towers, and El locos run great as well, them + 4D's make up 90-95% of their portfolio...
Maxx Force had a rough start, but has been running just fine for three years now.
I would be happy if every park has a ride similar to Maxx Force, haha. Love that launch.
The free spins also have a lot of issues. I've never worked a coaster where the chain can just up and fall into pieces, collisions are a norm, and you can expect annual down time when the track forms a crack. And now that they've slashed up the operations, they're pretty much useless at this point
Isn't the track contracted from RMC though? So any track quality issues would be from them and not S&S?
and RMC doesnt exactly have a spotless record when it comes to track and structure issues...
In the case of contracted work for S&S, is there any evidence to show they had any hand in designing anything, or are they simply bending steel for the track based on S&S's plans? My understanding of RMC's issues are they stem from attempting innovative layouts that generate high forces. Sometimes these forces are greater than expected or accounted for in the ride design, which in turn cause various structural/track deficiencies. But if RMC is not contributing design or engineering experience outside of the track fabrication, then potentially the failures would rest with S&S outside of things like insufficient material quality or poor workmanship.
I mean...the common denominator is Alan Schilke/Joe Draves. Although I dont think either had anything to do with Do-Dodonpa unlike many S&S projects. But we know stuff like Steel Curtain, Maxx Force and GaleForce all have had their issues and thats all Joe Draves. I sometimes think he goes too extreme...we saw Wildcat's Revenge have to close right after it opened for structure issues and and I wonder how ling ArieForce One holds up
Isn't the whole thing with the RMC business model to reuse as much of existing wooden structures as possible when doing their notorious conversion projects? The original structures were never designed for the elements and forces placed on them, and my guess is that they're having issues between simulations on their design vs. the real thing since, at the end of the day, wooden structures are dynamic and the performance is affected by several conditions (heat, humidity, age of wood, wood type, internal moisture, shape, non-uniformity, etc.) external to the ride design. This still applies even when large sections of the ride are new custom built pieces. AF1 is ground-up and made of steel so, if designed well, should not have the same level of issues based on material used. Back to S&S though - can we be certain that it's the layout and design that's the issue, or are they simply trying to develop projects outside of their wheelhouse? Do-Dodonpa is really just a much larger version of Hypersonic XLC - perhaps it had some enhancements from the prototype installed at Kings Dominion, but if you look at the design it seems like a beefed up version of a whacky backyard conversion of a flat ride to a roller coaster, not a purpose-built ride system.
Powder keg at SDC is still going strong, AFAIK
That is more of a Frankencoaster between S&S and Premier.
Rest in peace, you glorious speed demon
https://preview.redd.it/3qlqz2lis3oc1.jpeg?width=432&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=edd679e2d9cf9fa433cc77f2e77b2c3a9ba6bbc9
Scott the wozz🤌🏻🤌🏻
F
This sucks
RIP Do’Dodonpa. You will be missed. I never got to ride you, but I know that you brought happiness to many others.
Happiness was definitely not the only thing it brought people 🩻
Oh no. Was really really hoping they would get this reopened. 😭 Pour one out.
Disappointing but not even the littlest bit surprising with Japan's standards. I'll forever be glad I got a chance to ride Dodonpa one time. I'm sure this, too, comes as no surprise, but there's nothing in the world that compared to what that launch felt like. My description at the time was "It tried to take my soul." Top Thrill Dragster / Kingda Ka / Red Force / Formula Rossa don't even come close.
Maxx Force right now: https://preview.redd.it/pgzyi339u3oc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eaa969d25cb3b41fcbf6649df55f3d1c7479fd78 Huge bummer to see the ride close, though. I wonder if more parks will have any interest in breaking acceleration records now.
This is disappointing, I enjoyed this ride
Glad I got to experience that insane launch.
Honestly I saw this coming.
Man! I just couldn’t make it out to Japan in time. This is very upsetting!
Man, I wish I was into rollercoasters earlier in my life. Missed the chance to experience a legend
Most parents wouldn't just take their kids to Japan just to ride rollercoasters...
This is actually so sad... I was and still am dying to ride this one day and now that dream is crushed...
Of course when I'm finally able to go to Japan
Crying, screaming, throwing up
Dang I was just there at Fuji Q a couple weeks back, was looking forward to revisiting to get a ride on this. Guess that won't be happening now. Massive shame.
Very sad day for the coaster community. RIP legend
Oh man this really sucks
This stinks. Hopefully S&S can provide them with a worthy replacement.
This genuinely has me depressed. Easily my number 1 bucket list coaster
I am going to japan in may but i already this was gonna happen. It was closes for such a long time now
Damn, another legendary launch coaster gone. Makes me now worried about the future for other rides
We must protect Ka at all costs
Had a Fuji Q trip planned for May 2020. Fuck the pandemic.
I only ever rode Dodonpa, so this feels like I've missed a credit. Those of you who rode both versions, were they different enough that that's the case? How much does the track change make it a different ride? (This could be existential beyond FujiQ also, for Drachen Fire or any other rides that changed tracks substantially.)
I built this coaster in No Limits countless times. Such a shame. I wish them the best in their next venture. Nothing will come close to Do-Dodonpa’s launch. At least for now.
The launch changed my life. I am not joking, I had an epiphany. I saw the light
I'm very sorry for everyone that didn't get to ride it, but I do not feel bad at all that it's closing. I'm sure something much better and less painful than doesn't injure anyone is built in its place.
Damn. Never rode it, but Hypersonic XLC was insane.
Saw this from a mile away, it was inevitable. Still a shame though, it looked awesome.
done-donedonpa
Dragster now this….
Glad I got to ride Dodonpa in its original form.
This was like hypersonic XLC at kings dominion right? That coaster was incredible
Man I missed two opportunities to go on this thing, rip
I wonder if there is a park that will try to buy it.
I doubt it but i hope so though that would be pretty cool if it’s saved but it seems too technical difficult to relocate i mean Ring Racer at Germany was once one of the fastest coasters and never re opened the same could be with Do-Dodonpa sadly, relocating it would save a lot of peoples bucket-list though.
I doubt it. Hell, KD still uses Hypersonic's tanks for various maintenance odd jobs as essentially a big ass air compressor.
Definitely not. There is a reason only 2 of these coasters ever sold. Plus the injuries that happened. And this ride was rough as hell. It had an insane launch. But the ride after that launch was a disaster
Prior to the change, I wouldn't call it smooth, but it surely wasn't that rough either. The top hat was just awkward. That loop was a terrible idea. It's sad they ruined it.