Is Magnum Still Relevant?

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On May 6, 1989 Cedar Point opened the first ever hyper coaster. The ride stats shocked the world, standing at 205 feet tall it was the tallest complete circuit coaster in the world. On opening day the lines for the ride reached 6 hours long. When the Golden Ticket Awards first came out in 1998 Magnum was 1st, and would hold the top spot for 3 years. Magnum would stay in the top ten until 2013. Though as of last year it was 14th, many people would say it's not a top 15 steel coaster. This drop in public support caused it to drop out of the Coaster-net Thrilling 32. You may ask well what coasters should it best? I'd say it's better than  both B&M hyper coasters at Wonderland. It has way more airtime than Behemoth and i think it is a better ride than Leviathan. 

Today in 2019 however is Magnum still one of the best? Most will say no. I think if the ride opened today it would still be the talk of the industry. The ride is filled with air time, almost all of its 10 hills deliver. The ejector airtime is still among the best around. Many will say, the ride is too rough. A great ride is still able to deliver a great experience even if it is rough, just ask Voyage. Therefore, to say Magnum is not one of the best, because some say it is rough is unfair. Besides that, what people call rough is just the extreme ejector air time it has. I am not saying this ride is better than: Steel Vengeance, Fury 325, Expedition G-Force, or whatever ride you say is the best. I do think this coaster should still be in the top 100 in the world. I feel many people have forgotten it or have ridden it many times and just have taken it for granted. Maybe those reading this will have better reasons for why it is not elite but, for me, as it celebrates its 30th year, it should still be one of the best coasters. Maybe next year it will make the Thrilling 32 though sadly it probably will not.

Author
Brian Welch  

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