King Cobra (roller coaster)

King Cobra (1984–2001) was a TOGO Stand-up roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio. It was the first in the world to be designed from the ground up as a stand-up roller coaster. Other stand-up roller coasters that preceded King Cobra were sit-down models later modified to accommodate stand-up trains.[1][2]

King Cobra
King Cobra Logo
Kings Island
LocationKings Island
Park sectionAction Zone
Coordinates39.344960°N 84.265880°W / 39.344960; -84.265880
StatusRemoved
Opening dateApril 22, 1984 (1984-04-22)
Closing dateNovember 5, 2001 (2001-11-05)
Cost3,000,000 USD
Replaced bySlingShot
General statistics
TypeSteel – Stand-up
ManufacturerTOGO
DesignerJames Rogan
ModelStand Up
Track layoutSteel
Lift/launch systemChain
Height95 ft (29 m)
Drop90 ft (27 m)
Length2,219 ft (676 m)
Speed50 mph (80 km/h)
Inversions1
Duration2:00
Max vertical angle53°
Capacity1250 riders per hour
King Cobra at RCDB
Pictures of King Cobra at RCDB

History

King Cobra was announced in the fall of 1983. Prior to opening at Kings Island, the ride was fully built and tested at TOGO's facility in Japan.[3] It was then disassembled, relocated to Kings Island, and constructed in time to open on April 22, 1984. The ride was marketed as the world's first stand-up roller coaster.

After the ride's manufacturer, TOGO, went out of business in 2001, parts for the ride became more expensive and harder to find. After the 2001 season, Paramount Parks began to dismantle King Cobra and put it up for sale. The trains were stored inside the Flight of Fear building and the track in one of Kings Island's "graveyards" located on old Wild Animal Habitat land. After the ride wouldn't sell, the track was scrapped and the trains were relocated to Kings Dominion to be used as spare parts for Shockwave.

As of 2010, remnants of the King Cobra could still be spotted in some back areas of Kings Island near Flight of Fear.[2]

Ride experience
King Cobra viewed from the Eiffel Tower (1996)

After being loaded into the 24 passenger stand-up trains, the riders were taken up a 95-foot (29 m) hill, before turning 180 degrees to the right and encountering the first drop. The riders were first welcomed by the vertical loop, which was taken quickly and smoothly. Shortly after, the train climbed up the first camelback hill, allowing for some floater airtime, then dropped into a 540-degree helix, which had riders standing almost completely sideways. Upon exiting the helix, the second camelback hill was encountered and followed by the unique "trick track" section of the ride, where the track was straight, but banked to the left before turning to the right. Before hitting the brake run, the track went over two bunny hills allowing brief moments of airtime before the ride came to a complete stop. The train then turned to the right and was brought back to the station.

Clones and similar attractions

Several parks featured stand-up roller coasters similar in design to King Cobra. SkyRider at Canada's Wonderland was a duplicate of King Cobra that opened a year later in 1985. It was closed in 2014 and moved to Cavallino Matto in Italy, where it reopened in 2015 as Freestyle.[4][5] Shockwave at Kings Dominion featured a similar layout as well with the exception of its finale. After reaching the second camelback hill, the track turns left into a bunny hill before entering the brake run, as opposed to King Cobra's turn to the right. Shockwave closed permanently in 2015. Pink Typhoon Standing Coaster (formerly Star Jet) at Washuzan Highland, one of the last remaining Togo stand-up coasters in operation, is also similar until the second camelback hill. The trick track is replaced by a bunny hill, which then leads to a right turn and a second bunny hill prior to the final brake run. Unlike the others, Pink Typhoon originally featured sit-down roller coaster trains, but one was eventually replaced by a stand-up model while the other sit-down train was turned backwards.[6]

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References
  1. "King Cobra". KI Extreme. July 2004. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  2. "Can You Stand It?". 26 January 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  3. History, Kings Island (2018-12-18). "King Cobra, the park's stand-up roller coaster from 1984 through 2001, was fully constructed and tested in Japan before being built at Kings Island. Photo courtesy @KICentral.pic.twitter.com/wRkXBeKeqZ". @KIHistory. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  4. Chubb, Christine (6 August 2014). "Wonderland to close SkyRider this September". CFTR (AM) News. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  5. Marden, Duane. "Freestyle  (Cavallino Matto)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  6. Marden, Duane. "Star Jet  (Brazilian Park Washuzan Highland)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
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