Date Ridden: Numerous times since 2006. Times Ridden: 16 currently.
As most coaster enthusiasts are aware, Magnum was the first coaster that broke the 200 foot barrier back in 1989. At that time, I was a junior in high school and was not aware that the Coaster Wars had begun between Cedar Point and Magic Mountain in California. The building of Magnum was the first shot fired which led to other larger and faster coasters such as Superman: The Escape, Goliath, Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. However, Magnum started it all and is arguably still the best of those coasters listed above in the minds of many.
Magnum is still smooth with an abundant amount of airtime, particularly on the bunny hills leading back to the station on the return trip. The view of Lake Erie cresting the top of the lift hill is gorgeous and the speed (over 70 mph) is still top notch. The kidney shaped turnaround is probably the least enjoyable element as it is a very awkward transition and uncomfortable way of turning around the train. The designers (Arrow) did a much better job with some of the later coasters such as Steel Force in Pennsylvania and Mamba in Missouri with the downward spiraling helices which turned around the trains. Those two coasters however, are still considered inferior to Magnum mainly due to their lack of airtime on the return hills.
One word of advice. Magnum gets some bad reviews due to what many riders call "roughness". I can offer some agreement with these statements however I think I have discovered the problem. When entering the station, you will that the train are designed to hold three rows of two seats per "car". The back seat in each of these cars has a steel box in the floor. These boxes, according to a ride operator, contain the wheels. It is in these cars, riding directly above the wheels on the track, are the places of some of the roughest rides I have had. I recommend therefore,
to avoid the third row in each car which includes the very back seat on the train: one of the most popular seats on large hyper coasters. So keep in mind when you enter the station, do not sit in any of the third rows of seats on the train. The other seats are much smoother and offer just as much airtime without the jerkiness riding above the wheels gives.
Lastly, Magnum is a great coaster to close down the park on. As crowds thin out, the middle rows of the train are normally blocked off since the very efficient station crew always runs three trains and the ride is not as popular as it once was. When the car is not full, the opportunity is there for the mid-course brakes to not kick in leading to an insane second half of the ride. That happened to us once and was one of our best coaster rides ever. The bunny hills were literally throwing us out of the seat since the train was only half full and the brakes did not slow us down at all. Zipping through the cool night air and flying over airtime filled hills at well over 50 mph is an awesome way to close down Cedar Point.
Despite many coasters which may be considered "better", Magnum still holds a place in the Coaster Reviews Top 20 and should stay there for many years to come. It is a fun ride which started the wave of giant steel coasters we still see today.
Overall Rating - 9.
Ride Magnum below.
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