Keyhole Elements

[reddude333]

Among B&M wing coasters, keyhole elements have been extremely popular and for good reason. Certainly the exposed feeling of the winged seats adds to the thrill of going through such a small ride envelope. Now I know the idea of a keyhole element is nothing new, but I think it is far underused in coaster designs. Are there any other coaster types that could greatly benefit from a keyhole element? Also, what's your favorite keyhole element?

I think 4-D coasters have a significant potential for utilizing a keyhole (if they could just make a comeback). Dive machines and inverts also seem like good candidates to me.

Discuss!!! :-D

 

[Youngster Joey]

I think a B&M Flyer could use the keyhole with much success. Than again I have never ridden a wing rider or even a B&M Flyer for that matter.

 

[Montario]

I think 4-D coasters have a significant potential for utilizing a keyhole (if they could just make a comeback).

4-D coasters are still being made by S&S, one in China (Dinoconda) opened this year.

 

[BBH]

I think a B&M Flyer could use the keyhole with much success. Than again I have never ridden a wing rider or even a B&M Flyer for that matter.

In a flyer you're very secure and tight against the track, but you don't notice it, so it would work very well IMO.

 

[owentaylor121]

I would say the best keyhole element is on The Big One as it goes through the big dipper.

 

[reddude333]

I think 4-D coasters have a significant potential for utilizing a keyhole (if they could just make a comeback).

4-D coasters are still being made by S&S, one in China (Dinoconda) opened this year.

I know that. I made a topic in Q&A about 4-D coasters. Just because one was made this year doesn't mean they are making a comeback. I wouldn't exactly call Dinoconda being the first one in 6 years "making a comeback." I meant if only S&S (or someone else) started spitting out a ton of them like with wing coasters, then I would see it as being more feasible.

 

[Nic]

I think a B&M Flyer could use the keyhole with much success. Than again I have never ridden a wing rider or even a B&M Flyer for that matter.

In a flyer you're very secure and tight against the track, but you don't notice it, so it would work very well IMO.

I don't agree with this. There's a couple of rock pillars next to air (over by the car park) that you "swoop" right past. You definitely see those and to me they do improve the experience. I don't see why that couldn't be extended to use a keyhole element.

The effectiveness of these elements does vary though, especially based on the 2 wing coasters I've ridden. The ones on raptor are very apparent and definitely add to the experience. They feel very close to the train and the way the track weaves it's way between them is very effective. On the other hand, with The Swarm, you barely notice them. If you do, it doesn't feel as close as on raptor.

 

[Ian]

The thrill of the keyhole element lies in the visual impact imo, not the close-fitting near-miss experience. On a wingrider, the train is horizontal as it approaches the keyhole; "ZOMG!! That's a vertical hole!!!".

On a flyer, visiibity is reduced therefore the onride visual impact is worthless.

Imo, they'll be most effective on wing coasters than any other type, although perhaps a floorless sit-down coaster could get away with it.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I think the Wing Rider ones are crap.

Well, Swarm's is. Colossus has a great head chopper, the SLCs have an awesome foot chopper and Nemesis comes scarilly close to the station top... So why do these seem so much more real and intense than the ..."near miss" areas on Swarm? Maybe they are closer, but I think the majority of it is to do with speed. Approaching a clear miss at speed leaves you no time to judge.

I think the wing rider concept was miss sold. It doesn't do what the catalogue offers, but rather offers a visual spectacle of being free and not surrounded by any track. The beast of a train beside you on the inside seat adds something kind of beautiful as it guides you. The best part though, is the weird forces you don't experience on other types of coasters, being so far from the middle if the train.

I kinda hope someone notices the "keyhole" thing sucks soon and uses it more for spectators, if at all. Thinking about it, it seems Cedar Point have realised it's potential for that over on-ride. And Dollywood, who I originally critised for building a boring sit down coaster and not utilising the gimmick, must have ridden Raptor and understood instantly.

So yeah, they only work at speed, basically. I've never noticed the thing Nic speaks of with regard to Air. The Big One indeed has a great chopper when it passes under Dipper, enhanced by the positive Gs which make you feel like you have no control.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk 2

 

[Montario]

I think the Wing Rider ones are crap.
Well, Swarm's is.

I don't even notice Swarm's near misses while i'm on it sometimes . In my opinion, B&M wing coasters were produced specifically for those 'free' and 'exposed' experiences on the body, the 'keyhole elements' would have emphasised that, making you feel like you were going to crash into the scenery. Therefore, I think mainly B&M wing coasters will only be suitable at the moment as they were 'designed for that purpose' I guess you could say?

Near misses, now that's a broader term....pretty much any coaster can have a near miss, a key hole is more specific.

I think 4-D coasters have a significant potential for utilizing a keyhole (if they could just make a comeback).

4-D coasters are still being made by S&S, one in China (Dinoconda) opened this year.

I know that. I made a topic in Q&A about 4-D coasters. Just because one was made this year doesn't mean they are making a comeback. I wouldn't exactly call Dinoconda being the first one in 6 years "making a comeback." I meant if only S&S (or someone else) started spitting out a ton of them like with wing coasters, then I would see it as being more feasible.

Well then your interpretation of a 'comeback' is different to mine :wink:. Also, it's not fully up to the manufacturers to 'spit out' so many coasters. Parks i'm guessing chose B&M Wing Coasters over S&S/Arrow 4-D coasters due to the expense, reliability and high maintenance 4-Ds need.

 

[Nic]

I think the Wing Rider ones are crap.

Well, Swarm's is.

Agreed. But then Raptor's are fab. So, y'know, shhhh

 

[Hixee]

I think the Wing Rider ones are crap.

Well, Swarm's is.

Agreed. But then Raptor's are fab. So, y'know, shhhh

As are X-Flight's. I can see Joey's point though, they certainly work much better off-ride than on-ride (but in my opinion they work pretty well on-ride too ).

I also think Phatom's Revenge has one of the best 'keyhole' elements. I actually would go as far to say it's more effective than Oblivion's hole. You can feel the train just accelerating and accelerating towards this tiny hole, then it just hits the pull-out and rushes though the hole - it really is fantastic. It's a shame the rest of the ride is only average.

 

[Mark]

I used to love The Vampire for a sort of keyhole element. Right at the end of the ride the reentry into the station tunnel was a lot narrower than it is now. From a distance it never looked big enough to fit through and as the car swung out it always looked as you would slam into the wall. Alas, when they put on the new trains and made the opening far wider :-(

I agree that Keyhole elements work incredibly well from an offride perspective but I do think they can work well on-ride too. I definitely noticed them on Raptor throughout the ride, more so than the ones on Swarm. It certainly did add to the 'crap im gonna hit that' effect. I think the problem is if you don't have enough of them the chances of completely not noticing them are higher but if you have lots of them the overall impact would be far less.

I think The Swarm has a real lack of a proper keyhole element and they should add something, perhaps immediately after the inline twist above the station. As you are rotating it would seem like you had a brick wall in front of you before narrowly fitting through the gap. It would also look pretty cool from an offride perspective too...

Nic mentioned the rocks on Air and I can also say I hav noticed them and the near miss they provide. From what I can recall it is when you are on a particular side of the train though.

I think Keyhole Elements, done well, can be really effective if done well. Such as diving through the 'O' of Hollywood on Rock N Roller at Disneys Hollywood Studios.

 

[IntaminToWin]

An Invert could put one to good use. For instance, it could level out and be pointing at a wall, but the train could barrel roll up into the hole.

 

[FaceYourNemesis]

I agree with Nic here, Raptor's elements/near misses are amazing, especially the succession of tight manoeuvres towards the end of the layout: