The Revolutionary Coaster that Started A New Era
After being encouraged to make Magnum my 100th coaster, I went against the advice and just rushed to Millennium Force instead. I wish I would’ve listened to the advice because on my trip to Cedar Point, Magnum stole the show. The hype for the prototypical hyper coaster (coasters over 200 feet tall) was huge. I’d look at on-ride footage and pictures and was always very unimpressed. It just didn’t look like much to me. But this is a great example of a coaster you just have to ride to appreciate.
The long, slow lift hill offered a great view of Lake Erie. The first drop is pretty strong considering it’s not that tall by today’s standards. There’s a slight turn at the crest of the next hill. After the second drop into the tunnel the train just becomes possessed and gave a pretty intense ride. The pretzel turn around is fun and the burst of speed when you leave it is pretty surprising.
The trip back to the station is stuffed with ejector air. You almost feel like you’re out of your seat as much as you’re in it even though that’s not the case. While the air time is fun it does approach roughness. In contrast the air on Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England is forceful, but not as rough. Of course, Magnum is much, much older, but the rough ejector air was still a factor. The station, with it’s outdated futuristic look offered a dash of theming and it seemed pretty lively. I was blessed with two back to back walk-ons of this ride thanks to large storm system sitting over the area. I can finally see why the Magnum has the reputation it does. It’s an older ride, but it makes up
for it’s modest stats with more personality than a lot of the newer thrill rides out there. So it turned out that my 101st coaster was the highlight of my trip to Cedar Point. Final Rating – 9.5 (Excellent-Approaching Superior)
Want to know how amazing a 9.5? Check out my Roller Coaster Rating System.
What’s Your Take?
Have you ridden Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point? Leave a comment below.
June 13, 2007 at 15:56
still is a wonderful ride although I find fault with the station design as being too big and disorganized. It encorages uneven distribution of people and long confusing lines.
May 12, 2009 at 18:36
While I do like Magnum (back in the late 90's I rode it for the first time and it was my first 200+ ft coaster) I can't agree with you when you rate it higher then Millennium Force. When you step off of Magnum your smiling (well depending on where you sat you might be wincing because those bunny hills can be quite nasty) because it was a really fun ride. When you step off of Millennium your panting and desperately trying to catch your breath because the entire ride is so fast and so intense. I'll agree with you that it doesn't do a whole lot after the first drop and turn, but the sheer speed of the ride is breathtaking. I suppose it depends on what you look for in a coaster. If you want just a fun ride then maybe Magnum is better, but if your looking for breathtaking thrills Millennium is the far better coaster.
July 18, 2009 at 12:44
This video makes the coaster look rough. Not extremely rough, but just kind of shaky. Is it?
July 19, 2009 at 07:04
Alot of people fromt he park say that the ride itself shakes when the train passes over the tracks. I dont think the ride is bumpy, but alot of first time riders say they think that the roller coaster is about to colapse
August 30, 2009 at 18:51
My cousin told me it wasnt to smooth but, when i road it yesterday It seemed amazingly smoother then what i was expecting and the first drop is good for people who want more then mean streak but not ready for MF
September 2, 2010 at 06:23
in the very front all the airtime feels like a baseball bat s smashing your thighs but it was still agreat ride
January 29, 2011 at 15:15
yea i have rode it and it is one of my favorite roller coaster in the world
February 19, 2011 at 08:47
Some major air time on second hill. Wow!
June 8, 2011 at 06:48
I got in line for this coaster not knowing how tall it was. I had never been on a roller coaster this tall before and was freaking out on the first lift hill. However, this ride was absolutely amazing. It was very thrilling with a lot of unexpected components. The pretzel turn around, which is probably at least 100 feet off the ground (correct me if I'm wrong) was very scary because the train is turned sideways and everyone has to hold on for dear life. The drops inside the tunnels are very unexpected and would provide airtime if you weren't strapped in your seat so tightly. I was pleasantly surprised with the coaster and found it to be very thrilling and fun at the same time.
June 8, 2011 at 08:43
For me Magnum was one of the coasters I think is overrated. It does provide great ejector air and it is the only coaster I've been on that feels like you are riding a bucking bronco the way you are thrown into the air. The problem for me was being thrown into the lapbar and the constant pain I endured riding this coaster. It wasn't horrible but it still was annoying and made the coaster less enjoyable. Maybe I sat in the wrong seats. I will say I am probably very spoiled due to the fact I've ridden a lot of B&M hypers and have gotten used to silky smooth rides with tons of airtime.
June 16, 2011 at 17:07
I rode this for the first time during “Coastermania” and was disappointed. Yes, there’s airtime but the awful lap bar made it painful, instead of fun. Magnum would benefit from new trains or at least new lap bars (more padding).
Arrow never seemed to learn about heartlining transitions on their coasters, I don’t miss them as a design company. Cedar Point doesn’t have any Vekoma coasters but they make up for that with an overabundance of Arrow coasters, all of which are showing their age. Their mine train is probably the most boring and jerky I’ve been on. Gemini wasn’t anything special. Corkscrew is past its prime. I only chose to do two rides on Magnum (front and back seats) since TTD, Maverick and Millennium were far more fun. CP has more Intamin coasters than any other place on Earth.
June 16, 2011 at 22:12
one more Arrow at CP: Iron Dragon, definitely the weakest of the Arrow Suspended coasters. Ninja at Magic Mountain and Flight Deck at Kings Island are great rides, Iron Dragon is not.
September 12, 2011 at 13:02
Magnum is showing it's age, but I still get a great kick out of this ride! Just returned from a weekend visit 9-9-10-11 Was able to ride multiple times (so many- I lost count) without having to exit due to no line at the end of the night. The back car is a different ride than the front, much more smooth and less jerky and painfull. The lap bar HURTS on the front cars over the bunny hills. The best part of the ride is at night when it flies you out near the lake. Fun Stuff! Try not to be seated behind girls with long hair- you will be eating it!
December 30, 2011 at 05:38
It is very fun a nice hyper coaster but i would have rated a 9
May 28, 2012 at 20:24
Such a fun ride! Hate the pretzel turn though, it just bores me and I guess I just don't get the point of it. But I guess it makes me look forward to the bunny hops even more, which is my favorite part. Wild! Makes me feel like I'm riding a mechanical bull or something! Good times.
July 18, 2012 at 12:25
Went to Cedar Point yesterday and it just was amazing. I loved Maverick, honestly more intense then Millie. Magnum was just awesome at night and got 9 walk-ons. Awesome, but on the last ride the ride shutdown about 3/4 up the lift due to lightning. Still finished the ride, but we were stuck up there for 20 minutes.
August 6, 2012 at 11:19
Magnum has FANTASTIC airtime, somthing Millenium Force needs more of. However as much as I love it, you do need to be prepared for bracing as you ride. It has to much air i would say for the style of seating as with more comfortable trains, you could enjoy it more. Ik i enjoy the airtime, but i will admit it kinda slams you. Its just one of the awsome rough rides out there that you love anyway. Kinda like the Boss at St louis, rough, but i still love it.
August 7, 2012 at 23:30
Greatest roller coaster of all time. The only others I've been on that even come close are Apollo'c Chariot, Millennium Force, and maybe Intimidator 305.
September 5, 2012 at 17:32
I rode this during my trip to Ohio over the weekend, and although I WANTED to enjoy all the intense drops and airtime this ride had to offer, I COULDN’T because the ride kept making me jam my knee forward into the front wall of the car. So much that it became painful. Usually I have my hands up on coasters but for this ride I literally had to push on the handles and brace myself to keep me from banging my knee repeatedly. And I don’t think I’m THAT tall (6’1″). This easily was my worse ride experience at Cedar Point. Disappointing for such a well-acclaimed ride…
September 5, 2012 at 18:51
I also rode her on my first trip to Ohio last week and agree it was a let down. The air seemed jerky and painful. Although I thought Gemini was the worst for sure!
September 6, 2012 at 13:29
Gemini was actually pretty fun for me! Even my wife had fun taunting the other train as we beat them. Blue Streak beat us up pretty bad though, but that was expected.
September 6, 2012 at 20:25
There was no racing trains last week, also I think I was in back so I'm sure it made it worse… I was very surprised by Bluestreak. I was holding on tight and trying to standup a bit to absorb the rough air with my legs. It reminded me a bit of a rougher Phoenix. "Surprising air"
November 5, 2012 at 18:07
It is a airtime machine!!!! It is my 3rd favorite coaster. I t can be a little bumpy and loud but still fun!!!!!!