RailBlazer Review, Rocky Mountain Construction Raptor | Northern California's Best Coaster

RailBlazer at California's Great America was one of the first Rocky Mountain Construction Raptors. This intense single rail roller coaster is arguably the best cloned ride in the world with its viscous airtime and relentless pacing. And it has a case as NorCal's best coaster.
Video Credits
Railblazer POV (California's Great America)- • Take a Virtual Ride on...
Raptor Test Footage (Rocky Mountain Construction)- www.facebook.c...
Stunt Pilot Off-Ride (Coaster Thrills)- • Stunt Pilot Off-Ride S...
Background Music
Aggressive Racing [Sports Music] by MOKKA / Selectra
Song- • (No Copyright Music) A...
Channel- / @mokkamusic

[@JulianDale94]

I’m actually pretty excited to see where this coaster will end up. A few other Cedar Fair parks really need something like this

[@CanobieCoaster]

They sure could.

[@XOYamiOX]

I just got off sitting in the back of this and MY GOD. Getting YANKED out of the seat especially on that first drop was one of the most intense things I've ever experienced.

[@CanobieCoaster]

The back row is awesome!

[@wilbert_GT]

i’ve literally told everyone on r/rollercoasters of what’s the strongest airtime they ever experienced and what is the strongest and surprisingly most of them said railblazer

[@CanobieCoaster]

It definitely has some powerful moments.

[@thechemtrailkid]

I rode this for the first time yesterday and got a back row seat. So good. You feel like youre on the end of a cracking whip going over that first drop

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's the best seat.

[@Aerolandaircraft]

This would be a great replacement for Corkscrew at Cedar Point!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Ridewise, yes. It would be a disaster from a capacity perspective though.

[@theintamindude]

Having ridden all 3 raptors of this layout, I will say while some of the elements on the OGs are profiled to be more intense (the dive loops in particular), the extra 2 rows on Stunt Pilot make the pull through the layout even stronger (most noticeable on the drop, s hill and the drop off the s curve section). Love all 3 a lot tho.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Makes sense the 2 cars compensate.

[@maxhagenauer24]

Easily the best coaster here, considering this park will most likely never get a new ride addition as it's about to close in the following decade, this is what they have but it's not by any means bad. Rrailblazer is an excellent name for a single rail, the airtime is absolutely insane, the whip and pacing is just something that you can't joke about, it's relentless. I love these types of rides and really hope to get on one some day. It may be short but oh boy it packs a punch.

[@CanobieCoaster]

This sure is a great ride and I hope it's saved.

[@brucegibson1813]

Got to marathon railblazer yesterday and it was awesome. I go to CGA a lot because it’s my home park and I know the crew pretty well. They let me keep the restraint so far up I legit had 6 to 7 inches of airtime room. And if you close your eyes and lean back on the first drop it feels like your going to fly into the stratosphere.

[@CanobieCoaster]

The crew was super friendly back in September when I got stuck on the ride for 20 minutes.

[@Paolo8772]

Whilst I've not yet ridden to OG smaller Raptor clones, I've ridden Jersey Devil, and those soft shoulder straps hurt after marathoning, especially if you usually ride in the back like me, so eventually I just took them off my shoulders. About 2 or 3 days later I rode El Toro with the ride op I had on J.D. that 1st day and I told him I eventually took off those soft shoulder straps off to which he replied "We all do that!". Thanks for posting!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Wow!

[@D00rHandleMedia]

I remember that pothole on the final turn being present even on employee preview day. It is good the newer raptors possibly won't need as much blending work if they go to more weld-less track designs.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Dang, wonder how that happened.

[@D00rHandleMedia]

@@CanobieCoaster I'd guess some installation issues during construction. The track gaps are for real on these Raptors. Lol

[@JFrombaugh]

Interesting story: First time I rode this ride, I actually ended up talking to some girls in line next to me who turned out to be professional dancers. The line was long, so they told me some interesting stories about dancing & performing, I talked about my coaster enthusiast hobby a bit. Sadly, I didn’t end up on the same train as them due to the loading procedure/single file seating, but I waited for them at the exit to ask how they liked it. They looked absolutely blown away, one of them was like “OMG that was so insane!!! My heart is pounding so fast!” Don’t blame them at all. To this day the RMC Raptor is still easily one of the most intense coasters I’ve ridden.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It is an intense ride for sure. Glad they helped pass the time.

[@tyheimerl2628]

Gold Striker is better in my opinion but I get why you think Railblazer is based on your taste in rides. Great video always appreciate you Canobie!

[@CanobieCoaster]

Thanks!

[@daronbreaux4498]

That’s how I felt on Wonderwoman at Fiesta Texas, the pacing is WILD. And that Planet Coaster comment was SO relatable 😂

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's insane.

[@AirtimeProductions]

I finally was able to ride my first RMC Raptor! It was as good if not better than I expected and after riding JDC the trains look so small on Railblazer and WWGLC 😂

[@CanobieCoaster]

These Raptors are certainly unique experiences.

[@Thuggysmurf]

Nice review. Despite the slow dispatches relative to SFFT, I have this ranked way above Wonder Woman at SFFT. 1) Railblazer restraints are not painful like the SFFT ones (I'm 6' 2"), 2) Prettier ride scenery on Railblazer, 3) The SFFT Flash Pass merge point still results in a 20-minute wait versus at CGA with Fast Lane you're on the ride in under 3 minutes. SFFT Flash Pass also limits you to 1 ride per day on WW versus Fast Lane at CGA lets you ride Railblazer unlimited. SFFT has been running Wonder Woman with 1 train lately - 2 trains sent to RMC for repairs - maybe they'll make the restraints on WW more like Railblazer (or Jersey Devil).

[@CanobieCoaster]

I didn't find the restraints different.

[@EdsStuff76]

This thing absolutely tries to launch you to the moon. My kid calls it "Yeet the ride"

[@CanobieCoaster]

Makes sense!

[@triple7marc]

I’ve ridden this coaster 199 times. It’s my third favorite ride at the park.

[@CanobieCoaster]

One away from a milestone

[@triple7marc]

@@CanobieCoaster Moved down to San Diego before I could get that 200th ride 😅

[@triple7marc]

@C0AST34 If I didn’t live in San Diego now, I would 🤣

[@brucegibson1813]

@@triple7marc do you rank goldstriker and flight deck higher?

[@triple7marc]

@@brucegibson1813 Last season it was Flight Deck, but after the Gold Striker retracking I think I rank that higher.

[@micoasters]

I really hope mi adventure get this, that would make a great top 2 with shivering Timbers and rail blazer

[@CanobieCoaster]

Sure would.

[@jtbowman132]

I might’ve asked this before, but do you play planet coaster regularly? I’d absolutely watch you build stuff on there lol

[@CanobieCoaster]

Not regularly

[@zbfuller]

Haven't ridden RailBlazer... but it reminded me that I have no strong recollection of Wonder Woman even though I rode it multiple times, That just shows you how much of a blur the experience is.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It really is fast.

[@SkyrushFanboy]

5:28 a similar experience happened to me on racer at Kennywood this year. For some reason, the ops couldn't get my buzz bar up, so someone had to come and use a key to manually unlock it. I found it kind of funny

[@CanobieCoaster]

That ride is usually more reliable.

[@dytamic]

what's better: airtime or an overpowering brass that gives a song a sense of grandness and urgency

[@CanobieCoaster]

Airtime

[@QuocNguyen-ss3mo]

cool ride ever i ride it and i was so scary and i hate that ride and i was 1 years old

[@CanobieCoaster]

You must have been a tall one year old.

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

As a GCI fanboy, I like Gold Striker more, and I also prefer Joker at SFDK. They're overall more enjoyable to me. I wouldn't say the raptor's restraints are bad; I just don't like them as much as the regular RMC restraints. The prototypes' spread-eagle sitting position is a bit awkward for me, but it doesn't cause me pain, while I do get pain in the knee tendons with Jersey Devil, which can get quite bad after a few rides. There's no denying the power and intensity of Railblazer. I was able to marathon it on Halloween evening 2019, a Thursday. There was no grouper that day. They probably were expecting a light crowd. I would also recommend people to start with Railblazer then come back to Gold Striker later, especially since GCIs need to warm up to run at their best. I was not impressed with my early Gold Striker ride, but the later ones were excellent.

[@CanobieCoaster]

I agree the usual RMC restraints are superior.

[@luke1r3]

in my opinion knotts berry farm should get rid of pony express and get this as a replacement. The ride would be much easier to ship, and They could totally do good theming to pay homage to the old ride. In fact, this would be a major improvement from pony express

[@CanobieCoaster]

Not much could fit where Pony is.

[@radbricks8298]

its so sad that park is closing down.. there's soo many realestate places in the worlds why do they need more

[@CanobieCoaster]

This park's land is just too valuable.

[@goldenstatenative2648]

I love the ride. I have rides it twice. But man does my pelvis hate it. I must be to tall because my legs get pushed into the pelvis sockets and I'm in pain when the ride is over.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Sorry you find it uncomfortable.

[@FoamSquatch]

Id love to see this get moved closer to home, but I do not thing it would be a good fit for CP or KI considering the bad throughput. Hopefully Michigan's adventure or Dorney get it so its at least within driving distance.

[@CanobieCoaster]

The Ohio Cedar Fair parks would be bad fits due to capacity.

[@chargedonpc9989]

Jersey Devil Coaster is one of my favorite roller coasters, so this ride looks like incredible. How does the pacing and sense of speed compare to Lightning Rod? I think that ride has the best sense of speed I've experienced.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Sense of speed is similar to Lightning Rod in the first half.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

It’s a shame they stopped so fast with these intense clones

[@CanobieCoaster]

I heard Stunt Pilot is still great.

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

@@CanobieCoaster yeah I’ve heard that too

[@NorthernRidesYaBoi]

I do wonder if Walibi Holland will get the cloned layout. They like clones

[@askjeevescosby2928]

They should use this single rail to convert old steel coasters like kumba wild thing, anaconda ect.

[@CanobieCoaster]

Not sure if they can do that.

[@iicedfn]

Fun Fact: on both the off axis hill and drop off the s bend both pull -1.9g’s in the back, even stronger than the first drop

[@CanobieCoaster]

I can see that.

[@patrickcadiz6865]

Honestly Insane because I used the ride forces app in back row, and those moments hit -1.8 and -1.6 respectively , in the morning. Most RMC airtime I've seen is like -1 so its literally mind blowing

[@brucegibson1813]

@@patrickcadiz6865 hod do you get the app??

[@johnfriske]

Go Michigan adventure

[@CanobieCoaster]

That would be nice for them.

[@omarnoble4788]

These do look catoonishly fast in off ride videos, so I can't imagine how intense it is on ride. Typically rides look slower off ride.

[@CanobieCoaster]

It's insane.

[@cliquet3scliquet3s96]

Why did you not give Railblazer a 10 in this review?

[@CanobieCoaster]

The coaster is short and has over-the-shoulder restraints.

[@dioncampos8285]

Rail blazer probably might go to knotts berry form

[@CanobieCoaster]

The capacity would be brutal there.

[@jtwoolley]

why not 10

[@CanobieCoaster]

Short and not the best restraints.

[@XboxgamerZ]

I hope this ride on just all rides in the park get saved

[@CanobieCoaster]

I hope it's saved.

[@katashworth41]

A raptor would be the perfect replacement for Infusion. Multi inversion, smoother, can have long enough trains for capacity and the “completely over water” USP. The problem is the cost, with the pound tanking (thanks Tories) we’re not getting anything major soon.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That would be a much better ride than Infusion.

[@katashworth41]

@@CanobieCoaster No ride would be better than Infusion.

[@BenjiNerdyDog]

Do you play planet coaster?

[@CanobieCoaster]

Not frequently, but I do occasionally.

[@BenjiNerdyDog]

I wish they would add a raptor to planco

[@michaelpatten315]

It's good but I would not call that NorCal's best coaster

[@CanobieCoaster]

To me it is.

[@michaelpatten315]

@@CanobieCoaster Gold Striker is better

[@patrickcadiz6865]

@@michaelpatten315 True and Joker imo

[@Kittyhat]

Front seat > back only because you can put your arms way out to your sides and roleplay as an airplane flying around also that zero g roll is not graceful lmaoo.

[@CanobieCoaster]

That's a pleasant visual.