 Magnum XL 200 at Cedar Point is a very historic ride. It's known for kicking off the original coaster wars when it opened in 1989. It is the first full-circuit coaster ever to reach 200 feet, staying at a height of 205 feet. The drop is actually 195 feet, which I think a lot of people overlook. As far as I'm concerned, it's still a hyper coaster. It reaches a speed of 72 miles per hour, has a track length of 5,106 feet. So when it opened, Magnum was the tallest and fastest coaster in the world. It's crazy to think about how far the industry has come since the opening of Magnum 30 years ago. There is a lot that we can thank this ride for. Aerodynamics was a very influential manufacturer and despite the issues that they had, they definitely pushed a lot of boundaries for the time and if it weren't for aero, we wouldn't have a lot of what we have now in terms of coasters. So we definitely have a lot to thank aerodynamics for. Getting on to Magnum itself, this is just a really impressive ride to look at, especially knowing its history. It's still a very huge looking ride, even with top-thrilled dragster right next to it. It's massive. Being an old aero, Magnum XL 200 is a pretty bumpy ride, but I wouldn't really call it rough. A lot of people nowadays tend to rip on this ride a lot for being rough and uncomfortable. And granted, it doesn't have the most comfortable restraints out there. The lap bars are kind of awkward. Not the most comfortable seats, but they're pretty doable and you get amazing airtime. More on that later. On Magnum, after you go up the really long lift hill, it takes a minute to get to the top. It's not like these really fast chain lifts on the B&M Giga's that we have now. It takes a minute to reach 205 feet and it's not a very steep lift hill either. You get a magnificent view of Cedar Point and the whole surrounding area. It is one of the best views on any coaster. It's beautiful. And you start the ride experience by going down that first 195 foot drop. And I love this drop. It's not super intense, but I still consider this one of the best drops out there. And then you go up into a big hill after that. I believe it stands at about 156 feet high, if I'm not mistaken. You don't really get much airtime on that hill. You get a little pop depending on where you're sitting, but nothing great. And then you go down that drop. You go through the first tunnel and then you go over an awesome airtime hill. And then you hit the trim brakes. Most of the time the trim brakes are on. If not, you're really in for an experience. If the trim brakes aren't on, that pretzel turnaround is really intense. But you go past the trim brakes, go through that pretzel not turnaround. And this is really unique. I kind of wish this was on more hyper coasters out there, because I just think it's just really interesting. I'd like to see it on like a B&M hyper or something like that. That'd be cool. But after going through that pretzel not turnaround, you hit all these little back to back airtime hills and they just get crazier the closer you get to the end of the ride. No matter where you're sitting, you're going to get some amazing airtime on these hills. Absolute intense ejector. Recently, I found out that there is this supposed magic seat on Magnum. And that is, as far as I understand, the third row of the first car. And I know that's a wheel seat. A lot of people say don't sit in a wheel seat. But apparently that's the quote unquote magic seat. And I tried that a couple of times recently. And I have to say, I was pretty impressed. I feel like it does make a bit of a difference. I feel like the airtime is a little more crazy when you sit there. And actually, very recently, I got a trimless ride and I happened to be sitting in that magic seat. And wow, that ride was phenomenal. It was breathtaking. For Magnum's 30th anniversary this year in 2019, they've added some effects to the last tunnel on the ride. These effects were originally in place when Magnum opened up. And over the years, a lot of people have asked for these effects to come back. There's like lights and music and fog, like these space noises and stuff. It's pretty cool, especially if it's night. So I think that's a nice little touch that, you know, they're kind of throwing a nod to the past with those special effects in the tunnel. Nothing too drastic, but it's a nice touch. Overall, I find Magnum to be a really fun ride. It's one of my personal favorites to this day. And one of my favorite coasters I've ridden, it recently got kicked out of my top 10. But it's still a phenomenal ride. One of the best out there provides really intense ejector airtime. It's not very intense in terms of positive Gs, but you get a great view of Lake Erie. And it's just a really fun ride, even to this day. One thing I will say about Magnum, I feel like the first half is a little weak, maybe. I mean, you have the huge first drop and that's really good, even though it's not very intense. But the second hill, you know, just really doesn't have any airtime. And then you go through the tunnel, you go over a pretty good airtime hill, the pretzel loop turn around. If the trims are off, that is really intense. That's the bumpiest part of the ride, though, I have to say. Definitely that part of the ride is rougher than the rest. But it's not too bad. It's pretty tolerable. There really is a lack of theming on Magnum. Cedar Fair is not known for their theming. And this was definitely the case in 1989, even more so than it is nowadays. So Magnum doesn't really have much to talk about in terms of theming. The station is just very generic looking. And the only real theming is the cars, which are kind of like spacey looking. And then now you have the effects back in the tunnel, which provide a little bit to go along with the theme as well. As far as an overall score goes, I'm going to give Magnum XL 200 a score of 8.5 out of 10. It's definitely far from perfect. It has its flaws. It's a very old ride. It's essentially a prototype. But 30 years later, it's still a very strong ride, one of the most iconic coasters in the world. And I think it's here to stay for a long time. Let me know in the comments what you think about Magnum XL 200. Be sure to like this video, subscribe to my channel for more amusement park and roller coaster content. I've got a lot of reviews coming in the near future. So stay tuned for that. Be sure to follow me on Facebook at coaster daddy and Instagram coaster daddy official. Thank you guys so much again for watching. Bye