Wildcat’s Revenge is the new-for-2023 hybrid coaster at Hersheypark. RMC took
the former Wildcat wooden roller coaster and transformed it into a far taller,
faster, wilder, and smoother steel coaster. There has been a lot of hype around this ride and for
good reason. It’s now the best RMC in the northeast and I’ll explain why in this review.
Wildcat was the name of not one, but two defunct coasters at Hersheypark. The first was a PTC wood
coaster that ran from 1923 to 1945. The second was the original Great Coasters International or GCI
coaster. This ride opened in 1996 as the anchor to the new Midway America section of the park.
Wildcat had a good layout. It was a mess of track with some nice airtime pops,
particularly in its early years with the PTC trains. But the ride fell out of favor over the
following decade. This was for two reasons. First, the coaster became rough. PTC trains
were not the most adept at navigating a twisty layout like that of Wildcat.
That’s why the later GCIs run Millennium Flyer trains. Wildcat actually got these trains in 2007,
but the track had already been beat up. Second, Hersheypark opened Lightning Racer in
2000. This was a dueling wood coaster, also from GCI. And it was placed in Midway America as well.
The ride also had a twister layout like Wildcat. While the airtime wasn’t quite as strong,
it was far more popular with parkgoers for its smoother ride and racing element.
This made Wildcat somewhat redundant. Enthusiasts had been clamoring for
Wildcat to be converted into a hybrid coaster by Rocky Mountain Construction.
RMC had done similar conversions 13 other times across the globe. They were experts in taking
old wooden coasters and transforming them into world-class thrill rides jam-packed with airtime.
In July 2022, Hersheypark announced Wildcat would close over a social media post and they asked fans
what should be done with the track. Some wanted to see GCI give the coaster a Titan Track makeover,
especially since it was the company’s first coaster, but most enthusiasts
wanted an RMC. And this was confirmed in November 2022 to be Wildcat’s Revenge.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the name at first. It would be the third coaster
in Pennsylvania to have revenge in the same along with Kennywood’s Phantom’s
Revenge and Dorney Park’s Hydra the Revenge, but it has grown on me.
Wildcat’s Revenge opened in May 2023 and it looks fantastic on Hersheypark’s skyline.
Midway America runs right up against Hersheypark Drive. So you get some great views of this coaster
approaching the park. You also get some stunning views looking down the hill from Hershey Gardens.
The coaster’s 14 story height is respectable anyway, but the truss structure makes it look
taller than it really is. Then the coaster has red track that pops against the brown supports.
I also love the train design. The lead car has a large wildcat extending forwards.
I’m personally not a big fan of the station building though.
The station was intended to look like that of the original Wildcat, especially with the gable roof,
but I find the tall black shed to look awkward and ugly.
The interior is better though. You have some images on the wall and you have a high octane
soundtrack getting you pumped up. And you hear a cat roar whenever a train is dispatched.
It just may take a little bit to get there. Anytime a park opens a new coaster,
especially one as well-received as this at
a park as large as Hersheypark, you can expect it to garner long waits.
This coaster has frequently had 45-60 minute waits midday this summer.
But there are a few ways to beat the crowds. First, head here early. While several people
run to Wildcat at rope drop, it is in the very back of the park. So you can usually
get on fairly quickly if you head there first. Second, ride this coaster at the end of the day.
The line should be super short and this coaster gives great night rides as well.
Third, get a Fast Track. This is a paid skip-the-line system that will get you on
Wildcat in 10 minutes max since the merge point is so close to the station. This is the best
way to marathon this coaster on a busy day. Fourth, visit on a day with inclement weather.
While the park closes some coasters like Skyrush and Candymonium in any form of rain, Wildcat’s
Revenge will stay open per the park’s website unless there is a heavy downpour.
It’s also worth noting this coaster will be available for the park’s Christmas Candylane
event in the winter. Per the website, Wildcat’s Revenge can open as long as the temperature is 34
degrees and rising. I’ve had good luck marathoning coasters in the past at Candylane on weekdays.
While this coaster has garnered high crowds, this is probably the most efficient coaster
at Hersheypark at this time. That feels weird to say about an RMC that are often notoriously
slow loaders, but Hersheypark has done four things to expedite dispatches.
First, this coaster runs three trains at once. The trains are the usual 6
cars and each car has 2 rows of 2, so they hold 24 riders like those of most RMCs.
Second, the crew working Wildcat is fantastic. They were busting their tail to quickly check
restraints. I hope crews in future years are similarly as fast, even as the ride ages.
Third, this is the first RMC to feature separate load and unload platforms.
This set-up allows guests to board faster since you don’t have to wait
for the prior guests to exit the train. And it enables three trains on the track at once.
Fourth, this coaster does not allow anything to be stored on the station platform. This means
guests go right to their seat, so employees can immediately begin checking restraints.
Right before you reach the station, there are a series of free double-sided lockers.
These are much larger than the lockers found on something like Velocicoaster or Steel Vengeance.
These can comfortably fit a bag. You will need to put most of your belongings
in there. This includes glasses- unless you have a strap- plus your phone, wallet, and keys. There’s
no metal detector, but if the operators catch you with anything on the load platform, they will send
you back down to the lockers. And the operator at control panel was watching the station like a
hawk to catch guests, regularly calling them out. At one point, there was a guy who had his phone in
the station. The operator caught him and sent him back to the lockers. When he returned to
the station, he had sunglasses without a strap. The operator again told him he could not ride.
He took them off and put them in a buttoned pocket, but he was told he had to go back to
the lockers. He was so infuriated that he threw his sunglasses over the side of the station.
So in short, just put everything in a locker. I have heard some reports that you can keep
things in a zippered pocket, but I just threw everything in a locker to be safe.
The double-sided nature of the lockers prevents major logjams,
but there is one con with these lockers. You need to remember your exact locker number when
you go to retrieve your items. I saw this causing some headaches for those with bad memories.
At least when I rode Wildcat, I was free to choose any row I wanted when I reached the station. I
heard this coaster had assigned seating shortly after it opened, but there was no grouper for
me. This coaster gives a great ride in any row, but I liked the back car a bit better. You get
the full effect of the drop and I find a few other moments later in the ride to be punchier as well.
Wildcat uses RMC’s swing-axle trains. These feature a familiar U-shaped lap
bar with shin-guards. As I’ve said before, I have no issue with these restraints,
but I know taller guests can find the shin-guards uncomfortable. And from what I saw, the operators
were not stapling guests like some RMCs. The restraints also have some grab bars
for a change. You have handles on the side like Lightning Rod plus
this flimsy grab-bar in the center of the restraint. This is a first for an RMC.
Once dispatched, you have a cool pre-lift. It’s one of the best ones on an RMC. There is a trick
track triple down. If you ride in the back car, the latter two humps give ok pops of airtime.
This is followed by a quick turn and then you hit the ride’s 140 foot or 43 meter tall lift hill.
If the crew is moving fast, you may see a train overhead passing through the final zero-G roll.
Initially, the train will crawl up the lift. This is because it’s waiting for the train ahead of you
to enter the unload platform. Once that happens, the lift speeds up. And like most of the new RMCs,
the anti-rollbacks are deafeningly loud. Once at the top, you are thrown over the first
drop. This is a nearly vertical, 82 degree plunge. I think we take RMC first drops for granted now,
but it’s great as always. The back rows get good sustained ejector airtime.
Then even those up front will get some fine floater airtime on the way down.
This leads into the highly marketed world’s largest step-up underflip.
If you’ve never experienced one of these, it starts like a zero-G roll followed by a
swooping drop back down to ground level. The front rows get good laterals into the twist and a pinch
of hangtime. Meanwhile, those in back get better hangtime. And you get some wonderful near-misses
with the sea of supports. Then everyone is pulled back down to the ground after the flip.
And that pullout has solid positive Gs, the best of the ride.
Then comes a large camelback. It’s probably the best pure airtime hill on the ride. It
offers sustained ejector airtime. It’s strong in all rows, but it’s especially powerful up front.
And you also have a terrifying headchopper with the support beam for the stall above your head.
Wildcat then hops upwards, ejecting everyone from their seat.
But it has more oomph in the front rows. Next comes a wave turn high above the ground
again offering negative Gs. You get a decent pop of airtime up front, but it’s stronger in back.
And the resultant drop takes you back down to ground level through
some supports for another sweet near-miss. The train then soars through a zero-G stall.
Everyone gets good sustained hangtime. But that’s not all, the snappy entry and exit provide some
decent laterals. And there are an abundance of near-misses as well with some more supports.
The train then zips through a low and fast wave turn. It delivers a great pop of sideways
ejector airtime for all. I preferred this wave turn to the first for the increased power.
Next comes this bizarre double down. This was the element that most intrigued me with Wildcat.
You jump upwards. This gives everyone solid ejector airtime.
That’s followed by a small dip and a larger drop. What’s weird is that the descent turns left with
zero banking. And you’re hauling at this point. So you get an abrupt lateral jolt while levitating
over the apex. Then you stay pinned to the side of the train for the remainder of the double down.
It’s strange and cool at the same time getting laterals like this on an RMC. And the second drop
on the double down delivers a good ejector pop for all, releasing you from the side of the train.
Next is the first of two zero-G rolls. This one is faster, offering great laterals with a smidge of
float. And as you’d expect with an RMC inversion, you have lots of near-misses with supports.
You then charge around a quick overbank. This is the one element that didn’t do much for me,
but it’s over in a flash so it doesn’t disrupt the pacing.
Immediately after, you have the second zero-G roll beneath the first. This one is much floatier,
but it does still offer some laterals. You then have this weird hump that turns
you right directly out of the inversion. It delivers a good pop of airtime for all,
but the sudden transition into it also ragdolls your body if you’re in the back car.
Then you zip over a little bunny hill delivering a wild ejector pop.
Now comes the quirky entry into the brake run. You twist upwards to the right. Once you level off,
you abruptly shift left with minimal banking. So your body is throw about uncontrollably. You get
an ejector pop over the top. Then your body is sharply slammed sideways with the directional
change. It’s especially intense since you can’t see the track and supports hide the sudden turn.
You then slam to a smooth stop on the brakes and return to the station,
ending the 3510 foot or 1070 meter long coaster. This made it 10% longer than
Wildcat and places it towards the middle of the pack for RMC hybrid coasters in terms of length.
If you weren’t able to tell by my element by element breakdown,
this ride’s pacing is phenomenal. You cruise from one element to
the next. And the sense of speed is enhanced by all those near-misses.
In terms of smoothness, Wildcat tracks flawlessly. That being said, I could see some finding a few
of the transitions- particularly during the finale- a bit too aggressive. For example,
my wife found Wildcat a bit too violent towards the end for her tastes.
So what would I rate Wildcat’s Revenge? I would give this coaster a 9.5 out of 10. RMC hit another
home run with this one. They maximized Wildcat’s layout to deliver a very well-balanced coaster.
It has several strong airtime moments as you’d expect, including a few while on your side.
But it also throws in 4 great inversions and some surprising laterals for variety.
I expected this coaster to be great, but it was a bit better than expected
since there were some unexpected forces on the directional changes.
This is the best RMC in the northeast and probably in the upper half of their hybrid coasters.
And I think it’s my second favorite coaster at the park. I still prefer Skyrush because of that
two coaster at any park. And I would not be the least bit surprised if this is the best
ride at Hersheypark for many. That is how good this coaster is. Hershey already had a stacked
coaster lineup and the rich only got richer. So those are my thoughts on Wildcat’s Revenge
at Hersheypark. What are your thoughts on this new-for-2023 hybrid coaster? Is it your
favorite ride at Hersheypark? Let me know down in the comments. If you enjoyed this review, I’d
appreciate it if you gave this video a like and you considered subscribing since there will be a
lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster. Thanks for watching!