Lightning Rod vs Twisted Colossus
card comparison
| Stat | Lightning Rod | Twisted Colossus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 206 ft | 121 ft | |
| Speed | 73 mph | 57 mph | |
| Inversions | 0 | 2 | |
| Throughputest. | 1250 rph | 1400 rph | |
| Build Costest. | 22 $m | 20 $m | |
| Vintage | 2016 | 2015 |
Vintage is the reversed stat — the older ride wins. Every number here is the same one printed on the card; see /methodology for how Build Cost and Throughput are sourced.
The verdict
Honours end even at 3–3, which is the awkward kind of matchup: whoever calls the stat decides the round.
Lightning Rod is a hybrid Topper Track (partially retracked with IBox) coaster at Dollywood, US, built by Rocky Mountain Construction. Twisted Colossus is a hybrid IBox Track (Colossus conversion) coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain, US, built by Rocky Mountain Construction.
Both are in US, which puts them in the same conversation for anyone planning a trip there.
They come from the same drawing office: Rocky Mountain Construction. That makes the gaps below a question of brief and budget rather than engineering house style.
Both are hybrid-track, so nothing here is the usual steel-versus-wood argument in disguise.
They are near-contemporaries — 2015 and 2016 — so they were competing for the same riders when they opened.
Stat by stat
- Height goes to Lightning Rod at 206 ft against 121 ft — nearly double.
- Speed goes to Lightning Rod at 73 mph against 57 mph — well clear.
- Twisted Colossus inverts 2 times against nothing at all from Lightning Rod — the widest kind of gap there is on this stat.
- Throughput goes to Twisted Colossus at 1,400 rph against 1,250 rph — clearly ahead.
- Build Cost goes to Lightning Rod at 22 $m against 20 $m — clearly ahead.
- Twisted Colossus (2015) beats Lightning Rod (2016) to Vintage by a single season.