The Backlot Stunt Coaster at King's Island: Roller Coaster Review

The Backlot Stunt Coaster was once known as, "The Italian Job" at Kings Island. Since Cedar Fair has taken over, it is now known as the Backlot Stunt Coaster. This should explain to first time visitors why exactly the coaster cars look like Mini Coopers. The experience that the coaster provides is meant to recreate, even on a small level, the big car chase with Mini Coopers from, "The Italian Job".

For being such a short ride, coming in at just over a minute, the ride is quite thrilling. (Especially during your final drop inside of a darkened tunnel.) It's a compact little coaster, but it's not to be underestimated. You can find it located directly across from the newest Kings Island coaster, Diamondback. I feel like that's almost bad luck for the Backlot Stunt Coaster. Because it never looked large or imposing, but if it ever had a chance to look credible, that chance is gone now that Diamondback is next door. How can I explain the difference in scale between the two coasters? Imagine a housecat next to an elephant, well that's what the Stunt Coaster looks like next to Diamondback.

But you should never judge a book by its cover, because there are several adrenaline rush-inducing moments. There is one excellent corkscrew at the beginning of the ride and a handful of drops, even though you never drop from a very large height like you do on one of the premiere coasters at Kings Island.

The real strength is its ease of movement. Sure, it's small, but it's extremely smooth. Nothing like what you feel on any wooden coasters. There are several sharp turns, and the starts and stops aren't jarring at all. The break system is excellent and the turns are never jerky enough to give you any kind of neck pain. The thrills are smaller than what you would experience on The Beast, but the trauma to your body is also significantly less.

This is a perfect coaster for anyone wanting to ride but tired of rattling and shaking. That makes it a great end of the day ride, fun to ride with older roller coasters fans, and even fun for smaller kids. It's sort of like a super powered kiddie coaster when you look at its size and length. Also, the line is never very long, which makes it a very attractive option.

My recommendation? Do this one toward the end of the day, maybe right before Diamondback as one last group or family ride. Send the kids to Scooby Doo and go ride Diamondback, then meet up for the close of day fireworks show.