
Schrecken
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B&M vs Intamin
Schrecken replied to alpengeistdude321's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
From an objective and practical point of view (as some others have also said, especially considering a park's point of view with regards to what might be a better investment in the long run), I'd say that B&M would probably be the best coaster builder out there. Reliability and safety (though more than a few Intamin-related coaster accidents had far more to do with the operation of the rides rather than design flaws, to be fair) are key points from the point of view of a park considering which company to hire to build a ride. A B&M would probably be a far "safer" investment for a park from that standpoint, + the GP doesn't seem to care one way or the other as long as a park has "a new coaster" they can ride. That said, from a subjective point of view (and this is how I voted), I'd have to go with Intamin all the way. I've ridden over 175 different coasters in my lifetime (most all of them from 1997 on, as I spent many years scared to death of coasters, unfortunately) and no idea off the top of my head how many of each manufacturer's I've ridden, but safe to say I've sampled quite a few of each. I had gotten a bit jaded when 2004 rolled around, having ridden various coasters all up and down the east and west coast of the US, so when I got to CP for the first time I wasn't expecting anything to really wow me. But how wrong I was! MF and TTD, two Intamin creations, are the only two (well, I'll admit there are a few coasters that might have gotten me slightly nervous, like the straight drops on Deja Vu and Griffon, before I rode them for the first time) coasters that really had me shaking in my shoes right before my first ride on them. That left a special impression on me that I won't ever forget. I'm not saying there aren't B&M coasters out there that I really love and would ride over and over again given the chance (Apollo's Chariot, Afterburn at Carowinds and Intimidator at Carowinds are three that come to mind), but the coasters that have made the biggest impression on me over the years are all Intamins. From a rider's point of view, if a company can make a coaster that can wow me like that, then they have my vote. -
Funniest Ride and Coaster Names
Schrecken replied to Movieguy's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
When "Italian Job" became "Stunt Coaster at KD and KI I always thought that sounded really stupid and lame; seems like they could have come up with something a bit more creative (honestly never cared for the original name either but at least there was a reason for that due to the movie tie-in). Also, I have always thought that "Great Bear" was an extremely uninspired and boring name for a coaster, even one that is rather mild to begin with. A name like that would fit much better on some kind of flat ride or perhaps a log flume. -
Hate to say it but my first invert was the old hang & bang at SFA, the Mind Eraser. This was back when it sported its original teal and red color scheme, in the summer of 1997. Wasn't my choice at all, as I was utterly terrified of coasters, especially those that went upside down (part of the problem I think is that on many coasters the trains seem to be going more slowly thru loops and inversions than they really are and it can seem to an observer that people might be able to fall out). I was at the park (also back when it was called Adventure World) with my mom and one of her friends and some of that friend's family, and I swear that lady dragged us (not my mom, as she had back problems) on everything. I managed to white-knuckle it thru the Wild One as I could tolerate woodies (the Voyage hadn't been built yet!) since they weren't inverted and I thought of them as old-fashioned and a bit more tame than steel coasters back then. The now defunct Python (Arrow shuttle loop) wasn't operating that day, so that would have been my first invert had it been running, since we were in that side of the park first and I'm sure my mom's friend would have dragged me onto it right after we did Wild One. I was such a coaster-phobe I didn't even know that suspended inverts existed (I was so scared of coasters I couldn't stand to see an advertisement for one on tv!) and I was leery to even be in an amusement park lest someone I was with my try and get me to go on one. Kind of like someone who is afraid to go into a basement or attic because there might be a spider or bug there. I was scared to death on my first ride but then found I couldn't get enough, and I came back to the park later on that summer and my 2nd invert was the Python and then I went to KD and I'm sure my 3rd was Anaconda and then probably Shockwave since they didn't have Volcano back then. So even though my first inverted coasters (well, not the Python, that was smooth as it had no corkscrews or other elements that would cause headbanging or other painful moves) were plenty rough I was totally hooked. I wouldn't ride any of the existing three today due to the roughness but I suppose I do place some sentimental value on that old hang & bang just because it was my first inverted steel coaster and really got me into coasters.
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I don't always get to ride the train at whatever park I am visiting for the first time (nor do I always notice or remember which parks have them - I was at Knoebels a few years ago and I swear I don't remember them having one but I guess I was just enjoying my first time visit to that park and was trying to do everything I wanted to do there), but the one that has impressed me the most is the one at Dollywood. Probably because of its authenticity, as the only other place I've ever seen a coal-fired steam train in action is in old movies and newsreels. Never been to SFOT and haven't been to WDW since I was a teen so I can't comment on the trains at those parks.
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What would be nice is to have a brand new coaster at this park, since we haven't gotten one since Batwing was installed in 04'. I don't always mind relocations but only if it is a good coaster. I haven't ridden Iron Wolf so I can't personally comment on that but from what I gather it was pretty rough and was a head banger. I found Vortex at CGA to be like that and I didn't care for that one at all. If this new ride is indeed IW, I would hope that they can recondition it well enough to make it good. I realize that SFA has height restrictions but still there are plenty of things they can do within those confines and have a great ride.
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Strongest/Most forcefull Launch
Schrecken replied to verticalzero's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I was going to list Storm Runner too, when I double-checked and realized that it is actually hydraulically launched rather than a LIM. Storm Runner does pack quite a bit of a punch and that's why - it is a hydraulic launch like Xcelerator at KBF in that regard. -
Strongest/Most forcefull Launch
Schrecken replied to verticalzero's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I'd have to say Flight of Fear, for that type of launch. It may have to do with it being in an enclosed area (as opposed to the same type of coaster that is outdoors, like Jokers Jinx or those like Wicked Twister), as they seem to have more punch than Volcano to me. Or, it may be that the 2nd launch on Volcano is when the train is moving so that might also diminish the feeling of acceleration for me. For any type of launch I'd say Hypersonic, and then the hydraulically launched coasters after that. IMO flywheel launches (like Montezooma's Revenge) seem to have more punch to them than the LIMs or LSMs do. -
What Rides Scares the Crud Out Of You?
Schrecken replied to EuroTre's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
When I was 6 years old Space Mountain at WDW scared the daylights out of me; my mom's friend took all of us on it and none of us had any idea there was a coaster in that building, or at least I didn't since I was a child. I don't think my mom did, either, since she was concerned about all the warnings they post about people who shouldn't ride, but didn't put 2 + 2 together and figure it was a coaster. Unfortunately that lead to more than 2 decades of coaster phobia, but in between those years my cousin dared me to go on the Rebel Yell with him at KD when we were 13. That also scared the life out of me as my hands ached when I got off from holding on so tight. Then a family friend dragged me on the Mind Eraser at SFA (back when the park was known as Adventure World) and I thought I was going to die! Any headbanging I might have received was the least of my worries as I was terrified of any ride that went upside down, and terrified of coasters in general. Needless to say, I got over my coaster phobia and rode every coaster I could after that. Years went by, and practically nothing scared me and I found my self becoming a bit jaded. But then I had the opportunity to go to CP for the first time in 04'. And this time, there were two coasters there that made me very nervous - Top Thrill Dragster (even though I had ridden Hypersonic at KD, it was no where near as fast and tall) and Millennium Force. I was there for Coastermania, which meant that I got my chance to face down TTD first thing in the morning, very early in the morning. The lines were fairly short, maybe 20 mins or so, and it didn't take long to get to the boarding area. My fear didn't truly escalate until I was strapped into my seat, and then I must have looked truly petrified because one of the people I was with (who was going to get on the train after us, there were three of us) said something to the effect of "Hey, you'll be OK". No die hard experienced coaster fan ever wants to show fear on a ride, and I was failing badly at trying to mask my angst. When the train pulled up into the launch area, I had one of those experiences where the whole world seems to go silent and time slows way down, and all I could hear was my racing heart beat. I know I sat there in sheer terror for what seemed like forever as the brake fins dropped and the train slid forward in to the launch position. Then I was overcome by the speed and forces of the launch, and was finally able to catch a breath as the train crested the top hat. After the ride was over and I got off, I swear my hands just shook uncontrollably for at least a few minutes. I was totally wired for the rest of the morning, especially after about 3 more rides on TTD. I'm no morning person but I certainly was wide awake then! Other launched coasters have never really scared me that much, as most are magnetically operated and simply don't have the raw power and speed of these huge cable-launched coasters. Hypersonic did when I first rode it, as it did indeed have plenty of power and speed, but it looked like a kiddie ride in the face of TTD. We saved MF for the night ERT, and again, much the same thing happened - this time it was the speed and steepness of the lift hill + at night you really can't see diddly squat over at that end of the park, and the top of the lift hill appears to vanish into the night sky. Again, I got another comment from that same person in our group regarding my terrified expression. The rise to the top of the never-ending hill was really frightful, and I anticipated that super-steep drop with dread. But luckily, as soon as we got over the hill and into the drop, I was having a blast. One thing about MF, you do get a good chance to release all that pre-ride tension over the long course of the coaster. Since then, there have been a few rides (or elements of rides) that have scared me, and some that I just won't ride because they startle me and leave me with a very uncomfortable sensation. I normally like sky lifts but the one at Knoebels really creeped me out, as it was very steep going up the side of that hill + the seats had seemingly minimal restraints and were very open like a park bench. I kept fearing I would fall out or something, and it was worse on the way down. Then there was the sky coaster at SFMM. I found the courage to go on it with a couple of guys I met at an ACE event there, and I was glad that one of them was the cord puller. I also did the one at KI, and this time I was with a guy who was scared to death of it and I was the cord puller there. I also did one of those slingshot rides but I don't recall being that scared, I was only worried that the equipment was safe and in good working condition, not scared of the ride itself. The only other things that creep me out are Vekoma flying coasters. The last time I rode Firehawk at KD and Batwing at SFA I felt very uneasy because the restraints seem so minimal, at least compared to B&M flyers. It's a very good thing on a Vekoma when you don't have a restraint element boxing your head in, but I swear I keep feeling like I'm going to fall out on these rides, especially in the drops where your body presses against the restraints. I actually bowed out of an ERT session on Firehawk a few years ago because with every ride I got more and more creeped out and couldn't deal with it. I told my friends I had a headache so I didn't have to admit I was scared. I will still ride these coasters, but I have a hard time enjoying them if the fear raises its ugly head and I have to keep a death grip on what little there is to hold onto. Drop towers (except for the bounce-type, like Liberty Launch at HW) are also things I won't ride. They don't scare me like some of the rides I have described here, but they do startle the heck out of me and I find that sensation very unpleasant. Sort of like when there's a thunderstorm raging outside, you know it's happening but still, if you get a window-rattling clap of thunder real close by, you still might jump out of your seat. I know and expect the drop on these rides, but still it startles me really badly and it doesn't even have any way to recover from that, like on a coaster where after the drop or launch there are other elements to help dump the adrenaline out of your system. So I generally avoid these rides. -
If you could tear down one coaster
Schrecken replied to coasterfreaksrttd's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
For a wood coaster, I'd choose SOB. I rode it one time when it had the loop and I wish I hadn't. Let's put it this way - it hurt my neck way worse than the car accident I was in where I t-boned a van in a small compact car and the whole front of my car was turned into an accordian. The car accident was quick - but SOB beat me up for basically the whole 2nd half of the ride after the loop. My neck hurt for a few hours after both incidents. For a steel, I'd have to go with Shockwave at KD. I've been on some rough stand-ups, like Mantis and Vortex at CGA (didn't get to ride Iron Wolf last time I was at SFGA), but Shockwave takes the cake. Especially since I was a lot younger when I rode it for my first and only time, back in 97'. I can best compare the bunny hops and helixes at the end to riding an old ten speed bicycle way too fast over a gravel road filled with potholes. I always felt that way about Psychlone at SFMM too, but at least I wasn't straddling a bike-style seat on that one! I can't imagine what Shockwave would do to a man; especially since I thought it would end up breaking my tailbone. I'd melt this piece of scrap iron down and use the steel to build a nice B&M suspended invert in the park or an Intamin of some sort. Actually, even a spinning mouse would be a great improvement.