Mindbender LOVE

[CoasterComet]

One of my favorite coasters anywhere, the Mindbender at SFOG. Don't care for the park (anymore) and had some pretty AWFUL experiences there last summer. But the Mindbender is a shining star and I had 25 GREAT rides on this classic.

 

I think the ride was first painted silver, or 'gun metal grey'. But the picture in Rollercoaster fever! looks metallic-green?! Very cool looking!? Can anyway confirm/deny this?

 

I first rode it in 1990 when it was tan/brown. The Ga Cyclone had just opened (IT wasn't even finished getting a paint job!) and was a top 5 woodie. Fast wild and smooth, even with the trims. This was long before they reprofiled the first drop and post turn drop, and it was out of control!

 

I have a few videos of Mindbender in action from last summer. Great stuff! For the life of me, it amazes me that people are more impressed by tall, multi looping B&M's than this. I mean, yeah, those B&M's are nice to look at....

 

http://tinyurl.com/6mhuvm

[jedimaster1227]

Mindbender was my favorite coaster of the day when I visited SFoG, which was a surprise to me. It offered some great airtime, some insane dives and a surprisingly smooth ride. Though, it isn't my favorite coaster, its up there on my list.

[southpuddle]

Agreed. I really wish more new steelies were built with simple vertical loops, OTSR-less, and with awesome airtime and good drops. To me, these are the most fun coasters out there. I absolutely loved Mindbender when I visited SFOG. The twisting dive offers one of those "oh, $***!" moments in the back rows.

[CoasterComet]

I have a dream! Well, I have lots of them!

 

But imagine, if Anton/Werner built Loch ness, Demon, Vortex, Orient Express, DRACHEN FIRE! could you imagine the coaster geek world!

[NINCUB]

Mindbender is classic and always awesome. It was my first looping coaster. I was terrified and had to ride alone! :0( After I rode it for the first time I was in shock and have been hooked with roller coasters ever since!

 

That horizontal loop has the most amazing force(s). I have almost busted my lip or nose trying to keep my hands up all the way through.

 

I think one of the most scary/fun aspects is that there are no OTSRs....

 

Could someone please build these coasters again? I mean think of a 200ft 80-90mph mindbender?! How scary would that be?

[DBru]

My #3 steel coaster. I can't believe it doesn't rank higher in the polls...

[RIP Psyclone]

^And that is saying a ton. Jow isn't alone, Anton knew his stuff.

 

EDIT: It was intended to be a reply to CTU Agent, but applies to the above poster too, I guess.

[CoasterComet]

Mindbender kicks the pants off of any B&M I've seen. The big ones are just that. They are big. And fast. Mindbender to me, is like a very smooth woodie with loops!

[Meteornotes]

I've only been to SFoG once, and Mindbender was closed (stupid rain!). I need to get back there some day, as this really looks like a ride I would totally love.

 

dt

[ParkTrips]

This thread makes me happy

 

[YoshiFan]

Mindbender is one of the coasters I really want to try. It looks like such a great ride. Sooperdooperlooper is my #1 steel coaster and Mindbender looks even better.

[CD]

Mindbender looks like the best coaster at SFoG. It is one of those coasters that I have always wanted to ride. Especially since I think that riding in the backseat of Shockwave at SFoT is one of the best roller coaster experiences there is (an amazing and incredibly underrated coaster, as I'm sure Mindbender is).

[coreyml]

i was caught up in the goliath hype in 06

i went on a long trip and learned that floaty airtime is not my thing

there was one night where nobody was at the park (a reoccuring theme lately) and MB's line was empty

i chose to ride MB until they took a train off knowing that i could go up to goliath and get multiple rerides. MB was then reborn in my mind as my favorite ride at the park

 

heres to you, MB (a shot of cold medicine, ugh)

[ginzo]

Mind Bender is in my top 5 for steel. It gives such a surprisingly great ride, especially when you hit those insane drops from the back seat.

[Hang And Bang]

Mindbender

When I went to SFOG last year it was pretty dead and they let you re-ride this one, so I rode it about 10 times before someone queued and I had to get off. I could've ridden it 10 more times if they would've let me.

[ernierocker]

Mind Bender is an extremely well paced roller coaster. I love how the terrain hides most of the ride from inside the park, but you can see the majority of the ride from outside of the park. Its just a great roller coaster.

[Swimace]

I guess I may be in the minority in this thread, but I like Goliath more than Mindbender. With that said I think both of those rides are great and I'm happy to have them close by. Mindbender is such a classic and you can't help but love the thing, even when they are braking it to death.

[TheRapidsNerd]

Mindbender just has this mysterious cool vibe. Always liked the box frame track and Schwartzkopf trains. Been through a few paint jobs too.

 

Great pictures credited to those on TPR who took them.

This is how I remember Mind Bender from my first trip to SFoG in 92 or 93.

Riddler question mark paint.

Toned down question mark paint.

Green and teal paint.

[SFOGdude25]

Nice thread here! Yep I remember Mind Bender looking like that when I was going to the park in my REALLY early years (ages 1-5). Sometimes I wish it still looked liked that. It could work as more of a MINE Bender if it was still brown. Kind of like Mystery Mine of the 70's! That would be really sweet!

[CoasterComet]

I'm still trying to find out the original paint job on Mindbender. It looks in this pic below (from Rollercoaster Fever 1979) that it was metallic green (very cool!) Later pics showed it being more of a plain silver or a gun-metal grey (before the brown/beige job.)

 

What do you guys think/know?

 

Either way, enjoy this picture! I know alot of folks don't have a copy of Rollercoaster Fever, it was kind of a bible for coaster geeks in the 80's before internet, etc., and guide to ride.

 

Notice the round "screw hole" cover thingys are still primer color

mindbender 1978.bmp

[DBru]

That's an awesome picture! But I've never seen any other pics of Mindbender that color...

[Swimace]

Woah! Thanks for posting that. I thought the brownish color was the only color Mindbender had prior to the Gotham theme, but that blue looks a lot cooler. I really like the green that it's sporting now and the trains without all of the question marks on them.

[CoasterComet]

Woah! Thanks for posting that. I thought the brownish color was the only color Mindbender had prior to the Gotham theme, but that blue looks a lot cooler. I really like the green that it's sporting now and the trains without all of the question marks on them.

 

^What blue? For anyone who has 'Rollercoaster Fever' the pic, high quality sure looks to be very much a metallic -Green. Sure would like to confirm/deny this, does anyone have any old pics, pre-brown?

 

There was a recent pic in Rollercoaster mag (the article on loops by Paul Rueben) that shows a pic of the ride that looks silver/grey. Also, the tapered stripe on the train back then was rainbow-color.

 

I have pics of the ride I took when it was brown, and there were 3 trains (but not run at the same time). The stripe colors on the trains were yellow, orange and red. Also, I remember they would put one of those 'glow sticks' on the back of the train at night to see where the train was through the trees.

[ParkTrips]

I don't know of a blue, just the "silver" scheme

[Swimace]

It looked kind of metallic blue to me in that picture, but I guess metallic green or just metallic works too.

 

I know there used to be three trains, but can't the ride technically run all of them at the same time? I thought that either the hill after the first loop or the hill before the second loop could be used as a mid-course brake run (I can't remember which one). I could be wrong, but I thought they used to do that back in the day.