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TR: My recent trip to Germany, 2009


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Here are a few observations, rather than a full photo report, from my recent trip to Germany this September.

Ring Racer @ Nürburgring

 

I was hoping that I may get to ride this whilst in Germany. But as documented elsewhere, it has now exploded twice - the second explosion being much more serious.

 

Holiday Park, Expedition GeForce

GeForce was running well (with 2 trains in action as it was a busy park day), although maybe not quite at 100% insanity levels. Unless my memory is playing tricks on me (and it could be... although I have been fortunate enough to ride GeForce on 4 occasions over the last 5 years), the trains have been modified since last year to include metal boxes around the restraint 'toe clips' to reduce the footspace - like the trains on Piraten, for example. Plus, curiously, (and again, my memory really may be playing tricks) we could have sworn that the trim breaks looked different to last year (the same for some on the break run)... But I have no conclusive proof of that either way! I did take a picture on my mobile phone (which takes terrible pictures!) but that doesn't really clear things up - check it out below. Does anyone else know anything about this? Am I going crazy?! We were convinced they looked shorter and made up of several 'chunks' rather than the long strips I remembered - but it was difficult to tell if they felt any different.

 

Europa Park

 

Blue Fire

 

I loved Blue Fire! The trains are *great*!! They pretty much make the ride - it's so much fun to take those inversions with just a lap-bar - especially that crazy upside-down airtime moment on the inline twist. The ride is so smooth - but it's not all that intense; just really, really fun. I think I rate it marginally above Speed Monster (which I loved!), which I rank slightly above Lynet (which I also loved!). As for the reports of it being better than GeForce - I'm personally not convinced about that! But it is a great ride! Nice work, Mr Mack!!

 

Silver Star

 

This was my first B&M hyper! Finally! I had low expectations because people are often quite down on this ride (mostly due to the trims), so I was shocked how good it was!! I enjoyed this even more than Blue Fire! Admittedly, I only ever rode the very back row, but there was plenty of good airtime just after the crest of every hill, all the way down each drop! The first trim never seemed to make much difference, the second one did - but then the speed was regained pretty quickly, and the MCBR didn't really take much speed out either. I can really see how any other row than the very back may not necessarily ride quite as well as a result of the trims, though. Whilst potentially sacrilegious, I think I'd go so far as to say I enjoyed my rides on Silver Star almost as much as enjoyed GeForce as it was running the previous day...!

Image008.jpg.c8eba0a6b7dcd3dbf8ec1a372245bf48.jpg

A poor quality photo taken from a bad angle of the second trim - conclusive proof... Sorry!

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Can't wait to go back to Germany! I should make it there again next year. Can't wait to ride GeForce again - my #1 fave coaster! And hopefully Ring Racer will be operational by then. Exploding coasters are funny on RCT, but not so amusing in real life when it's a coaster I really want to ride. And of course, I'm also dying to ride Blue Fire.

 

Glad you got some good rides on Silver Star. Although I did enjoy Silver Star, I was also a bit disappointed by it. Seeing that this was the tallest of the B&M hypers, I was expecting so much more, and for me the trims just ruined it. I've now ridden all nine of the B&M hypers (and mini hypers) and Silver Star was by far the weakest of the bunch. And it had the potential to be soooooo much better! But who knows - perhaps the park has toned down the trims since I was there in 2008? I sure hope so.

 

Europa Park is so awesome - one of my fave parks in the world. I should be back there next summer - can't wait!

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^ About Silver Star : I agree that Sista is maybe the weakest B&M hyper (I rode so far Nitro, Behemoth, Apollo's Chariot). But still Sista is a great coaster. I rode it only a few days ago and can say there was floater air on every single hill from the top of the hill till nearly all the way down. Sometimes we didn't notice the trimbrakes at all, sometime we did. But even when we felt the trims, there was still the same floater air on the hills.

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I had some VERY forceful rides on SilverStar too.

I didn`t expect too much from it...just a little warm up for Blue Fire, but then, I was very surprised, how much Airtime it delivered.

 

I heard many people saying, that Silver Star is getting better with every year. I don`t know...but sometimes it really offers some great rides.

 

Greeds...GeorgeT

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Well it certainly sounds like Europa Park has made some improvements to Silver Star. When I rode in July 2008, it literally felt like a family coaster (I rode it 5 times, over 2 days). It was still fun, but there was NO AIRTIME AT ALL anywhere on it. On every single hill we'd be expecting some airtime, then the trims would kick in and slow the train - and our entire group would groan loudly with disappointment.

 

I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope the improvements carry over into next year, so I can finally have a good ride on it. I really want to love this coaster, but right now it's probably not even on my top fifty steel list.

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Silver Star is a great coaster. I've been riding it since 2004 - and it gets better every year.

 

Some people I know claim it has "no airtime" which is just utter rubbish. Sure, there are trims - but the first set these days do practically nothing and anyone who says that the second set then "ruin" the ride - please. They trim the speed by only a small few kph and then the ride continues on and blasts out of the MCBR (especially at the back). The first drop is literally a floatfest and then every hill you're right out the seat.

 

Based on rides in 2007, I enjoyed Silver Star equally as much as I enjoyed EGF days earlier. Silver Star gets nothing other than a complete slating on internet forums and polls, whilst people seem to worship EGF as Gods Greatest Gift. I am not saying Silver Star is better than EGF - but I don't think the ratings business really fits for either coaster. SS is underrated whilst EGF is over.

 

I would even go so far as to say that, in October 2008 when I rode Silver Star on front row, with a loose restraint, in the dark, in the rain - it was one of my most memorable coaster experiences ever.

 

I love it! Although choosing between it and Blue Fire is tough...!

 

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