KCForce Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Well considering he said it was smooth, and VF's Excalibur, which is the same type of coaster as Gemini, is rough, I would say probably not. I've been on both of the coasters you listed, and I can tell you from first hand experience, there is no comparison between the two IMO. Excalibur gives me a head ache after one ride and is not so much rough as it vibrates wickedly. Gemini is very smooth, much like a mine train coaster, IMO. I'll ride Gemini over and over, Excalibur not so much. So, no there is no comparison other than they are both steel hybrids that were made by Arrow. I have a feeling after reading what the lucky riders wrote earlier that it feels nothing like any other steel tracked hybrid. Peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsMeMilks Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 If you plan on going the day this ride opens, I must say that it is well worth the wait that there is most likely going to be on it! So much airtime, nothing to really compare it to in the entire park. The ride is super smooth and there were only 1 or 2 rough spots on the 5 times I rode it in the 2nd to back row. By far the most airtime I have encountered yet on a coaster yet and the banked turns were just amazing. The drop offers A LOT of airtime, as when you are in the back you're out of your seat for almost the entire drop. Seats are extremely comfortable, but I wouldn't offer advice to try and ride it if you are a larger build. Lap bars are like on Millennium Force, TTD or THBS, I would recommended to push it close to all the way down, as you still get a lot of airtime. Otherwise, great ride and personally rated 5 stars. Did we ride the same New Texas Giant today? It was silky smooth and I didn't notice any rough spots at all (all of my rides were front or very back). Also, your comparison to MF and TTD is nothing but furthest from the truth. These lapbars don't "click" or anything...they lock as every little bit they are lowered down. I'm 6' and 260 lbs and barely fit on MF/TTD but these trains and lapbars are SUPER compatible for larger guests. They lapbars fit nice and snug while still giving plenty of room for airtime because of their design. As soon as they touch your legs snugly the green lights on the train (4 of them located inbetween rows 1 and 2 of each car) light up. I LOVED the trains. Now that I'm home, does anyone want a super detailed revier of the ride? Or is that giving too much away Oh well, from what I remember on TTD and MF the lap bars don't click and they go down as far as you want it. For me, they were a little uncomfortable since I rode it about 6 times in a row, but what I meant by the rough spot was before the MCBR in the 2nd to last row (the only row I rode) there was a little shaking in the train itself (which isn't that big of a problem.) Otherwise, I felt that it was still a great ride. And I do guess the seats were comfortable for larger guests, not saying you're huge, but I mean for the larger waisted people as the seats aren't that large themselves. And yes, the lapbars do seem a larger on this ride then MF or TTD, but they don't coverup your pockets, so if you want to bring phones or accessories on the ride, I would advise you not to as my ride partner lost his phone on the ride. Also, the leg restraints in the 1st car of every train do get a little annoying after riding it multiple times, as there is not much padding on them. Anyway, that shouldn't take away from the wow factor of the ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Farmer Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) Glad to see it work out. Wonder what effect this will end up having on the SOBs and Mean Streaks. Edited March 11, 2011 by Ed Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiSab Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Just because I want to throw a giant wrench into this whole thing, what would we consider Rattler now that it has both wood and steel track? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ^A cyborg coaster? I'm encouraged by what I'm hearing about the Texas Giant. If the new track can make an old ride good or great again, the classification isn't important to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Farmer Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Something I've wondered about is would Texas Giant have been on the chopping block now or in the near future if something like Iron Horse or Topper Track didn't exist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolliger&Mabillard Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ^I don't think so. Worse rides have stuck around for longer. Psyclone lived from 91-2007. Mean Streak is still streakin', and no one knows why Son of Beast is evn still standing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Just because I want to throw a giant wrench into this whole thing, what would we consider Rattler now that it has both wood and steel track? From what I understand, the topper track is still a couple layers of wood on top of an I-beam. So it's still a wooden-tracked coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Topper track uses existing wood stacks and puts steel on top. I'd be interested to see how many more parks invest in this. RMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skycoastin Steve Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ^Ah, so I had it backwards. Well, as long as the majority of the track is still wood I would still consider it to be a wooden coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Exactly. I personally think it's a good idea. I don't believe Topper track has been installed on any coasters long enough yet for a park to see cost difference in maintenance. In theory it'll pay for itself in a few years I'd imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolliger&Mabillard Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ^In theory communism works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thus why it's a theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesdillaman Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I think the major difference between NTG and say Gemini at CP is the track shape. Tubular steel track is normal on a steel coaster, this track IS different. It isn't a wooden coaster I don't believe, but it isn't a tubular steel track coaster with wooden supports, either. It's a halfway point between the two. I'm very interested in getting to ride this, but with a year of college left, it probably won't happen this summer. Oh well, we'll have fun at SFOG anyway for the Deep South Bash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie200330 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 With the wheel design of the new trains, are they somewhat "locked" to the track to prevent the sideways and up and down shuffle that you get with a traditional wood train? I believe this is kinda what differentiates the the 2 styles of ride. The majority of , if not all, steel coasters are relatively locked to the rails in order to perform the transitions associated with steel designs. This to me would say that the train is going to travel the exact spot on each section of rail and provide pretty much the same experience every time. With a wooden coaster you might not really notice but each ride gives a different experience somewhat. Just my 2 cents.........does it really matter, bottom line is it is still a coaster, and it still looks to be a helluva ride regardless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 ^Ah, so I had it backwards. Well, as long as the majority of the track is still wood I would still consider it to be a wooden coaster. It's a tough call, especially if an entire coaster was re-tracked with that system. I think I'd want to still call it a wooden coaster just to piss off the wood coaster aficionados who will claim it's no longer a wood coaster, you know, the same people who want to make the claim that El Toro isn't a wood coaster either. These people clearly have issues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterGuy06 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Wooden coaster all have steel track on top, it's just usually a small strip. Topper track just takes that small strip and covers the entire piece of wood, so how is it REALLY any different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 ^Ah, so I had it backwards. Well, as long as the majority of the track is still wood I would still consider it to be a wooden coaster. It's a tough call, especially if an entire coaster was re-tracked with that system. I think I'd want to still call it a wooden coaster just to piss off the wood coaster aficionados who will claim it's no longer a wood coaster, you know, the same people who want to make the claim that El Toro isn't a wood coaster either. These people clearly have issues! Now Robb it should be common knowledge that for a wooden coaster to be claimed as such, the track needs to consist of at least 80% Yellow Pine. Hopefully someone senses my horrible attempt at sarcasm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joco07 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I also rode the Texas Giant coaster on Thursday to. and it was very smooth and quite you can barley hear the ride at all. It is now my favorite coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coasterking0385 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 From my ride experience, I feel that is has earned the best ride in the park award in my book. Maybe it will soon have another golden ticket award hanging in the station. I think it deserves it. I really appreciate the first drop and the small hill before the MCBR. Oh and lets not forget the drop under the first drop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterkid21 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 With all this confusion about if it's a woodie or steel do you think its a possibility that we will have a new type of coaster altogether? Wood, Steel and I-Beam. That would be weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPmillenia94 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Wow jake GREAT review. Answers alot of questions. It wont ruin the ride for me at all. The same way before i rode boulderdash the reviews didnt nearly live up to the insanity of the ride. Its nice to have a top coaster outside of the east coast area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joco07 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) It was great airtime i have never rode El Toro but this now the best ride at SFOT they did it right and needed this ride to get the thrills back at the park Edited March 12, 2011 by joco07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joco07 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I'm just so glad the ride isn't trimmed at ALL (there was one train during the entire shoot that got trimmed, not sure why but I'm sure there's a reason. Will be interesting to see how this works out with 3 trains running). I was on that train that got trimmed and it did slow it down the coaster and made it a little less fun as the final air times weren't as big. I asked the ride operator why it happened she said "it just depended on how fast it was going" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Movieguy Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Well now, it's nice to see that this coaster is apparently now born-again thrilling. Think of it, a coaster originally designed by Dinn corp, and it's actually fun to ride! Amazing! Rocky Mountain needs to work their magic on Mean Streak and Darien Lake's Predator now, Pronto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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