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Coaster Poll Round 1 Group 6
- Thread starter Martin
- Start date
Jonathan
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Helix <3
Ooh, now this was an interesting group for me, as I haven't ridden any of these coasters! In the end, I decided to vote for the two woodies - Megafobia and El Toro - as they just felt like the best ones. Stunt Fall doesn't seem that exciting for me from the POV, Raptor dies during the second half and feels like it crawls through the inversions, Baron is thematically solid yet not the best coaster overall, and Nefeskesen is too short, IMO.
Cheese
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Helix, Liseberg
I feel quite lucky to have ticked off four of the six in this group, though none of my last rides could be called particularly recent. I voted for Stunt Fall and El Toro.
I'd imagine those that have visited parks in the states would say Plohn's El Toro is not a patch on the Intamin one, and pretty average for a GCI. I however found it to be a damn good ride with a good mix of proper airtime hills and nice corners (aside from one, the fourth bend I think, which manages that Gersty thing of rattling your brain in your skull despite not being conventionally rough; Troy was like that in places when I first did it). It's no Wodan or Troy, but for me it's a cut above Joris and particularly Wicker Man.
With other competition I probably wouldn't have voted for Stunt Fall, because when you ride THE GIB! it feels only just well enough engineered to work. In fact, quite often it seems these rides don't. I know we felt blessed to get on back in 2015. It's not remotely refined, even by early 2000s Vekoma standards. You'll notice how in the video there's no holding brake on the lifts, the train merely dropping you to your doom when the chain's done its thing, and that there's a disconcerting clunk from the train starting to go back down perhaps an inch or two before the second lift catches it. Why did I vote for it then? Not just because this ride type is a TS legend (other examples of THE. GIB. can be found at GIBneyland Paris and Cologne GIBthedral). It's mindbogglingly massive, requires you to blend actively riding with the train and cowering in your seat, and is just unbelievably terrifying.
As usual, the rest:
Megafobia - usually this is merely a good ride. If you go to a late close day and wait around long enough, it might become a really amazing, great memory making, I'll-even-buy-a-mug level of ride, but if you have to wait around that long (at a dump like Oakwood of all places) on a certain type of day, it doesn't seem right to rate it highly on that basis.
Baron - I love the theme and preshows. Unfortunately the layout after emerging from the tunnel feels like it exists just so that something happens afterwards, and unlike Valkyria, none of that something is very interesting or thrilling.
Raptor - those that have ventured to the beauty of Lake Garda and its surroundings to visit a Merlin park tell me this still might be the best wing coaster for interaction with theming elements. It looks fine, but less interesting layout-wise than Flug der Damonen which I didn't think deserved to go through either.
Nefeskesen - this is an Intamin with an odd layout. It seems completely impossible to tell whether it's brilliant or awful from a POV, so I'll perhaps unfairly assume the latter for now.
I'd imagine those that have visited parks in the states would say Plohn's El Toro is not a patch on the Intamin one, and pretty average for a GCI. I however found it to be a damn good ride with a good mix of proper airtime hills and nice corners (aside from one, the fourth bend I think, which manages that Gersty thing of rattling your brain in your skull despite not being conventionally rough; Troy was like that in places when I first did it). It's no Wodan or Troy, but for me it's a cut above Joris and particularly Wicker Man.
With other competition I probably wouldn't have voted for Stunt Fall, because when you ride THE GIB! it feels only just well enough engineered to work. In fact, quite often it seems these rides don't. I know we felt blessed to get on back in 2015. It's not remotely refined, even by early 2000s Vekoma standards. You'll notice how in the video there's no holding brake on the lifts, the train merely dropping you to your doom when the chain's done its thing, and that there's a disconcerting clunk from the train starting to go back down perhaps an inch or two before the second lift catches it. Why did I vote for it then? Not just because this ride type is a TS legend (other examples of THE. GIB. can be found at GIBneyland Paris and Cologne GIBthedral). It's mindbogglingly massive, requires you to blend actively riding with the train and cowering in your seat, and is just unbelievably terrifying.
As usual, the rest:
Megafobia - usually this is merely a good ride. If you go to a late close day and wait around long enough, it might become a really amazing, great memory making, I'll-even-buy-a-mug level of ride, but if you have to wait around that long (at a dump like Oakwood of all places) on a certain type of day, it doesn't seem right to rate it highly on that basis.
Baron - I love the theme and preshows. Unfortunately the layout after emerging from the tunnel feels like it exists just so that something happens afterwards, and unlike Valkyria, none of that something is very interesting or thrilling.
Raptor - those that have ventured to the beauty of Lake Garda and its surroundings to visit a Merlin park tell me this still might be the best wing coaster for interaction with theming elements. It looks fine, but less interesting layout-wise than Flug der Damonen which I didn't think deserved to go through either.
Nefeskesen - this is an Intamin with an odd layout. It seems completely impossible to tell whether it's brilliant or awful from a POV, so I'll perhaps unfairly assume the latter for now.
Sm1lingAdvocate
TS Member
My cousin rode Nefeskesen a few weeks ago. Said it wasn't too comfy, but it was more fun than he expected and the forces were pretty intense in parts. Generally we've got similar taste but he said he prefers it over Rita, yet prefers stealth, icon, blue fire and Velocity. A top 20 coaster for someone that's done about 60/70.
My picks based on that and my judgement from the POVs would be
1. Raptor (Wingrider fanboying comes in here based off The Swarm and Daemon. Lacks the inverted drop though, so that's disappointing)
2. El Toro
3. Baron
4. Megafobia (great when I rode it but it isn't near my favourites)
5. Stunt fall
6. Nefeskesen. (also the park on the whole wasn't too nice apparently)
My picks based on that and my judgement from the POVs would be
1. Raptor (Wingrider fanboying comes in here based off The Swarm and Daemon. Lacks the inverted drop though, so that's disappointing)
2. El Toro
3. Baron
4. Megafobia (great when I rode it but it isn't near my favourites)
5. Stunt fall
6. Nefeskesen. (also the park on the whole wasn't too nice apparently)
John
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
I've not done Nefeskesen but have done the other 5. I'm not really sure where to rank this one, Intamin launches are a mixed bunch ranging from phenomenal to average and it's hard to judge from a POV where this one sits. I'm going to discount it though, as the 2nd half looks pretty poor.
Moving onto the rides I have done:
The two B&Ms are nothing special. Baron achtienachtennegentig is a poor layout lighten by some excellent storytelling. Raptor is probably slightly tamer than Swarm, but at least it's a little longer and makes excellent use of near miss objects and maximises the use of the wing seating.
I'm going to agree with Dave re Megafobia. It's always good and occasionally great but too inconsistent, the ending is usually very poor.
El Toro is pretty small as GCIs go, but an excellent layout, lots of rapid elements towards the end that GCI excel at. Not one of their best, but it still gets a vote from me.
Finally, THE GIB - a ride with something approaching cult status around these parts. It really shouldn't work, all the ingredients are wrong and yet the sheer scale of it lifts it above the mediocrity of the regular invertigo. The whole thing feels slightly too bodged together to be safe and both vertical spikes in particular are pretty terrifying as a result. One of my absolute favourite coasters in Europe and an easy pick for me in this group.
Moving onto the rides I have done:
The two B&Ms are nothing special. Baron achtienachtennegentig is a poor layout lighten by some excellent storytelling. Raptor is probably slightly tamer than Swarm, but at least it's a little longer and makes excellent use of near miss objects and maximises the use of the wing seating.
I'm going to agree with Dave re Megafobia. It's always good and occasionally great but too inconsistent, the ending is usually very poor.
El Toro is pretty small as GCIs go, but an excellent layout, lots of rapid elements towards the end that GCI excel at. Not one of their best, but it still gets a vote from me.
Finally, THE GIB - a ride with something approaching cult status around these parts. It really shouldn't work, all the ingredients are wrong and yet the sheer scale of it lifts it above the mediocrity of the regular invertigo. The whole thing feels slightly too bodged together to be safe and both vertical spikes in particular are pretty terrifying as a result. One of my absolute favourite coasters in Europe and an easy pick for me in this group.
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Another tough group but I am going for Stunt Fall and El Toro.
Stunt Fall may be a clone but the first time that you ride a GIB is just incredible. And El Toro looks like it packs so much in for such a small wooden coaster.
Baron would get my vote if it was based on experience alone, but it is just lacking with regards to track and train. Nefeskesen does also look like a good coaster, if a tad short.
Stunt Fall may be a clone but the first time that you ride a GIB is just incredible. And El Toro looks like it packs so much in for such a small wooden coaster.
Baron would get my vote if it was based on experience alone, but it is just lacking with regards to track and train. Nefeskesen does also look like a good coaster, if a tad short.
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
My votes go to the pair of woodies. El Torro looks pretty viscious for it's size, and 'Fobia is a known classic.
The rest just fail to get me excited. Sorry, GIB fanboys.
I may change my mind if I ever ride one, but they do not look like anything special to me.
The rest just fail to get me excited. Sorry, GIB fanboys.
I may change my mind if I ever ride one, but they do not look like anything special to me.
D4n
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Zadra
As this poll looks like it might end in a tie I'll state that my votes went to Megafobia (which I have ridden and love) and El Toro (which I haven't done but looks fantastic).
I've ridden Baron but really don't rate it as highly as some and am very surprised to see it in the top two here. Good build up and drop but mediocre afterwards
I've ridden Baron but really don't rate it as highly as some and am very surprised to see it in the top two here. Good build up and drop but mediocre afterwards