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Nigloland 2014: Alpina Blitz
- Thread starter Pedro
- Start date
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
After riding this on Wednesday I can say that is very good, especially once it has warmed up. The first turn after the drop is a little rattly on some rows however it's nothing major. I rode front and back row and I must say I prefer the very front. You get some brilliant airtime and it is somewhat intense in places.
The operations on one train were also superb!
The operations on one train were also superb!
Lottie.
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Zadra, Energylandia
I think I am going to be the one to go against most people who went on Junket but I didn't really enjoy this ride. It's a great little coaster with airtime, especially on the bunny hops and I will say that it is great sitting at the back of the train. But my first ride was in the middle of the coaster, row 4 I think, and it was rough in places. Left me with a headache and I was disappointed. You cannot fault the operations as with one train, they did well to keep the queue moving. I just left feeling underwhelmed, but of course I didn't have high expectations for this ride so not that disappointed.
AstroDan
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Alpina Blitz is a great coaster, perfectly positioned for parks such as Nigloland.
The ride has a solid throughput and is easy to operate. It also comes with a modest price tag substantially below £5million.
Although the airtime is not as "extreme" as some of the Intamin models, the ride represents the perfect balance between thrill and family.
The first drop is decent, with the helix intense. The first hill is good enough, but then the fun really starts. The airtime over the hill is profound and what follows can only be described as a laugh-a-moment pleasure.
Although their were some minor vibrations on row 2 (and possibly one or two others) through the first helix, overall the ride was smooth and very comfortable to ride.
Excellent.
The ride has a solid throughput and is easy to operate. It also comes with a modest price tag substantially below £5million.
Although the airtime is not as "extreme" as some of the Intamin models, the ride represents the perfect balance between thrill and family.
The first drop is decent, with the helix intense. The first hill is good enough, but then the fun really starts. The airtime over the hill is profound and what follows can only be described as a laugh-a-moment pleasure.
Although their were some minor vibrations on row 2 (and possibly one or two others) through the first helix, overall the ride was smooth and very comfortable to ride.
Excellent.
Sounds like the perfect coaster for Drayton Manor, both in terms of being suitable for the family/thrill market and I would imagine £5m being with their budget now, following the success of Thomas land and the hotel. Plus something similar would fit nicely where the buffalo stands.
Dar
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
Impressive interview with Rodolphe Gelis, the Project Manager of Nigloland, from CoasterForce. He talks about how they made the ride, how they decided what to build, what they want to do in terms of new rides and park expansion.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEPmy2A4xMQ
Impressed with their working relationship with MACK, certainly makes it clearer why they chose them over Intamin.
Also, he offers a backstage tour if you email beforehand
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEPmy2A4xMQ
Impressed with their working relationship with MACK, certainly makes it clearer why they chose them over Intamin.
Also, he offers a backstage tour if you email beforehand
Sam
TS Member
Really enjoyed my visit to Nigloland last week, even without a behind-the-scenes tour. It's refreshingly non-corporate, set in a beautiful area of the French countryside next to an old village, and the park owners are clearly in it for the right reasons. This is made pretty plain when you walk in the entrance to see a half-built timber house, and an information board says it is a house from 500 years ago that is being reconstructed after the park saved it from demolition somewhere else in France.
Alpina Blitz was never going to reinvent the wheel, but it's a fantastic, really solid ride for this park. It's more intense than anything else I've been on from Mack, without being oppressively intense (though some in our group thought it was). The airtime isn't stratospheric but it's considerable, especially on that hill, the second on the ride, that has a humpback shape without any twisting. The last bit is like the end of EGF, with the cool row of airtime 'pops' on the little hills. The whole ride just makes you giggle and smile all the way round: it's overwhelmingly fun.
Operationally and technically it's also a very good ride. To borrow an Apple slogan, the Mack system 'just works'. Doing away with an op cabin and just having a panel on the platform speeds up proceedings meaning that the queue moves even when the ride's just on one train. The automatic batching, speedy lifthill and quick-to-open restraints also help with this. The adorable little 'bridge' that lowers whenever a member of staff wants to safely cross the track is another innovation from Mack that improves safety without sacrificing throughput. It looks to be a doddle to work on.
Another older ride from Mack is the other highlight at the park, Spatiale Experience. Check out how all the innards of the ride's operating system are on display, pretty cool (at least I thinks so, it may just be a big effect). The ride was good at the start of the day, but really warmed up by the end - it was damn intense by 5pm. Definitely more intense than Sat, partly because I think it pulls more Gs on the swooping drops but partly because it is much darker, which makes it impossible to anticipate what is coming next. Short but sweet this one, Sat's nasty, down & dirty little excommunicated French brother. A beast.
The rest of the park was nice, if un-notable. The Mack powered was very boring, but had nice theming. The log flume looked OK, didn't have time to go on. The high-speed spinning dark ride was a bit naff, but saved by the ridiculous motion of the ride cars, that made it a giggle all the way round. The Jungle Cruise ride moved slower than a pitch drop, which made it indescribably boring. And there are no words to describe how horrible and bloody awful the Gerstlauer Sky Fly thing is. An exercise in pure misery. Send in the bulldozers!
Alpina Blitz was never going to reinvent the wheel, but it's a fantastic, really solid ride for this park. It's more intense than anything else I've been on from Mack, without being oppressively intense (though some in our group thought it was). The airtime isn't stratospheric but it's considerable, especially on that hill, the second on the ride, that has a humpback shape without any twisting. The last bit is like the end of EGF, with the cool row of airtime 'pops' on the little hills. The whole ride just makes you giggle and smile all the way round: it's overwhelmingly fun.
Operationally and technically it's also a very good ride. To borrow an Apple slogan, the Mack system 'just works'. Doing away with an op cabin and just having a panel on the platform speeds up proceedings meaning that the queue moves even when the ride's just on one train. The automatic batching, speedy lifthill and quick-to-open restraints also help with this. The adorable little 'bridge' that lowers whenever a member of staff wants to safely cross the track is another innovation from Mack that improves safety without sacrificing throughput. It looks to be a doddle to work on.
Another older ride from Mack is the other highlight at the park, Spatiale Experience. Check out how all the innards of the ride's operating system are on display, pretty cool (at least I thinks so, it may just be a big effect). The ride was good at the start of the day, but really warmed up by the end - it was damn intense by 5pm. Definitely more intense than Sat, partly because I think it pulls more Gs on the swooping drops but partly because it is much darker, which makes it impossible to anticipate what is coming next. Short but sweet this one, Sat's nasty, down & dirty little excommunicated French brother. A beast.
The rest of the park was nice, if un-notable. The Mack powered was very boring, but had nice theming. The log flume looked OK, didn't have time to go on. The high-speed spinning dark ride was a bit naff, but saved by the ridiculous motion of the ride cars, that made it a giggle all the way round. The Jungle Cruise ride moved slower than a pitch drop, which made it indescribably boring. And there are no words to describe how horrible and bloody awful the Gerstlauer Sky Fly thing is. An exercise in pure misery. Send in the bulldozers!