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Oakwood Discussion
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
While the Oakwood thread has been bumped, I'd be interested to know; what are people's thoughts on Megafobia on here? I never hear it get talked about much on here, but as a fair few have chimed into this thread, I'm assuming that plenty of members have ridden it.
I only ask because; is it only me who doesn't seemingly rate it as highly as most do? Don't get me wrong, I've had some perfectly fun rides on it, but I mostly hear it called "unquestionably the best UK wooden coaster" and "one of the best wooden coasters in Europe/the world", and for me, it doesn't really do anywhere near as much for me as that level of hype would suggest, from memory.
Now don't get me wrong, I think it can be a fun ride, and it has some nice airtime, but it's very inconsistent. I have had a total of 5 rides on it across 2 separate visits (a sunny summer evening in 2016 and a dreary May morning in 2019), and each of those was very different. In 2016, I was seated on the front row, and it seemed to run pretty fast (not quite Wodan or Wicker Man level, but close), and there was a fair amount of airtime to be had. In 2019, I had 4 separate rides. The 2 rides I had in the front were fun, but the airtime was noticeably weaker than my similar rides in 2016, and the ride was also noticeably slower, with numerous dead spots in the layout. The ride I had in the middle did very little for me, with no real airtime or sensation whatsoever. The back did admittedly provide very strong airtime on the drop (stronger than any individual moment on WM), but my ride there was a bit too rough for my liking.
Overall, I'd say that Megafobia can be a fun ride, with some nice airtime, but I'll admit that I don't personally find it to deliver for me anywhere near as much as I know it does for some.
Its airtime is often raved about, but I'll admit that while it has a fair few pops of airtime, I don't find the airtime to generally be as strong as it is on Wicker Man, Wodan and Mine Blower (the 3 other modern woodies I've done), and I'll admit that even some of BPB's woodies beat it on airtime for me (while I don't rate the overall ride as I find it far too rough, Grand National certainly tops Megafobia on airtime, with some surprising pops of ejector that are stronger than the bulk of the airtime on Megafobia, in my opinion). That is with the exception of the back row first drop, however; that is one seriously strong moment of airtime that far outweighs the others, for my money!
I also find Megafobia to have numerous dead spots; while it certainly has its thrilling moments, it doesn't retain quite the same feeling of excitement throughout as my top 3 woodies (Wodan, Wicker Man and Mine Blower) do. And even on the smoother rows, I think it's possibly slightly too rough around the edges to be my kind of woodie; in fairness, though, the front and middle are generally OK, with only the back having truly notable roughness for me.
Overall, I do like Megafobia, with the front being my definite favourite row, but it doesn't sit anywhere near as highly for me as I know it does for some, and it's a definite peg below the 3 other modern wooden coasters I've ridden in my rankings (of the 91 coasters I've ridden, Megafobia is a 7/10 and #25, while Mine Blower is a 9/10 and #6, Wicker Man is a 10/10 and #5, and Wodan is a 10/10 and #3). Granted, my last ride was in 2019, but based on my memories, my point still stands.
Does anyone else agree with me, or am I alone in not rating Megafobia as highly as the majority?
I only ask because; is it only me who doesn't seemingly rate it as highly as most do? Don't get me wrong, I've had some perfectly fun rides on it, but I mostly hear it called "unquestionably the best UK wooden coaster" and "one of the best wooden coasters in Europe/the world", and for me, it doesn't really do anywhere near as much for me as that level of hype would suggest, from memory.
Now don't get me wrong, I think it can be a fun ride, and it has some nice airtime, but it's very inconsistent. I have had a total of 5 rides on it across 2 separate visits (a sunny summer evening in 2016 and a dreary May morning in 2019), and each of those was very different. In 2016, I was seated on the front row, and it seemed to run pretty fast (not quite Wodan or Wicker Man level, but close), and there was a fair amount of airtime to be had. In 2019, I had 4 separate rides. The 2 rides I had in the front were fun, but the airtime was noticeably weaker than my similar rides in 2016, and the ride was also noticeably slower, with numerous dead spots in the layout. The ride I had in the middle did very little for me, with no real airtime or sensation whatsoever. The back did admittedly provide very strong airtime on the drop (stronger than any individual moment on WM), but my ride there was a bit too rough for my liking.
Overall, I'd say that Megafobia can be a fun ride, with some nice airtime, but I'll admit that I don't personally find it to deliver for me anywhere near as much as I know it does for some.
Its airtime is often raved about, but I'll admit that while it has a fair few pops of airtime, I don't find the airtime to generally be as strong as it is on Wicker Man, Wodan and Mine Blower (the 3 other modern woodies I've done), and I'll admit that even some of BPB's woodies beat it on airtime for me (while I don't rate the overall ride as I find it far too rough, Grand National certainly tops Megafobia on airtime, with some surprising pops of ejector that are stronger than the bulk of the airtime on Megafobia, in my opinion). That is with the exception of the back row first drop, however; that is one seriously strong moment of airtime that far outweighs the others, for my money!
I also find Megafobia to have numerous dead spots; while it certainly has its thrilling moments, it doesn't retain quite the same feeling of excitement throughout as my top 3 woodies (Wodan, Wicker Man and Mine Blower) do. And even on the smoother rows, I think it's possibly slightly too rough around the edges to be my kind of woodie; in fairness, though, the front and middle are generally OK, with only the back having truly notable roughness for me.
Overall, I do like Megafobia, with the front being my definite favourite row, but it doesn't sit anywhere near as highly for me as I know it does for some, and it's a definite peg below the 3 other modern wooden coasters I've ridden in my rankings (of the 91 coasters I've ridden, Megafobia is a 7/10 and #25, while Mine Blower is a 9/10 and #6, Wicker Man is a 10/10 and #5, and Wodan is a 10/10 and #3). Granted, my last ride was in 2019, but based on my memories, my point still stands.
Does anyone else agree with me, or am I alone in not rating Megafobia as highly as the majority?
Matt.GC
TS Member
I thought it was a given that track and train layout between MP and WM was really no contest until a thread was setup on the very subject not too long ago where many felt differently.
I thought the consensus was that WM was a great surprise, better than expected, well themed, great for the park etc but that it's layout was more seen as good for the space and height used rather than being good in general. But it looks like it's track and train has a lot of fans in its own right which is a sentiment I certainly don't share. Each to their own of course, I am an avid Grand National, Saw and Icon fan after all, but I'd take a rough and ready back row on Megaphobia any day over WM.
I thought the consensus was that WM was a great surprise, better than expected, well themed, great for the park etc but that it's layout was more seen as good for the space and height used rather than being good in general. But it looks like it's track and train has a lot of fans in its own right which is a sentiment I certainly don't share. Each to their own of course, I am an avid Grand National, Saw and Icon fan after all, but I'd take a rough and ready back row on Megaphobia any day over WM.
Megafobia whenever it opened is what a classic wooden coaster should be. Steep drops which lift you out of your seat. Rickety. Lots of airtime. It was lots of fun and unique in the UK.
It still is a good ride but I think newer wooden coasters have now eclipsed it somewhat. Also the state of Oakwood park doesn’t help things.
As for WM or MF. Obviously in terms or ride length and airtime then MF. In terms of themeing and fun factor then WM.
It still is a good ride but I think newer wooden coasters have now eclipsed it somewhat. Also the state of Oakwood park doesn’t help things.
As for WM or MF. Obviously in terms or ride length and airtime then MF. In terms of themeing and fun factor then WM.
djtruefitt
TS Team
I’ve only been once and that was last summer, I found it really rough towards the back of the train, but felt like a completely different ride at the front of the train.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
I’ve got to say that I reiterate that based on my 2019 experience. Front and middle weren’t overly rough at all, whereas the back was a proper boneshaker, and a bit too rough for my liking.
John
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
It wasn't too bad in terms of roughness on my last visit IIRC, though I'm always a little careful on any ride running PTC trains so maybe I was just compensating enough for it (or I managed to avoid the worst rows, generally odd-numbered rows offer a better ride as you're not sat directly above the wheels).
It's very much a product of its time though, all made up of perfect circles and straight lines with none of the smooth transitions you'd expect today. The ending is also not particularly well designed - when it passes over the first drop for the final time it does so at significant height and by that point you can really tell it's running out of steam. Ideally that entire section would have been built a bit lower to make it more dynamic. Whilst WM is far from the best example of a GCI I still prefer it to Mega.
It's very much a product of its time though, all made up of perfect circles and straight lines with none of the smooth transitions you'd expect today. The ending is also not particularly well designed - when it passes over the first drop for the final time it does so at significant height and by that point you can really tell it's running out of steam. Ideally that entire section would have been built a bit lower to make it more dynamic. Whilst WM is far from the best example of a GCI I still prefer it to Mega.
Jb85
TS Member
This all over…..
It’s an excellent ride in my opinion. I think the actual layout is far better than WM. It is probably the best the UK has to offer still.
Alsty
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Fury 325
I'm not a fan. I rode it in the back and found on the first few drops it just throws me down hard into the seat which was not enjoyable at all. The front wasn't as bad but by that point I'd already lost confidence in it.
Maybe it's got worse over time. I assume it wasn't always like this.
Maybe it's got worse over time. I assume it wasn't always like this.
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
Megafobia is easily the best woodie in the UK, but let’s be honest, we don’t have the best examples here. Wickerman is great, but it’s a family coaster (despite the mismarketing) whereas I’d say that Megafobia just about leans into the thrill coaster category, which sadly therefore makes it one of the less intense thrill woodies I’ve ridden.
venny
TS Member
It’s been a fair few years since I rode Megafobia. I’m guessing but I think the very large split in opinion between it being a very good and pretty poor coaster could perhaps be explained (at least to an extent) by those whose memories are of it running a lot better when it was newer and those who have recently rode and perhaps not gotten the best ride due to its age. At one point it was fairly universally acclaimed, which would suggest that it’s age which is its biggest detractor in terms of ride experience.
Grounds for a retrack me thinks - it must be about time anyway given its now over a quarter century old.
Grounds for a retrack me thinks - it must be about time anyway given its now over a quarter century old.
George W
TS Member
Oakwood has now gone from the 'worst rated theme park' in the UK to one of the best it has now over taken Alton towers as it's now at 4.5 stars whereas towers is at 4.4
As the sidemen visited it in their new $100,000 vs $100 theme park video where one group goes to a hired out Thorpe park and the other goes to oakwood and they told their subscribers to leave good reviews for oakwood since they liked it.
This might even give the park a little boost in attendance as the celebrity endorsement from the sidemen now there will likely be kids asking their parents if they can go after watching the video.
As the sidemen visited it in their new $100,000 vs $100 theme park video where one group goes to a hired out Thorpe park and the other goes to oakwood and they told their subscribers to leave good reviews for oakwood since they liked it.
This might even give the park a little boost in attendance as the celebrity endorsement from the sidemen now there will likely be kids asking their parents if they can go after watching the video.
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
Having watched the full 1 hour+ of that video, I’d honestly say that Oakwood came out as the better of the two parks featured.
Thorpe Park looked way too desperate to impress, but ended up bombarding them with those roaming actors, who just looked more irritating than anything.
I found the Thorpe Park bits all rather cringe, whereas Oakwood looked like a fun park, with decent rides and friendly staff. I think most people would take that ahead of a load of actors following you around the park screaming at you.
But echo the point that I hope this gives Oakwood a boost in attendance and maybe some new investment. Considering it was meant to be the ‘badly rated’ park, it came across really well in my opinion.
Thorpe Park looked way too desperate to impress, but ended up bombarding them with those roaming actors, who just looked more irritating than anything.
I found the Thorpe Park bits all rather cringe, whereas Oakwood looked like a fun park, with decent rides and friendly staff. I think most people would take that ahead of a load of actors following you around the park screaming at you.
But echo the point that I hope this gives Oakwood a boost in attendance and maybe some new investment. Considering it was meant to be the ‘badly rated’ park, it came across really well in my opinion.
