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Last Cred Review

Red Force.
Or to give it its full (and rather sh*t) title Red Force: Challenge the Wind. Or to give it its CoasterForce title The Big Red Penis.
Not gonna lie, I think it's ace. Loved it. While some of the criticisms levelled at it are perfectly valid - it's a one trick pony, it's ten years out of date, it's not very original, it shakes a bit at the back etc... all of which are true, but it's still a massively tall, stupidly fast blast of pure adrenalin. I (and I think most of the group) had a great time whorring it over the weekend.
I think it helps that my first go (and indeed, first ride of the trip) was a front row night ride with zero wait.
I liked the rolling LSM launch. Not quite as explosive as the hydraulic launch on its American cousins, but I love how the speed just keeps building, and building, and building. Means the sensation of being launched lasts longer! Wouldn't like to say which of the launch types I prefer, they both have their merits. To be honest I just feel very lucky to have experienced both types, to be able to compare them.
I think I prefer RF's straight drop rather than the spiralling drop too - feels more like a drop, gives better airtime on the descent. S'good. Overall I still think Dragster remains king of these super-tall launchers, but Red Force is still one hell of a ride and I'm very happy to have one on this side of the Atlantic.

Shambhala.
Awesome. Just Awesome. Magnificent. Majestic. Massive. Beautiful. Faultless. Truly, truly a world class ride. Riding this thing over and over again at sunset/night with a bunch of excited CFers ranks as one of best park experiences of my goonhood, up there with that Vengeance marathon with Morton and Delly P, up there with that Taron ERT on the 2017 GF, up there with that night-time Helix marathon in 2016.
The height, the speed, the ampersand, the splash down effect, the stadium seating, the speed hump, the way it intertwines and dances with Dragon Khan, the airtime - oh my god, the airtime - buckets and buckets of glorious, endless, plunging floaty airtime. Ride after ride, in any seat, Shambhala delivered the goods in spades. Easily one of B&M's finest creations.
I can't go quite as far as declaring it my outright number 1 coaster, but I'm happy to describe it as 'number 1 material', meaning I wouldn't argue a jot with anyone who did. I'd say 'Excellent choice, mate. Cracking ride.
Have you ridden Steel Vengeance?'
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Like @Howie it was my first time on shambhala.

Here's my in depth review of highly ranked b&m monster hyper.

It was alright, the end ?

Joking aside it blew me away and have absolutely no regrets choicing a couple of nights ride at end of sunday over doing the one last remaining cred I needed and still do ( one side of stampedia ).
 
I went to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland today, and I managed to ride 5 new coasters there, including a much anticipated one of mine:

Olympia Looping was a ride that I was really looking forward to riding, and I had heard a lot of very superlative-filled reviews that gave me pretty high expectations. However, even though it was a good ride, and a brilliant piece of engineering for a travelling coaster, I must admit that I was somewhat underwhelmed. Even though the layout was good, I think I found the loops a touch too intense for my personal liking. I didn't grey out, but I felt a very weird and unpleasant sensation when the train was going through them that made me feel a bit nauseous. Also, I wasn't a fan of the shoulder harnesses; they tightened significantly during the ride and really made my shoulders ache. Despite its flaws, I think that Olympia Looping is a good ride, although I wouldn't rate it anywhere near as highly as many do.
6/10 (3 stars)

Ice Mountain was your standard Reverchon spinning mouse, really, although it had some very good theming and lighting for a travelling ride! I should also mention that it was probably the spinniest one I've done; I could barely walk in a straight line getting off! However, it was probably one of the rougher Reverchon mice I've done, and I'm not a fan of the ride type anyway.
2/10 (1 star)

Spinning Coaster was another Reverchon spinning coaster, although I'd say it was marginally smoother than Ice Mountain.
2/10 (1 star)

Wilde Maus XXL was certainly more fast-paced than your average wild mouse, however it was also quite a bit rougher as a result of this. As a result, I personally found the experience very painful, as I'm not a huge fan of really strong lateral g-forces and I'm not generally a fan of wild mouse coasters anyway. As a result, I unfortunately wasn't a fan at all. The big drops were fun, though, and the queue was certainly unique and spiced things up!
2/10 (1 star)

Euro Coaster was a ride where I wasn't sure what to expect. And it was certainly... different. Despite having a similar layout to a wild mouse in places, I'd actually say that it was quite a bit smoother due to the banking, and for this reason I enjoyed it more than a typical wild mouse. I must admit it felt like it was going to stall in places, and I wouldn't say it was brilliant by any means, but I don't think that Euro Coaster was a bad little ride for what it was!
4/10 (2 stars)
 
I have been back a couple days from my trip to California and it was probably my favorite trips I have been on. I went to Pacific Park, Disneyland, DCA, Universal, Knott's, Magic Mountain, Castle Park, Adventure City, and Fiesta Village. I got to see some non coaster related things I have wanted to see for awhile like some movie locations, celebrity graves, and other LA sites. As far as coasters go I only missed out on a couple. Escape from Krypton was down for both days that I was at Magic Mountain, didn't try for Magic Flyer and when I went to Castle Park one of the coasters (Merlin's Revenge) was down for the day. Other than those I managed to ride everything I had hoped for.

My last new cred of the trip was Full Throttle !

My first day at Six Flags I managed to ride everything other than Magic Flyer which I can't get on, Escape from Krypton and Full Throttle which were down all day. I originally had planned doing two days at Six Flags because of the amount of coasters and thinking that some coasters may not be running on the first day but since I did so well on day 1 I managed to sneak in some bonus creds and hang out with my friend Sam and then head over to Six Flags at night to try and get on Superman and Full Throttle.

After visiting Tios Tacos and picking up a couple bonus creds around Riverside. I hit the road for Six Flags. I got to the park around 6:30-7 and went straight to Full Throttle since its one of the first rides you see when you get in the park. It was open! But unfortunately it was a 2 hour wait and they were only running one train. I was a little taken back by the wait time but other than Superman it was all i was there to ride that night so I knew I was going to do it. I watched the Escape from Krypton towers for a little bit and there were no trains going. I continued to watch it from the queue and luckily it wasn't open because I wouldn't of had enough time to ride it anyway with the massive queue for Full Throttle. The line ended up being around a hour and half and for a first time ride it was totally worth the wait. Full Throttle was one of those coasters that was being constructed when I was big into CF in the past so I was excited to ride it. However I am off my game and other then the loop and the first launch I pretty much forgot what the ride had in store so the backwards launch took me by surprise. Restraints on coasters are typically a big complaint for me that make or break rides and these restraints were great. Some of my favorite steel coasters are those that are smooth, have launches, and have some smooth fun inversions and Full Throttle delivered on all those fronts. Launches were great, super smooth and great inversions. That loop makes you feel like your upside down forever and was amazing. I rode back row and got thrown over the loop on the way back into the station. Full Throttle is just a total "me" type of steel coaster. Everything I look for in a ride. 10/10 wish I could of rode it a couple more times.
 
Gained 4 creds at Winter Wonderland today! First time I’ve been able to post on this thread since joining. In order of riding:

Euro Coaster or whatever it’s called at the moment
It was pretty sub-par really - didn’t do much, wasn’t smooth or even nice to look at - but we rode it first because we were with a friend who was scared of coasters and it looked like a mild one to start with. Definitely the worst ride of the day but since we weren’t expecting anything out of it it was a good laugh anyway.

Ice Mountain
It’s a Reverchon spinner like the one on Brighton Pier right? Or something similar? Didn’t spin as much as that one but it was still fun (and not quite as rough). It is what it is. I liked being in the dark and the pretty lights and the moment outside, that was a nice touch. I am easily pleased. Oh, and there was a weird funhouse/obstacle course situation preceding boarding the ride. Felt bizarre but I guess it spiced up the queue-line experience.

Wilde Maus XXL
I found this weirdly scary actually. Not sure why, I think I’m just not at ease with the heights/sharp turns combo. Also the animatronics outside were creepy. It was a good laugh and the...two? three? drops were surprisingly intense, especially that first one. Like Ice Mountain, it is what it is - obviously not the most impressive ride ever built but I was with friends and we got a kick out of it anyway.
Oh, and this had an obstacle course queueline too. And the lift hill was weirdly fast. Neat!

Munich Looping / Olympia Looping
WEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I’d heard very good things about this ride and was really excited to get on it. It was even better than I expected - intense, smooth, fast, without a dull moment. We had a sunset ride so it was stunning as well, a really cool picturesque end to the day. My first Schwarzkopf and honestly the best coaster I’ve been on in a while. Would have been running for a reride if we hadn’t already paid £9 for the privilege of riding once ;(
 
I haven’t actually ridden a new coaster credit since last posting in this thread, and I apologise for having dragged up a thread that hasn’t been posted in in a while, but I have re-ridden an existing one, and it shocked me so much that I thought it warranted a review...

Wicker Man at Alton Towers

Now, I had ridden Wicker Man 3 times during the 2018 season, and even back then, I was very positively surprised by how the coaster rode. It grew on me as the season went on, and it did eventually cement itself as my favourite ride at Alton Towers, against common opinion. Naturally, I was very excited to get back on it today for the first time since September 2018, but I was also slightly nervous to see whether it lived up to my pretty high expectations I had set for it. However, I did not need to be worried, because it did not only meet my memories of it from 2018, but it hugely exceeded them!

Let’s start with the pacing; I thought that the ride was pretty well-paced in 2018, but today, it seemed as though the ride had been turned up a notch! The coaster maintained an absolutely blistering pace throughout the entire circuit, and the section between the first drop and the second encounter with the wicker man, as well as the final encounter with the wicker man, were absolutely insane unlike any other coaster I’ve ridden!

However, the main thing that shocked me most about Wicker Man was its airtime. Now in 2018, one of my main niggles with Wicker Man was that I felt it lacked airtime. While it had 1 or 2 perfectly adequate moments, I seem to remember firmly remaining in my seat for most of the ride. However, today was completely different. The ride seemed to be trying to get me out of the seat at every opportunity, and there were numerous moments of excellently strong ejector airtime throughout! Had the lap bar not existed, I would almost definitely have been flung towards the village of Alton!

I was buzzing coming into the brake run after my rides on Wicker Man, and I have not felt raw shock and surprise coming into a coaster brake run like that for some time! It is my favourite ride at Alton Towers by a considerable distance, and it has now reclaimed the title of my favourite wooden rollercoaster from Mine Blower at Fun Spot Kissimmee! In fact, I was so enamoured with it that I was undecided between it and Icon for the title of my favourite UK coaster; I did eventually decide to give Icon the slight edge, as it’s slightly more my usual style, but there’s very little in it, and the fact that the question was even being asked is a huge credit to Wicker Man, in my opinion!

Overall, Wicker Man is an absolutely phenomenal roller coaster that is definitely worth coming to Alton Towers to ride, in my opinion! I really liked it in 2018, but this time, I absolutely adored it, and it gave me a huge grin on my face that very few other rides have replicated! It currently sits at a very firm #3 out of the 72 coasters I’ve ridden, and I absolutely adore it!

It may have been built in the shadow of many bigger and better wooden coaster proposals for Alton Towers, but Wicker Man’s ride experience should still not be underestimated!
10/10 (5 stars)
 
My last credits are the majority of Knott's Berry Farm's offering, with the exceptions of Timberline Twister as we did not really venture into Camp Snoopy, and Jaguar which was SBNO for refurbishment.

The final credit of the day was Montazooma's Revenge. I've been desperate to get on one of these ever since I first read about Thunder Looper way back when I was a kid and starting to explore the coaster community off the back of RCT. It's sluggish compared to modern launches, but still packs a fair punch and with its ACE status is likely not going anywhere anytime soon. I can imagine what it must have felt like to ride this back in 1978.

The notable credit of the day was Ghostrider, which is the cream of the park's lineup in my opinion. It's long, has airtime, has laterals, has the speed. I've clearly not ridden it with the old PTC trains, but the MFs are comfortable and don't feel like they weren't designed for the ride. I went into that park thinking 'ooh, B&M Invert and a new Infinity Coaster', neither of which were particularly memorable versions of the ride to be honest, asides from lapbars on Hangtime (please, Merlin...).
Sierra Sidewinder felt like a little Paulton's Preview, despite Storm Chaser being slightly larger.
 
Last cred I rode was also a new one. Briefly discussed but I will go into detail here:

Candymonium - Hersheypark

This is the definition of a "solid" ride. Not bad, not great, not just eh. The lift is quick, and needless to say it's not that tall so while it's not Skyrush, it doesn't have that anticipation either. Pretty good drop, especially in back. Actually quite good, I had some real good air. First hill, solid sustained floater. Not the best floater, but good. Solid turnaround and another solid air hill. Personally didn't really feel the trim, and while the coaster nerd in me knew it was there, tried to keep it out of thoughts. Frankly not sure it was on/needed? Got pretty solid air anyway. The speed hill was less than I hoped. Expected strong floater but it was again was moderate. The helix is decent! It was not forceful, but it wasn't forceless. B&M should keep putting these mid ride and not crawling through at the end. I certainly felt it, though again we're not talking Nitro or GA Goliath near grey out. Good transition out of it but then you hit another trimmed hill, and this one was on and it bit hard. You feel it, you hear it. You know the sound...and I swear it sounds like air being let out, there goes your speed. This hill is pretty mild and the final turny part is lame. Shame it looks so good, and I looked forward to it.
So what to say? I guess just don't put expectations too high. I said solid a lot but that's really what this is. Solid.

7/10 (perhaps 6.5 but I'll be generous)
 
Yankee Cannonball

My last cred is also my first ever cred (I think). Celebrating 90 years this season, and I gotta say, it rides better than most coasters out there. It's in great shape and offers a smooth and comfortable ride. It's nothing crazy, but it has some good pops of floater airtime and fun drops. Got nothing bad to say about it. Great little ride. 8/10
 
candymonium
(copied n pasted from my trip report)

"...let’s talk some about Candymonium. Aside from growing up at the Jersey shore boardwalks and piers, my “big girl” rollercoaster journey started back in Six Flags Great Adventure on a middle school jazz band trip (cooler than marching band?) and Nitro was one of the first rides I ever loved. B&M hypercoasters have always felt special to me for how they accomplish so much by doing so little. Truly, their airtime hills resemble my childhood sketches of rollercoasters. The first thing I love about Candymonium is its name; it sounds like an idea someone suggested for a good laugh that was actually chosen, and it’s brilliant. We were lucky enough to spend the day with our amazing friend and my mom; and both of them, having no clue about the ride or what to expect, figured the color scheme of the ride would look like a candy cane. Cute, right?

In keeping with Scott and my usual theme of “the good, the bad, and the ugly”, I’ll address two out of the three, as we have nothing ugly to say about this ride. The very first thing I suggest that anyone should do on their first go-around is to appreciate how nice the lap bar feels. It’s almost silky—I don’t think I’ve ever been so lucky as to get on a B&M hypercoaster when it was this new. Is that too much? Anyway, try it. We conquered both the very back and very front rows and came to the conclusion, as with nearly every coaster of its kind, that the back reigns superior. Simple physics puts the back of the ride flying down the entirety of the first drop which, to me, is one of the highlights. The second hill rivals Mako in SeaWorld for one of our favorite hills on any ride, and we honestly can’t make up our minds. And for lack of a better term, the “curvy air time hill” on the ride was personally my favorite moment. As far as “bad” goes, and I’m sure every single one of you that has taken this for a spin can agree, the second set of trim breaks were, in a word, disappointing. I described it as a “mood killer”. With all the hype Scott and I created for ourselves about this ride, and the fact that it was at least 50% of our motivation to take a round-trip flight to Philadelphia from Orlando in the span of a day and a half, Candymonium lived up to expectations. Never take a brand new, smooth B&M hypercoaster for granted."
 
Lech Coaster - why is there only one of these ffs? An absolute bargain at €4 million. This is the most forceful coaster I've been on with a couple of real strong 'grey out' moments. The airtime moments are powerful and this would probably be top 10 if it had just a lap restraint.
 
My last new credits were Candymonium and Skyrush.


Candymonium was a solid B&M hypercoaster. First drop was great, second hill rivals Mako’s third hill as one of my favorite B&M floaters. There is a sideways airtime drop as well that’s fantastic as well, love forces like that. Two trim brakes going uphill ALA Raging Bull third hill are a tad disappointing, but I’ll live. I’ll rank this just under Mako in my B&M hyper list.
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Skyrush was INSANE. The first drop features some of the most brutal back seat airtime I’ve ever experienced. The remaining airtime hills try their hardest to saw you in half. The lapbars are uncomfortable, but YIKES is this ride good. Last time I was at Hersheypark was the year before this monster opened and I’m upset it took me THIS LONG to get back. It’s stood the test of time and is absolutely a top 10 coaster.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'll go with...

Blue Hawk at Six Flags over Georgia

Going in I was trying to keep expectations low as I do on every new cred but this one especially due to its reputation. Head banging, head aches, neck pain, nausea, etc. I had heard it all. I had not ridden the coaster when it was known as Ninja and had the hard shoulder restraints but many who had been on both versions said the overhaul was no better.

First off, Blue Hawk is the most photogenic coaster I have ever seen. Sitting on the water the way it does with the new paint scheme, it's beautiful. Its layout is very appealing and being one of only two coasters in the world with the butterfly element makes it that much more intriguing.

The ride itself is actually so much fun. It's not smooth by any means but I have yet to feel like crap coming off of it. The new trains and vest restraints eliminate a lot of head banging and it still provides a pretty intense ride. Do not expect any air time but you do get some great hang time on the double corkscrew, or at least I did.

Overall, Blue Hawk is a great ride that blew my mind. So many people hate it bit it's one of my favorites at Over Georgia.
 
Last new coaster credit?
Kozmo's Kurves - A surprisingly fun little kiddie coaster with a decent layout and a little kick to it.

Last major credit?
Knoebels Twister - Its basically one giant helix of a wooden coaster. Its got some really solid forces mixed in with small pops of air here and there. Its a little rough around the edges because its all turns and its totally outclassed by its more famous, arguably better, better located brother across the midway, but while Phoenix delivers on the great negative G's, Twister's role is to provide all the positives in the park. Its a really solid coaster, and this ride would be phenomenal at night, but for what it is, I really enjoyed it.
 
I made the trek to Cavallino Matto last week and rode Freestyle, the relocated Togo standup from Canada’s Wonderland.

It was very intense through the loop and helix, and had some crazy airtime hills as well. The ride and trains especially appear to be in great condition considering it’s now 35 years old!

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my most recent new cred right now is kentucky flyer. for what the call a family coaster.. wow!! that little thing has some serious air time pops. and they are forceful! ride ops were pretty lenient about the lao bars as it was an enthusiast event, and i was super impressed!
 
Dragonflier - Dollywood (#163)
Probably the only new coaster credit I'll get this year. It's a good family coaster for sure; it's very smooth, decently long and has a few pops of floater air, but doesn't offer a particularly intense ride experience (compared to Verbolten and FireChaser Express, at least).

My rankings for Dollywood's coaster lineup
1. Lightning Rod
2. Thunderhead
3. Tennessee Tornado
4. Wild Eagle
5. FireChaser Express
6. Dragonflier
7. Mystery Mine
8. Fire in the Hole
9. Whistle Punk Chaser
 
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