Got a few creds this week to cap off the year at Flamingoland and Drayton Manor:
Velocity
Great launch, great first airtime hill, however the rest is a bit bumpy and not that fun. The restraints aren't that comfortable and it's not overly smooth. Yet this was the second best coaster for me!
Kumali
Really wanted to like this more than I did, but it's quite rough - albeit not as bad as a normal SLC. The bottom of the first drop is great for the forces and the zero-g roll is very graceful compared to the rest of the ride. The loop and cobra roll are ok and the helix at the end does nothing. If B&M had built this it would have kicked ass. I even got a front row ride and still didn't care for it.
Mumbo Jumbo
Looks interesting, but it's very mediocre, except the first drop and the two inversions. The shoulder restraint things above you also don't help.
Hero
Utter ass, and not fun at all. Seemed to get worse as the ride went on, but at least it didn't KO me for the day.
Sik
Took an hour or so to open because someone drove into the fence - classic England. Not riding Colossus this year made this more interesting and it's easily the best coaster in the park. The restraints and smoothness alone make it better than Colossus. However, the first drop is also way better. The inline twists at the end are all individually great but the 4 in a row is just a bad design choice in my eyes. The best part was actually the two corkscrews - you get some pretty strong whip going into both of them. The loop, hill, and the cobra roll are ok. Also it's the only coaster that was really presented at all.
Runaway Mine Train
Kiddy +1 cred, rough as hell.
Dino Roller
Another kiddy +1, but if you're alone you can sit in the middle of the seats and get a few laterals.
Twistosaurus was the only other coaster open, but I was drained throughout my visit and thought all the teacup-esque spinning would be a horrible idea. I'd basically done it all in one day and speedrun the park.
Gold Rush
The only cred I needed at Drayton Manor. However this might be one of the best of the creds I got this week. Gold Rush has gone under the radar compared to the UK's more flashy additions this year, but it's well presented, it's a terrain coaster, it's smooth, it's got great reride value with the two modes, and it's genuinely quite whippy for the small size. You're not going to get powerful launches or ejector airtime as it's a family coaster, but the fact it has smaller versions of the whippy transitions intamin is known for makes it a sleeper hit for me and a great cred to end the year. I think I liked the second variant better, as it makes the best elements happen later on, plus it has warmed up by then. I got on it 5 and a half times. How does that happen you might ask? Halfway through there is a shed where you either get launched forward or backwards halfway through depending on setting. On my second ride it broke down inside the shed, so half a ride you go! Very much exceeded expectations.
Wave is a bonus as I have had the cred for ages. Sadly, while it's much smoother and a bit more comfortable as a sit down coaster, it's lost some of its character in the zero-g roll. No longer do you jump into the air, you are somewhat stapled. The corkscrews are aggressive on the front right though, but it really has gone to show that I am more travelled than I was when I last rode it.
