PowerPark | Junker | Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster
- Thread starter roomraider
- Start date
A POV of the ride released recently. I hope it can be seen abroad. Usually the website says if you can't, but it doesn't specify now.
http://areena.yle.fi/1-2830591
http://areena.yle.fi/1-2830591
cjbrandy
Hyper Poster
It looks like the very best of Gerstlauer, great layout that isn't just inversion after inversion with nothing inbetween. Speaking of inversions, rcdb says it has 5 when there is clearly only 4.
http://rcdb.com/12027.htm
http://rcdb.com/12027.htm
CookieCoasters
Giga Poster
Clearly Junker is open now. I think it looks fantastic!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e4r67KrvGc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e4r67KrvGc[/youtube]
CookieCoasters
Giga Poster
I wasn't sure whether this post should go in here or something like trip reports, but I thought this was the most appropriate place to do a little review of Junker. If it needs to be moved, that's fine.
So I rode Junker today and to put it bluntly, I **** loved it! There are so many things about this ride that make it fantastic. Before riding, I knew the layout was very creative and could in theory potentially produce a cracking ride, but in reality it's even more impressive than you would think.
The launch is definitely one of the more forceful that I've experienced, which wasn't too surprising because on the whole the Gerstlauer rolling launches are pretty intense. The next element is my favourite. Junker easily has the best top hat element of any coaster. Better than Stealth's, Storm Runner's, Kingda Ka's etc. What makes it so brilliant is the combination of being very exposed and the fairly substantial pops of strong ejector airtime both coming in and out of the element. It just rides beautifully. You then receive another nice pop of well-sustained airtime coming up onto the 'sort of non-inverting loop' element. The stretched-out vertical loop provides some fabulous hang time as you would expect. It's also worth noting that you hit some quite strong positive G's at the bottom of all the elements in this first half.
The two halves of the ride are split up by an MCBR, which you could argue is the coaster's only dull part, but I was glad of its presence because you get another great bit of airtime coming off of it. If you haven't already, you'll really notice the benefits of the freedom for body movement the trains give you in the final four elements. The cutback wasn't an element that particularly stood out among others on the ride, but it does it have some good lateral movement; a force that really compliments all the last parts of the layout, especially on the edge seats. These bits feel quite similar to certain parts of Skyrush, such as the exit of the stengel dive and that twisted hill that comes just before the final bunny hop. The dive loop was definitely one of my most anticipated elements of Junker because I thought the one on Karacho was the highlight of that ride. I loved this one too. Again, it is particularly good on the edge seats because the way it whips you over/under is very snappy. I liked the final inversion for very similar reasons.
Before doing a little bit of a conclusion, I will explain the only negative I found with the ride. The only discomfort I experienced (nothing major) was caused by a mixture of very tight restraints (yes, the ride op's will staple you in firmly) and the design of the bottom of the seat. The tendon on the back of my knee kind of scraped on the edge of the seat throughout the ride. It wasn't painful, but it was noticeable. Other people may not have this problem though.
So in conclusion, I would say Junker is one of the best additions any European park has had in the last 5+ years. It has one of the most diverse selection of forces and elements on any coaster I've ridden (really only matched by Helix in this respect). One major thing I've forgotten to mention so far, is how smooth it is. It's easily the smoothest sizeable Gerstlauer and this helps bundles to make the coaster an enjoyable as well as exhilarating ride. I almost feel like it's going to be a little under-appreciated in PowerPark, just because of the park's location, but I'm sure many CFers and other enthusiasts will get to ride sometime in the future. Overall, I'd give Junker a very solid 9/10. I'm not far off giving it 9.5 though.
Here are some pictures I took of it today
So I rode Junker today and to put it bluntly, I **** loved it! There are so many things about this ride that make it fantastic. Before riding, I knew the layout was very creative and could in theory potentially produce a cracking ride, but in reality it's even more impressive than you would think.
The launch is definitely one of the more forceful that I've experienced, which wasn't too surprising because on the whole the Gerstlauer rolling launches are pretty intense. The next element is my favourite. Junker easily has the best top hat element of any coaster. Better than Stealth's, Storm Runner's, Kingda Ka's etc. What makes it so brilliant is the combination of being very exposed and the fairly substantial pops of strong ejector airtime both coming in and out of the element. It just rides beautifully. You then receive another nice pop of well-sustained airtime coming up onto the 'sort of non-inverting loop' element. The stretched-out vertical loop provides some fabulous hang time as you would expect. It's also worth noting that you hit some quite strong positive G's at the bottom of all the elements in this first half.
The two halves of the ride are split up by an MCBR, which you could argue is the coaster's only dull part, but I was glad of its presence because you get another great bit of airtime coming off of it. If you haven't already, you'll really notice the benefits of the freedom for body movement the trains give you in the final four elements. The cutback wasn't an element that particularly stood out among others on the ride, but it does it have some good lateral movement; a force that really compliments all the last parts of the layout, especially on the edge seats. These bits feel quite similar to certain parts of Skyrush, such as the exit of the stengel dive and that twisted hill that comes just before the final bunny hop. The dive loop was definitely one of my most anticipated elements of Junker because I thought the one on Karacho was the highlight of that ride. I loved this one too. Again, it is particularly good on the edge seats because the way it whips you over/under is very snappy. I liked the final inversion for very similar reasons.
Before doing a little bit of a conclusion, I will explain the only negative I found with the ride. The only discomfort I experienced (nothing major) was caused by a mixture of very tight restraints (yes, the ride op's will staple you in firmly) and the design of the bottom of the seat. The tendon on the back of my knee kind of scraped on the edge of the seat throughout the ride. It wasn't painful, but it was noticeable. Other people may not have this problem though.
So in conclusion, I would say Junker is one of the best additions any European park has had in the last 5+ years. It has one of the most diverse selection of forces and elements on any coaster I've ridden (really only matched by Helix in this respect). One major thing I've forgotten to mention so far, is how smooth it is. It's easily the smoothest sizeable Gerstlauer and this helps bundles to make the coaster an enjoyable as well as exhilarating ride. I almost feel like it's going to be a little under-appreciated in PowerPark, just because of the park's location, but I'm sure many CFers and other enthusiasts will get to ride sometime in the future. Overall, I'd give Junker a very solid 9/10. I'm not far off giving it 9.5 though.
Here are some pictures I took of it today
Anac0nda
Mega Poster
Last Saturday I got to test Junker and I got to say: Tornado has been de-throned as Finland's best rollercoaster (finally after so many years)!
The rolling launch has a nice punch and tophat is filled with ejector airtime. The first hill before the non-inverting dive-loop-thingy-lingy provides the first chance to fill your lungs again with air. Then it's go time again, since the twisting dive really took me surprise with its forces! Hang-time loop (Finnish loop, I believe it's called
) really provides fun hang time but not too extreme to scare. Overbank before MCBR is also fun and has a super smooth pullout. Exit from MCBR has another pop of ejector before the funky overbanked, which feels very disorienting since it has many little twists in different directions right after another, but because of heartlining and sustained G-forces you don't feel the twists at all, you just kinda see the world spin around you. Following twists and airtime hump have a nice roll to them as well as the dive loop under the water. The gem of the ride IMO is the final barrel roll, which has asymmetric entry and exit making it very disorienting with the speed its taken at!
Layout is very solid and one of my favourites, since it has a very good flow and almost zero dull moments (the only breather moment aside MCRB is the first half of the double loop since it doesn't provide airtime). Cars are minimalistic and there's nothing to limit your view. My feet were dangling although I'm quite tall (186cm), the seats are comfortable and spacey but the edge of the seats can dig a bit into the back of your thighs if you get stapled by the (comfortable) lap bars. The lack of OTSR's makes me happy and the ejector moments really feel like you're going to get ejected from the car! I couldn't find any differences in riding in the front or the back, but naturally the inner seats made a much smoother and heartlined ride than the outer seats. Front right was my favourite since all the rolls (especially the final barrel roll) feel very out-of-control and provide surprising laterals! Someone could say the lack of lateral support on the seats adds discomfort when riding in the outer seats, but I however like my rides forceful! :airtime:
The area is still a bit barren, but the water body and the ride station are just beautiful! Also the interaction with the bridge and the restaurant shows a good design. They have three cars but ran only two: it wasn't a crowded day and the ride-ops didn't need to rush the loading and so the other car was already in the final brakes when the next one dispatched. Queue time was about 15mins.
After riding my friends asked how did Junker ride in comparison of others I've ridden, so I made my top ten list and Junker made it to number 4! It stands between Dragon Khan and Piraten in my list.
Images can be found here: link to my report on TPR
The rolling launch has a nice punch and tophat is filled with ejector airtime. The first hill before the non-inverting dive-loop-thingy-lingy provides the first chance to fill your lungs again with air. Then it's go time again, since the twisting dive really took me surprise with its forces! Hang-time loop (Finnish loop, I believe it's called
) really provides fun hang time but not too extreme to scare. Overbank before MCBR is also fun and has a super smooth pullout. Exit from MCBR has another pop of ejector before the funky overbanked, which feels very disorienting since it has many little twists in different directions right after another, but because of heartlining and sustained G-forces you don't feel the twists at all, you just kinda see the world spin around you. Following twists and airtime hump have a nice roll to them as well as the dive loop under the water. The gem of the ride IMO is the final barrel roll, which has asymmetric entry and exit making it very disorienting with the speed its taken at! Layout is very solid and one of my favourites, since it has a very good flow and almost zero dull moments (the only breather moment aside MCRB is the first half of the double loop since it doesn't provide airtime). Cars are minimalistic and there's nothing to limit your view. My feet were dangling although I'm quite tall (186cm), the seats are comfortable and spacey but the edge of the seats can dig a bit into the back of your thighs if you get stapled by the (comfortable) lap bars. The lack of OTSR's makes me happy and the ejector moments really feel like you're going to get ejected from the car! I couldn't find any differences in riding in the front or the back, but naturally the inner seats made a much smoother and heartlined ride than the outer seats. Front right was my favourite since all the rolls (especially the final barrel roll) feel very out-of-control and provide surprising laterals! Someone could say the lack of lateral support on the seats adds discomfort when riding in the outer seats, but I however like my rides forceful! :airtime:
The area is still a bit barren, but the water body and the ride station are just beautiful! Also the interaction with the bridge and the restaurant shows a good design. They have three cars but ran only two: it wasn't a crowded day and the ride-ops didn't need to rush the loading and so the other car was already in the final brakes when the next one dispatched. Queue time was about 15mins.
After riding my friends asked how did Junker ride in comparison of others I've ridden, so I made my top ten list and Junker made it to number 4! It stands between Dragon Khan and Piraten in my list.
Images can be found here: link to my report on TPR
CookieCoasters
Giga Poster
Oh damn you rode it before me, I thought I was the first one on here
I agree with you, basically word for word about Junker. It's the best coaster in Finland by a mile (followed by Tornado and Thunderbird which are pretty much equal for me).
I agree with you, basically word for word about Junker. It's the best coaster in Finland by a mile (followed by Tornado and Thunderbird which are pretty much equal for me).