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Rank the Intamin Launch Coasters

1) Maverick- Quite easily the top coaster on the list. Incredible layout, airtime, forces, etc. Will hopefully pick up Taron this year which would make things interesting
2) Hagrid's- What a fun and immersive coaster! Definitely didn't expect to rate it so highly, but it's brilliant.
3) Cheetah Hunt- Beautiful coaster with some good airtime and a really fun layout. It would benefit from lap bars and stronger positives however.
4) Storm Runner- I wish it was a longer ride, but what it does is awesome, great launch and top hat and the Flying Snake Dive is incredible.
5) Dragster- 17 seconds is what keeps me from ranking this higher. What it does is great but not nearly good enough to be top 3 on this list.
6) Speed Monster- Fun launch and the Norwegian loop is incredible. The rest of the layout left some things to be desired but it does its job.
7) Kingda Ka- Dragster + some roughness, OTSRs, and a slower top hat
8) Possessed- Enjoyed this more due to the straight spike at the back
9) Wicked Twister- Fun, but it doesn't do much
 
1) Maverick - Amazing launch, extraordinarily snappy Stengel Dives and very good airtime. Brilliant all-round experience!
2) Taron - Superb scenery, a few slow moments in the first half, some very good airtime and so. much. SNAPPP!
3) Steel Dolphin - Not very intense, not very powerful launches, but very dynamic! It feels a bit like an RMC, with little G+ but wonky lats and very good airtime.
4) Soaring with Dragon - Fantastic weightlessness up the backwards spike, incredible sustained airtime during the Non-Inverting Loop. The second half's turns are somewhat underwhelming.
5) Top Thrill Dragster - The best mix of speed, snappy launch and good restraints from my experience with Accelerators.

6) Xcelerator - Not as fast, but the launch snaps more.
7) Yukon Quad - The second-half is surprisingly dynamic for a family ride! My pick for the overlooked ride of the list.
8) Kingda Ka - Rattles if you're anywhere besides the front. The speed still is breathtaking.
9) Stealth - Great launch, but the OTSR really affect my experience
10) Superman Escape from Krypton - Surprisingly good launch, but the layout is even more limited than Ka/TTD.

11) Rita - Desert Race with better immersion
12) Desert Race - Very forgettable layout, the launch is the only redeemable feature
13) RC Racer - Dull launches, but at least it's smooth
14) Wicked Twister - Surprisingly great launch, but found the actual ride dull and rattly

The main conclusion from this list for me is that great launches don't make for my favourite rides..
 
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I've only done like 4.

1. Taron - Amazing. My number 1 coaster.
2. Stealth - Great fun
3. Rita - Pretty decent, next to Icon I'd probably still prefer to ride this as the launch is far more intense.
4. RC Racer, Disneyland Paris - Extremely short cycle. A bit disappointing as much of Toy Story Playland is to be honest. Still, since it is Intamin probably more intense than it would have been from any other manufacturer I reckon.

Obvious order probably. :p
Was supposed to be doing Kingda Ka, Storm Runner and possibly Pantheon in June. :(
 
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FarleyFlavors said:
Pissed old hack baffled by new technology here. Where can I get a list of these coasters?
Click to expand...
RCDB is useful for this sort of thing.
That's all the Intamin launched models I can think of off the top of my head; I sincerely apologise if I've forgotten one!
 
Matt N said:
RCDB is useful for this sort of thing.
That's all the Intamin launched models I can think of off the top of my head; I sincerely apologise if I've forgotten one!
Click to expand...

Atlantis Adventure says hi.

Otherwise, nice job!
 
SilverArrow said:
So I've voted for Taron as it's my number one but for launch alone probably top thrill?
General order for things:

Taron
Maverick
Top Thrill Dragster
Storm Runner
Kingda Ka
Red Force
Cheetah Hunt (really like this cred though, think it's underrated)
Desert Race/Rita/Stealth
Furius Baco
Impulses? Not sure they fit with the list but they're decent for what they are)
Click to expand...

Re-doing this because I didn't include Juvelen or Tornado and also to edit.

Taron
Maverick
Top Thrill Dragster
Storm Runner
Kingda Ka
Red Force
Stealth
Cheetah Hunt
Rita/Desert Race
Impulses (Wicked Twister, Posessed, Vertical Velocity)
Furius Baco
Juvelen
Tornado
 
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Matt N said:
RCDB is useful for this sort of thing.
That's all the Intamin launched models I can think of off the top of my head; I sincerely apologise if I've forgotten one!
Click to expand...
Nice list! That reminds me of another one.
 
I saw Howie's recent post about TTD v. Kingda Ka v. Red Force, and I was like, wait a minute, isn't there another Intamin launch thread. And, alas, here it is! Very different from Howie's but worthwhile nonetheless. I haven't posted in here in quite a while (since early 2019). While I wish I had more to update, there are still some pretty notable changes. I'll bold the few additions since then.

  1. Taron - Easy winner here. Truly one of the most excellent coasters I've ever experienced. Theming and thrills?!? Exactly my kinda ride.
  2. Maverick - Probably doesn't need much explanation. The snappy transitions and general uniqueness of this stand out 13 years on.
  3. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts - Does this count? It probably shouldn't, but it's an Intamin with a launch. That pretty much fits all the criteria. Anyway, one of the best themed experiences at any park. The coaster itself is pretty fun, but it's the experience beforehand that really places it this high for me.
  4. Top Thrill Dragster - What a rush! Probably the most exciting coaster ever on a second to second basis: from launch to brakes. But that's almost because it's as short as it is. Still, airtime at 420 feet?!?!? Yas please.
  5. Storm Runner - A very underrated ride. Didn't need to do much more than go up the top hat and back down, like most other Intamin accelerators at the time. However, Hershey and Intamin went the extra mile and added an insanely fun layout that really makes this a notable coaster of its kind.
  6. Xcelerator - Probably my favorite launch, apart from TTD. Something about launching straight out of the station and into that "seems way too short" launch track is so exciting. Had some great rides on this in February 2017 where I didn't even need to get out of my seat. To quote Squidward, "good times, good times."
  7. Kingda Ka - Everyone is so hard on Kingda Ka, but it's a damn good coaster. Sure, does it pale in comparison to Dragster? Yes. Does it have extraneous and irritating restraints? Yes. Is it too rough for its own good? Definitely. But, c'mon, it goes really, really fast and really, really high up. Seriously though, I think that its launch, while not as smooth as TTD's, is the most exciting on this list. That insane rattle going that fast, really shakes your brain up but in a good way. Sure, it's not looking its best since, ya know, Six Flags, but it's easily one of the best coasters at my home park. And that's gotta count for something!
  8. Volcano: the Blast Coaster - RIP. That launch, turnaround, boost, and inverted top hat has got to be one of Intamin's finest moments of the 1990s. I do think the rest of the layout was a tad uninspired, but I can't knock it many points since its layout was what made it so appealing to the GP. Plus, with the way it sat on that Volcano, it had such an intimidating presence, even with an actual Intimidator just around the corner.
  9. Furius Baco - Everyone seems to either love or hate Baco. I'm pretty squarely in the middle, leaning toward love. It's rough and pretty unpleasant in places, but it's got one of Intamin's best launches and a dip after said launch. I really love how low to the ground it stays, even if it doesn't end up paying off like it does on Maverick or even Taron.
  10. California Screamin' - Haven't ridden Incredicoaster, but I'd imagine it wouldn't change my mind much on this coaster. I probably respect this coaster more than enjoy it. I'm constantly amazed by how Disney designs their coasters. I mean the throughput on this! They move people through. It's not the most exciting ride of its kind, but I love the old school wooden coaster look and especially the soundtrack they made for it. Plus, I love(d) the name sooo much. If only to shout out Wong Kar-Wai and his love of California Dreamin'. Check out Chungking Express and count how many times it's played. (it's a lot)
  11. Stealth - Maybe if I'd gotten another ride I'd feel different, but it gets stuck in this list as not notable to me. Got one ride, front row. Great launch, bad restraints, really about as middle of the road as you can get with this kinda ride.
  12. Cheetah Hunt - This coaster is so close to being worthwhile. Just a few layout tweaks and it could've been a great Blitz. As it is now, it's somewhere between family and thrill coaster and not in a good way. Maybe I need to reride it (it has been 6 years after all), but, even in my early enthusiast days, I left unimpressed.
  13. Wicked Twister - Intamin impulses are a mixed bag for me. They're great for what they are, but they really are one trick ponies. I guess that about half this list is though so, hard to judge it on that merit.
  14. Superman: Escape from Krypton - I like to rag on this coaster, especially since I spent an hour in line waiting for it (even though it wasn't even stretched out past the entrance). But, it is fun in its own right. The launch is weak but the weightless effect on the ramp(?) is a lot of fun. Oh God but that capacity.
  15. Timmy's Half Pipe Havoc - My first half pipe was a good time. I like spinning coasters but do get dizzy after a ride or two, which made my evening at Nickelodeon Universe at times challenging. However, I can see the novelty here and appreciate it. Plus, those lap bars were sooo comfy. Props on that Intamin.
 
As you may gather, these are far from being my favourite coaster types, but as this evening's dragging...
I've also not ridden a number of these in some considerable time, hence the year in brackets - but here are the Intamins on my list which feature a launch.

1) iSpeed (2009)
2) Taron (2016)
3) Tornado (2013)
4) Speed Monster (2019)
5) Red Force (2017)
6) Superman Escape (2018)
7) Jet Rescue (2018)
8) Tower of Terror II (2018)
9) Stealth (Uncertain, but was last at Thorpe in 2015?)
10) Juvelen (2013)
11) RC Racer (2012)
12) Desert Race (2009)
13) Mick Doohan's Motocoaster (2018)
14) Kanonen (2016)
15) Rita (Not actually sure. I generally skip it)
16) Furius Baco (2017)
 
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Right, here goes mine.

1/ Taron
2/ Top Thrill Dragster
3/ Maverick
4/ Stealth
5/ Furious Baco
6/ Red Force
7/ Wicked Twister
8/ Kanonen
9/ RC Racer DLRP
10/ Rita
 
I haven't been on many but here goes my list!

1. Taron
2. Velocicoaster
3. Red Force
4. Hagrids
5. Cheetah Hunt
6. Furius Baco
7. Stealth
8. Rita
 
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Oh, wow, 7 pages/133 posts and somehow I've missed this topic!

I think this is everything...

Storm Runner Hersheypark (Credit #299, should have been #300 but missed/closed credits on the trip made me fall short....)
Flash: Vertical Velocity Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Credit #1,000)
Incredicoaster Disney California Adventure Park (Credit #700 as Screamin')
Maverick Cedar Point
Xcelerator Knott's Berry Farm (Credit #600)
Kanonen Liseberg
Volcano, The Blast Coaster Kings Dominion
Wicked Twister Cedar Point
Cheetah Hunt Busch Gardens Tampa
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Universal Studios Islands of Adventure
Speed Monster TusenFryd
Vertical Velocity Six Flags Great America
Steel Venom Valleyfair!
Superman: Escape from Krypton Six Flags Magic Mountain (both forward and backwards)
Top Thrill Dragster Cedar Point
Kingda Ka Six Flags Great Adventure
Stealth Thorpe Park
Possessed Dorney Park
Timmy's Half-Pipe Havoc Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park (Lapbars! <3)
Avatar Airbender Nickelodeon Universe
RC Racer Disneyland Paris - Walt Disney Studios Park (Credit #900)
Rita Alton Towers
Half Pipe Elitch Gardens
RC Hong Kong Disneyland
Wave Breaker: The Rescue Coaster SeaWorld San Antonio
Furius Baco PortAventura Park

Are we counting Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts as a lunch? that thing at the end kinda launches, right? I'd put it near the bottom if so, since I think its terrible haha. Also, are we counting Bakkens Tornado? Its amazing and awful at the same time so I'd put it mid-list for kicks, ha <3
 
1) TTD - Just the best experience I've had on a coaster when riding at night in the front.
2) Maverick - Great layout. Great length. The launch itself is insanely fun and seemed to get stronger as you sped up.
3) Formula Rossa - While the launch is noticeably less forceful than Stealth or TTD, the length of the launch is what makes it so intense. I don't see how this will ever be topped as the sheer speed feels nearly unnatural. The trims are kinda fun in a weird way & the first corner is incredibly intense, though the rest of the ride does nothing special.
4) Stealth - Definitely my favourite launch on a rollercoaster, the acceleration is insanely strong without being too intense. Its a shame the restraints are so unaccommodating and the layout feels so lacklustre when compared to Xcelerator.
5) Stormrunner - Good launch, badass layout, nothing much to complain about except the horrendous operations when I went.
6) Cheetah Hunt - So much fun even if its lacking in intensity. As a family ride it frankly beats most Disney attractions at providing an exciting adventure.
7) Volcano - The layout was mostly as boring and meandering as the POV's show (the final dive being an exception), but the theatrics of the double launch out of the volcano was the stuff of dreams.
8) Wicked Twister - Much better than I thought it would be, the first launch is brilliantly forceful and the whole ride is just good fun

9) Rita - Not even close to No 8. The launch is fun (though forceless and slow compared to stealth), the layout is boring and uncomfortable, part of the dark forest "theming" blocks out the pathway to Th13teen & looks like a dodgy underpass, and whatever operations policy is now in place has crippled its throughput.

Kingda Ka also gets a dishonourable mention for being closed for the 2 days I was at the park after flying over from the UK.
 
Sorry if this is a slightly random question, and one that probably doesn’t have many people who could answer it, but out of interest; has anyone ever ridden Senzafiato at Miragica or Skycar at Mysterious Island? I’ll admit that these are two Intamin launch coasters that very much intrigue me; I’ve never heard much about them, and I actually think they look like really strong coasters, at least in terms of the Accelerator Coasters!

In terms of my current ranking, I’d go with:
  1. Stealth
  2. Rita
  3. Cheetah Hunt
I’ll be very interested to see how VelociCoaster, Pantheon and Toutatis (amongst others) stack up in people’s lists once they’ve opened! I’m hoping to possibly get on VelociCoaster next year, and I’m very excited to hopefully ride it!
 
Ok, I feel like I need to do this as a Intamin launch fanboy...
  1. Taron
  2. TTD
  3. Maverick
  4. Storm Runner
  5. Stealth
  6. iSpeed
  7. Kingda Ka
  8. Cheetah Hunt
  9. Speed Monster
  10. Wicked Twister
  11. Possessed
  12. Rita
I thought I'd done more but that's it, thanks to Volcano and Desert Race for the spites!
 
I love Intamin and I’m a sucker for a good launch, my favourite feeling on any coaster is the launch on my no1.

1: Top Thrill Dragster - I have no doubt there are better coaster below this one in my rankings but that launch, force and the freedom you have during the ride are amazing, it holds a soft spot for me as I grew up wanting to ride it some day over any other coaster.
2: Maverick - So snappy and packs a great punch, that tunnel launch feels so fast, I cannot wait to get on other blitz coasters.
3: Storm Runner - Brilliant and unique layout, I was looking forward to skyrush and forgot about this, but it really stood out and surprised me.
4: Kingda Ka - Like TTD but a bit bumpy and the OTSR are not great, but it’s still fantastic and I like the hill way more than TTD long flat track ending.
5: Stealth - Brilliant coaster and maybe my most ridden coaster ever, the acceleration is the fastest I’ve done and you can feel it , I have loads of great memories on this ride, me and my dad marathoning it 30ish times one day, my sisters first big coaster and me and gf first rollercoaster together.
6: Furius Baco - I love this odd thing, while rough it’s was not uncomfortable for me, it’s wild and the lake ending is sweet.
7: Red Force - It’s good, but the launch while fast was a let down, it feels like a neutered TTD, fast, but no force.
8: California Screaming - Solid, nice long layout, the new incredibles overlay looks.......ok.
9: Superman EFC - Forgettable, it has a great loud roar but the ride itself is a whimper, you go nice a high though. I have been spited by the left side all three visits I’ve made to the park which sucks.
10: Rita - Its fine, it does not fit in at Alton, it could be helped with lap bars only and better theming but I’m on the side of a blitz being a great replacement.
11: Wicked Twister - It smushed my bits, would not recommend.
12: Rc Racer - An expensive and less fun pirate ship.

Spited:
Xcelerator - Really sad to miss this one as it’s looks like a better stealth.
Timmys & Sandy’s - 🥺spited by all the coaster here, Sandy’s looks fun and unique.
 
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I almost loathe to do them all, but here goes:

1. Taron, Phantasialand (#3 overall for me) - Truly top tier coaster experience, incredible.

2. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point (#9 overall for me) - Dragster has the best launch for me, and those lap bars give me life.

3. Formula Rossa, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi (#17 overall for me) - This coaster is just ridiculous.

4. Soaring with Dragon, Hefei Wanda Theme Park (#18 overall for me) - The swing launch is great, the non-inverting loop is great, the speed through the rest of the layout is great. Yeah, this coaster rocks.

Right, we're out of my Top 20 now. I don't keep track of anything further than that, really.

5. Maverick, Cedar Point - This would probably sit in the Top 25. It's fantastic.

6. Red Force, Ferrari Land - As much as it rattles like hell, it's pretty fab.

7. Storm Runner, Hersheypark - A great example of how to make an accelerator coaster do something more. It's great!

8. Xcelerator, Knotts Berry Farm - Intamin started well with this model. Shame it's in disgusting LA though.

9. Stealth, Thorpe Park - The less good version of Xcelerator. I like the overbanks, sue me.

10. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure - Sure it doesn't have the most powerful launches, but another overall fantastic experience. Except the name, I hate that.

11. Wicked Twister, Cedar Point - I liked this one.

12. Kingda Ka, Six Flags Great Adventure - I was going to put this last, but that's probably not fair. It is a monster, I'll give it that.

We're probably out of my Top 50 now.

13. Volcano, The Blast Coaster, Kings Dominion - Iconic. But not actually that good.

14. Cheetah Hunt, Busch Gardens Tampa - I think it's a bit weird, but I do like some of the elements on it.

15. Speed Monster, TusenFryd - I like the Norwegian Loop (both to ride and the entrance plaza), and the rest of the coaster is fine.

16. Rita, Alton Towers - I don't think Rita is actually that bad, but it's not that special.

17. Desert Race, Heide Park Resort - As above but fewer trees.

18. V2: Vertical Velocity, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom - Slightly beats the others for the inline twist thing. That's a bit different.

19/20/21. Possessed, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom - Less good version of Wicked Twister and V2.

19/20/21. Vertical Velocity, Six Flags Great America - Interchangeable with above.

19/20/21. Steel Venom, Valleyfair! - Interchangeable with above.

22. Furius Baco, PortAventura Park - What a hunk of ****.
 
1. Taiga - definitely feels like the most matured of the Intamin Blitz coasters that I have ridden and is overall one of the best layouts I have ever experienced. What a time to be alive, when a park like Linnanmäki can afford a coster like this.

2. Taron - would take the cake for overall engineering marvel, however I do have to say that this layout feels like it was designed a few years too early. An ever so slight RMC-touch and an inversion or two could do wonders, however it is still incredibly good.

3. Red Force - it's silly and baffling that this exists, but at least it is good. Also the construction thread is always a good laugh since nobody seems to know what heat haze is.

4. Furius Baco - even more silly and baffling that this exists, and I can only imagine how much wine the PortAventura executives must have had to think "oh yes, another one of those Intamin launchers please, since the first one came out so well". To be honest though, it has a ton of charm, and it's not like there is a lot of good competition from the 2000s.

5. Kanonen - I always find the small Intamin hydraulic launchers to be super interesting because of how poorly they aged. They came around in a time when the launch was enough to blow your socks off, and the layout didn't end up doing a whole lot. It is suprising however that this was replaced by far the earliest after a sad 9 years, since it is one of the better ones.

6. Rita - this is where I was hinting at when talking about Kanonen. It's fast, and it doesn't really do anything. Kind of sad that this will prevent Alton Towers from getting a decent launch coaster for the forseeable future.

7. Desert Race - wow, what the heck happened here? Ride Review has a nice video in which he explains why Desert Race is the worst coaster in the world, and it all comes down to it's monumental waste of potential. He has a point. Good launch, terrible layout, terrible theming, terrible restraints, terrible logo, just such a low-effort ride, it's embarassing.
 
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