Hi All,
I'm glad my login still works! I got asked to post my Facebook review of Mako on here as other might be interested. I've clocked 80 rides so far as part of testing and it's a really enjoyable ride. Probably 2nd or 3rd favorite in Florida.
Here is my review:
Overall the coaster is really solid. B&M has been experimenting lately with a little bit more aggressive and higher banked cornering and Mako is no exception. The first half of the ride is one of the best B&M hyper experiences out there. There's no lift slowdown like on Fury 325, so the coaster throws the train over the top with decent speed to provide some pretty strong airtime- especially in the back. The weird little flat section after the drop can be felt, but doesn't make a difference from a ride experience standpoint. Rolling through the overbanked corner, the coaster runs a little slower than I was originally anticipating, but it's not a detriment. It doesn't have the speed of the similar, but smaller overbank on Georgia's Goliath, but this gives a nice bit of sideways float before heading back down. The first true airtime hill is the strongest single section of airtime on the ride with sustained floater and a pretty aggressive end from the back seat. It's probably my favorite element on the ride. The turnaround is fast and high banked-- much quicker than the typical B&M hammerhead. I like this style better. Heading into the next hill, the train hits the trim brake and unfortunately it grabs quite a bit. In the front there's still a strong amount of airtime, though in the back it's weaker than it could be. It's on par with how the trim on Fury grabs, but perhaps not as strong. The hill/diving corner combination is neat because of the proximity to the ride supports and the airtime is reasonable though not as strong as pre-trim. Perhaps my 2nd favorite part of the ride after the main airtime hill is the low speed hill before the midcourse brakes. It's fast and has a surprising about of airtime that's decently strong despite the speed lost back at the trim. Then we hit the mid-course brakes and unfortunately there's a ton of speed scrubbed off. So much that there's not even floating airtime on the hill immediately after. The two high banked curves to follow also feel slower than they ought to be or that the banking might be too high. They're still quite fun, but if the trim was lessened up enough so that the airtime hill had the same quality airtime as the beginning, the 2nd half would be miles better.
From a seat standpoint, I found the front to be slightly better than the back just because there's more airtime due to the trims killing it a bit in the back. Specifically I found the left seat to be best because of the first roll turn and the finale dive over the lake. The airtime in the back is the strongest-- most noticeably on the first drop and the first airtime hill. The front has the views (left again is best) and more airtime than I expected. It's actually rather close to the amount in the back though a little less aggressive. The post trim hill is best in the front since it still picks up a decent amount of air before all the speed is scrubbed off.
The short version of all of this is that the first half is pretty amazing and the 2nd half falls a little short. Thankfully, the first half can more than compensate for the slightly lackluster ending, which puts the ride right up with my favorite B&M hypers. In-park it probably becomes my favorite, though I will need to re-ride the others before I make that decision. It's an incredibly repeatable experience (as evidenced by the amount I was able to put in during a few hours over a couple days) and as smooth as you would expect a new B&M to be. This coaster is going to be a winner for the public-- they're going to absolutely love it. I don't expect Mako is going to become a new favorite ride for enthusiasts, but I don't think it's going to be too far down the top lists. There's plenty to love about this ride.
Hope you all enjoy the ride if you get a chance to check it out this year. Please let me know if you decide to stop by!