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What is your favourite Vekoma SLC?

I have been on four:
  • Odyssey: not bad, the extra height helps. The ride quality is fine, but the experience was a little dissappointing
  • Kumali: I haven't ridden it in years but I remember it being pretty good
  • Infusion: I skipped it on my most recent trip to Blackpool. I came off with a sore head but it was near the end of the day.
  • Snow Mountain Flying Dragon: a clone of Kumali, but significantly rougher.
 
SilverArrow said:
Fly the Great Nor'Easter at Morey's Piers is actually good and has new trains with no headbanging and a good view, so that. Enjoyed it enough to re-ride.
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Some facts right here. Loved the ride actually, and that was back before the trains. I will also say Thunderhawk at Geauga Lake/Michigans Adventure were good at both parks.
 
Best I’ve done was Gauntlet at Magic Springs, an awful place. Best ride I rode that day was an SLC, and it was $50 to get in.
 
Can go one better with a full ranking as I did it for a laugh in the count topic.

HeartlineCoaster said:
SLCs
1. Infusion - Blackpool Pleasure Beach (not sure why, but have been back for more)
2. Snow Mountain Flying Dragon - Happy Valley Shenzhen
3. Golden Wings In Snowfield - Happy Valley Beijing
4. Nio - Greenland
5. Vampire - Walibi Belgium
6. Kumali - Flamingo Land
7. MP-Xpress - Movie Park Germany
8. Limit - Heide Park
9. Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy - Warner Bros. Movie World
10. Odyssey - Fantasy Island
11. Dragon In Clouds - Happy Valley Chengdu
12. Condor - Walibi Holland (was my very first, not sure how accurate this is now)

Got a small selection of other SLC manufacturers:
1. Soaring Dragon and Dancing Phoenix (Beijing Shibaolai) - Wanda Nanchang (alright)
2. Flare Meteor (Golden Horse) - Fantawild Shenyang
3. Twister (Beijing Jiuhua) - Quancheng Euro Park (awful)
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But if we're including Battlestar, obviously that.
 
It really is amazing, amazing, how smooth Thunderhawk has remained at Michigan's Adventure all these years. It rode well at Geauga Lake, and kep the paces when I rode last year. Minimal headbanging, no real bumps - it's just a pretty normal steel coaster experience. Haven't a clue what went right with this guy versus every other Vekoma SLC I've ridden.
 
While it's the only one I've ridden, I gotta agree with Hyde on this one. Thunderhawk actually exceeded my expectations, simply because it was not what people said an SLC was like. It wasn't painful, very minimal head banging, and kinda fun! I have said in the past that this was my least favorite coaster, but after thinking about my experience, I remembered how much it actually exceeded my expectations!
 
I'll toast to that for all the same reasons. Somehow, someway, it's good...and somehow at Michigan's Adventure.

I'll throw out an honorable mention - Batman: the Ride at Six Flags Mexico. They may have an SLC and a boomerang, but both rides run relatively nicely so the park must be taking great care of each ride.
 
Rode Kumali and Odyssey once each about 10 years ago, seem to remember both of them being decent-ish.
The ones with the standard layout though vary between alright and utter rubbish.
Walibi Belgium's was ok. T3 had a nice paint job. Infusion has fountains. But the one's at Walibi Holland, Movie Park Germany and Canada's Wonderland are all horrible. And the one at Heide Park spited me.
 
Kumali rides the best and Infusion looks the best. Odyssey (it's been a while admittedly) is rather awful. Think it's just obscure enough to pique some enthusiast's interests. It is fairly strange to consider the UK has the 2nd tallest inverted coaster in the world.
 
My personal favourite is the Australian one, Arkham Asylum in Warner Bros. Movie World. It's not too rattly and the KumbaK trains eliminate any possibility of ear and neck bashing. I guess Vampire in Walibi Belgium wasn't too bad either, but it has the old Vekoma trains, so it still hurts in parts. Others are more or less garbage - Blue Tornado, Infusion, Jaguar and the absolute worst of all, Condor (I think that's all of the ones I've done).
 
Riddler Revenge at SFNE is great with the new trains! Easily the best one I've ridden.

The worst one I've done would probably have to be MP Express at Movie Park Germany.
 
I have to agree with Fly the Great Nor'easter as being the best I've been on. Going into any vekoma invert/boomerang I always brace myself and prepare for the worst as you should but didn't really experience that on Fly the Great Nor'easter. Also rode it before the new trains and still liked it like Snoo said.
 
Odyssey is by far the best.

As for the standard layout, I actually don't think these are bad rides, I don't mind the roughness too much, but I hate how common they are. That buzz of checking out a park on rcdb and seeing it has an Inverted coaster classed as "Extreme"; and then the disappointment when you find out it's yet another standard SLC, identical to the 7 (in my case) that you've already ridden! In fact these make up about 2.5% of my overall count.

It's difficult to place Kumali as it's probably not quite as good as the standard model, but the relative uniqueness gives it a boost.

So I guess my ranking goes:
1) Odyssey
2) Kumali
=3 (don't care) Traumatizer / Infusion
=3 (don't care) Vampire
=3 (don't care) Limit
=3 (don't care) Condor
=3 (don't care) Blue Tornado (the final helix adds nothing to the experience!)
=3 (don't care) Titanade
=3 (don't care) Mayan (trains are nice but it's still the same old ride)
 
Odyssey is top of the table for obvious reasons, no other SLC is remotely close in terms of height, drop, inversions and speed.

Most of that lends itself to the fact it’s custom and separates itself from the cluster of SLC clones.

It’s main obvious flaw is the roughness. And when you dissect that roughness we are talking not just head bashing but the train not running true to the rails and jolting from side to side a lot.

But a 124ft vertical loop on an invert is incredible really. It really is an SLC on steroids. Just a shame the roughness is in proportion to its size.
 
Either Kumali or Roller Coaster Mayan at Energylandia. Both were pretty smooth and enjoyable, and I liked the latter’s restraints. Shout out to Infusion and the one at La Ronde; also pretty smooth.

Tbh, there’s not many I absolutely despise, most are just very blegh with a mixture of awkward shuffling and the odd headbang. I would include Odyssey in this category. For such a giant SLC I expected it to be either the best or complete ****, but it was decidedly mediocre with next-to-no force at all.
 
Infusion is horrendous. I didn't think there would be an SLC worse than that, but I stood CORRECTED when I went to Chile the other week and rode 'Raptor'. So, of the two, by default, it has to be Infusion :D
 
Kumali is actually a decent ride. I didn't mind the roughness and enjoyed its forceful moments and floaty inversions. Fortunately the only rough patches are after the zero-g roll and the transition into the brakes is a big bashy.
 
Expedition Coaster said:
Kumali is actually a decent ride. I didn't mind the roughness and enjoyed its forceful moments and floaty inversions. Fortunately the only rough patches are after the zero-g roll and the transition into the brakes is a big bashy.
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I had the pleasure of riding kumali brand new - it was a very pleasant ride, the Vekoma zero g roll is a pretty good effort and that first drop is quite forceful on the ground level banked turn. It is a shame the shenlin layout is a little short. I can’t speak for how it rides now. Probably as rattly and clunky as most SLC’s.
 
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