Coaster reviews

Inversions Fun Intensity Dead spots

I used to be the biggest inferno hater on the planet. Name something about the ride and I could have told you at least 3 things wrong about it. But, I`ve mellowed and I`ve realized that this ride ain`t so bad after all. Don`t get me wrong, it`s still got it`s faults and if we are talking inferno v the OG, i`m backing my main alien monster nemmy in staffordshire all the way. BUT. It has improved a fair bit for me and I actually really like it now. A snappy set of corkscrews, a really intense vertical loop, a half decent drop and some helixes at the end which dependent on how it`s running can be really, really intense. But it is quite possibly the most fluctuating ride i`ve ever been on. You could have one ride and say it was trash then go on straight after in the exact same seat and row and reach the brake run with jelly legs. It really is a roll of the dice. Generally speaking though i`ve had way more positive experiences than negative this year so i`m letting it largely off the hook with this one. Last year it was as reliable as a ryanair flight schedule based on good-bad ride ratio though so it`s difficult to say. One thing I wont back down on is that zero-g roll. I`ve felt more forces in my car driving down the motorway than on this element. Lots of people love it but it`s a bit of a stinker element for me. But as long as it keeps a great station audio, good forces on the other inversions and a (relatively at the moment) consistent intensity level then i`m a happy chappy. I must add, fright nights rides on this offer some of my favourite ride experiences i`ve done and it always seems to run so much better on a longer day when the wheels have warmed up EDIT: This is now my favourite coaster in the park and one of my favourites in the UK. Nemmy does still beat it but it`s amazing how opinions can change

Airtimes Pace Duration Harness Launch

Sorry Nemesis you were number one but Icon`s in town now. The best coaster I have ever ridden without a shadow of a doubt. It`s got its faults but generally speaking blackpool knocked it out the park with this one. Its nicely stylized to a japanese cherry blossom garden I think? With a lot of gold? Honestly not too sure what it`s supposed to be stylized to but it looks banging so i`m not digging into the theming at all. It is an amusement park and not a theme park after all and for an amusement park i`m very impressed. The station is slick and modern with one of the best baggage systems ive ever seen, Greatly reduces the chances of your items being nicked. Rolling out the station you have the best anticipation music i`ve heard. Then wee. Your away. These launches ain`t great. And I wouldn`t have had a problem with them at all (its a Mack launch, they are all a bit on the slower side) IF blackpool pleasure beach hadn`t decided to put all the focus on these bland and unexciting launches. Seriously these launches now get more advertisement than the entire of the rest of the park combined. Anyway rant over and you enter the top hat. Airtime aplenty on this one and a VERY good makeup for the underwhelming start. You go into this twisty section with one moment in particular that stands out: a raised turn with a lovely dose of sideways airtime. Really fun and proper good. Downward barrel roll follows that which adds a nice dose of hangtime to the mix. 2 more pops of ejector later and all of a sudden you can`t see for love nor money cause you`ve just gone through a tunnel with the thickest mist imaginable. Perfectly placed cause that leads you into the booster launch and you cant see until your approaching into the jr immelmann. Inversion or not who gives one cause exiting this you get PULLED out your seat in a glorious moment of sideways air. From here on out its a mix of snappy low to the ground turns, higher up banked turns, s curves and a good couple of ejector hills until the final brakes are reached. Whoever said icon wasn`t intense (and its a lot of people) needs to reride the thing cause my legs felt as if i`d had one too many down the velvet coaster during parts of the second half. Genius layout. I haven`t really given it too much stick other than my little launch rant but i was expecting that. Here`s something I wasn`t expecting. The lap bar, although super comfortable has the tendency to push down on you with the force of a nightclub bouncer VERY soon after the ride has even started, killing any airtime room you might have had just after the top hat. It`s worth getting room for that element alone but don`t expect to keep any room on this. Trust me i`ve tried. VERY hard. But cause there`s no way to really push with your legs and the upper half of your body kinda surrenders with the forces you experience it`s just not really possible and the bar becomes superglued to the lower half of your body by the end of the ride. One more thing is that it`s not glossy smooth, it has got a rattle but for me that`s not really a negative, more a neutral becuase I don`t mind rougher rides and it adds character. But it does shake your head around a fair bit sometimes and can cause a bit of head ache. Overall, my new number one. Its not perfect but nothing is and its a knockout addition to an already strong park

Pace Masterpiece Layout

This is one of them rides where I wish there was an option to add more pros. Simply put, I am fairly confident in my eyes this is one of the greatest, if not the greatest coaster currently extant. Zadra screams insanity. This is my only RMC as of now (Untamed and Wildfire see ya in 2023) so I don`t have much to compare it to but I will say, based on layout alone it seems like I have ridden the best one (based on what I like on a coaster). I am so glad this is not purely airtime focused because this coaster showcases every type of force in a beautifully balanced way, refined to perfection. You have got amazing positives, strong laterals, crazy airtime and the pace of this thing is ridiculous. It feels like you don`t lose a single mph of speed through the layout. My mate summed it perfectly: Zadra is the only coaster where the brake run is an element in itself. Combine all the above with a perfectly smooth ride and you have a killer coaster. The queueline is a pain in the arse though

Masterpiece Intensity Ejectors Rattle

I had 28 rides in this in 3 days and I am still hungry for more. I tried to add more pros but it wouldn’t let me. That’s how good this coaster really is. The absolute full package of theming, hangtime, intensity and airtime blended together masterfully to create this beast of a coaster. Do NOT underestimate the intensity levels of this thing (or maybe do if you want an absolute shock to the system). This thing in certain places is an absolute bone crusher, particularly at the back of the train. The Airtime on this ride is absolutely world class and it’s blended into places you wouldn’t even think could deliver air. As a general rule, the airtime is stronger towards the front of the train but no matter where you sit you are getting absolutely yanked out your seat. Which brings me on to the restraints. My massive issue with MACK lap bars previous was the tendency to crush down on you like a bailiff forcing open a door. This issue has been sorted with amazing self locking restraints that pretty much stay in one place throughout the ride. The hang time on the JoJo roll is stupid good and is an amazing start to the ride. The launches on this are actually really powerful by MACK standards and definitely will take you by surprise. Finally for the positives, the theming is beautiful and so well done, complemented by the on ride audio which is the best soundtrack I have ever heard and makes the experience fully complete. As for cons, this ride ain’t the smoothest thing you will ride. Luckily roughness is not an issue for me really (I ride Colossus and Saw practically every week so I’m so used to it) and it’s not rough per se, but it definitely has a noticeable rattle which may make it not as re rideable for some. The Vertical Loop is a bit of a dead spot but is still fun. So to sum up, get down to Belgium and ride this absolute masterpiece as you WILL NOT regret it

Pace Masterpiece Intensity Discomfort

This is, without a doubt an absolute masterpiece and my current Number 1 coaster. This thing is just nuts, full stop. I`m not too sure how this coaster manages to do what it does in regards to physics but it manages to do it with a lift hill height of only 42ft. That drop (or dip to be more accurate) might look pathetically small but it builds up enough speed to absolutely HAUL you through that first corkscrew (plus, disengaging off that lift hill in the back of the train, you get violently yanked forward). This is followed by the most intense sequence of elements I have ever experienced. A helix which more often than not forces you into grey out followed by a ridiculously fast Zero G Roll, providing a foot chopper moment that still gets you every time. Nemesis then takes it`s turnaround (which still surprisingly intense) before throwing you into one of the most force filled Vertical Loops you will likely ever go through. It then takes a slight breather, traversing over a turn with few forces. But that doesn`t matter too much, because before you know it you are getting thrown through a ridiculously low to the ground final Corkscrew with insane levels of whip. Followed by a turn sequence into the brakes, which you go flying into. Up until this point, I`ve done nothing but praise Nemesis. So what are it`s cons? Essentially, the ting ain`t exactly the smoothest on the block now. Don`t go in expecting what I would classify as "rough" or a "rattle", but about one in every three rides in my experience (oddly specific I know) you will get a jolt or two. These jolts are most common sitting in the front or back of the train and on either of the corkscrews, particularly the last one. I won`t lie, it does hurt and it will leave you with a red ear. But, judging by how intense it is and it`s age, it`s a wonder that it is not way worse. And as I mentioned earlier there is a spot where it does take a little breather. But other than that, there are no bad words that I can say about Nemesis. Sure, bigger and better may have come along since. But this was built in 1994, has lasted until 2022 and is getting retracked next year (I bloody hope it don`t get ruined) so it lasts for A LOT longer. Simply put, B&M don`t make them like this anymore. If you want to experience the peak of their golden age of intensity and innovation, then head on down to Alton Towers to ride a coaster that still consistently ranks very high in world rankings to the day. You won`t be dissapointed

Fun Discomfort

Not much to say really. Decent fun with mates and gives you a nice scenic tour of that part of the park. Does basically every single working muscle in your body in a bit though and your backside is likely to be bruised. That mickey mouse restraint system ain`t the best but im hardly gonna expect a full hydraulic powered sensor filled comfy foam padded bar on a little horse. Whip where you don`t really want it and the capacity is painful to see but again, expected. A true classic that il`d definitely ride again next time, for the history if nothing else

Airtimes Inversions Intensity Discomfort

Never has a ride surprised me as much as revolution. Never thought a ride with one inversion and 2 strange drops would end up in my top 10 but here we are. The station announcement is still stuck in my bloody head. Everyday when I travel by london underground my mind just plays "please stand behind the yellow line" repeatedly. So thanks for that one. But anyway you wait until the ride attendant pushes down a pedal on your car section to pull down your restraint (yes, it`s really that old) and then your off. A weird launch but the ejector jolt in the back row of this thing is just... wow. Insanity. The circular loop is super super intense and then to make it even more intense you do it backwards. Absolute knockout. followed by another strong jolt of air before coming to a very abrupt stop in the station where you disembark. Only fault i have with this is it can do your neck in from how aggressive it is. Not really a rough ride, definitely not glossy smooth but caused a fair bit of pain in it after getting off. Top 3 at blackpool and top 10 in UK. Quality

First Drop Pace Intensity Harness Discomfort

I REALLY wanted to hate this. I REALLY wanted to jump on the coaster enthusiast train of "SLCs are a load of shite". I went in safe in the knowledge that this would be the worst coaster I had ever ridden. But I just couldn`t. It didn`t turn out that way. Yes, the restraints are bulkier than a HGV and YES it does leave you with red ears for a substantial time afterward. BUT. The layout of it is exhilarating for me. Both times I rode this I did it in the back with people I knew directly next to or in front of me and they all hated it. But I loved it. The drop on this is genuinely amazing. Lovely air, snappy and bloody speedy. The first inversion has some amazing whip and... well I kinda zoned out to the forces after that so I can`t recall every single element on this but the whip, near misses with water and pace of this ride blew me away more than I had ever imagined in my wildest dreams. The final two inversions, although blisteringly fast are a bit of a stinker cause by this point my head was playing a game of pinball between those dreadful restraints but the pain never left me with a headache and was NOWHERE near even close to as bad as I imagined. Maybe I`ve been conditioned to it what with riding SAW and Colossus at my home park pretty much every week but that was my take on things. The second ride I had on it even left me feeling a tiny bit nauseated and what with how often I ride coasters that`s very rare for me. Probably had something to do with the pleasure beach rich tomato pasta and pint of beer I just had before going on this but nevertheless, I digress. Had a sip of water and went straight on the big one after. Good times. I went in thinking it was gonna be the worst thing ever. Got off contemplating whether it was better than Nemesis Inferno, which in my eyes it is.

Airtimes Pace Discomfort

Was actually proper nervous for this one cause I was aware before going in like most people are that this has a reputation for being very rough. Did it anyway and it was nowhere even close to as bad as I thought it would be. According to my mate who had been on before several times we had an exceptionally smooth ride on it though as when he went with his mate a year ago his mate thought he broke his arm after. Nevertheless, has good airtime, amazing feeling of losing control and a surprising few moments of real good jolt. I must confess to having a rusty memory of this one cause I kinda got scared my heart stopped working at the end cause I couldn`t feel it beating and that wiped most memory I have of this right down the drain. Stupid I know but had me worried for a second. As you can probably tell I emerged from nash with my body still in functioning order and it`s going up there as my no2 woodie.

First Drop Pace Harness Discomfort

Had 3 rides over 2 days on this great big red and blue thing. Wasn`t expecting much but that first ride I had on it I can confidently say was one of the only times I`ve reached the final brake run and been speechless except for a "holy shit" going back in the station. The restraints on this involve a seatbelt and what I can best describe as a "flying fish job" lap bar. Easy work for airtime room. You don`t truly appreciate the sheer size and scale of this ride until your actually up there at 213 or 235 ft or whatever it is (who cares its bloody tall either way) and everything else around you pales in size comparison. Unlike a modern hyper all slick and slimlined this thing is long, chunky and messy looking. Beautiful sight. You then go down its drop. Bloody. Nora. That things got more whip than every ice cream seller in blackpool put together at the back row, jolting you abruptly to the side and making you feel as if you`ve lost all control. Hands down the best singular coaster element I`ve ever experienced. In the middle it dies down a lot so probably doesn`t hold that title but the back is definitely the one. You then go into a triangular hill with nothing. Maybe the tiniest flutter of floater if your lucky. Other than that nothing. Turnaround is scenic but fast and then you make the return trip. Nothing much exciting really happens here from then on out but it keeps its speed really well. That`s the fastest I`ve ever felt I was going on a coaster and the midcourse which doesn`t slow you down at all is actually scary to me. It just feels so relentless. So that`s basically it. Amazing drop, very fast but can be VERY rough. Second and third rides on it, one back one middle felt like I was going through a smoothie maker at times. The no air on the majority of the course, 2 train ops and headache aside this thing is fantastic for the drop and speed. Easy number 4 coaster

Airtimes Duration Harness Discomfort

To be honest, it was alright. Nothing more and nothing less. We stopped on the lift cause they dispatched a few seconds too soon (which is props to the blackpool ride ops) but feeling them anti rollbacks kick in you can tell how old this thing is. Amazing classic woodie stuff. Airtime is more on the floater side and there`s a fair bit of it. Not gonna complain too much about the roughness cause I know it`s age and it`s surprising it ain`t bordering on unsafe levels of rattle at this point but this one was a hurter. Leg smacked into the side of the lap bar at one point during the ride, leaving a pretty nasty bruise but hey ho, I knew what I was getting myself into. I honestly found it rougher than nash although I did get an amazing ride on it for nash standards. You gotta do it when you come to blackpool, it`s such a classic and it deserves respect but you wouldn`t see me lining up in excess of 30 mins for it. Ride it for the history and the floater but dont expect amazing air or anything like that. I probably need more rides on it to form a more solid opinion but that was my experience in a nutshell

Theming Pace Fun Too short

Not really too much to say about this one. Good fun and worth doing for sure and it`s got a very good pace to it as it builds up speed, especially toward the end. The theming is bloody good and all, makes you feel like your actually going on an old style swiss expedition in the station. A bit on the rattlier side and the riding position is uncomfortable at the best of times. If your with someone else it can be downright awkward. I`d queue 30 mins for this, probably no more cause there`s better stuff to do here but if its on a short line then definitely give it a whirl. Fun times

Harness Layout Ejectors Headbanging Reliability

Saw is another coaster I ride several times a week. As such, I have ridden in every car and seat position over the years and have gathered a very good understanding and appreciation for the ride. Here is my review. The theming is a very nice touch, with a plaza ambience and queueline track adding to the atmosphere of the area. But that queueline track can get really, really, REALLY annoying. Saw has consistently the longest queue on park from open til close. Even on dead days you`ll most likely be waiting at least 45 minutes for it, which is unlucky because this has by far the worst queueline on park in my opinion. Cattlepen after cattlepen, slow moving and a bit bland (and add in the usual thorpe park target audience blazing up listening to their music on loud speakers) makes for an unpleasant experience to say the least. If the temperatures that day are approaching or exceeding 30dg then you might wanna grab a fastpass. But the short indooor queueline is amazingly detailed and the station is one of my favourite stations. Boarding the cars you will notice that these have the classic Gerstlauer OTSRs. I have no idea why people don`t like these, they are airtime room heaven if you know how to pull them down to get room (push your legs together. your welcome). Pay attention to the number on the side of your car. The cars vary in smoothness, with car 7 generally being the smoothest of the lot and cars 2 and 6 being the roughest. I have built up an immunity to this ride and it causes me zero levels of pain whatsoever (in fact I think the roughness adds to the ride) but for some people saw can be really really bad on their head. If this is you, kindly request the back row of the car. Dispatching from the station, if you are in the first car you will go down the surprisingly powerful indoor drop almost immediately but if you are in the second car you get a little preshow, which is a nice touch. There is one indoor inversion, a heartline roll (TIP: Cross and fold your legs just before going through this. once again, your welcome) which delivers some lovely sustained hangtime. The outdoor 100dg 100ft drop is the gimmick of this ride, but it doesn`t even make my top 3 moments of the ride. Its good, don`t get me wrong but its sort of just there .And if your in the front row of the car at the base of that drop and are not used to rougher rides then my thoughts are with you because your head is getting battered like a chip shop sausage. You go into the second inversion, an immelmann which is by far my least favourite part of the ride. It just don`t do jack all for me, feels forceless and may as well not be there. To be honest I actually feel like that part needs to be rougher, might actually add a bit of spice to it. The turnaround after it is a matter of a couple of degrees away from being an inversion and it gives a nice feeling of some lats. The moment directly after though, cross your legs and fold them again cause you will be at the very least moderately tossed out of your seat. This airtime hill is outstanding and has been testing the hairlines of its riders since it opened. Everything just rises up and that is probably my favourite part of the ride. The midcourse follows which doesn`t slow you down one bit and you get absolutely YANKED out of your seat on the exit to it and into an insanely aggressive and rough diveloop, filled with awesome Gerstlauer rattle. This is probably my second favourite part of the ride and it ends it off with a bang (quite literally, this thing literally turns some peoples heads into puree) before sliding very aggressively into the brakes. As you could probably tell from all of that i really really do like SAW and it is my joint first on park. Some agree, some call me insane and some literally don`t have any opinion of it but despite the amount of praise I have given it, there is one thing I cant excuse it for. Its reliability. The guys outside football stadiums selling hooky tickets just before an event starts are probably more reliable than this thing. Most days it wont open on time and pretty much every day expect at the very least an hour of downtime. But that`s just the way it is and one of the only negatives to an otherwise amazing coaster which is up there with the best in the UK in my opinion

Airtimes Fun Discomfort Reliability

I am fortunate enough to be able to ride Colossus every week and as such I have experienced this ride in every seat possible on every train, during all weather conditions and times of day. And I have to say its really nowhere near as bad as people can make it out to be. The landscaping (I would call it theming, but that is few and far between on this ride) is stunning, with an incredible soundtrack score alongside it which makes the area feel like no other in the UK. Seriously even if you don`t wanna particularly ride it or even if you hate the ride just spend some time watching it weave around the landscape. It looks magic. The queue line is actually a pretty good one, with minimal cattle penning and quite a nice scenic walkthrough beneath the ride. Of course, the reality will most likely be you waiting in it for upwards of 90 minutes boxed in by 14 year old chavs blasting "the latest grime and drill hits" on a 20 quid Bluetooth speaker with the odd smell of lynx Africa wafting through the air and that might make you have not such a high opinion of it. But nevertheless, a good queue. You`ll be waiting in it for what seems like an eternity though because operations on this ride are shockingly bad most of the time. A combination of an old operating system, out of date restraints and guests faffing about in the station. Once you reach the station you`ll often be assigned a row. If you get the front of each car then your most likely in for an at least somewhat enjoyable ride experience (arguably the best on park if you get allocated to the very front row) but if you get allocated to the back of a car then you better hope your a contortionist or 4ft 2 because these things are an absolute nightmare to get in and out of. Tip: if you get allocated to one of there rows then give all the bags to the person who will sit on the left hand side of the train. Trust me, you`ll thank me. The main drop actually has some decent floater at the base of it in the middle rows and the loop is somewhat intense. The hill that follows it gives a nice dose of floater which is many peoples favorite part of the ride. The cobra roll can give some decent forces which is followed by 2 pretty snappy corkscrews. If you get lucky this can be a really good part of the ride with some varied forces. Unfortunately some of the time that isn't the case. You'll most likely find the train spending most the time in the first half of the ride shivering like a humping dog. And i8f your in the back row you better hope that you've got some ibuprofen or some money to buy some because you are gonna need it. The second half begins, which is 4 back to back heartline rolls. These give some pretty great hangtime but my tip is to not put your hands up and to just hold on for this section. If you don't, you may return home to find that your upper arms look like you've gone 7 rounds in the ring with Tyson Fury. After a brief turnaround you go into my favorite inversion on the ride, a final heartline roll in the other direction before entering the brake run. Where you will wait for an average of about 3 minutes because this rides operations are beyond saving at this point. So a lot of things that it could improve on. But also a pretty solid ride all in all. Definitely not the worst thing you`ll ever experience like some people make it out to be but also not worth the weekend 120 minute queues it produces. Give it a go, it may surprise you and you may like it a fair bit like me.