Coaster reviews

Comfort Launch Masterpiece

This coaster had sooooo much hype to live up to and boy oh boy did it deliver. Velocicoaster from top to bottom is the complete package. It has brilliant theming all throughout, tells a cohesive story with you being the first riders of a new coaster through a raptor paddock in an open Jurassic World, the coaster itself is MAGNIFICENT with good launches with the second being every bit as good as that of Taron which Velocicoaster often gets compared to. This however is just sooooooo much better than Taron. The variety that Taron lacks is what actually makes Velocicoaster great. Its got the speed, its got four fantastic inversions,its got the airtime and its got the pacing. The stall and iconic mosasaurus roll are two amazing inversions and the airtime on the top hat is fantastic. The operations on this is wonderful with 40 second dispatches being the norm across my days at Universal. All in all, this coaster is an absolute homerun for Universal AND Intamin!!

Pace Masterpiece Intensity Capacity

Well Iron Gwazi. Where do I even start? Whilst I will say right off the bat that Steel Vengeance is still my top RMC and with that number one coaster, Iron Gwazi is certainly the most intense and punchy RMC out there. The ride absolutely hammers you with a great mix of positive G Forces and also stunning airtime in its layout. The drop is sensational, the outerbank is airtime heaven,the death roll is hands down my favourite inversion on a coaster, the wave turn is a wonderful element, the stall is taken wonderfully and the latter airtime hills all deliver the goods. Now people like to compare this to Zadra and I personally have to say thats an easy win for Iron Gwazi. Is the drop on Zadra better? No. Are the inversions on Zadra better than Iron Gwazi's? No. Is the wave turn better? No. Is the airtime better? No. Is it more intense? No. So I really think its a no contest and taken into account Zadra is also an epic coaster, that should tell you exactly how good Iron Gwazi is. One negative though has to be the operations. 3-5 minute dispatches is just not good. It was very common to see the previously dispatched train parked up in the break run before the loading train even had its lap bars put down. Hopefully that improves. That however is the only negative for an otherwise perfect coaster!!

Theming Comfort Launch Dead spots

Taron is the absolute star of Phantasialand and at present is my favourite Intamin coaster. Some coasters excel at theming but poor as coasters like Baron at Efteling. Some excel as coasters but lack theming. Taron is the first coaster I have done that offers a masterful coaster AND gorgeous theming. The theming on Taron and how the ride interracts with Klugheim is absolutely incredible. The coaster itself has two fun launches ESPECIALLY the second, some nice airtime moments and some nice snappy transitions. This is also helped by the brilliant open next gen intamin trains. These trains and restraints to me are the best in the industry as the bar isnt bulky and heavy like the Mack equivalent and the raised seat is super comfy. Thumbs up in this area. The MAIN critiques I have for Taron is that it lacks variety in its layout and is repetitive, the pacing can feel off especially the way it seems to be running out of steam before launch two and those trims at the end wreck those hills. Those aside, Taron is every bit the masterpiece that its fans say it is!!

First Drop Intensity Layout

Lech Coaster truely is a sign of intent from Vekoma. This ride absolutely took me by surprise on my first rides on it. The first thing that goes through my mind with Lech is "holy heck this thing is intense" and boy when I say intense, I mean intense!!. Lech is a consistent grey out machine and had me greying out at several points in its layout namely at the bottom of its incredible first drop which was sustained all the way through to the pull out of its first inversion. The intensity of it is that strong that it renders it quite hard for me to marathon it. That does not take anything from the ride though. As I mentioned, the first drop is incredible. One of the best drops out there at the moment especially when sat in the back. I also must praise Vekoma on the vest restraint they use for Lech. Whereas the vests on B&M coasters such as Banshee,Valravn and Valkyria take away massively from those rides in terms of restricting you from enjoying some airtime, Lechs loose vests allow you to enjoy every last second of airtime the ride throughs at you. All in all, a splendid coaster and most certainly Vekomas best.

Comfort Fun Layout

Troy at present is my favourite wooden coaster (not RMC made). It has a nice aggressive feel to it that would be akin to some old school woodies whilst also delivering a relatively comfortable ride owing to the comfy GCI millennium flyer trains. I am very much in the minority who seem to prefer Troy to Wodan. I feel it has a layout that packs a greater punch and the additional duration also seals the deal.

Airtimes Layout Duration

Well well well. What can I say about Steel Vengeance?? Well without beating about the bush, this is the greatest coaster I have ever ridden in my life. Absolutely EVERYTHING I could love about a coaster is featured on this ride. A great first drop, astounding airtime and loads of it, four fun inversions, head choppers, a long ride from drop to the breaks, beautiful pacing, variety of sensations and a lovely setting beside the lake. This coaster just takes it all and blends it into a beautiful mix. I can not for the life of me fault Steel Vengeance AS A LAYOUT. Even the midcourse takes nothing away from the coaster especially considering the strong airtime pop you get heading into it and the airtime you get on the drop coming off it if the break doesnt hit hard. I am also glad to hear the ride has had its loose articles policy sorted out with the free lockers near the station. I say this because on my last visit, they was using the pouch on train policy which slowed its operations and therefore its throughput right down to the point of it being pointless to run it on three trains. So yes, nothing else to say apart from it truely is the undisputed best coaster out there.

Fun Layout Rattle Dead spots

The best way I can describe Helix is that its a "jack of all trades,master of none" coaster. The coaster features a nice blend of inversions with 3 good airtime moments. Accompanied with its hill setting and it all makes for a fun coaster. I will not mention its launches for this review because the weak launches have been mentioned to death. My issues with Helix are that theres a slight rattle through some of its inversions, the pacing is on and off on it depending on when you ride and I also feel it has dead spots galore that break up the elements on this ride that make it a solid top ten coaster such as its inverted top hat and final airtime hill. The queue line is also HIDEOUS looking in my opinion. Just ugly concrete and chipped metal all over the place, I get its not supposed to be themed but surely it could be made to look nicer than it presently does. These issues aside, Helix is currently my favourite coaster Mack have produced and a solid good fun top 10 coaster!!

Masterpiece Intensity Layout

Honestly was it not for the additional length on Steel Vengeance, this piece of art would be by far and away the best coaster I have done!! Where do I even begin?? The first drop is incredible and that headchopper at the bottom is terrifying, the massive turnaround element combines greyout intensity AND strong ejector airtime in a brilliant manner, the three inversions are taken brilliantly, it has the best pacing of any coaster out there and it just does not let up from drop to breaks. If theres ANY slight niggle I have with the ride, the queue is excessively long to walk through in regards to rerides and it COULD possibly have gone on for a little longer which is the only reason I would still rank Steel Vengeance above it. Other than that, easily Europes greatest coaster and easily my second favourite coaster!!