James C. - Reviews

I don't think I'll ever forgive Blackpool for removing this coaster, especially with the way it was handled. It was one hell of a crazy experience: ejector with only a seatbelt, super heavy laterals a...

I don't think I'll ever forgive Blackpool for removing this coaster, especially with the way it was handled. It was one hell of a crazy experience: ejector with only a seatbelt, super heavy laterals and an exciting sense of danger. Yeah, it was certainly a bit rough around the edges, but I can forgive that for the very unique experience it offered (for me). One of the main reasons to visit the Pleasure Beach when it was alive; thank god for Icon (and Valhalla) otherwise the park would be sorely lacking in appealing coasters. Still, even with Icon being the main focus of my latest visit, not being able to ride the Wild Mouse at all was very sad, especially since it'll never be ridden again :( RIP you insane little thing. One of the best coasters ever to grace the UK, and probably always will be

A fantastic coaster for the park! The launches aren't great, as expected really, but everything else about the ride was better than I expected. My favourite moment is the immelmen loop (particularly t...

A fantastic coaster for the park! The launches aren't great, as expected really, but everything else about the ride was better than I expected. My favourite moment is the immelmen loop (particularly the airtime on the exit), but really Icon isn't about specific moments, but more the whole package and layout as one. It's long, consistently fun and exciting and more forceful than I expected for sure. It's a completely different experience to any other coaster in the UK, and I couldn't be happier with the result realistically. Looooove it!

The coaster itself is surprisingly good. Not sure why I was surprised given that Gravity Group coasters are consistently very good, but I can say that its simple layout doesn’t hinder its ability to g...

The coaster itself is surprisingly good. Not sure why I was surprised given that Gravity Group coasters are consistently very good, but I can say that its simple layout doesn’t hinder its ability to give good airtime on every hill, channelling its inner Phoenix you could say (though not a patch on that gem of course). The hill known infamously for its brutal ejector moment comes out of nowhere to surprise first-time riders, and I honestly can’t decide if it improved the ride or spoilt it a bit; hard to say. I only managed one ride before I had to leave unfortunately, partly because I underestimated how busy the park would be and arrived late, and partly because operations on the coaster were poor. One train ops, an unnecessarily long load/unload process and a break-down totalled up to an hour-long wait, which wasn’t necessary even given the crowds. So conclusion: the coaster was good which is the most important thing; the rest of my experience at the park less so.

It’s a pretty exhausting coaster, especially in very hot weather and if you try to continually re-ride it. It has a good amount of traditional wooden coaster rattle, although perhaps a bit too much fo...

It’s a pretty exhausting coaster, especially in very hot weather and if you try to continually re-ride it. It has a good amount of traditional wooden coaster rattle, although perhaps a bit too much for some in the back row of cars 5 and 6. The layout is long and the pace barely lets up, so it’s far from easy-going, but this is what makes it such a strong coaster. It’s an overall very intense experience, full of airtime moments and lateral movements that are thrown at you often very suddenly. This did tire me out, but certainly left me nothing if not really impressed. A CCI that’s more than holding it’s own against newer installations.

Wow! This may have looked like one of the weaker RMCs when the layout was first released, but in real-life that is absolutely not true! It may be short, but the ride works that to its advantage. It ha...

Wow! This may have looked like one of the weaker RMCs when the layout was first released, but in real-life that is absolutely not true! It may be short, but the ride works that to its advantage. It hauls through the layout at an increasingly ridiculous amount of speed for such a small coaster; the airtime becoming increasingly more extreme. Every element is taken to the max; no slightly underwhelming parts or elements that don't fit. The flow of the layout may actually be unparalleled by any RMC I've ridden so far. Phenomenal ride! The RMC you'd never expect to be so incredible. It's not quite my favourite one because of the layout and length, but it's a lot further up my list than I expected!

Yum! It may not be one of the newer B&M Hypers, but it keeps up with with them easily (except for the first drop perhaps). The ride is smooth for its age and the airtime is very tasty and sustained (q...

Yum! It may not be one of the newer B&M Hypers, but it keeps up with with them easily (except for the first drop perhaps). The ride is smooth for its age and the airtime is very tasty and sustained (quite strong too). The helix is pretty intense and adds more variety to the layout than your average turnaround on one of these coasters. Though there is a bonus turnaround/dive element shortly after which is fab, before you enter the fantastic bunny hill finale. Goliath comes up pretty high in my B&M Hyper rankings mostly because it doesn’t waste a second being anything less than awesome; it may not be the biggest or the longest, but the airtime quality, bonus positive Gs and consistent pace make it very competitive!