Ride manufacturer: Six Flags Theme Parks, Inc.Simply moving around in the Mako isn't as intuitive as you may expect.In addition to designing and building coasters from the ground up, RMC restores tired, old wooden coasters by adding an innovative steel track, or “ hybrid coasters.” It would seem to be an ideal candidate for an Iron Horse makeover by Rocky Mountain Construction, the company that built the park’s Goliath. Modeled after Coney Island’s legendary Cyclone, Viper has all of that ride’s gritty brutality with none of its charm. It was excessively rough (although not painfully rough like another Great America coaster that has not aged well, American Eagle) and offered little in the way of airtime. At one time, it may have been an exemplary ride, but sadly, not when we gave it a go. It has a good reputation, and some coaster fans consider it among the best woodies. Viper is another Great America coaster for which we had great expectations before we visited the park. Hey, Six Flags and B&M: Do what needs to be done to remove the trim brakes and restore Raging Bull to its intended glory. When we re-rode it in the second row, there were some minor out-of-seat moments, but nothing like the major-league, gravity-defying, mind-blowing airtime that coasters such as Apollo's Chariot provide. To be fair, our first ride was in the back of the train. The rest of the ride, while smooth, was also lacking any airtime. What is the sense of having a hypercoaster, which is designed for speed and airtime, and neutering it? The trim brakes slowed it down and prevented any negative-G moments. Instead of soaring up for an expected huge pop of airtime, there was…nothing. Raging into the first hill following the drop, a trim brake (the bane of coaster fans) sucked all the life out of the ride. Oh how disappointed we were.Īfter clicking up the long lift hill, Raging Bull delivered a wonderful 208-foot first drop. Manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard, the Swiss makers of incredible hypercoasters such as Nitro and Apollo's Chariot (which we consider to be among the top 10 best steel roller coasters in North America), we had high hopes. If you are facing long lines at the ride and at the park in general, you may want to consider purchasing the premium line management add-on. Note that because it is a shuttle coaster and uses one train (and is in high demand as one of the park’s featured rides), Vertical Velocity often has long lines. It’s another gimmicky ride, but it offers intense bursts of adrenaline-pumping thrills. Vertical Velocity is not for the faint-hearted. The cycle repeats a couple more times before slowing and stopping. When riders stop at the top of the second tower, they face 90 degrees down and experience a nice pop of airtime while they hang suspended. Vertical Velocity hangs for a few moments, releases backwards through the station (creating a wicked burst of wind for guests near the front of the line), and gets a second dose of magnetically induced booster power to propel it even higher up the second tower, which includes a spiral. The 28-passenger train screams forward out of the station up one tower of the U-shaped track. As a shuttle coaster, it races forwards and backwards on a disconnected track. They are all mighty beasts. Unlike more traditional coasters, Vertical Velocity foregoes a lift hill and uses magnetic motors to launch and propel it. There are similar rides at other parks, including Cedar Point.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |