50 years of coasters – 2008

2008 is most notable to me for being the first year in which I actively started riding the actual big, high thrill, loopy coasters I was so fascinated by, though I remained entirely limited (by adolescence) to the lineup of Thorpe Park. Elsewhere, many exciting developments were taking place including a couple of real legends, none of which I would have heard of back then. It’s a scary thought.

This leisurely horseback trundle around a figure of 8 layout was one of two Zamperla Motocoasters to open this year, as a new model for the company, characterised by the unusual seating position. Bonus points for the little moment of interaction with the rapids ride and for having entertaining staff.

Suddenly everything is interacting with a neighbouring rapids ride. In this particular instance this Maurer spinner sits mostly above the water attraction and gets to share in a few of the special effects along the way, including a bit of fire, as well as being a decent coaster in it’s own right.

Sometimes visuals are everything and a park like Tibidabo has the fortune of offering some spectacular views over Barcelona from its mountain-top location. Chuck in a terrain hugging Vekoma family coaster with a great first drop and some forceful turns and you can’t really go wrong.

Gerstlauer continued to experiment this year and unleashed their first launch coaster in the form of Lynet. It featured a new style of 6 seater cars with slightly tiered seating which you have to assume are more aerodynamic than the usual rolling stock found on their high thrill coasters up until this point. While these alone gave no real improvement on the comfort department, the tracking of this ride was unexpectedly excellent when I happened across it, something they’d been struggling with in the years leading up to this point.

Gerstlauer played a part in this one too, providing the rolling stock for a special team up with fellow German company Cordes Holzbau, the timber experts who were involved with the construction of all but the most recent (incoming) Intamin pre-fab woodies. Sadly Mammut doesn’t come anywhere close to the experience of those, though it’s a solid and rerideable coaster with it’s own particular charms.

Watch out, Intamin are back. Improving on their vastly inferior debut model of the family launch coaster just up the road from Sea World, Jet Rescue continued to demonstrate that the company can put out a top quality product in basically any corner of the market. High speed twists and turns, an almost non-existent height differential and comfy seating make this a winner.

They’re not stopping yet. The first of two Mega-Lites to be built this year showed off their as yet unmatched knack for delivering clinical, unstoppable airtime in the most compact package yet. The design was an instant hit, though I found this particular version of it to ride a little sluggish and unloved.

B&M’s token entry into the top three this time is a slightly altered version of US giant Griffon, a ride I somehow forgot to include in last year’s lineup – obviously showing how forgettable some of these dive coasters end up being! Against an overly hazy Guangzhou sky, visuals aren’t the strongest point for this imaginatively named version. Instead the way in which it was being operated proved to be a standout for me, with almost no braking force applied on the midcourse it was flying into that second near-vertical drop with incredible vigour.

The other Mega-Lite for the year became Europe’s one and only. It’s identical in all but colour to the earlier entry on the list, as far as anyone can tell, but there’s something about Piraten that just pops when compared to counterparts. It runs well, too well, ensuring that not one inch of track is wasted in delivering a world class coaster experience.

They’ve swept the field for ’08 now. The last of the Intamin pre-fab woodies to be built so far is another insane display of why their design was a cut above the rest when it came to ridiculously steep drops and mind-blowing out of your seat moments. Everland haven’t built another rollercoaster since T-Express, it’s like they don’t even know how to top it. Does anyone?

To be fair to B&M, I’m missing a chunk of their ’08 roster. Behemoth was the next in the long line of hyper coasters and provided Canada’s Wonderland with a massive headlining crowd pleaser.
While also bruising countless thighs, Intamin were knocking out a multi looper with a vertical lift by the name of Fahrenheit. I’ve stood at the foot of this thing, only to be told it was too cold to run it, while simultaneously being sunburnt. I’ll be back.
All these Gravity Group rides I’m missing out on make me sad. Ravine Flyer II is no exception. If anyone knows how to top Everland, this lot do.
The catchily named SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is the only catchily named Eurofighter 410 in existence, and that’s reason enough for inclusion.
The notoriously short lived Hard Rock/Freestyle Music Park opened in this year, with the star coaster being Time Machine. Luckily the hardware was saved and shipped across the world and it currently operates in Vietnam.
I thought I knew all the Tornados, but apparently not. I don’t understand it and probably never will.

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50 years of coasters – 2007

After such a huge year before it, there was bound to be a bit of an ebb for 2007. That’s not to say that the showings this year aren’t still outshining that which we saw, say, 10 years ago. It’ll always be on the up overall from here on out, we just haven’t quite got any of the sheer game changing insanity in the list today, sadly. The best rollercoasters really do come in ups and downs, it’s rather appropriate really.

A fascinating little ride with a significant dark ride section. For some reason they decided to add a VR option to this coaster in later years, entirely defeating the point of the various physical scenes and effects to be appreciated throughout the indoor portion of the layout, something I’ll never understand. Once the car emerges into the outside world, the clunkiness of certain Senyo Kogyo coasters shines through, but that’s only a bonus in this case.

A solid Gerstlauer Eurofighter with both floaty and punchy features. I wasn’t too fussed about this one back in the day. It likely contributed to the ‘is this it?’ feeling that was brewing inside me while exploring the lesser known attractions of the UK for the first time. Having since become far more unhealthily obsessed I managed to appreciate Rage a lot more for what it is, even going as far as having a mini marathon on it on my most recent visit.

Intamin are back on another mini spree of hydraulic launchers this year. First up is a safe clone of Rita from Alton Towers a couple of years ago. This one seemed to run smoother overall, probably because it’s operated by the Germans, slightly enhancing the mildly interesting high speed layout.

The boat was pushed out far more for this installation though. Intamin’s first (and so far only) launched wing coaster. Baco has a bit of a reputation for being brutal, with the way the seats sit far outside of the track and have the ability to bounce and flex around rather violently under any force, but even in the supposed worst seat I found that this only improved the experience through sheer comedy. Without that, it’s just a figure of 8 layout, and that would bother me.

The first Eurofighter to make it across the Atlantic and Dollywood chose to use the hardware in a much more exciting manner. Mystery Mine has indoor lift hills, special effects and a storyline that potentially outperform the coaster itself and it definitely raised the bar for both the manufacturer and the ride type.

This appears to be a year of dark ride sections, no complaints from me about that. It’s literally the only factor that puts this otherwise underwhelming water coaster on this list, but it’s clearly a good one. The theming, visuals and soundtrack for this attraction are on another level and all I can think is that I need to spend more time with this ride.

Maurer are back with their X-Car model and it’s vastly superior to the (deceased) original in literally every way. A punchy launch begins proceedings as opposed to the hideous beyond vertical lift hill, the restraints seem less restrictive on the breathing and the layout itself is a wonderful blend of all the stuff great coasters are made of.

Big year for the Dutch parks with three cracking attractions in a row. GCI’s second European installation went bigger and badder and put this little up and coming park on the map for most enthusiasts in a big way. While I’m not Troy’s greatest fan by any means, I’ve had a ton of fun on it and can never deny the power of a decent wooden coaster.

The momentum swings back and forth between the big manufacturers at the moment and it’s B&Ms time to shine again. They were busy out in Asia making this massive invert and though it’s far from their best work, being rather more graceful than intense for my personal tastes despite the scale and 6 inversions, these things always perform well in these lists (for now).

And they top another list with a hyper coaster that’s not really a hyper coaster (not this again). This relative miniature (at only 144ft) blends beautifully into the Universal city landscape here at the studios and manages to put most of it’s bigger brethren elsewhere in the world to shame. Something about that layout just flows better and hits harder than what I’ve generally come to expect from this ride type. And then of course you can ride it backwards these days and that’s a whole different ball game. Love it.

I badly need some Boardwalk Bullet in my life, a tangled mess of Gravity Group goodness seems right up my street.
The big news of the year was likely Maverick for most people, the first breakaway from that hydraulic design for what is in theory the birth of new age Intamin launch coasters. Has to be in with a shout.
GCI also knocked out Renegade for the states, which should end up being a solid hit for the list.
The surprise news was probably Zierer putting out this launched ‘Tower Coaster‘, having pretty much stuck to the family market for their whole career, it was a big step for them and I can’t wait to try out the result.
One more notable for the year, just for how ridiculous it is – the world’s longest coaster, in a non-traditional sense, is the 17,000ft Alpine Coaster Tobotronc in Andorra, more than twice the length of the conventional record holder. My mind can’t fathom the scale, but I’ll say this – soon.

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50 years of coasters – 2006

This one’s a big one. By far the most stacked year we’ve had yet. The Millennium boom may have been all about size and scale, but for me this one is where the true excitementa of the decade lies. A recurring trend here seems to be the continued improvement and development of some already existing ride types that were doing well previously, just pushing the boundaries a little further and in many cases coming up with something extra special. Diving in right now.

Strong start with a popular coaster from the UK and, you know, I don’t think I’ve moaned about clones nearly enough recently – an identical pair of these opened on opposite sides of the world, just over a month apart. Stealth easily wins in the theming department and so claims the spot on the list. I’m less enamored with the layout than most due to the simplicity of the experience. I can’t however deny the rush comes from that, as once exclaimed enthusiastically by a fellow rider, £4 for 4 seconds. Probably costs more now.

This Premier Rides launch coaster was the last of three of these installations to hit the then Paramount park chain of North America, with the others opening at Kings Island and Canada’s Wonderland a year prior. Though the acceleration is nothing to match the above, you get a bit more of a journey out of this one and there’s even some theming and storyline chucked in for a laugh. The physical effects weren’t working when I was there, mind you, but that added comedy and the sentiment still stands.

After three years of silence, the B&M Flying coaster is back and making its first appearance in Asia, where a good few more are destined to end up over the next decade. The Happy Valley chain are often fans of tried and tested layouts and so opted for the world’s fourth ‘Superman’ layout. They certainly made it their own at least, with a staggeringly huge and intricate theming package that definitely adds to the onboard experience and overall visuals like never before.

More globalisation, and this time it’s GCI making their mark over in Europe. The fetching two tone colour schemes of the trains are one of the standout features of this one which, though undoubtedly a good ride as all woodies from this manufacturer tend to be, never really stood out much for me. Still honing their craft and looking for that perfection. It’ll come.

Impressive showing for B&M after an unusual absence last year. It’s partly my fault for not yet riding a few, admittedly, but six installations this year versus two in 2005 – something was going well. This lineup included a couple of Hyper coasters, both named Goliath and both going to Six Flags parks though, mercifully, they aren’t the same. Georgia received the larger one as well as the only one of the two I’ve ridden so far and it’s a solid entry. Nothing mindblowing, but does what it says on the tin and most people love that.

After a hectic 2005 full of all manner of Accelerators, Intamin came back strong with another example of these at their best. A fun, efficient ride that packs plenty of variety into a fast paced layout, it’s exactly the sort of thing I look for in a coaster. Speed Monster also invented the Norwegian Loop (pictured), which remains a rarity but one of my favourite inversions.

Aside from another Superman it was time for B&M to step things up a gear with the Flying coaster and Magic Mountain provided them with the perfect setting to do just that. Tatsu really plays on the height and sensation of flight that comes with the available terrain and saving the brutal pretzel loop until the last moment was a stroke of genius.

With Inverts still staying mostly on top for me, for now, Black Mamba seemingly attempted to outdo European rival Nemesis when it comes to the intense integration of a high thrill rollercoaster into its surroundings. On some levels they certainly succeeded, as you can barely see any of the ride and some of the moments of interaction are top notch. it doesn’t quite have the narrative to carry it forward, nor the crushing positive forces of that particular legend of the industry, but it’s a damn good B&M.

The previous Intamin pre-fab woodies had already made some waves with their uncharacteristically steep drops and stronger than usual focus on intense airtime. By the time El Toro came around, Six Flags must have wanted to go harder than ever before and the result was this ridiculous contraption that essentially cut all the faff out of the original design, went taller, steeper and faster and bruised thighs like never before. It holds up to this day as one of the all time greats, and yet it still wasn’t the best thing to come out of 2006.

This insanity was. After prototype X at Magic Mountain had basically broken Arrow Dynamics for the last time it must have seemed entirely possible that we’d never see anything like a 4th Dimension coaster again. Fellow Utah-based company S&S got their hands on the plans however and unleashed a far more refined, yet even more incredible version of the very same concept out in the perfect park for something like this. Once again we’ve gone both taller and faster, but perhaps most importantly of all the seats on Eejanaika rotate themselves many more times throughout the layout to the point that you really can’t tell what’s happening any more and that makes it a completely different beast.

With such a strong field already, can there really be anything else out there to threaten?
Disney mine trains have always done well for me and from what I’ve seen and heard Expedition Everest could well be the most impressive of the lot so far.
The aforementioned Goliath of course has a shot at at least beating its twin, though I never know where I’ll stand with those hypers really.
The thought of the Kentucky Rumbler always makes me smile, even in name alone. The battle of the 2006 GCIs remains open.
Patriot has the potential to do put in a strong showing, as pretty much all custom B&M Inverts have done so far.
And just when I think it’s all over, Voyage teases me yet again. I should have been there at least twice over by now, experiencing this potential life changer until my hearts content. Surprisingly I feel 2006 is still ripe for the taking.
What a year.

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50 years of coasters – 2005

This year has produced an unusual list of coasters for me, one that bucks the trend from a lot of what we’ve seen recently in the series. Most notable is the absence of B&M – they had a relatively quiet year with only two coasters built, neither of which I’ve managed to ride yet. Rivals Intamin seemingly had a good time however, shifting seven unique units over the same time frame, though these mostly seem to fit a certain style that I’m not the biggest fan of. The result is a top 5 that looks rather different from what we’ve come to expect over the past few years.

A primarily visual spectacle that showed off Mack’s new turntable trick for their water coaster for the first time. What you see is what you get and there’s not really much to it, particularly with those large, lumbering boats, but it’s a definite upgrade over the standard shoot the chute water rides that came before it. Plus, being able to ‘count’ it is always a bonus for someone like myself.

Mountain, or Alpine Coasters, are a generally unsung side of the coasting world, mainly due to their highly contentious status as ‘coasters’ as well as perhaps their largely European domination and the fact that they rarely tend to feature alongside or within anything we’d consider a traditional coaster or theme park. The rollercoaster database currently lists 376 of the things, 349 of which are still operating, so they have the potential to make up a pretty sizeable chunk of the hobby if you’re that way inclined. Ever since 1996 they’d seen some pretty exponential growth and another 12 were built in 2005. Of those twelve, I’ve only experienced one, but it was a beast. They generally lead to a very long, sometimes exhausting ride time full of mild peril and this particular layout was almost succumbing to nature again by the time we reached it last year, with foliage scraping my lever-operating hands on several occasions.

A string of Intamin launch coasters begins with one of my locals, Rita (formerly the self-professed Queen of Speed). There’s a plaque up somewhere that declares it ‘best ride of 2005’ which has become a source of entertainment over multiple visits now by bringing up the discussion of how true that actually is. This list should put that to rights at least, Rita fires riders at just over 60Mph into a alternating series of turns and twisted hills that simply don’t deliver as much as I would personally like them to.

The relatively miniature Kanonen was a solid staple of Liseberg for a good number of years, with a punchy little launch, top hat and an interesting mix of elements. The rest of the lineup seemed to outgrow it however and the park made the wise decision to retire the ride after just 11 seasons in favour of continual growth and improvement. The hardware itself lives on and is destined to open in Iowa next year where I’m sure it will gain some new fans and appreciation.

Kanonen couldn’t really seem more miniature when up against this thing, opening less than a month later. To this day, Kingda Ka remains the tallest coaster in the world and was, unsurprisingly, the fastest for a number of years as well. It stole both records from the almost identically designed predecessor, Top Thrill Dragster, gaining a sprawling ‘airtime’ hill but also awkward shoulder restraints which, when there’s very little else to compare, make it a bit of a downgrade to be honest. The ride is stupidly huge and impressive, but I’m not all that fussed about it really – height and speed on their own just aren’t my thing.

Crazy, airtime filled Pax machines are much more my style and the now closed Formule 1 was certainly one of those. This particular model was a highly unusual wild mouse type affair with an unnervingly steep lift hill and set of drops. Sadly it had a bit of a troubled career that eventually ended in tragedy, but it managed to provide some great entertainment during our visits to the park.

Pax were clearly on a roll this year, or perhaps its just the coincidental fact that I’ve managed to catch up with more than one of them from 2005. For the next in the line of their ‘Wild Train’ designs, the off track shaping and overly sharp hill transitions pack an incredible punch for what was likely intended to be a bit of a family coaster and the resultant insanity has the potential to scare even the hardiest of thrill seekers.

The most accomplished and well rounded of the Intamin Accelerators this year for me, Superman has an extended tyre driven dark ride section before reaching the launch track. The layout draws on a very similar design to Rita from earlier in the year, but also includes a large top hat which is surprisingly powerful for one of these and takes those same remaining elements with a bit more pace than I had come to expect.

The grand opening of Hong Kong Disneyland this year brought another Space Mountain to the world. I just love the simple but effective layout here, which cranks up the disorientation levels of a ride in total darkness to the absolute max. Endless hairpin turns and downhill slopes just build and build the momentum, with each corner leaving you guessing as to which way you’re going to be thrown next. If anything, it was a welcome shelter from the relentless rain that day, hence the lack of a good photo.

Disney are back on top after 13 years, proving that they can still sometimes go toe to toe with the coaster world (although they also made a major misstep in that department this year) and not just the dark rides. This was also the year that Disneyland in California opened their own completely overhauled version of Space Mountain with completely new track and trains inside the original building of the 1977 version. Everything was just running perfectly when I came to ride this one, it gave that same Hong Kong experience cranked up to the max from every perspective – audial, visual and physical – all things a certain record breaker in this list is lacking. Throw in some soundtrack and magical ambience and you’re left with a killer attraction.

The obvious missing rides for me here are the B&Ms alluded to in the introduction.
Sheikra was the first time their Dive Machine went big in America. I’ve already experienced the slightly less well presented Chinese clone of the layout and would already likely crack the top three here.
Hydra the Revenge is a more unknown quantity for me, their next Floorless coaster that doesn’t always seem to receive the best of attention.
Given the success of the indoor (space themed) coasters this year, Galaxy Express 999, the Intamin that bucked the trend for the year by using tyre launch rather than their hydraulic system, looked fascinating. Sadly it’s no longer with us.
Skycar is the elusive Intamin I’m missing from the set and have actively tried not to learn much about for the sake of spoilers.
A ride I’m easily the most excited about and that has the potential to blow everything else here out of the water would be Hades 360, the debut build of my current favourite coaster manufacturer the Gravity Group. It’s worth noting that back in 2005 it was rather different from the experience it has since become, however.
Probably the best place to end it.

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50 years of coasters – 2004

There’s a bit of a mild mannered start to this year’s list as we continue to ride the downturn that seems to be following that millennium boom. The sheer numbers of new coasters opening across the world are back up again, but it generally looks like a quieter year for big spend on the big name manufacturers with Swiss stars Intamin only having two rides to their name (one of which is a stock model clone) compared to an impressive seven the previous year. Will they make it count?

I remember, somewhat tongue in cheek, declaring this the best coaster in Belgium back in 2016, so it’s alarming to think that this custom Vekoma Junior had a potential twelve years at the top of the game. Of course they had some bigger and badder stuff around, just nothing that really jumped out as worthy of recognition for me. Luckily the country has had a massive coaster revolution that’s looking to take the world by storm and I now find myself constantly thinking ‘I’ve got to get to Belgium as soon as possible.’

A consecutive annual appearance for French manufacturer Soquet, this fun little mine train gives a solid and characterful ride experience. Since my last visit the coaster has received an elaborate decorative overhaul and looks barely recognisable. New love for an old attraction is something that’s always great to see.

It’s starting to look like white/cream was the ‘in’ colour in 2004. After five years slowly gathering momentum in Europe, this was the year that Gerstlauer went global, breaking into both America and Asia with several different types of family coaster model that showed off their already diverse offerings. Aqua Wind was the next of the Bobsled model and brought some welcome thrills to this recently established Japanese theme park/water park hybrid.

This unsuspecting Senyo Kogyo coaster is cropping up everywhere on here, both from being one of my major milestones and a backwards blast. It ticks all the various boxes to stand out amongst a crowd of filler for me, with that custom layout, jet coaster aesthetic and circumstantial hilarity of an intense thunderstorm that all give it an edge over the competition.

The saga of S&S wooden coasters concludes just one year after it started. Only one of these made it outside the US and it’s the only one I’ve tried so far. It’s surprisingly good for the size, with decent tracking and agood range of forces. Not a game changer by any means and perhaps a reason they failed to stand out in this market, but I admire the attempt.

GCI were continuing to build that momentum however, with what were becoming their signature fast paced, twisted layouts. If anything there was too much emphasis put on that with a ride like Thunderhead, which laid claim to some form of world record for number of crossing points and turns. The end result is the basic aggression of wooden tracking is the overbearing sensation, with little else in the way of notable forces. This was also their first model to make use of the station flythrough element though, a moment I’ve come to love over the years.

A recent visit reminded me that I had left it far too long before becoming reacquainted with my local Maurer spinner. As far as I’m concerned it’s the best of the bunch for having that unique sprawling layout that just whips up a storm in a very natural manner, with none of those wild mouse turns that try and sometimes fail to get a rotation going. It sets Dragon’s Fury apart from your standard off the shelf spinning coasters by a significant distance.

It wouldn’t be a top 3 these days without at least one B&M. This glorious looking invert is on the lower end of the spectrum amongst its kind, perhaps one of the first to show a softer approach to the model with that gentle build of momentum in the first drop. With 6 inversions it’s obviously no slouch, but I’m not sure it’s as effective as it could have been. The interaction with the surroundings is top notch though.

Squeezing one of their Floorless models into central Copenhagen must have been an interesting challenge to say the least, but once again B&M pulled off an effective demonstration of just how good their rides are, as standard. I love the unnatural layout of Dæmonen and the front row experience is not something to be missed on this one, again, given the location and surroundings.

Yes. Intamin did make it count. In a welcome deviation from raw speed and height on their hydraulic launch coaster, Storm Runner performs a number of fabulous manoeuvres that make it by far the most accomplished version of the model for me. It still has that breathtakingly short ride time, but every moment is packed with something fresh and fun, from powerful airtime to crushing positives, floaty inversions to snappy transitions. Love it.

What are we missing here?
Obviously the other two S&S woodies intrigue me, though one of the 2004 builds, Avalanche, is no longer in action. Hell Cat has just recently been rescued from extinction and shot way up my priority list for the next planned US trip for this very reason.
I keep managing to miss out on Heiße Fahrt whenever I’m in the area, no doubt a worthy rival to the other Gerstlauer that made this list.
Both US editions of Revenge of the Mummy opened this year and though I’d love to see how they hold up against the Singapore version that’s so close to my heart, I’m also apprehensive and have so far actively avoided an encounter with one of them.
I never knew Iran had their own coaster manufacturer, but that’s just the kind of reason I love to trawl through these lists. Obviously something else I need in my life.
Morgan’s Mexican Superman swan song could be another good shout. Some form of conflict between Six Flags and the government dragged this one’s opening out far beyond the time that the company was bought out by the equally elusive (for me at least) Chance Rides.
I already mentioned the sad demise of Twister in the Maurer Spinner rankings but again, just look at that setting.
And in the absence of anything else major to mention (things are looking pretty good for Storm Runner right now), here’s something give you nightmares. It’s now on my list.

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50 years of coasters – 2003

I would go straight to the honourable mentions again but… there don’t appear to be any. 2003 seems to be a down year for output after that Millennium boom and there’s simply nothing I can see that I have both ridden and isn’t in the list below that deserves any particular nod. Are we feeling the loss of the likes of Arrow, Togo and CCI already? Who will step into their shoes, or at least the shadow of the Swiss?

Well Japan have still got Sansei Yusoki on their side, just a tiny bit. Not the most prolific of manufacturers, we last saw them feature 12 years ago and they’ve only built about 20 coasters in total over a span of 50 years! I’ve just noticed that 2003 isn’t even confirmed here as the official opening date, but we’ll roll with the entry for now as it would only otherwise end up being something the same as the one below.
What makes this coaster entertaining, aside from the name, is the more modern steampunk rebrand with screens and effects in a show section which enhance a fairly unremarkable (yet unnecessarily shoulder restrainted) indoor ride. Not that that would have helped in ~2003, though I tend to give bonus points to any old ride in a building anyway.

Apparently this Gerstlauer Bobsled is custom, though it looks and feels awfully familiar. This was one of two of the model to open this year, with popularity seeming to start to pick up since the 1998 debut of the company and ride type. Although the counterpart has some impressive interaction with other coasters, Drachenritt is nicely decorated with this castle theme, watery setting and bonus helix inside a snake. Can’t go wrong with that.

Elsewhere in Europe, French manufacturer Soquet were fleshing out a couple of local establishments like this zoo park that received their next, biggest, though that’s not saying much, coaster in 2003. I like Azteka more than I perhaps should, there’s just something about it that amuses me, from the unusual (and slightly disturbing) train decoration to the way it rides, with an endearing clunkiness that only certain small companies can get right.

A massive looping Intamin in a mall in Malaysia seems a bit out of place, particularly when you visit these days and find that over half of the floors and premises in said mall are completely deserted and unoccupied. Someone obviously had some cash to splash back in 2003 and this fascinating piece of hardware was the result. It doesn’t quite have the elegance of the multi inversion layouts that were being built over the last couple of years (an elegance those have also since lost), particularly with the older, extra clunky trains on this one, but I find myself endlessly admiring the way it integrates into the surroundings.

B&M followed up their first year of flying coasters with two more copies of their second design, identically named and themed, in true Six Flags fashion. This layout made a name for itself with the ridiculously intense pretzel loop element, a polarising inversion that has riders diving head first towards the ground before pulling out at high speeds onto their back and up into the air again. It remains one of the most hard hitting parts of any coaster, still to this day. The rest? Still needs work.

Magic Mountain also received a mirrored clone of another ride in the chain, the first ever B&M floorless Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure to be precise. As both Superman and Batman were already accounted for elsewhere in the park, Scream! got to start out with it’s own identity as an attraction, rather than being assigned a superhero name tag, although it’s probably more commonly known as ‘the car park coaster’ instead now.

This densely situated amusement park next to the Tokyo Dome has been thrilling riders with crazy coaster concepts since 1968 and Thunder Dolphin was the spiritual successor to a humble Togo jet coaster that used to run the park perimeter. Intamin kicked it up a gear of course, reaching 262ft into the sky, amongst the skyscrapers, and attempted to weave in some of that hyper coaster magic they’d been spreading over the last few years. The layout comes off a little strange with the obvious limitations and it doesn’t quite live up to that magic, but it’s a ton of fun and a spectacular visual experience nonetheless.

The old faithful inverts are still generally outperforming the other B&M ride types (for now) and the UK’s second installation took a bold chance by opting to share the name of a British legend. In the eyes of most fans of the original, the association didn’t pay off. It has none of the storytelling grandeur or gamechanging aesthetic of OG Nemesis, but it’s a damn good rollercoaster regardless and one that seems to only ever get better with age.

Intamin had the monopoly on Asian capital city projects this year it seems. We’ve seen Seoul’s Lotte World before in this series of course and once again it’s thanks to the Swiss manufacturer with that special ability to cram something spectacular into an impossible place. Situated in and around the rockwork beneath the park’s signature ‘inspired’ castle centrepiece, the world’s only Aquatrax (a fact that’s often lamented) features a powerful launch, an unusual mid course lift hill and a collection of fantastic moments in comfy, open seating. It’s supposed to also feature water jets that hit the track, hence the name, though unfortunately I’ve never seen them in action.

Not the first time Liseberg have topped the list for a year and, spoilers, it certainly won’t be the last. Intamin’s second pre-fab woodie is much more compact than the original and yet, with brutal efficiency, it manages to pack in far more of that signature ejector airtime. It’s a very by the numbers design (other than that extremely wild first drop) of corner, hill, corner, hill that effectively showcases what the manufacturer was doing better than anyone else at this particular time in history and why they’re really starting to place so highly here.

As with the lack of honourable mentions I’m not finding a huge amount that’s potentially missing from this list either, so it’s a good thing we’ve had such solid examples already or I’d be starting to get worried for the future I already know the outcome to.
The obvious headline for the year was Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point, the first ever 400ft monster, undoubtely an exhilarating experience, particularly with those lap bars, though it feels like I know exactly what to expect having done most of Intamin’s other accelerators of the same ilk.
Perhaps seeing an opening in the market, S&S tried their hand at their first wooden coaster with Timberhawk: Ride of Prey.
In other, slow, wooden news, Nicco Park in India decided that they wanted to replicate the Cyclone from England’s Southport Pleasureland by working with the original’s owners at the time, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, as consultants, and following in the footsteps of another Indian Park, Esselworld, who had pulled off this process 8 years prior.
It’s distressing going through these lists and finding old Pax relics I probably can’t ride any more. The silly looking Looping is the only known powered coaster with an inversion and, as we’ve come to expect from the Russian manufacturer, comes across as entirely mad, in the best way. There is hope for me though, this one’s still on the travelling circuit somewhere, waiting for me.

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50 years of coasters – 2002

I’m currently contemplating foregoing the usual introductions from here on out in favour of a few honourable/dishonourable mentions that didn’t make the cut for me. This year, for example, finds a triple threat from Vekoma who were, in this era in particular, struggling to match the quality of certain other major manufacturers.
After 8 years of terrorising guests with the standard suspended looping coaster, two brand new layouts were thrown into the mix. Odyssey at Fantasy Island became and still is the tallest in the world of this particular model and I can’t really say that this does it any favours.
Snow Mountain Flying Dragon was just a little taller yet slightly shorter in length than the standard model and is surprisingly inoffensive in comparison, but inoffensive isn’t enough to make the list any more now that things have hotted up significantly.
Disney’s own take on the launched indoor spaghetti bowl of a coaster first seen from Premier in 1996 had spawned the world famous Rock’n’Rollercoaster from Vekoma, in Florida, back in 1999. The Paris park got in on the (moteurs) action in 2002 and, some 13 years later when I finally found the courage to ride it, the on-board speakers were broken and it just hasn’t stood the test of time. Hopefully the revamp that’s currently taking place will breathe some new life into it.

Speaking of rides that haven’t stood the test of time, we begin with this old classic, my local ten-looping sensation that I can’t really find the motivation to ride any more. I used to have a real fondness for it, we have a lot of history together, it’s just slowly deteriorated both in presentation and ride quality, while at the same time I’ve become infinitely fussier.

Intamin were going all out this year alongside breaking that inversion record. This was the start of something big for them, the birth of the hydraulic launch coaster that would eventually see them take the reins on many more world records. The story goes that this propulsion method was born out of a local lack of juice to fuel those LSM launches that had been steadily taking over the industry (ridiculous S&S air launches aside) and the alternative engineering solution is quite something to behold in both speed and power.

Move aside Vekoma, B&M want to have a crack at that flying coaster concept. For passenger loading alone, they had it sorted – none of that tilting back onto your head nonsense, well, until halfway through the layout at least. The layout was competent, swoopy and fun but as the years went by we started to see that this prototype played things a little safe. They’ve come a long way with this model (and subsequently Vekoma decided not to touch it again for a good 20 years).

Both Swiss manufacturers were keeping themselves busy on both sides of the pond. This floorless B&M was the smallest of its type to date and goes through the standard formula of inversions for these, minus the cobra roll, giving it somewhat of a different pacing. Solid fun, if a little predictable, the world was now crying out for this concept to step things up a gear as well.

The first time Maurer have cracked the list since their 1996 debut and they did it in style with this one. With tricks and insanity like the world have never seen before, these two indoor coasters (Fear and Force) took the spinner to another level and put the German manufacturer at the top of the game for this style of ride for a good many years to come.

Riding on the back of pure insanity, the legendary X (no ‘2’ at the time of opening of course) should have walked this year and probably would if anyone else was making this list. I came at it from the unusual angle of having ridden both of S&S’s follow up models of the ridiculous 4D coaster and this really highlighted how relatively pedestrian the Arrow prototype was. It’s a mindblowing experience by default, with that face first drop of doom and the bouncy rotations that will grind your calves down to the bone, but this one doesn’t even scare me any more. The other two do.

Big year for Batman, he’s landed himself multiple entries. We’ve been seeing this infamous cloned layout of the B&M invert for a few years already now, but this one happens to be my favourite of the bunch, it had that extra little spark that rode just that much better (to the point that it was almost too much). If anything it’s testament to how good this ride type is by default that it can just keep on delivering the goods.

Just next door we’ve got his rival Superman. Parque Warner Madrid must have really splashed out for their park’s opening year with this double trouble of B&Ms. Unlike the earlier Batman, this one is far from little. It has all the classics, the 7 inversions that make the staple. It has a couple of other moments that help it stand out from the crowd though, namely an extra little punch in the first drop, an unexpected airtime hill and a trim brake with some genius comedic timing.

The ride that taught me what airtime was for the very first time has faded into obscurity over the years. It was a top ten for sure, when I could barely scrape ten together, but that formulaic sequence of hills has worn down over time both in delivery and by proxy. Considering how Expedition GeForce was ruling the world one year prior, I’d say Goliath was actually a step down for the design, even though it’s still an impressive ride and, like the B&M invert, is testament to how good any Intamin ‘airtime machine’ is by default.

I really need to get back and ride this thing again. It keeps winning out in lists and I keep doubting myself on that because I already know it’s inherently flawed. Unless we were sat near or at the back, this just wasn’t that impressive a ride, though that can equally be said for the previous two entries. 2002 is an extremely solid year for sure, although there’s no real gamechanging outliers this time around and, just like within Europa Park, being above average is enough to scrape top spot. Something about that combination of the usual B&M hyper stuff that doesn’t really get me going, along with some actual surprise ejection sprinkled in for good measure just makes for a happy rider and Silver Star always get those bonus points for the theme song (a song which is no longer played, maybe I shouldn’t go back).

Elsewhere in the world, an almost-Colossus opened in Guatemala with 8 inversions instead of 10. The original trains look astonishingly hideous, but the rest of it seems rather nice.
Along with the other Spanish entries we saw, Coaster Express opened up with the park, a woodie with a not so good reputation that we didn’t get the chance to try as it wasn’t up and running. It can’t be that bad, surely?
Pax are back again with this striking looking creation, I just love their creativity and wish it was still with us.
Of course the original Tilt Coaster has to make the cut, I really need to get around to doing Taiwan one day if only for this marvellous contraption, you’d think I would have by now.
What were CCI up to this year? Sadly 2002 was when it all ended for them, and their Swan Song was the New Mexico Rattler, a ride I hadn’t actually even heard of until today. Hope they went out with a bang (and not a rattle).
The Roller Soaker concept always fascinated me, even though it didn’t last very long and would never threaten anything else in the list. The modern equivalent was a blast at least.
Sahara Twist looks suspiciously like our 1995 winner. The ride type is the same but it’s much shorter in track length. The fact that there’s a massive Comet strapped to the front of the train and it looks hilariously out of place in a field in Taiwan. I’d be fascinated to find out how much the setting impacts the performance of the model.
Hmm… I don’t see many real threats there, looks like it’s all hinging on that Europa revisit.

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