For The Credit - My Trip Reports (HangTime Review)

Ok it's about time I started a topic for this or something, never really got around to it but woohoo, now I have a place to share my theme park adventures.

This Thread will include pics from my planned trips this year, and so fourth (all tho no plan for next year) which means it will include the New Mexico-Las Vegas meet and also the Germany meet. Also Cedar Point was another. I've never been to Castle Amusement Park either so I want to go check that place out, too bad their Fabbri mouse is SBNO.

So I went to Coney Island about a week ago, and I have to say I really did enjoy it. It's a fun, semi-little park with lots to do, what more could you ask for?

Now, buckle the f*ck up because this is going to be a long one.

Overall Park Thoughts:

I really like this park, honestly. It's in a bit of a sketchy place in Brooklyn (gotta be honest, I thought I'd be mugged on the two block walk from the uber to Cyclone) but once you get into the park that all goes away. It's actually really clean and well-kempt, the bathrooms being the exception, although I almost never expect those to be clean. They had a really great selection of flat rides too, including one of my favorite, the Air Race. I find these rides to be absolutely awesome and they're easily one of my favorite flats. They also had some other interesting rides like that one parachute ride that keeps popping up at IAAPA and also a Disko and a Log Flume. They also had the newer version of the Enterprise, which I quite liked as well. One flat (albeit defunct) that was especially eye-catching was the old parachute jump attraction, which has stood in its location for just over 75 years. The staff was really great as well, and they were all super funny and entertaining. Specifically three ops on the Air Race, that would sing along to the music playing on the speakers at the park and just generally screw around on the ride's speaker system. They were great. If I did have one complaint it's that Cyclone and Thunderbolt are not included in the wristband. I get that they're the two destination coasters but all the other rides not included on the wristband would be upcharge attractions in a normal park anyways. It upsets me slightly that coasters, which would not be uncharges at a general admission park, kinda technically are. Each coaster is $10, and the other attractions not on the wristband are $12. So at least they're being a bit generous.

General Park Pics


Welcome to Luna Park, Coney Island.


Zenobio Flat. It costs $12 bucks to ride, and it's really fun too. Great views. Unfortunately this is one of the only pictures of a flat I took that day, I lost a couple others




Of course, there were beautiful beach views for everyone to admire.




Cyclone

Of course the destination coaster here is the World Famous Coney Island Cyclone, a classic woodie built in 1927. Let me tell you, this is the most absolutely, god damn insane thing I've ever done in my life, and I've stood at the edge of some sketchy platform 900 feet in the air and jumped off a Las Vegas casino. It's genuinely impressive that Cyclone beats that level of insanity in such a tiny little coaster. But this ride remains relatively untouched by the modern amusement industry. It was quite alike time-traveling back to the 1930s, because the lapbar was at least a few inches from your waist and safety procedures were minimal. I'd only been on two truly classic wooden coasters, both Giant Dippers in Cali, before experiencing Cyclone. They'd all been "modernized" with new Morgan(?) trains and had lapbars that descended completely onto your waist, and also hydraulic station gates. Cyclone had none of those things. It was basically just a platform and the trains, which were authentically 1920s style. I'm not sure if they're replicas or not though. And like I said earlier, this thing is insane. Especially the airtime, the first drop in particular. As I mentioned, the lapbar is at least a few inches from your waist so you, quite literally, fly. Over the drops, your waist is pressing against the lapbar so you are at least a couple inches from the seat. It's pretty awesome, seriously. In the back row the airtime feels like it could go FD3 pretty damn quick. This ride is seriously awesome. I also got to experience it, back row, in really heavy rain as well, which added to the awesomeness.

Overall I'd give it an 8.5/10, I do believe the coaster is a bit short and a tad lacking (or else it'd have a solid 9) but the capacity is great and the ride-ops are seriously fun people.

Worth it O-meter: 9/10. If you are in the area I highly recommend you ride this, at least just this. Seriously. It's worth at most a 2 hr drive, I promise. Cyclone is a $10 "upcharge" attraction (it's not included in the wristband) and it's worth every. Single. Penny.

Pics:


The Coney Island Cyclone!


Did I mention that the ride turns 90 this year? Yeah, it's really old.


Looking up the (really wonky) lift hill...


Coney Island Cyclone, where all modern safety standards go to die. (Also hi, that is, in fact, me in the pic.)


Cyclone in the rain.


Tickler

The second coaster we rode was Tickler (Not Thunderbolt) because we wanted to get every coaster in the main area of the park done. This coaster is a generic Zamperla 420STD spinning coaster, and it opened in 2010. Now let me start off by saying I hate wild mice. Hate them. So I think the best way to describe this ride is "Everything you hate about Wild Mice but spinning." It was okay at best, honestly. The ride has some fun little dips and quirky little elements that really add to the experience, but the hairpin turns were nothing short of terrible. Before this I'd never actually been on a spinning mouse and I can't say that I'd ever do it again for fun, only for the credit. The restraints were terrible and the cars have 0 padding, might I add. And because it spins, it means the car rocks ever so slightly. Like if you try hard enough with multiple people you can rock it pretty well, so it was slightly terrifying to tilt like 3 degrees outward on the hairpin turns. I know, I'm a wimp Overall, this ride is pretty meh.

Overall I'd give it a 6/10. It was lacking in a lot of areas, but still fun in places.

Worth it O-meter 1/10. Not a destination coaster at all, and I don't recommend that you ride it if you are pressed for time. Only ride if you have ample free time/want the credit.

Pics:


Hi again. Yeah this was the only one I took, I didn't deem it necessary to take more because this ride is ugly too.


Circus Coaster

Once again, we wanted to get all the coasters done in the main area. So Circus Coaster, a small kiddie coaster, was next on the list of things to do. I don't have much to say about this ride, honestly, and I didn't even take any pictures of it. It's kinda just... there... I guess. It's really nothing special, even as far as kiddie coasters go. It's kinda fun if you sit in the back row, it whips you around pretty good, kinda like E&F Miler coasters do. Far as the comfort goes, it's pretty typical Zamperla. (aka not that good) The restraint was kinda uncomfortable but it was still better than Tickler's, and the seats were at least padded a little bit, too. It has a pretty bad rattle, a lot like Tickler but less bad, and it has an awful jolt on the lift hill.

Overall I'd give it a 3/10. It's a kiddie coaster so naturally I'm not going to especially enjoy it. As far as kiddie coasters go it's probably a solid 7.5/10.

Worth it O-meter: 0/10. It's not worth it at all to ever drive 5 minutes down the road to this coaster unless you want the credit. It's nothing special.


Thunderbolt

Next up was the big guy. This ride is a pretty large, imposing ride, easily the largest in the park. If you were to fit it into the main park it'd probably take up most or all of the space. It's actually pretty awesome, as far as Zamperla coasters go at least. I frequently see this ride being bashed in the face with a hammer by most enthusiasts because of the rattle and the restraints, both of which are taken way out of proportion in these reviews. Usually, at least. I found Thunderbolt to be relatively rattle-y, but I've come to expect that from Zamperla rides. Except maybe Pony Express. But it's not that bothersome on the ride. A rattle is usually only a bad thing on rides that have OTSR restraints (I.e. Arrow Loopers or Scream at MM) Sure, it vibrates the seat a bit but that's it really. Rides are always better rattle-less tho. The restraints had a slight problem though... When you're idle in the station, they are absolutely the most uncomfortable restraint ever made ever. Ever. At all. It's really terrible actually, and it's bothersome especially waiting for dispatch, but when you're actually traversing the course it's not bad at all. It does get in the way of the airtime, just a tad. Speaking of which, this ride also has some of the most underrated hang/airtime I've ever personally experienced. It's seriously fantastic, and if you've ever watched an offside you'll see how fast it whips over those hills. Videos do not do them justice.

Overall I'd give it a 7.5/10, it has its problems] but overall it's a really fun ride if you know how to enjoy it.

Worth it O-meter 5/10. If you're within a, say, 30 minute drive it might be worth it but if you have to travel more than an hour it's not a destination coaster. It's also a $10 "unpcharge" attraction, much like Cyclone. I don't personally think it was worth the money but if you want the credit go for it.


You had to walk down a pretty good section of boardwalk to get to the ride.


Thunderbolt, in all its glory. I apologize dearly for the finger, I only looked at it after we left the park. Can't retake it again.


Soarin' Eagle

Oh yeah, we saved the best for last. And by best I mean worst. I think you get the joke. Anyways, Soarin' Eagle is your average, terrible Zamperla Volare. It is unique in that it is the only one to have ever been relocated. It operated at Elitch Gardens before being moved to Luna Park. Now before this I had never been on a Volare, and I have to say I never want to ride one ever again. Although I probably will, for the credit, of course of course. But this ride really sucks. The flying position is incredibly uncomfortable and you have to practically climb a ladder to load into the trains. It's also not a typical flying coaster in the sense that you are in a standing position while flying, not the usual sitting position found on B&M and Vekoma flyers. The restraints, if you can even call them that, are incredibly uncomfortable and just horrible, it takes all the turns in such an awkward way, and the dips are barely fun. It's too forceful for its own good, as well, and it becomes really bothersome towards the end of the ride.

Overall I'd give this ride a 3/10. Legit enjoyed Circus Coaster more than this POS.

Worth it O-meter: 1/10. Since it's included in the wristband I can at least give it some credit, but if it wasn't I wouldn't recommend spending the money. It's not worth it at all.

Pics:


Looking down the midway at Eagle's admittedly cool spiral lift.


Literally the only interesting thing about this coaster.


I try my best not to look creepy in these pics I swear.


Steeplechase

(aka Steplches aka The Coney Pony)

And alas, the grand finale. I actually enjoyed this ride, a lot. It's really fun and really fluid and it has a little bit of hops that provide less-than-floater-but-still-fun airtime. It isn't better than Pony Express is, but it's still really enjoyable. I understand that motocoaster restraints can be uncomfortable but they aren't that bad on-ride, alike Thunderbolt. The main problem comes with the brakes. So if I have to recommend anything while riding, it's that you should brace at the end of the ride. Otherwise, have at it. It's smooth, so you can put your hands up and really enjoy it. It also has a pretty impressive launch for its size, something I've come to expect from Zamperla motocoasters. The locals call it some funny names as well, and the one I heard most common was "The Coney Pony" which I god damn love. Just a little interesting tidbit of info.

Overall I'd give it an 7.5/10. I actually did enjoy this ride more Thunderbolt by a very slight margin, but that's mostly because it has almost 0 rattle. Like I said, rattle ain't bad but it helps if it's never there.

Worth it O-meter 3/10. Since it's included with the wristband it's worth it if you have time/want the credit. However it's not a coaster you'd drive too far to ride, and it's far from a destination coaster. Still cool though.


Station. Thanks for photobombing the pic, random guy. (That's my uncle)


One of the so-called "Coney Ponies"


And that wraps it up. I really did enjoy this park, and it's nice, and totally worth it to visit especially if you're in NYC.

For the overall park score I'm gonna give it an 8.5/10. Like I said, great selection of rides, fantastic staff, and super clean. Pretty impressive considering where it's located in Brooklyn. (No offense, New Yorkers.)

Worth it O-meter: 8/10. It's a really good park and if you're in the general area of New York City or even the half of the Hudson in NJ it's worth the ~45 minute drive (No traffic, that is.)

Thanks for reading this if you actually did btw.



More TRs coming soon, specifically a special opening day one on Saturday.

[Blase Rhine]

Thanks for such an awesome trip report! I'm glad you enjoyed the park! I look forward to more of these in the future

[Turbo]

I loved this! Thank you for sharing this trip with us it looks like you had a lot of fun!

Happy to see your fun lines! Tickler's grin is sounding like representing how wacky the rides there are!

Full Taron review, coming soon...

In all honestly though it'll probably be later today so buckle the f*ck up again, woo!

Well I hope this was fast enough, I just needed to get it out there that I was making a review so I mean, there's that. But I just spent the last half-hour writing this sh*t at 5 in the afternoon, so I hope you guys are happy. Here's my full review of Klugheim...


Klugheim

I had the pleasure of spending an entire day in Klugheim and I was thoroughly impressed by it. It's truly amazing how they managed to fit so much in such a small space. And Phantasialand really outdid themselves with this one, every single detail was thought about here. And all of the scenery is of really impressive quality! All of the rocks or bricks are actually solid rocks and not foam like some other parks, all of the metal is real and handmade, and all of the wood is real, hand carved, artisan work, unlike the wood at Disney parks, to name one, which is made of plastic. You could spend a solid few hours exploring and still not have seen it all, it's truly impressive. If I had one major complaint, it's that the big wall of plants in the background kind of ruins the immersion of Klugheim, also the back of Feng Ju Palace, I feel like that was hastily done. However, as an overall themed land of the park, it's truly fantastic. Without a doubt the best theming I've ever seen I've seen so far, hands down. Everywhere you go, there's some path that leads somewhere, and on every path Taron's track races above you, it's beautiful. There are even little crevices in the rocks which have tons of detail put into them.


Pics:


Wilkommen Bei Klugheim!


Rutmor's Taverne.


View down Klugheim


One of the incredibly detailed rustic buildings.


Did I mention that all of the wood is real?



Taron

Where to start, where to start!? I can't even find words to describe how fantastic this ride is. I'll put it simply, it's been years and years since I've walked off a ride feeling quite like that, ho, lee, SH*T. The launch, the airtime, the transitions, the intensity, the near-misses, everything about this ride is flawless. It's the most incredible experience I've had the pleasure of doing in my life. But, I gotta get in depth somewhere. I'll just start off by saying that the restraints on these newer Intamin rides are fantastic! Some of the most comfortable restraints and seats I've ever sat in personally, but I don't think they're quite as good as MACK Mega trains or GCI Millennium Flyers. But the lapbar is amazing and even if you pin yourself to the seat (the ride-ops do that, unfortunately), it feels really comfy, and it does not at all get in the way of the ride, like some restraints do when tightened too much. And it being a lapbar (Unlike other Intamin Blitz coasters) means that you get total freedom on the layout, specifically the airtime. Speaking of airtime, this is some of the most incredible airtime I've ever experienced. I remember somewhere I read that the highest negative G-force you get on the ride is 0.75Gs, which is BS. After the amazing first hill, you enter a really intense turn and then one of the most amazing "Intamin twists" ever, and once again, the lapbar makes it better than say, Maverick's, to name one. You pass really close to some buildings and dive over the launch track. It kinda meanders before the second launch, which is kinda boring for a bit, and then you hit the launch. When you do, it just friggin takes off at incredible speed, it's a bit unfortunate that it vibrates because the second launch is really good, and quite intense. Not as good as the first, though. After that, you the highest point of the ride, with a fantastic view over all of Klugheim. During the ride, you race through this really intense overbanked turn (After the highest point) which is, in my opinion, one of the most fantastic moments of the ride and one of my favorite overbanks. I find it to be quite similar to Maverick's Stengel dive, actually. The ride's a blur from start to finish, and I can almost guarantee that you will be light-headed for at least a second after riding. But it's absolutely fantastic, and surprisingly intense. To me it seems as though it was slower in the videos, but videos do not do this ride justice, at all, it's much more intense than it looks. (as everyone had previously said). The lapbars , IMO, make this ride a lot better than it would be otherwise, and allows for some really fantastic laterals without making the ride uncomfortable. (PS, sit on the right side. You get a lot more near misses, and you also get wet on the waterfall after the second launch. It's amazing). BY THE WAY, you won't get bored in the queue, it's surrounded by track and trains run every 30 seconds or so, so that's an awesome plus. And since trains run so often, the queue is in a constant state of motion as well.

As an overall score, I'm definitely going with a rock solid 9.8/10. It's my new #1 coaster, what can I say? It's ridiculously amazing, and the interaction with the theming all around, as well as the lapbars and extremely comfy trains, makes the ride makes it that much better.

Worth it O-Meter: 10/10. GET OUT HERE. NOW. Wherever you are, however you get there, it does not matter. I don't care who you are, I don't care where you are, if you can, you need to ride this ride, because it is the best of the best, the creme de la crepe, the piece de la resistance. It's worth every penny you can spend, every minute that you wait, and every effort you make to get there.



Raik

Raik is a fantastic family coaster with something for all! It's intense for a family coaster, not too intense to drive away the children but intense enough to please people like me. I was quite pleasantly surprised by this ride. I'd never been on a Vekoma Junion Boomerang before, either. I don't think I like Raik better than Rewind Racers but I really enjoyed it. A lot of the time I have problems with family coasters regarding them being either lamer than they look, or too intense to please the kids, then defeating their own purpose, but this one seems like it's a perfect balance. It's definitely a good step up or two from your average family coaster, and my family (which aren't fond of big rides) enjoyed it, while I did as well. I really like how it interacts with the terrain, as well as Taron, and during one ride I managed to get a perfect dueling moment and it was really cool! It has some pretty surprising airtime in the front and back rows as well, and on the back row, when you go through the helix, it's really intense.

Overall, I'd rate it a solid 7.5. It's a really fun, solid little family coaster with some great interaction and it didn't feel like a filler ride at all.

Worth it O-Meter: 3/10. While it was a really cool coaster it's probably the least impressive in the park for me besides Temple of the Night Hawk. Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it though! Stop by if you have time, it's a really neat ride.


Pics:


Why hello there.


A train full of happy riders.


Directly after the second launch.


Buildup to the first launch.


Taron and Raik.


Overall, Klugheim is fantastic. It's full of many pleasant surprises, I definitely didn't expect the coasters to be as good as they were. The theming is fantastic and it's just everywhere, and you cannot look at anything without seeing the twisted mess which is Taron. It's truly a sight to behold. As a total score, I'd give it a 9.5/10. I really enjoyed my time there.


So thanks for reading this one too have a nice day bye

[Dirk_Ermen]

Good to hear you've loved Taron and the entire new area. Now my only recommendation is to get back sometime whenever you can ride it in the dark!

[Mikey]

Technically safety had not been invented yet, therefor it could not have died.

[mkingy]

Great trip reports, definitely looking forward to getting on Taron next month

mkingy wrote:

Great trip reports, definitely looking forward to getting on Taron next month

You're gonna love it, I promise!

^^ Have fun riding your 76th credit!

[mkingy]

lol240 wrote:

^^ Have fun riding your 76th credit!

That'll most likely be Blue Fire / Wodan

SURPRISE! I know, it was for me too. I went to Legendia yesterday!

For those who don't know, Legendia is home to the brand-spankin'-new Lech Coaster, a Vekoma MK1101, the newest model from the company. It opened a mere 21 days ago (as of me writing this) and is a truly fantastic coaster. It's also home to 2 other operating coasters, and there was 1 more which was closed (presumably for theming construction) when I went.

I must say, I was quite surprised by the quality of the park. For a city park, it's quite excellent actually. We got to the park pretty late, around 5PM actually, so it was a little dark when we got there, but we did a lot in the timespan of two hours. We did all the coasters operating, the water ride, and a multitude of flats as well. Speaking of flats, they had a really good selection of them. Lots of looping rides, including but not limited too a double-inverter and an enterprise, but also lots of family rides, ranging from teacups to chairswings. They also had a surprisingly good HUSS Rainbow, and also a looping carousel called Dragon Riders (which is mentally insane, btw, just watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucmYWMkcIuo). All of the park staff speak English, and they're really friendly, always a plus. The park was really clean too, and there were almost always janitors patrolling the park. They really care about their appearance over at Legendia. In addition to that, the park is set on a beautiful lake and it's really well planted. The park was also COMPLETELY dead, with all rides (Including Lech) having a less-than-5 minute wait.

Pics:


The entrance area is really well done, actually.


The first thing you see looming across the lake is Lech Coaster.


Looking across the lake at Tornado, the park's (horrifyingly terrible) Soquet looper.



The lake is really stunning, actually, and provides a really nice scenic effect.


One of the two Galaxis, Dream Hunters Society. Unfortunately this one was closed, and it had construction fences all around it too.


Lech Coaster

Okay first off, and most importantly, do not be deceived by the storage shed for this ride. It's only got one train, always has and always will. I didn't find that out until after I got to the park, but luckily the ride had no wait. Now, let me start again by saying this ride is amazing, I mean truly truly amazing. A lot of people had complaints about the shaping of these newer Vekoma rides, saying that they're Newton-y and sh*t, but I don't really mind that since the ride itself is amazing and it flows really well. Each element transforms into the other perfectly with ease, and I love that about this ride. It's also surprisingly intense, with an estimated G-force of at least 4.5, then again I'm not really sure. The ride is full of positive Gs, and intensity is kinda my thing so I really loved it. Did I mention the drop? No? Well I'm gonna now, because that is without a doubt my favorite drop, stealing that title from I305. The drop just comes out of nowhere, and in the back row you get sustained ejector for like a solid second and a half, which is just amazing. I'm not really a fan of inversions, I mean I could live without them, but Lech has some fantastic inversions. The first kinda-like-a-wraparound-cork after the drop is really great, and intense from start to finish. The roll through the station is great as well, and taken at incredibly high speed. But my favorite was probably the last corkscrew, which just flows perfectly into the turn following and has no lateral jerks at all. The ride also has some extraordinary airtime. Every airtime moment (with the exception of the outwardly banked hill) is ejector, right 'till the very end, even the hop into the brakes. And surprisingly, the vests don't absolutely butcher the airtime, which is always good. Speaking of the vests, the train is actually incredibly comfy. I don't quite like it better than Taron's but I found it to be really nice. Alike Taron, the ride-ops push the restraint as far down as they can, but also alike Taron, it's still really comfy, and doesn't get in the way of the ride at all. It's also really smooth, and I'd never expect that from a Vekoma. It rides so well, but that may be because it's brand new, I don't know. Finally, it has some pretty neat theming from which you get a good few headchoppers, one of which is of course the roll through the station.

Overall, I'd give it a good 9.2/10. I really love this ride and it's gotta be either my #3 or #4. I still can't quite decide whether or not I like it better than Maverick.
But like I said, it's smooth, fast, and intense, and it's a really good ride.

Worth it O-Meter: 9/10. I know this ride is out of the way for a lot of people (Specifically those in the US) but getting around Europe is really easy once you're there, and I'd highly recommend taking a stop, even if it's only to ride this. It's a really great ride, seriously.

Pics:


Walking up to the ride, it's really imposing.


See, the park is really well done.


Well, hi there riders!


The lift is definitely inclined at 45 degrees.


The roll through the station from the pathway over water. (Which btw, is now the same color as the lake)


One of my favorite shots of the ride. Like Taron, it's nice to look at from virtually anywhere.



Tornado

Tornado is of course the park's Soquet looper, and it is BAD. The coaster is not smooth at all, has a horrible rattle, and the restraints are just a beautiful thing of nature. It's also really boring ride, and incredibly repetitive. It also has some seats in the back car which are rear-facing, which I didn't do because of time constraints. The thing about the restraints is that, it's a single position shared restraint, and you don't actually touch it because the single position prevents you from doing so. Keep in mind, this is a looping coaster, so going through the loops on this ride is a really interesting experience, to say the least. In addition to that, the padding on the restraint is really minimal. It's basically a leather sock secured around the metal by a zipper, creating some especially painful headbanging. The train is really not that great either, the seats are probably okay at best, if that even. The coaster is also composed entirely of right hand turns, or really, a right hand spiral. The only exception is a small deviation to the left following the loops. After that deviation, the ride is literally one continuous right hand spiral, with tons of pumps and very minimal banking. The station gates are actually broken as well, and the control booth is on the opposite side of the tracks, meaning the ride-op has to cross the track and let people in through a small gate at the front end of the station. This would have created some conflict over who actually gets the front row, etc. but the park was dead so I was the only one in the entire train riding, which was also really weird, to me at least. The ride has been at the park since 2007, but it's been in operation since 1988, and as a result is of very poor quality and is also extremely outdated. The pain is taken to the friggin 4th dimension too, since you slam into the restraint on the brake run,

Pics:


The plaza surrounding the ride. Hopefully this area is the next to get re-done.


As you can see, the theming on this ride is beautiful.

As an overall score I'm gonna go with a 3/10. It has some redeeming features like the sensation of not touching the restraint going over the loop, but I mean, it's not all that great.

Worth it O-Meter: 3.5/10. Like I said, it has its redeeming features, but otherwise, it's pretty bad. Only do this coaster for the credit and if you have time, it's really nothing special.



Scary Toys Factory

Scary Toys Factory is of course the parks only currently operating Galaxi out of two. The other, Dream Hunters Society, was closed at the time of my visit. As far as Galaxis go, this one was pretty great actually. It's definitely one of the larger models, and it also doesn't have a very common layout, which was cool. The ride has been recently relocated, repainted, and rethemed as part of a large park renovation, which included Lech Coaster. It was formerly located somewhere else in the park and was relocated there in 2015. As far as Galaxis go, it's really smooth actually. It also has two really fun drops and a couple quick dips here and there, as most Galaxis do. One of the main problems I have with Galaxi models is that, the brakes are almost always painful, including the slight trims which pop up on these rides. I mean, it's a Galaxi so it's kinda generic and I honestly don't have much to say about it. It's a fun ride though!

Overall, I'd giving it a 7/10. It's a really great Galaxi coaster and I'd recommend it if you have time. I find the coaster to be much better than Tornado is, actually.

Worth it O-Meter: 6/10. Never skip the Galaxis when you have ample time, they're really fun rides IMO and I highly recommend them, even though if you ride one you've more or less ridden them all.

Pics:


The coaster's entrance area. (Of course, the backside is just barren metal, but I appreciate the effort.)


A portion of the coaster, including the large helix.



And that wraps it up. I quite like this park, and it's a really nice visit if you can actually make it out there.

For the overall park score I'm gonna give it an 7/10. It's clean, the staff are friendly, and it's been recently redone. The park does feel more or less like an upscale funfair in some places, but hopefully that changes over the next couple years. The future is bright for this park, I believe.

Worth it O-meter: 8/10. It's a really good park and if you're in the area it's worth a visit for Lech Coaster alone. It has plenty of interesting rides too, other than Lech.

Thanks for reading, once again!

[Dirk_Ermen]

Wow, you took the entire drive to Poland? From Phantasialand it's a good 9-10 hours drive to the park. Awesome to hear a review about the park and even better to hear about how good the new Vekoma is. I really hope this will bring a new kickstart for Vekoma to sell more rides.

We were actually going for Auschwitz but some negotiation landed me at Legendia. Also we took a train, trains are easy as hell in Europe.

[Dirk_Ermen]

Olmisery wrote:

We were actually going for Auschwitz but some negotiation landed me at Legendia. Also we took a train, trains are easy as hell in Europe.

They are easy yeah, but hella expensive.

[mkingy]

Tornado used to be in the UK at American Adventure along with a Vekoma Boomerag. The fact the boomerang was the bigger ride says all you need to know about Tornado haha. GOod to see they kept the bizzare rear facing seats (questionable welding job).

Great to hear about Lech caoster though, really hope Vekoma kick on from here!

So, the weekend came. And with the weekend, a 14 year long coaster dry-spell ended. And, with that dry spell ended, it meant it was finally time to take our first rides on HangTime! And wow, what a ride it turned out to be! I'm not even kidding, this ride blew me away. So much so, the Boardwalk area has finally trumped Ghost Town for me. Holy sh*t.

General Boardwalk Improvements

The boardwalk got some slight sprucing up whilst HangTime was being built. Some new pathways, some new fences, some new lights here and there. But the most important change was the re-addition of string lights over the pathway. This addition makes all the difference in the world and really spruces up the boardwalk. Goes to show how a small change can make a huge difference. Do wish that the path was wooden though...

Surf Shop

I know it's weird to just review a gift shop, but I need to divide this review into separate columns to please my OCD. So. The surf shop is quite the fine little gift shop, I must say. It's very clean, elegant, and simple, yet it really gets the job done. It's got some nice lines, is very well decorated, but it doesn't seem overdone. Let me tell you though, it is stocked to the brim! I don't know if it's because the ride is brand new, or if there's just way too much stuff in that store. But, alas, do not ever fear that they'll be out of stock. Also, just a little tidbit for all you people living in SoCal, the air conditioning in this place is lit. It's very cool in there, believe me.


Pimp yourself out with some HangTime merch at the Boardwalk Surf Shop!


Mugs & Sh*t???

HangTime

So, finally onto the coaster review. There's quite the fair bit to say! I'll start off by saying the lines are long, but that's to be expected. Also highly expected was the line being entertaining, what with the coaster running all around you. Especially since you get especially close to the cute, gravel-filled trenches. In fact, you get so up close and personal with the ride that on the last queue awning before the station ramp, the awnings literally rattle up and down due to the wind of the passing train. It's nuts. Now, as far as appearance goes, this ride is one of the world's most beautiful roller coasters, and the second most photogenic I've seen aside Taron. It's gorgeous, and the effort put into it shows. There's gravel in the trenches as opposed to just dirt, there's surfboards, signs, lobster traps, boats... The whole package. The theming isn't supposed to be incredible, but it's definitely supposed to be cute and fun, something the ride accomplishes very well. The trains add to this, with their surfboard-like front end and the little surfboard headrests. Just overall really well-rounded and FUN theming. I really love it.

Now once you finally get to the station, be prepared for assigned seating. Unfortunately. Luckily, that rule isn't technically enforced, and the ride-ops are really nice about putting actual effort into seating you in the preferred row. Now, for the best experience, this is how it goes:

NIGHT: Front Row, center left.
DAY: Back Row, far left.

Now with that in mind, you finally board the colorful trains (Albeit after placing all of your crap in the bins. Remember - there's no nets on this ride, but America is still absolutely crazy about not having people get hit with loose sh*t) The restraints are extremely comfy. In fact, they're the second best I've ever been in, besides new-gen Intamin Blitz. They are truly fantastic, and the seatbelt does not dilute that at all. Now, once you wait for the Gerstlauer chain and finally proceed to the vertical lift, it's a really fantastic element. By far my favorite lift, lmao. It feels like you're floating, and if you put your hands up it's genuinely one of the most fun things you could do. Off to a great start already! (Side note - since I'm not used to a vertical lift with lapbars,the ability to look back down the lift is truly terrifying to me.) Once you crest the lift, the hold brake takes the train. Now, it may not look like too much from the offride, but it feels much steeper on the actual ride. The bit is quite fun, if a little uncomfy for a bit. The hold brake does release after 2-3 seconds, but it takes a few more to roll off of the brake into the actual drop. Now, speaking of the drop, it's one of my favorites in the world. In the front, it's all well and dandy, but in the back row, you pull some serious ejector airtime. And the transition going immediately from huge ejector to 4G positive is absolutely mental. It's super super fun. Going up into the first element, the quasi pretzel loop, you get some very nice floater. This was the most unexpected bit of the ride, as it looks super slow off-ride. It's quite fun. You get whipped over into the dive pretty fast, and before you know it, you're pulling 4G again. The "fat immellmann" (thanks CK) pulls some nice hangtime, albeit for a kind of brief moment. It almost feels like a pop, as opposed to actual hangtime. Once you exit that, you transition into the corkscrew, by far my least favorite bit of the ride. Don't get me wrong, it is fun, but that jolt absolutely ruins it for me. Some keen-eyed enthusiasts might have noticed it during testing, but the jolt is very prominent. It is worst in the second row, as this is the second bit of the "zero car" assembly. It does pull some nice floater in the front and back rows, and the jolt is almost completely ignore-able in the front. You then proceed into the overbanked turn, which pulls some light positives throughout. It's a very quick element, but it is certainly a very fun one. Now, here comes one of my favorite finales to a ride ever. You proceed from the overbank directly into an absolutely fantastic ejector airtime moment. You pull some fine ejector in the front, but in the back it is much more prominent. This part of the ride goes directly over the entrance, and it's quite easy to feel the wind of the train speeding past from the ground. It's quite mild ejector, but it is still super awesome. After the amazing ejector moment, you get slammed back into a 4G valley, which leads into the cobra roll, funnily enough about where Boomerang's used to be. The cobra roll is easily the best I've experienced, and it's truly fantastic from start to finish. The element is the perfect balance between whipping you around without absolutely killing you, and also pulling positives throughout. It's quite well designed, and I was very surprised by it, especially since I head the two other Gerst cobra rolls were pretty awful in their own rights. After that, one quick floater hop back into the brakes, and the wave had finally dissipated. Now, for night rides, it's almost a totally different experience. The ride is gorgeously lit up by the amazing KCL Engineering. The lights are striking, vibrant, and bright, and they really change the way the Boardwalk looks at night. Now for the night rides, I'd say do the front. You get a much better view from the top and you can see the lights much better. The only thing illuminating your tidal wave from hell is the lights on the track, and it is super super FUN at night. Overall, I was very, VERY surprised by this ride. I expected a slow, mediocre, and somewhat boring ride, but instead I got nice ejector airtime, fun, forceful valleys throughout, and some of the most beautiful views I could ever hope for. Very easily the new best on the West Coast.

Overall Score: 9.0/10. This ride is fantastic, and much more than anyone bargained for. Super short, a bit on the forceless side sometimes, yet super fun, and that's the important bit. Truly a great ride for Knott's.

Worth It O-Meter: 8/10. If you can get out here, and are on the US West Coast, book your tickets NOW. This ride, and the park too, is absolutely worth your time. I'm looking at you, Las Vegas residents...


Walking up to the ride. It's most certainly a striking view


What better way to view the ride than looking riders in the eye down the first drop?


Holy HangTime.


I can't believe it's actually real.


You can get quite up close and personal with the ride.


Entrance is in a tad of an odd place, but it's still gorgeous nonetheless.


But, it gets even better...


Holy mother of god, it's so pretty.


I'm loving it.


CREDIT TO ALL PHOTOGRAPHS GOES TO MY FRIEND JAKE (OMEGA/BETTA FISHY ON CC DISCORD)

[mkingy]

Great little trip report - good to see Knott's have a winner! Shame about the jolt but then that's gerst for you.