10 Reasons to LOVE Iron Gwazi (& A Few to Hate) 

When I was waiting in line for Iron Gwazi, my group was tracking dispatch times. The longest dispatch we saw was 5 minutes 57 seconds. This ride is insane, and by far my number 1, but the dispatch times are absolutely abysmal!

I’ve been on this bad boy about 200+ times. I think it is an absolute masterpiece of a ride and sets the precedent for godlike rollercoasters

2:15 Jinx, looks like they had a phone hit a rider yesterday

Fun fact: I work for a certain theme park chain(not this one) in maintenance, and it’s pretty standard that entrance gates have safety sensors. so after the gates are closed if someone shakes the gates off of the sensor the ride thinks that the gates have been opened when they’re not supposed to and will cause a trouble light. So that’s why most parks put a yellow line in front of the where the guest should stand, and usually say don’t lean on the gates.

One thing to love, the purple track! Seriously! It is a unique standout color that looks great, and I think we need more purple coasters!

I have this neck and neck with Steel Vengeance as my favorite RMC, but all of your points are valid. As far as comparing this to Velicicoaster for Florida's best ride... If both were in an empty field with nothing other than the track and the trains, iron gwazi is slightly better. But, the theming during the ride and in the queue, the great locker system and the operations make Velicicoaster the better overall experience. They are easily the 2 best coasters in Florida, but Velicicoaster wins out

I like how honest you are when it comes to the coasters and not just putting them at the top because they are new or because you think it will be a bad opinion to put it lower on the list. I appreciate that and that's why I keep coming back to your videos for your opinions. :)

This is my local park here. I like Iron Gwazi but I still prefer Steel Vengeance and like Velocicoaster better in state. Part of me also likes Mako better as the airtime on that is fantastic. Iron Gwazi's drop is amazing and it starts well but it's short and doesn't finish well. Compared to Steel Vengeance - which is just a relentless coaster that's long and doesn't let up at all until you pull into the station. It's a great addition to the park and I definitely see the dispatch issues. There's no urgency to get people on the ride. The restraint verification is also wonky and seems far more sensitive to even minor proximity issues compared to other RMCs. I think a lot of this will get ironed out given time. Love it regardless of the comps.

I got 18 laps on Lightning Rod one day, and by the time I hit double digits I had gotten to know the ride ops by name. I had no problems choosing a row, as the familiarity of seeing my face over and over again had them actually asking me which row I wanted. Lol. Think they said the record for one day was 30-something, which I totally could've broken had I known that going in that day. Maybe one day I will go for 50 in one visit.

Personally, I have Iron Gwazi as my number one coaster. I’ve been on SteVe but not Velocicoaster. I rode it 11 times in 2 days, just such a fantastic ride through and through, the pacing is unreal :)

Jersey Devil is running so much faster this year. I was disappointed with it last year but now it's great and my clear #2 at Great Adventure.

Iron Gwazi is honestly my favorite coaster, and I never imagined it would beat Steel Vengeance for me.

As crazy as it sounds, there was just an incident a few days ago where someone got hit in the face by another person's phone on IG. Very unfortunate for the rider and who knows, they might have to implement stricter policies to prevent it from happening again.

Well you jinxed it already! Iron Gwazi just had a loose article injury yesterday, a flying phone broke a women's nose.

"Hopefully there isn't an accident that will make them change their lax loose article policy"... Cut to day before the video's release, someone getting smashed in the face with a phone, that left them bloody. 😬on a ride with zipper pockets built into the seats 🙄

10 months later and I can say that apart from rain delay IG ran smoothly all day long. Dispatch was running about 120 seconds on my visit so that has improved too. It's tied with Velocicoaster as my favorite coaster after this trip. I literally could not stop giggling when I came into the break run. And I loved it enough that I came home to Texas and immediately started thinking about getting my butt out to Fiesta Texas by the end of the year to ride Iron Rattler.

It's a really amazing ride and is just about tied with Velocicoaster on top of my list. On the topic of fat-friendliness, I never had a problem with the seat despite the big stomach. I actually had an easier time with the restraint compared to having to get stapled onto El Toro.

Loved Iron Gwazi! I went on a Friday in May. It had a 2 hour wait when the park opened but by mid afternoon it was no longer than 30 minutes.

I loved Iron Gwazi. I only got one ride due to it breaking down. I got row 3, right seat, and felt every bit of it. Truly an amazing coaster. Also, I have ridden 3 RMC's now. From worst to best in order, JDC (jersey devil), Iron Rattler, and now this beast. It is something different.

I was one of the first groups to ride it. (I instagrammed you about that…) see yes. In the morning, it is slow. Very slow. Like JDC, she warms up and is decently better. JDC is exactly the same, but it’s still not as crazy and awesome as WWGL or SP even when it’s warmed up. Still fun tho. For the record, twisted cyclone also has the side bank thing. The one on T colossus was a little too quick but the one on t cyclone was basically the same as the one on gwazi but the gwazi one was better. Lastly I'm gonna be honest: for just ride experience alone, I thought IG was better than VC. VC was a great ride and the special effects and what not were pretty amazing. But the ride itself? IG is superior in my opinion... Oh yea and VC broke down... A shorter single rider line took foreeeeeever!!!!!

I got ten rides on a Tuesday in late March. At the beginning of the day, I was unsure of where it fell in my rankings. But by ride #10, the thing had gotten so fast I had no doubt it was my new number one. I happened to spend all day riding with another enthusiast, and at one point he remarked, "If this thing gets any faster, it's going to tear itself apart!"

We rode Iron Gwazi for the first time this week on Tuesday October 11th. It was AWESOME! We only got 1 ride because it was a 1st visit for my 2 kids and we wanted to get everything in at BG Tampa. We got to the park 15 minutes after opening and went straight to Iron Gwazi. The wait time was about 25 minutes, which is not bad. I am a bigger guy, but didn’t have any problems with the restraints. They had an employee working, but we got to pick our row. Having an odd number of people (5), I sat in the back row with a nice lady from the UK. We had such a good ride! She really bragged on IG. The coaster seemed to run fast and smooth and not like it was in the morning. Of course it was a warm, humid morning. The dispatch times were slow, probably between 1-2.5 minutes. I believe they were running 2 trains. We tried to ride Iron Gwazi at the very end of the day, but it was broke down. 😞 Still, this is the best coaster I’ve ever ridden. And my coaster creds are around 80. Thanks for posting the video, it was good!

Seeing thing closed hurts more than everything but it’s awesome hearing everyone else come off with great reviews! Glad you enjoyed it and that it sorta met your expectations

The holding the gates will break any coaster, not just Iron Gwazi. I was at Cedar Point yesterday and had the same issue with the gates that you mentioned in this video. I was in the station for Gatekeeper and someone was holding the gates deciding if he wanted to ride then or wait for the next train, and the ride ops announced not to hold the gates open.

Rode it twice on opening day and was surprised it wasn’t better. Twisted Colossus is so much smaller but that leads to a more chaotic feel. Gwazi’s pacing felt like each element had time on its own that took away from the surprises. The opening drop is #1 but I would put it behind Colossus and ahead of Rattler and Joker. Those are the rmcs I’ve been on.

BGT is my home park and I have been riding since the first previews at the beginning of the year. The first month was slow, but the ops were learning and getting better at loading. There was a point around May where I saw consistent 80-90s loads and sub 30min wait times, but it this started getting slower and slower over the summer. I think 80s is the probably the best dispatch that can be done with 2 trains, the lift speed, and restraint check procedure. There was one team of ops that I recognized were the only ones that achieved the 80-90s dispatches. Unfortunately they left or where reassigned to other teams/ride because I don't see them loading together anymore and the throughput has suffered. One guy in particular was key because he would be shouting instructions to everyone on the load and exit procedure so everyone could hear. Other ops don't say anything and nobody listens to the automated announcements. They need someone on a mic telling you what to do like at Twisted Timbers.

Funny how literally yesterday someone got hurt when a phone flew out of someone’s hand in the ride

I notice a ride op on Texas giant saying how if you lean or shake the gate it will cause the ride to shut down. We noticed some people doing it and then the ride set of a loud alarm. The next train had to be inspected by an engineer and delayed us from riding for like 20 mins.

As a massive Iron Gwazi stan and after 7 amazing rides in May, I agree with everything you say except for the point on it running slow in the morning. I rode it on the first 2 trains in the morning at around 9:00 and it was hauling just as fast and good as it did the night before. I'm sorry that it didn't seem like it to you, but I have to go off what I experienced myself, and I was super impressed in all times of the day in every seat I rode (rode in front row twice, back row twice, and 3 times in various rows in the middle, all great!). I also have to say I'm quite fortunate during my visit because it actually never broke down when I was in line for it. It might've when I wasn't, but the longest I had to wait for it was maybe half an hour, mostly due to its slow dispatches; that I can't deny. Iron Gwazi is my #1, Steel Vengeance is my #2 by a sliver of a margin, Fury is my #3, and VelociCoaster is my #4. Iron Gwazi impressed me so much more than any other coaster I've been on to date, but Steel Vengeance can probably still beat it if I get better rides on that later on.

How has this man not reached 100K subs?!

Very nicely put together video and very entertaining as well. Thanks for posting this.

Waited years for this ride, finally got to go on it 3 days ago. Hands down the best rollercoaster I’ve ever been on although as someone from the U.K. I haven’t experienced many of the ones you mention (except Velocicoaster funnily enough, which is also amazing). Two things, amazed to watch the train pull out whilst waiting for my first ride with two guys in the front row filming on their mobiles held up in front of them 2) that moment at the top of the lift hill where it noticeably slows down is the most unnerving part of the whole ride. All in all a brilliant coaster and worth the entrance fee on its own.

I love Iron Gwazi so much. Caught it on a great day and got 5 rides. Personally, I like the front better, gives you more time to appreciate the elements, but the back is so insane, and riding later in the afternoon, after it's warmed up and hauling is insanely fun!!

Hey, as a bit of information. Shaking the gates really will cause almost any ride to break because ANY movement that causes the gate proxy switch to think it is open will E-Stop rides, even from rides as old as The Beast to new ones like Orion. In the morning, we purposefully try to send the train with the gates OPEN to ensure that the train will not dispatch.

My home park is kings dominion and Twisted Timbers just absolutely yanks you out of your seat no matter what time of day you ride. The best moments are the second camel back. And then after the turnaround and those banked hills that just feel out of control as you go back under the lift hill.

Great review! A tip for your next visit, one of the best spots for footage of IG is the ADA ramp, which can be accessed near the ride photo booth at the exit. It gives you a 360° view of the coaster, and you can see almost all of the layout from this spot. Just make sure to leave enough room for any guests that need to use the ramp. Another great vantage point is the amphitheater near the Garden Gate Cafe (shown as "Festival Walkway" on the current park map). However, I think this might only be open if there's a special event like the Food & Wine Festival.

Even the pov looks amazing, this ride is essentially my favorite coaster (Iron Rattler) but better everything so I am all about it. I plan on heading to Tampa in the early spring next year mostly for Iron Gwazi but also to make sure I get a ride on Kumba before it finally hits its service life.

2:11 funny you mention that, because someone’s nose got smashed by a flying phone and they were bleeding all over the platform yesterday

Agree about the morning slowness. We rope dropped it and were a little let down. But our later rides were night and day and amazing. Also, front row on this is underrated IMO.

I love Iron Gwazi so freaking much! It’s such a privilege that I get to operate this ride! I hope I see you next time u come out to ride it!

I made it down for opening weekend and honestly the ops were pretty good for an opening weekend. We did have to wait out some serious winds which kept Iron Gwazi closed for half the day, but by the end of it we got 8 rides and were very happy to do so.

I plan on going to BGT sometime in the fall and this ride looks like an absolute behemoth ♥ Can't wait to ride it

Funny, I also got 4 rides all in the back and had the opposite reaction back in march. I was shocked by how fast it ran in the morning, and even more impressed by how fast it ran later. My evening rides were so fast the transitions were so strong it was almost hurting my neck

Your love for Wicked Cyclone makes me want to cry, a coaster from my homepark being ranked so high makes me teary 😭. Can’t wait to ride Iron Gwazi one day

I got 54 rides over 3 days during passholder previews, riding every single row. I think the front may actually be the strongest row, and even row 7 was amazing. My first 2 days, it was extremely powerful, right up there with Twisted Timbers & Storm Chaser as the strongest airtime I've ever experienced. Plus, I was greying out twice on each ride, after the first 2 drops, and I almost never grey out. I put it over Velocicoaster & into my top 4. On my 3rd day, it wasn't running quite as strong, so it does sound like it can be inconsistent. Storm Chaser hasn't always run at its strongest though, and I've seen other RMCs crawling in the morning.

You’re a maniac for putting Wicked Cyclone ahead of an RMC hybrid, and I’m a WC fanboy myself given it’s my home park RMC XD but I love your ride or die support for it. It’s layout is masterful, but I can’t imagine it being better than Iron Gwazi’s size and layout.

I went during National Zookeeper Week, and there were tours that lead us through the back parking lot. Best view of the ride by far.

I’m so glad the ops don’t staple. When I rode SteVe for the first time I got stapled to the point I hardly felt the airtime. I rode it again without getting stapled and now it’s my 3rd favorite RMC.

It sucks that I haven't been on any other RMC so I can't really compare but I did notice that there weren't a ton of ejector moments and would love to get on Twisted timbers, and Steve for that reason. I absolutely love that wave turn though and glad you like it as well. It's my favorite part of the ride and I love the pacing. Hard for me to choose what is the best coaster in Florida but I might have to go with Velocicoaster as well.

I rode it twice with my brother this past weekend…..Once in the very back, and once near the front. The back seat definitely gives the better ride experience, but this coaster is phenomenal in any seat. The high speed on this is also a great feature.

With SFNE being my home park I give you mad respect for putting wicked cyclone that high, even if I personally prefer superman the ride.

Probably either tied with #2 or #3 coaster, behind steel vengeance and fury 325 (I really like fury because it’s really smooth) I rode it at night which for sure improved the experience

Discord Gang

Got a ride on this in April. Fantastic ride. It falls in at my #6, but it is an incredible coaster. Just a few other experiences I prefer out there. That wave turn over the station is the best I've experienced though.

I get to ride Iron Gwazi for the first time this Thursday! Currently the only RMC I’ve been on is Wicked Cyclone, but that’s in my top 2 coasters I’ve ridden so I can’t wait to get on Iron Gwazi!

Awesome vid as always! I have Iron Gwazi just after Steel Vengeance on my rankings and easily the best coaster in FL. FYI, most coasters have the air gates tied into the safety of the ride and if you shake them, it will cause a trouble light. I worked at Demon at SFGAm and this was the case there. I've also been at numerous other parks where the ride ops warned guests of shaking them. Maybe IG's are more sensitive than other rides so they are a little more vigilant in warning people.

I honestly think those lap bars are the best out there. They're perfect.

Our first ride was right before close in the dark.. back row and holy sh**! I haven’t felt scared like that in a long time! We made the trip back in April. It blew me out the water! Gotta say it’s in my top 3 😎 that first drop is insane

I was there in early spring for passholder previews. I was there for 4 days riding and got 91 rides! I absolutely love this ride and can't wait to get back. My fav RMC followed by Twisted Colossus. I can't deal with Steel Vengeance and the locker BS and the screwed up fast lane after the lockers.

If the last time you rode Gwazi was on media day, you didn't get the full experience. I went about a month later at the end of March and it was HAULING! Absolutely blew me away. And it wasn't even later in the day or anything.

I cant wait to ride this one next year, ive ridden Wicked Cyclone and SteVe which are both insane but I like SteVe a little more, especially with that outterbank turn, but WC layout is jam packed

I got 29 rides on it earlier this year. For me it is my #3 RMC coaster and my #3 overall coaster out of 427 credits. I prefer Steel Vengeance (#1) and Lightning Rod (#2) to it. The quad down is my all time favorite element. Some of the elements really popped on Iron Gwazi like the wave turn, the first drop (I do slightly still prefer Iron Rattle's first drop, but Iron Gwazi is much better than Goliath or Steel Vengeance in terms of the first drop), the barrel roll drop. That drop is much, much better than the ones that start off the other RMC's. It isn't even close. I think the best thing about Iron Gwazi is the pacing. This might be the best paced coaster I've ridden. But the Pacing has one drawback and that is with the zero g stall. I think this is the weakest zero g stall of any of the RMC's because you just blast right through it. It is still fun but I want a stall like Twisted Colossus or Goliath, or I'm guessing Zadra's. I've been on all the RMC's in the US other than Jersey Devil and I would agree that it seemed to break down quite a bit. In terms of photographing it, you may want to go during one of their festivals. They opened up this area and it gave you some access at it. If the festival isn't going on that area is blocked off with fencing. I have Velocicoaster at #4 just ahead of El Toro and the Voyage. In terms of the RMC's, besides the Top 3, Twisted Timbers and Outlaw Run crack my Top 10. Twisted Colossus, Storm Chaser, and Iron Rattler are in my teens. Twisted Cyclone, Wicked Cyclone, and all 3 smaller raptors are in my 20's. Goliath and Wonder Women at SFMM are in my 30's. Joker is in my 40's, and New Texas Giant is the only RMC outside of my Top 50. Can't wait for Arie Force One to open as I think that one has a lot of potential.

I like seeing reviews a few months after the hype dies down. Everyone and their mother would claim it’s the best coaster ever, but after getting whipped around like seen here, you are going to be jacked up for days after riding. The coaster looks amazing, I hope to ride it. But you confirmed for me what the initial POV videos did, there could have been more.

That drop is seriously the best thing ever, I expected it to be like Goliaths at Great America but holy literal crap was I wrong, it's the strongest sustained ejector on any RMC, be in the back row with your eyes closed and your hands up.

I’m hoping eventually to get here to ride Iron Gwazi as it looks and seems like an amazing ride

A lot of people like this roller coaster despite it's smooth and fun! Some enthusiasts ranked them as their favorite roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! Although I never been on that ride before. It is worth a fun ride!

My first RMC was New Texas Giant, then I rode Iron Gwazi second, so I was blown away by this thing lmao.

I'm a wicked cyclone fan too - it's a great layout IMO. I think if you rode it in the rain (or maybe you have?) that would cement your opinion. The naysayers haven't really ridden WC until they've ridden in a light rain or just after a storm moves through. Thanks for the great content and analysis. Keep it coming. Safe travels.

Iron Gwazi pushed me to get a Busch gardens/ SeaWorld annual pass over universal this year and it was totally worth it imo. Although, Montu is still the most impressive coaster at the park to me. It rides smoother today after the repainting and maintenance than at anytime growing up and it opened 3 weeks after I was born.

Airtime, As a former ride operator + fellow coaster rider i soooo know about morning operation. Those Arrow's were especially 'slow wakers" I love mid day & evening runs or after a rain. They DO need to work on dispatch times. I'm sure next year will be getting optimum. Also this ride like mine in Houston deals with humidity. Texas Cyclone used sprinklers to keep that Douglas Fir a little more pliable You'd see them come on @ 1am for and hour or so.

wish I had the time and money to travel around to ride coasters. i live vicariously live through you. Thank you!

Great review and I wish RMC would program the lift hill speed on air temp so it’s faster when it’s cold.

If you're brave and wait in the regular line or get a TimeSaver Pass, Dollywood does accept row requests. The single rider line for Lightning Rod is basically if you don't have a row preference.

Yeah about the leaning on gates, they were so strict about that the whole time I was at Busch gardens

the part i love most in this vid is, at one point you have footage from ElToroRyan and you see Coasterstudio's clapping in the front row, at 9:02

Me personally, im glad that they added An RMC coaster to the Florida coaster lineup, Ive never been able to travel and always wanted to ride an RMC, and Now ive had the chance to, Thanks IRON GWAZI!

I don't know man. I was there for media day with ACE one of the first people besides employees to ride it. It was a cold morning for Floroda like 60 degrees and that thing was still hauling. Maybe you just had a bad ride, and ya the dispatches aren't great but that's all to be expected when a park brings in an RMC. I'm sure they will start getting better. Either way glad you finally got down to ride it!

I cant wait to ride!!! Sophie still gonna do her Rankings? If so maybe a quick recap of all her credits from the trip before she ranks her top ones?

That's CRAZY that it is the same amount of ride time as on Joker considering how short Joker is. Obviously a much better ride but I never would've guessed that.

Next month I plan to visit all of the Orlando and Tampa parks again. I still haven't experienced Gwazi or Icebreaker. I can't wait to ride Gwazi and compare it to SV.

I rode IG for the first time a few months ago. Went straight to it when the park opened and of course it broke down before a single rider even got on to ride it. After about 45 minutes of waiting the ride was going. I had a very different experience. Ride ops were on point that day, flying through dispatches. And the coaster itself was already flying through the track, which I was surprised at due to it being early in the day. So maybe you had just a rough day for IG, or maybe I just lucked into a really good day.

i had to postpone watching this video until today because I just went to BGT last thursday! this was my first rmc and it was PHENOMENAL, was the first on after an hour-ish break down. got 3 rides in, 2 towards front 1 towards back. i have to say it might be my new favorite, and carowinds is my homepark so fury has been hard to beat. wonderful ride and I can’t wait to get on steVe and other rmcs!!

What I love about Gwa-Gwa is that it doesn't spam the elements as bad as other RMCs. It's definitely NA's Zadra though.

The only RMC's I've ridden are Steel Vengeance and Twisted Timbers so I really want to ride this to see If I'd like it more than Steel Vengeance as they're both hyper hybrids.

It is a shame that the dispatch times have to be slow cause it just discourages the idea of getting back in line to ride again since there’s already a long wait. This could improve over time, but I feel like they have a system for operating the coaster that they don’t want to mess up. Regardless, I can’t wait to go down there at some point in the future. Wouldn’t be a bad idea for a trip in the spring.

Velocicoaster is awesome. I think I may need to head over when I am in Florida in October.

Yess Bush Gardens Tampa is my home park. I been waiting for this video

Wicked Cyclone is the only RMC I've ridden so I don't know how it compares to the others, but that ride is insane. Definitely my personal #1.

I really like that you rank RMCS as they are not as they could be in certain day times

So we’re tied with 4 rides. I rode it in previews in late February and they actually started running the ride earlier than scheduled. It’s my favorite RMC and definitely a YEET Machine.

Spent 2 days at BGT in April. A Tues and a Wed. The park was dead on Tues. The ride ops were letting me stay in the train because they were only half full. I did my first marathon on Kumba. 5 laps without moving. Iron Gwazi I got 5 laps on and I definitely have it ranked as my new #1. There are so many good coasters out there, but Gwazi just slaps different. It was so intense on my last couple of rides I had to move a couple rows up from the back. Loved every second of it and I am going back to BGT next Spring. P.S. Did you Vlog Seaworld and your rides on Ice Breaker? Hope to see that soon.

Still need to ride this. Steel Vengeance was a great first experience this summer

I read an article about someone being injured by a phone off of iron gwazi recently. I see lockers in Busch gardens future!

Unfortunately, this is the case with most new RMCs. I was on Jersey Devil's opening day... and there was a problem with the chain lift. It got fixed and then it broke down. Didn't open on the same day. The funny thing is... I rode batman the ride while my dad was waiting and holding my place in line. And that ride gets a HUGE line... but since it has good operations and good capacity... I was able to ride at the same time. And Jersey devil was closed all day and when we tried to ride it... the employee said it was closed and couldn't open that day. Yea... coasters that didn't open on OPENING DAY.

I rode IG on a weekday in late March and I got two rides on it. The second ride was insane and shot it up to my #1, yes, ahead of Steel Vengeance

RMCs getting warmed up is a weird topic. I actually had the problem you had with Jersey Devil with Twisted Timbers - I only got one ride, and it was in the morning and running slow, so I don't rank it very high for an RMC. Lightning Rod and SteVe, however, I rode in the morning and they were amazing.

Ooooh, waiting to see where pantheon will end up then, as this is below velocicoaster, and I think pantheon has better elements

Rode this 50 times during spring break with a complete walk on the probably 3 people per train. Id say that the biggest downfall of it is how much it takes to warm up and how much the weather affects the pacing. Other than that its just a smaller but faster steel vengeance. Love it defenitely top 10. 👍

Yup. agree with a few points. Wicked Cyclone is my favorite RMC and ive ridden SteVe and IG. The rides it has given me this year have been straight up bonkers...Also Jersey Devil is running wayyyyy better this year. Rode it yesterday and it was hauling, even with half empty trains. Secondly, yep....the #1 reason IG's dispatches are slow are the rampant amount of walk of shames. Last time I was there in May at least 2 fat people were booted from the ride on EVERY train. Made the dispatch times miserable.

I really hope the UK gets an RMC at some point, it's surprised that not one place has gone for one yet. Planning on hopefully getting to one of European parks that has one at some point soon(ish)